"Me from the future, are we really not leaving?"
Standing in the family villa's garden, seeing the large crowd drawn by the flying device's commotion, Otto asked weakly.
He didn't know why this person claiming to be his future self was so confident, nor did he understand what "throwing the old geezer into Black Dolphin Prison" meant.
As a human cub, the world he'd seen in his past ten-plus years of life consisted only of this manor enclosed by high walls before him.
In his subconscious, Father was this manor's master. Anyone who defied his will would receive severe punishment—this had become his thinking habit.
Therefore, after rebellious thoughts arose, the first thing he thought of was leaving this cage. As long as he left this cage, he could escape that father who made him feel fear.
Lucius wasn't surprised by Otto's response.
This cub wasn't the Archbishop from tens of thousands of years later. He might have sufficient potential, but right now he was just blank paper waiting to be painted on.
However, he didn't plan to leave now. While Fu Hua's plot in Shenzhou had gotten on track, Otto's plot here also had to advance immediately.
As someone who couldn't be avoided in the main storyline no matter what, Otto had extremely many plot points.
The famous scene of first meeting Kallen.
Resolving the Black Death.
Schicksal's Eastern Expedition.
The Violet Iris phantom thief and Green Lily Lady.
Attempting to save Kallen from execution.
Founding the Second Schicksal.
The First Great Eruption.
The Second Great Eruption.
It could be said any one was extremely troublesome.
Just that before these troubles, there was still one problem. If this problem couldn't be solved, these troubles wouldn't even have any meaning.
And this problem was—there was no Schicksal.
If the organization called Schicksal couldn't be built, any of Otto's plot nodes couldn't advance.
In the current pre-civilization era, Otto's old geezer wasn't Schicksal Archbishop Nicholas, but Fire Moth elder Nicholas. Simultaneously, he was also a United Government councilor.
This Nicholas had a massive family, but this family wasn't Apocalypse. His deceased wife Sabrina also wasn't surnamed Schariac. The Francis next door also wasn't Kaslana.
In other words, the prerequisite for advancing Otto's plot was first creating the Schicksal organization and the three corresponding families.
Before coming here, Lucius already had an idea.
So not only couldn't he leave now, he had to meet Otto's old geezer Nicholas and have him taste Fenghuang Down.
Thus, facing the internally anxious and uneasy Otto, Lucius said:
"The best way to overcome fear is to face it directly. Blindly escaping will ultimately leave nowhere to run."
"I understand your previous fear of your old geezer. After all, you're just a powerless cub. But now, with me, your future self, present, the one who should feel fear shouldn't be you."
Lucius's power carried a calming effect. Otto suddenly found the panic in his heart rapidly disappearing.
Then he heard Lucius say:
"Walk toward them. You'll be fine. Trust me."
Hearing Lucius's words, looking at the family members rapidly approaching him, Otto lightly gritted his teeth, clenched his small hands, then walked toward them.
Although young, he could also sense this person claiming to be his future self was special.
Soon, this group arrived before Otto, then passed by him without pause, as if treating him completely as air.
Otto breathed a sigh of relief. The fear in his heart also quickly receded.
"Thank you, me from the future..."
But just as he was expressing thanks to Lucius, he heard a stern rebuke come from not far away.
"Otto, how did you cause trouble again!"
Otto's body trembled slightly. A tall, blonde young man appeared in his vision—his second brother Fabien, whom he'd just seen not long ago.
At this moment, anger showed on his face as he strode toward him.
"Didn't I tell you? Stop tinkering with those little toys!"
The fear that had originally retreated in his heart now rose again. This made him unable to help requesting Lucius again.
"Me from the future, please... please help me."
And Lucius also gave a very straightforward reply.
"Then, just like before, face the fear in your heart. Walk toward him."
Hearing this, Otto took a deep breath, resolution filling his small face.
Then he turned and ran toward the distance, simultaneously crying out in his heart.
"No good... Second Brother angry is too scary."
Seeing this, Lucius didn't get angry. He just comforted: "Habits formed since childhood aren't that easy to change. Forget it, relax. Leave what comes next to me."
Otto suddenly found he'd lost control of his body.
