Inside his office, Otto looked at the simple report Bronya had sent him via Fu Hua and began to ponder the intelligence regarding Shincheng Pharmaceutical before his meeting with Leo Ash.
In the past, he had investigated the company's background more than once.
This pharmaceutical company had popped up right after the Second Eruption and even controlled a hard currency like anti-Honkai drugs. For Otto, these characteristics of Shincheng Pharmaceutical were enough to warrant his serious attention.
However, the corporate spies Otto sent out did not bring back much useful information.
This wasn't to say Shincheng Pharmaceutical was clean. In fact, not only was it not clean, it was quite 'dirty'.
And this dirtiness was different from the kind Schicksal and Anti-Entropy engaged in with their secret human experiments. Before Cocolia's bout of insanity, Schicksal and Anti-Entropy at least tried to maintain a sliver of public decency.
But Shincheng Pharmaceutical was different. Their dirtiness was out in the open.
After achieving great success with their anti-Honkai drugs, the company suddenly began to conduct in-depth research into the field of genetic medicine.
In the process, Shincheng Pharmaceutical constantly explored various cutting-edge technologies, using aggressive and even ethically questionable methods for medical treatment.
None of this required investigation by Otto's corporate spies; Shincheng Pharmaceutical's use of human test subjects for drugs and experiments was practically public knowledge.
Countless organizations had condemned Shincheng Pharmaceutical's actions, but the problem was—they couldn't be bothered to care. What use were your condemnations?
To the common people, Shincheng Pharmaceutical's methods might be extreme, but the Ankh Aid Project they launched had indeed helped a great many people.
One does not bite the hand that feeds. Naturally, few of those who had received Shincheng Pharmaceutical's charity would stand up and speak ill of their benefactor.
And as for the nations of the world, what Shincheng Pharmaceutical was doing... was nothing at all.
They provided pro bono aid to your country's citizens, had participants sign contracts before human trials, and provided sufficient compensation when things went wrong. The so-called 'inhumanity' was not really an issue.
As for Otto, he had even less reason to shut down Shincheng Pharmaceutical.
Shincheng Pharmaceutical was certainly hiding many secrets, but unlike that group from Anti-Entropy who opposed him at every turn, Shincheng Pharmaceutical's existence was beneficial to Schicksal.
Otto was indeed trying to cultivate the Honkai, but he wasn't doing it too obviously.
Under these circumstances, Shincheng Pharmaceutical spent its own money to aid the populace, found its own people for human trials to develop new drugs, and even took all the blame for it. To Otto, this company was the best kind of 'partner'.
Of course, Otto was still secretly sending corporate spies into Shincheng Pharmaceutical, trying to uncover its secrets.
Unfortunately, aside from stealing some of the other party's experimental data, Otto's spies couldn't accomplish anything more profound.
Given the situation, Otto naturally chose not to take further action.
However, the honeymoon period between Shincheng Pharmaceutical and Schicksal came to an abrupt end today.
The appearance of the Third Divine Key and the identity held by that woman named Cioara both became reasons for Otto to act.
Moreover—the chaos these people created nearly got Theresa and K423 killed in Jiuyou. That alone was enough for Otto to sentence them to death.
In fact, before sending Amber to welcome Leo Ash, Otto had already dispatched Schicksal personnel and several A-rank Valkyries to Shincheng Pharmaceutical for some 'questioning'.
Holding back for fear of alerting the enemy—such a strategy was clearly unsuitable for the current situation.
If what Natasha Cioara did was truly connected to Shincheng Pharmaceutical, then she and the company must have been in regular contact.
Now that the woman had been brought back to the Far East Branch, Shincheng Pharmaceutical would sooner or later find out about her failed mission and exposed identity.
Rather than waiting and giving the other side time to prepare, Otto felt it was better to send people over now and catch them off guard.
If Rita hadn't participated in the Jiuyou mission and gotten injured, Otto might have even considered dispatching Rita, his clever and capable subordinate, to probe their true strength.
