"Who to use as anchor… and which ambiguous moments to change…"
Otto sifted through the information streaming from the Book of Wei, carefully weighing potential candidates.
The book didn't spell it out explicitly, but the transmitted data laid bare its limitations.
At the very least, rewriting the past didn't wholly disregard the rules of the Imaginary Tree.
From what he could discern, there were four primary constraints:
1. Minor trends could be altered; major trends were nearly impossible to shift.
2. He couldn't stray more than 100 meters from the anchor.
3. Relying on the book's own recovery, he could only make one modification per month.
4. Certain "fixed" events were temporarily unchangeable.
"It can't completely ignore the rules… So what if I master the rules themselves?"
Otto smacked his lips, instantly spotting the loophole.
"Also, rewriting timelines… Does that include future plot events as part of the timeline? If so, maybe I could…"
Ideas surged like a torrent, but alas—he wasn't ready to test them yet.
He needed to secure his own survival first, then chase the rest.
The Book of Wei's most immediate, glaring use: pulling the dead back into the present and forging an unbreakable foundation.
So… who to revive first?
That was the crux.
Otto mulled over suitable candidates, mentally sketching intricate lists.
On the surface, the safest opening gambit seemed to be reviving Kallen—then even if the original ever returned, he'd have no grounds for complaint.
But Otto scoffed at the notion.
He recalled a drunken friend once slurring: a boss's ambition swells with the empire.
As long as a person draws breath, their desires snowball—like a boulder tumbling down a mountainside. The farther it rolls, the more devastating the impact.
And that rang doubly true for anyone bearing the name Otto.
Trusting a man like that?
No.
Not even himself. And… most crucially, if the original owner still lingered somewhere in this world…
A spark of greed flickered in the current Otto's eyes.
There's nothing that can't be exploited, is there?
—But what if this world held only one Otto?
Then Kallen would merely serve as a blunt tool—hm, did the saint from five centuries past truly possess S-rank Valkyrie-level prowess?
Hard to say. After all, in the two infamous battles she fought while fully prepared, her foes were simply too monstrous.
Cloud Ink Heart-era Fu Hua could suppress every adversary in the world even now.
The Previous Era's Herrscher of Corruption, even besieged by fusion warriors like Kevin and Elysia, unleashed a nuclear barrage that crippled the Previous Era's infrastructure.
As for Kallen's own strength…
History books are utterly unreliable witnesses.
Because the one who penned that history was a fervent Kallen devotee.
Oh, using her might at least yield one Divine Key.
Otto narrowed his eyes.
For now, whether he aimed to play the grieving pure-love widower to garner the Valkyries' sympathy, or negotiate with the original and his allies, Kallen had to remain dead.
He could always summon her later when he deigned to offer the original a proper "explanation."
So… who, exactly, to choose?
Otto uttered nothing aloud, silently etching the concrete details of the plan into his mind.
[Anchor: ?] [Arrival Time: ? Year] [Duration: ? Years] (Note: With the current capabilities of this book, please do not exceed twenty years of time span) [Personal Participation Time: Twenty days] (temporary hard limit)
(Using the Book of Wei to fast-forward/evolve time counts as Duration; the time you can personally descend to change things counts as Participation Time.) (During Duration, everything you do must either continue what you did in Participation Time or be identical to the original history.) (During Participation Time, you cannot stray more than one hundred meters from the anchor.)
"Alright, let's begin like this…"
Otto closed his eyes and mentally inscribed the time-travel parameters onto the Book of Wei.
[Anchor: Cecilia Schariac] [Arrival Time: 1985] [Duration: Sixteen years] [Personal Participation Time: Twenty days]
He chose Cecilia for myriad reasons—not solely because he thirsted for her form. Otherwise, why not pursue the goose baby?
Kiana in her amoeba phase was never an option—he was a certified daddy fan, and tampering with grass-stupid would be utterly taboo.
Mother-daughter bowl? Strictly off-limits. The dimensional wall would shatter.
The true reasons for selecting her were disarmingly simple.
Ever since he seized power, scarcely any saint from the Schariac family had ever betrayed him.
Even when they clashed with his methods, they would still strive to fulfill his directives.
Moreover, Cecilia herself was a colossal pivot in the grand plot.
If she stood firmly by the transmigrated Otto's side, neither the goose baby nor the bug cub could ever raise a hand against him.
One person's absolute loyalty would secure at least Cecilia, Durandal, Rita, Kiana, and Raiden Mei as his unyielding guardians.
—Absolute command here: individuals she could fully direct, who would never defy her, bound by sincere devotion and generational hierarchy, ensuring they consulted her on every major decision.
As for Siegfried… heh. The fool who raided Schicksal labs with his toddler daughter in tow? Otto preferred to keep his distance—and perhaps sever their ties entirely, lest Siegfried's recklessness drag Cecilia into unwilling opposition.
Bottom line: three S-rank Valkyries and two Herrschers. Add one more Kevin-nerfing detour in the Sea of Quanta… Under Finality, I'm untouchable, alright?!
Moreover, reviving her would allow him to attribute every discrepancy between himself and the original Otto to the saint's return.
After all, she hailed from years long past. No one truly knew the precise nature of their bond—not even Amber's memories of that era would be perfectly lucid.
So as long as he locked in Cecilia's loyalty, every single issue spawned by transmigration could be instantly dissolved.
And securing Cecilia's loyalty…
The name Otto Apocalypse already commanded max affection from every Schariac.
The sole reason he was simulating all the way back to 1985—instead of merely saving her during the Second Eruption—was to acquaint himself with Cecilia personally, grasp the mechanics of [Rewriting the Past], and savor the sensation of playing Overseer across the timeline.
"Let's begin."
Otto whispered inwardly.
[Evolution commencing. Red text = forbidden time points. Green text = ambiguous time points that may be altered.]
The final message lingered for ten seconds. Then the settings he'd inscribed gradually faded, replaced by new lines.
[In 1985, you used Cecilia as the experimental subject, successfully producing an extremely high-purity Schariac holy blood. All the blood within Cecilia's body was converted into holy blood capable of instantly annihilating Honkai energy.]
[However, in order to protect this vital Schicksal technology, you confined Cecilia Schariac within Schicksal Headquarters.]
Plenty of green text here…
Otto pondered for a moment, then spoke aloud:
"Book of Wei, pause at 1985 for one day."
The book halted its textual flow. A force linked to his consciousness.
He closed his eyes. In the next instant, he stood outside a simulation training room.
Inside was a girl—features exquisitely flawless, long silver hair cascading like moonlight spilling from the heavens, exuding an allure that could captivate anyone, regardless of gender.
Clad in sleek black battle armor, she gripped a massive lance in her delicate hands and lightly thrust it toward the exposed underbelly of a Honkai beast.
The data-simulated creature dissolved instantly into scattered streams of light, leaving only Black Abyss White Flower embedded in the ground.
"Cecilia Schariac."
Otto murmured her name, deliberately releasing a deep, contemplative sigh before curving his lips into a warm, gentle smile.
"Amber."
"I'm here, Overseer."
The girl he feared most stood right behind him, yet under the Book of Wei's protective veil, Otto didn't need to fret about rousing her suspicion.
"Can you use big data analysis to determine which country and location Cecilia most wants to visit right now?"
"..."