Aboard the battleship en route to World Serpent.
"Come out, what do you want?" Kevin said, sitting in a nearby seat, looking at the empty chair in front of him.
"Hahaha, as expected of the Honored Lord of World Serpent." Otto appeared before Kevin.
"Honored Lord, do you need me to..." Gray Serpent hadn't finished speaking.
"No need to worry, continue sailing."
"Yes..." Gray Serpent slowly retreated.
Otto and Kevin sat there quietly, both observing each other.
"Long live World Serpent!" Otto said to Kevin in a theatrical tone, spreading his hands.
"..." Kevin just looked at Otto silently.
"Alright, no more jokes, Honored Lord of World Serpent, Kevin Kaslana." Otto dropped his flippant expression.
"..." Kevin paid no mind to what Otto said.
"Welcome back to reality."
"I don't need your welcome. Tell me, what do you want?" Kevin said calmly.
"What do I want?" Otto made a thoughtful gesture. "I want something from you, something useless to you, but very useful to me."
"Wise man, you must understand that whatever you want to obtain, you must pay a price."
"Yes, I'm well aware. As a price, Schicksal will help you, giving you enough time to complete the Stigmata Project."
"What is it you seek?" Kevin's tone remained without a ripple.
"The beacon of the Key of Eternity. I know it's currently in your hands." As Otto spoke, a phantom image appeared before him.
"The Second Divine Key, Cosmic Juggernaut, Schicksal did not obtain it completely; it's missing the most crucial part."
"That part, when you were sealed, was similarly sealed into the Sea of Quanta by another pioneer."
"The function of Cosmic Juggernaut is far more than just observation. Only with the beacon can its power truly be unleashed."
"You want to reach the Imaginary Tree." Only then did Kevin truly acknowledge Otto's presence.
"Yes."
"Do you know what reaching the Imaginary Tree represents?"
"Yes, I'm very clear, but my lifelong pursuit lies there. That place is also my, Otto Apocalypse's, destination."
Looking at Kevin, who still hadn't spoken, "Likewise, once I reach my destination, you will also gain control of the entire Schicksal. Currently, this world is still dominated by Schicksal."
"The beacon, I can give it to you." Kevin looked at Otto in front of him again, more seriously. "However, what you are offering is not equivalent."
"Hahaha, is that so? Then, how about adding the First Divine Key? I imagine you need this very much." A golden cube projection appeared in Otto's hand.
Silence fell between the two again for a long time.
Kevin looked at the wise man in front of him. After a while, he said, "As long as you don't hinder the execution of my plan."
"Of course. My plan and your plan have no conflicting points. In fact, I can help you advance the Stigmata Project."
Otto pushed a string of coordinates in front of Kevin.
"This is a small token of my respect. Welcome back to reality, Kevin Kaslana."
With that, Otto's projection vanished from the battleship.
Kevin looked at the spot where the projection disappeared. After a moment, Kevin slowly exhaled.
"Honored Lord."
"Gray Serpent, proceed to the location on these coordinates." Kevin handed the coordinates to Gray Serpent.
Then Kevin walked alone to the bridge, looking at the moon in the sky.
On Schicksal's floating island.
"Are you so sure he will help you?" Void Archives asked Otto.
"Help me? No, no, Void Archives, this is a transaction." Otto corrected Void Archives.
"A transaction? From my perspective, this is nothing but him unilaterally helping you. Why?"
"Why? Because he envies me, so he is willing to help me. But actually, I should be the one who envies him more."
Otto picked up a glass of red wine and walked to the window, looking at the moon outside.
"He envies you?" Void Archives' confused voice came through.
"Yes, he envies me. I can do what he cannot. I envy him because he already achieved what I can never achieve fifty thousand years ago." Otto drank the red wine in his glass in one gulp.
"Void Archives, you still don't understand humans enough. Kevin and I are similar, yet different, people." Otto turned and walked outside.
He was also about to depart for the location of those coordinates.
Kevin would place the beacon there.
With that beacon, he could begin to attempt his plan.
If Cosmic Juggernaut could directly send him to the Imaginary Tree, then the subsequent plans would not need to be executed.
However, it's best not to have too much hope.
A Divine Key is just a Divine Key.
"Amber, please prepare for me. I want to conduct another experiment regarding the Second Divine Key."
"After I get the beacon..."
Otto's voice faded further and further away.
"Kevin Kaslana, I truly wish I could be like you, valuing my own life so little."
"But you and I are always different. I will do my utmost to bring her life back."
"And you, you do your utmost to fulfill her goal."
"You always treat yourself as her accessory. No, it should be said that even now, you still consider yourself her..."
"I'm different. I've always admired her, but never received the answer I wanted."
"Even because of my mistakes, I lost her."
"If I could exchange myself for her return, I would be very willing."
"And you, what will you choose after you accomplish her goal, without a destination, so empty?"
"Will you think of returning to fifty thousand years ago to be with her?"
Otto muttered to himself as he boarded the floating battleship.
Void Archives, who had been by his side, listened to these words, still unable to comprehend if these two were truly similar.
"Will you really give me to him? Am I not also a part of your plan?" Void Archives asked, somewhat puzzled.
"Hahaha, Void Archives, this is what I mean; you don't understand humans. Kevin, he won't take you." Otto said with great confidence.
"Kevin, he also wants to see how far I, who chose a different path from him, can go. He also wants to see if I can reverse History."
"You're still the same, calculating everything." Void Archives said in an unsurprised tone. He never thought Otto would easily hand him over.
But what Void Archives didn't know was that Otto had genuinely considered handing him over. It was only after his conversation with Kevin that he learned there was a certain possibility that Kevin wouldn't take Void Archives.
And now, Otto was going to turn that possibility into reality.
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