However, thinking of Rita, a smile suddenly graced Otto's lips.
Even though Rita had failed her mission this time, Otto still felt that this subordinate was incredibly reliable.
Her usual work of handling so many of Otto's unsavory affairs was enough to earn his praise.
And now, she had even brought a lucky charm like Leo Ash into Schicksal.
If it weren't for Leo Ash, both K423 and Theresa would have been killed by that woman, Cioara, and her Divine Key.
If it weren't for Leo Ash, Otto wouldn't even have had the chance to discover the major problems with Shincheng Pharmaceutical.
It had to be said, if Otto's initial thoughts were merely 'this kid is somewhat useful, let's cultivate him a bit, and if he doesn't die at K423's hands, we'll see,' then now, Otto's perspective had changed slightly.
From the moment Leo Ash appeared in his field of vision, the completion rate of Otto's plans began to skyrocket as if on a jet plane.
In just about forty days, Leo Ash had accomplished the great deeds of 'saving K423,' 'building a relationship with K423,' 'bringing back the Herrscher of Thunder,' 'saving Theresa twice,' and 'delivering the finishing blow to Chiyou.' He even indirectly led Otto to discover the anomaly at Shincheng Pharmaceutical.
Honestly, no one with such a useful and obedient subordinate would want them to die out there.
As long as Otto could complete his plan, he would sooner or later hand over the position of Schicksal Archbishop to Theresa.
And after Theresa took power, some of the people Otto had kept in check would surely have some unsavory ideas.
At that time, even if Theresa was a capable fighter, as the Archbishop, she couldn't act rashly.
And that's when she would need a capable and trustworthy right-hand man to help her clean up the trash.
But... it was still too early to think about these things.
Although Leo Ash is indeed a lucky charm for me, he has one flaw.
He genuinely hates the Honkai from the bottom of his heart.
And from the attitude of my old friend, Rita, and Bianka towards him, he is clearly a self-destructive type who pays little attention to his own well-being.
Although the mission did require a gamble at the end, to borrow the power of the Herrscher of Thunder and attack without a second thought...
Even just thinking about it in his head, Otto felt this kid was far too crazy.
The faster and fiercer such a person charges, the greater the probability of him dying on the battlefield.
Whether for his own plans or for Theresa's future, Otto felt that perhaps he should take some measures.
Persuading Leo Ash with words—that was clearly not going to work.
If that method worked, his old friend wouldn't have such a headache.
Perhaps...
—Use Fenghuang Down to suggest to him that he shouldn't be so careless with his own life?
As Otto was pondering these things, a soft knock suddenly came from the door.
"Lord Otto, Mr. Leo Ash has arrived."
"Come in."
After Otto spoke, Amber opened the door, led Leo Ash inside, gave Otto a very respectful bow, and then left.
Before Amber had set out, Otto had already instructed that he planned to speak with Leo Ash alone.
After Amber left, Otto began to size up the young man before him.
On Leo Ash at this moment, besides the damaged armor he hadn't had time to change out of, Otto couldn't see a single scratch.
I see, Bianka used Abyss Flower on him.
And, this kid's body tensed up the moment he saw me. He's incredibly nervous.
Heh, even with great power and a brave spirit, this kid is still just a naive brat who hasn't seen the world.
"Alright, alright, relax, Leo Ash."
Otto suddenly stood up, theatrically opened his arms, and gave Leo Ash a brilliant smile.
"You are the great hero who slayed the Judgment-class Honkai Beast Chiyou and protected your homeland of Shenzhou."
"You who have achieved such merit should be more confident in my presence—such a nervous demeanor is not fitting for the great hero who has rendered distinguished service to Schicksal."
Hearing Otto's words, Leo Ash's body instantly tensed up even more.
Wow, this is even more terrifying.
Who are you calling a great hero?!
"This subordinate wouldn't dare! This is all part of my duty!"
Looking at Leo Ash's expression at this moment, Otto became even more convinced that his earlier judgment was correct.
