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"Lord Bishop, the task you assigned has been completed."
In the familiar office, the man sat at his usual spot with his customary elegance. Rita stood before him, respectfully reporting her progress.
"Hmm, ancestral bloodline awakening is indeed possible," Bishop Otto murmured, stroking his chin thoughtfully. Cecilia had experienced a similar situation initially; however, he had employed special means to further enhance her abilities, ultimately shaping her into who she became.
It was unexpected that, after so many years since Cecilia's demise, another priestess would emerge from House Schariac. This development genuinely surprised Otto.
However, having an additional priestess held little value for him. At best, it meant acquiring one more tool, but first, he needed to ensure their loyalty. This revelation did create a rather vexing issue—the question of ownership over the Abyss Flower.
Why was the Abyss Flower entrusted to Bianka? It was because Bianka's mother was Cecilia, and thus, Bianka also carried the holy blood of the Schariac lineage within her veins.
In reality, the Abyss Flower was a treasured artifact passed down through House Schariac, traditionally controlled by each generation's priestess.
Now that Ana's bloodline has awakened, she should rightfully become both the Schariac family head and its priestess, meaning the Abyss Flower ought to be entrusted to her use.
The move Cecilia employed before her demise could only be executed by a Schariac priestess; Bianka definitely couldn't replicate it. In other words, only Ana can fully unleash the true power of the Abyss Flower.
However, since the item has already been gifted, as Lord Bishop, it would be improper for him to request its return—it goes against protocol. Even if Bianka were willing, it wouldn't be acceptable. Thus, Otto finds himself conflicted.
Should he maintain the current situation or seek an even more formidable trump card?
After all, without exaggeration, pairing the Abyss Flower with a Schariac priestess makes them arguably the strongest Herrscher slayer. And imagine adding the Godslayer Armor to that mix—now, that's intriguing.
For the first time, Otto grapples with this somewhat peculiar dilemma. However, upon closer inspection, it isn't truly a concern for him.
To Otto, whether it's Bianka or Ana, they are merely tools to further his grand ambitions. Everything he does is ultimately aimed at reuniting with Kallen.
"Hmm, come to think of it, Schicksal Headquarters doesn't really need too many S-rank Valkyries..." Otto murmured.
He casually picked up a document—a formal request from the Far East Branch of Schicksal, specifically from Theresa herself.
Although it might seem like Otto had severed ties with Theresa, he genuinely cared for her. To outsiders, this concern could appear insincere, but he truly viewed her as his own granddaughter. In fact, some of his feelings towards Kallen were also projected onto Theresa.
This particular document was a request by Theresa for additional Valkyries to be transferred to the Far East Branch.
Otto personally reviewed every document from the Far East Branch, even those concerning routine matters, reflecting his deep concern for Theresa. Only Amber, his secretary, was aware of this.
"Let's assign her to the Far East Branch!" Otto muttered to himself.
Ana belonged to the House of Schariac and was destined to become one of its priestesses—just like Cecilia, who held great significance for Theresa.
Plus, Ana was a Valkyrie fresh off the front lines. Even if Theresa kept her guard up, she wouldn't be too suspicious of someone with that background.
Furthermore, Ana's age was only slightly older than K423's.
Well, if possible, Otto genuinely wanted to give these Valkyries something beautiful. However, he felt they lacked a clear understanding of Honkai.
Slogans about love and beauty alone couldn't defeat Honkai or fulfill his long-cherished dreams.
Rita hadn't left; she remained standing respectfully before Otto. He didn't intentionally hide anything from her, so she could hear his murmurs clearly.
Despite learning all this information, Rita's expression showed no change, maintaining her subtle smile as if it were unrelated to her.
But was it truly irrelevant?
Of course not.
In fact, Rita had a close relationship with Ana. Previously, while writing letters to reminisce with Bianka, Ana also prepared a birthday gift for Rita.
On the surface, Rita did not respond directly.
But Rita had never been one for idle chatter; she preferred concrete actions.
"Rita, please deliver this document to Amber," Otto instructed as he handed her the file. Some tasks didn't require explicit orders from him; if Amber couldn't understand their importance by now, all these years of serving as his secretary would have been wasted.
"Yes, Lord Bishop."
Rita bowed, took the document from Otto, and turned to leave the room.
In that brief moment, her eyes flickered slightly.
"The Far East Branch led by Lady Theresa... Perhaps it is indeed the best choice for Ana."
As Otto's trusted aide, Rita was well aware that Schicksal Headquarters itself was akin to a den of dragons and tigers. The girl Ana was too innocent and kind-hearted, even somewhat timid. If thrust into such an environment without preparation, she risked getting entangled deeply.
While the power of an S-rank Valkyrie should theoretically be enough to protect herself, danger often extended beyond mere Honkai Beasts.
In comparison, the Far East Branch—or rather, Saint Freya Academy—was practically a haven of tranquility.
"Hm, and one more thing," Otto suddenly recalled something as he watched Rita depart. "Inform Nagamitsu to prepare our ace with the latest Godslayer Armor."
Although he couldn't entrust Ana with the Abyss Flower, at least he could provide her with suitable Godslayer Armor, which was standard equipment for Schicksal's S-rank Valkyries.
Having finally sent some talent over to Theresa, this grandfather couldn't possibly expect his adorable granddaughter to personally outfit Ana with Valkyrie armor herself, right? If those little rats from Anti-Entropy found out, it would surely tarnish Schicksal's reputation.
"Hmph, those fools from Anti-Entropy, focusing all their energy on machinery..." Otto's tone carried a hint of mockery.
As the possessor of the Void Archives, he had a clear understanding of the limits and potential of machinery compared to Valkyries. In terms of cost-effectiveness, they were significantly inferior.
However, it wasn't surprising; Anti-Entropy lacked both research expertise and skilled individuals in that area.