Thanks for the invitation! I am in Honkai, still connected

Li Zihan did not keep Otto waiting long.

Even before the appointed time, a faint black mist seeped into the Schicksal Database, bringing its master to this place.

"It is a pleasure to meet you, my friend."

A calm, composed, and impeccably polite voice echoed through the city simulated by data.

The source of the voice was a man of almost unnatural handsomeness.

Blonde hair and green eyes, fair skin, his long hair tied into a single ponytail draped over his left shoulder. He wore the common noble attire of the sixteenth century, a House Apocalypse family crest pinned to his chest.

Such a man sat before a table simulated by data, addressing a guest whose method of arrival was, shall we say, somewhat unconventional.

"How could I refuse the Lord Overseer's invitation?"

Guided by the Scum Maid, the youth quickly connected to the Schicksal Database, then entered this sector—one generally accessible only to Otto—and chuckled softly.

Then, unhurriedly, he sat down in the empty seat opposite Lord Overseer.

Lord Overseer narrowed his emerald green eyes, scrutinizing the youth before him.

This fellow had completely bypassed all system checks, logged into Schicksal's system, and found his precise location.

This was a demonstration of power.

Without much deliberation, Otto understood the reason behind his actions.

If this young man could use the Far East Branch's communication facilities as a conduit to invade Schicksal's system, he could naturally control other assets as well.

For instance, by hacking communication satellites to issue top-level commands to the unsuspecting nuclear weapon bases of various nations.

Or, for example, by directly eroding Anti-Entropy's mecha legions and Schicksal's various airborne battleships, then using them to lay siege to Schicksal itself.

Moreover, this fellow had mentioned that Jizo Mitama could, to a certain extent, control human minds.

If that was the case, directly altering the consciousness of Schicksal scientists and a portion of the Valkyries to seize control of most of Schicksal wouldn't be a difficult feat.

If he wasn't mistaken, this youth had already gained control over some communication facilities. If he were to activate the Divine Key's hidden mode right here, Schicksal would face the greatest catastrophe in its history.

"My friend, don't you find your current actions a tad... excessive?"

Otto smiled, then tapped his fingers on the data-simulated table, sending a message to an old acquaintance.

"Mission canceled."

Somewhere within St. Freya Academy, a woman with long, blue-gray hair received the latest directive.

"Apologies. My childhood wasn't particularly pleasant. Occasionally, I do indeed resort to somewhat excessive actions."

The youth, who had never willingly resided in Albion in the first place, sighed.

If he hadn't, early on, sought out Beo—a being at the pinnacle of Phantasmal Species—and forged a contract, subsequently leveraging that powerful connection, his current situation would likely be no better than that of his senior disciples who had ended up as cripples.

"That is indeed deeply regrettable."

Otto, whose own childhood was far from idyllic, rested his forearms on the table and spoke.

When he spoke again, the topic had shifted.

"However, I presume you spared Rita and allowed her to relay information to me not merely to reminisce about our childhoods."

"You are correct, Lord Overseer."

Li Zihan, already too weary to recall that subterranean labyrinth where Phantasmal Species roamed freely and mages were a dime a dozen, nodded and, with a smile, presented his proposal.

"For various reasons, I am contemplating whether, upon returning home at the end of the month, I should attempt to alter the worldline and request the design schematics for a certain device from the people of Chaldea."

"Oh, my dear friend, might you enlighten me as to what manner of device schematics these are?" the Schicksal Overseer, whose interest in time travel was anything but trivial, inquired with feigned nonchalance.

His knowledge of "Chaldea" was limited to the Neo-Babylonian Empire established by the Chaldean leader Nabopolassar, who had capitalized on Assyria's internal strife. However, this did not preclude him from expressing interest in facilities pertaining to time travel.

"I find myself with a great deal of leisure recently. If the device schematics you speak of are intriguing, I would be more than willing to dedicate some time to them."

"The Spiritron Computing Engine: TRISMEGISTUS, completed in 2015. One of the Atlas Institute's supreme masterworks," the magus, who hailed from the late twentieth century, stated.

"It's an exceedingly complex apparatus capable of verifying a Master's 'existence in a spiritron sense' across any era, thereby enabling interference with the past."

The Atlas Institute, that organization united to overcome the end of the world foreseen by its first director, was simply in a league of its own when it came to crafting alchemical tools.

In comparison, the Clock Tower, often depicted as the most advanced of the three great organizations, seemed rather lackluster.

However, that couldn't be helped.

The Atlas Institute was established for the specific purpose of fighting the final battle against doom, an organization with clear objectives and unified action, much like the Wandering Sea.

Theoretically, the most powerful, the Clock Tower, was more akin to a confederation, a gathering of individuals with their own hidden agendas, prone to dissolving at the first sign of major calamity.

"Interfering with the past through so-called 'spiritrons'?"

Otto, now grasping the general function of the purported Spiritron Computing Engine, felt a flicker in his gaze.

The power to directly interfere with the past?

If true, it was indeed a device capable of changing Kallen's fate.

"My friend, I imagine such a precious artifact would not be easily obtained."

Lord Overseer, fully aware that the person before him would undoubtedly solicit investment, smiled.

If it meant changing Kallen's tragic fate, what did it matter if he gambled Schicksal, himself included, in the process?

"It is indeed quite difficult to procure."

Li Zihan nodded, affirming.

Reconstructing the Spiritron Computing Engine was an incredibly troublesome undertaking.

Barring the use of force to seize Chaldea's device, it would necessitate three steps.

First, achieve victory in a formal Holy Grail War to obtain an item capable of bypassing processes and directly yielding results—the Holy Grail.

Second, find the Jewel Old Man and have him send him to the FGO worldline.

Third, locate Chaldea, request the design schematics, and then, harnessing the power of the Holy Grail, reconstruct a Spiritron Computing Engine.

Honestly, each step was fraught with difficulty. The slightest misstep could make the whole thing blow up in his face.

"If you can enable me to see this machine, I will provide a sufficient reward," Otto said with a laugh.

Some things needed no explicit statement.

He would not pin all his hopes on a single possibility.

At the very least, he would not do so until he saw a clear prospect of Kallen's resurrection.

Of course, if the guest before him could present a complete, viable plan, he wouldn't hesitate to wager Schicksal, himself included.

"Perhaps, in a few months, we shall meet again," the youth, not expecting to persuade Otto in a single encounter, stated.

His next course of action—whether to initiate hostilities or to prepare for a return to the Moon World for necessary items—depended largely on the extent of Otto's investment.

"In that case, I imagine you will require some small assistance from Schicksal."

Lord Overseer, though not offering his full support, would not be parsimonious either, he said with a smile.

The youth, who had yet to return the Oath of Judah, gave the only conceivable answer.

"Of course."