Leo Ash is an outstanding warrior, but beyond that identity, he is still a young man not yet eighteen years old.
In Otto's view, when Leo Ash faced a superior like Otto, he was still unable to properly adjust his mental state, leading to unnecessary nervousness.
This won't do. If he can't adjust his mentality in time, he won't be able to help Theresa intimidate those scoundrels.
As for the current Leo Ash, his body tensing up upon seeing Otto—of course it wasn't an act.
Holy crap, he was a transmigrator, and a transmigrator who knew what kind of person Otto was. It would be a miracle if he could completely control his emotions when facing a final boss with brains and no bottom line.
Moreover, for Leo Ash, this level of tension was necessary.
His external persona, besides 'Avenger,' actually had other facets.
In front of Otto, he was just a naive brat who hadn't seen the world.
A naive brat who hadn't seen the world should be nervous when seeing the Archbishop.
And for now, his idea hadn't caused any major problems.
It was true that clever people were hard to deceive, but as long as you deceived them initially, there would be much more room to maneuver later.
They were very confident in their own intelligence, and this confidence would prompt them to mentally fill in details that Leo Ash himself didn't even know.
Even Otto, once he believed something, would easily follow that direction he deemed correct and fill in the blanks himself.
As for Otto's nonsense about being a great hero and being more confident—only a ghost would believe that crap.
Putting other things aside, just look at Siegfried in the distance and Cecilia right here.
Those who believed Otto's nonsense and worked their lives for him were fine as long as nothing went wrong. But once something did, they could only clean up Otto's messes. And after cleaning up, they might even be judged by Otto as 'too great a threat' and be silenced directly.
"Sigh, expecting a young man like you to adjust your mentality right away is indeed asking a bit much."
After sitting back down in his chair, Otto gestured for Leo Ash to sit while speaking to him with a helpless smile.
"But you must slowly get used to it. You cannot show such inappropriate timidity in front of others."
"You are an elite of the Apocalypse family. In the future, you are bound to become a pillar of Schicksal."
"To show such an attitude in front of others is tantamount to exposing the weakness in your heart."
As he said this, Otto's tone suddenly dropped a few notches.
"Don't think that everyone within Schicksal is 'one of our own.' Who knows if the colleague before you today won't bare their fangs at you in the future."
"...This subordinate will keep it in mind."
Well said.
In all of Schicksal, you're the one I trust the least.
"Alright, just remember this for yourself. I won't ask about the other matters. Just remember to write a proper report and upload it to the headquarters' database later."
At that moment, a strange look appeared in Otto's eyes as he looked at Leo Ash.
"I originally intended for you to treat your injuries first, but since Durandal has already healed them for you, then I see no reason to delay."
"Tomorrow, I will hold a banquet to celebrate Schicksal's victory over the Judgment-class Honkai Beast."
"Some of Schicksal's elites will attend this banquet—as the protagonist of this event, you need to step up."
"This subordinate understands."
Ha, what a hassle.
But it's also clear that I've initially gained Otto's trust.
Otherwise, he wouldn't need to pin all the credit on me and proactively help me build momentum.
But still...
Looking at the golden feather before him, Leo Ash sighed helplessly in his heart.
—Even if I've gained Otto's initial trust, I still have to be subjected to Fenghuang Down.
That's normal. If his wariness towards me disappeared so quickly, I would find it strange.
After using Fenghuang Down on Leo Ash, Otto watched as Leo Ash suddenly became incredibly relaxed and nodded with a smile.
Although he had already marked Leo Ash as someone to be cultivated, it didn't mean Otto completely trusted him.
If the answers Leo Ash gave could satisfy him, then perhaps in the future, he would reduce the frequency of using Fenghuang Down on him.
But that was a matter for later.
As for now...
Otto stared at Leo Ash before him and spoke with a smile.
"Leo Ash, answer my questions."
"This time in Jiuyou, why were you able to unleash such terrifying power."
"What other secrets are you hiding?"
.......