He saw "himself" suddenly stop, then turn around and walk calmly toward Second Brother Fabien.
The two quickly approached. Fabien's angry face was clearly visible.
But just like before, the instant he approached himself, the anger on Fabien's face rapidly receded, then he walked past as if no one else existed.
Controlling the body was of course Lucius at this moment. He'd originally been thinking of having Otto lead him to find his old geezer.
But given his degree of fear toward his old geezer, it probably wasn't an easy matter. He might as well do it himself.
After passing Fabien, while walking toward the manor's interior, Lucius said to Otto:
"You needn't fear your second brother so much. Although his temper is explosive, he actually cares about you quite a bit."
"Second Brother he... cares about me?" Otto's tone carried confusion.
"Some people aren't good at expressing feelings." Lucius laughed lightly a few times. Without dwelling on this question, he asked: "Point me in a direction. I need to meet Nicholas and send him a little 'gift.'"
"You... aren't you me from the future? Why don't you know Father's residence?"
"Too much time passed. I always forget."
Thus, under Otto's guidance, he quickly arrived at a standalone building in the manor guarded by many guards.
Lucius paid no mind to those guards, preparing to use Fenghuang Down to interfere with their mental states, then swagger in.
But before he could activate Fenghuang Down, a voice came from afar.
"Young Master Otto?"
Lucius stopped. Without moving his body, he lightly tilted his head and saw the one who'd called him was an elderly man in butler attire.
"What is it?"
Although feeling today's Otto was somewhat strange, as a butler, he still faithfully conveyed Nicholas's command.
"Young Master Otto, the family head wants you to go to him."
Hearing this, Lucius smiled.
"What a coincidence. I also wanted to go to him to express some 'filial piety.'"
...
With the butler's introduction, those guards watching the family residence didn't obstruct. The butler also only brought Lucius to the entrance, then let him enter alone.
This building looked like a tower from outside, but upon entering, he discovered even larger space extending downward.
Stepping on stone steps that seemed to have some age, Lucius walked down step by step while examining the portraits hanging beside the steps.
These portraits showed different ages, all blonde and blue-eyed in appearance.
Besides this, he found the people in the portraits all had seventy to eighty percent similarity.
After looking a few times, a hypothesis arose in Lucius's heart. He stopped paying attention to these portraits and began recalling the information he'd obtained about Nicholas.
Unlike Otto's fearful impression of him, Nicholas actually had quite a good reputation in the outside world.
And what created this positive reputation was actually the rumors about him and his wife. This Councilor Nicholas was supposedly utterly devoted to his wife.
After his wife died of illness, every Sunday afternoon he'd go to his wife's grave to reminisce, hugging the tombstone and weeping bitterly.
His devoted persona spread widely in the United Government, bringing him great fame.
But Lucius knew this was just a persona he'd established for himself. If you ignored his illegitimate children in the manor who could form ten football teams, then he was indeed utterly devoted to his wife.
Soon, Lucius finished the steps. After passing through a long corridor, he arrived at Nicholas's location.
This was an extremely spacious room, but the room's arrangement surprised Lucius somewhat.
Compared to a residence, this looked more like an extremely advanced laboratory. Among them were quite a few instruments he'd even seen in Mobius's laboratory.
But what most attracted attention was a strange egg-shaped machine installed in this laboratory's center. This machine was like an egg embedded in the floor, its surface carved with circuit-like peculiar patterns.
A blonde, blue-eyed man stood before this machine—Otto's father Nicholas.
He looked seventy percent similar to Otto, age around thirty, completely unlike what his fifty-year-old age should look like.
Upon seeing Lucius controlling Otto's body arrive, his face couldn't help showing an expectant smile.
"Otto, my most beloved child. Now is the time for you to show filial piety."
He raised his hand and snapped his fingers.
"Click!"
Accompanied by the sound of mechanisms engaging, the egg installed in the room's center began splitting open along its surface patterns.
The machine's interior carried vivid colors, just like a peacock spreading its wings.
"Compatibility with my consciousness is over ninety, even higher than your eldest brother."
"Although still young, we can first extract some stem cells..."
Nicholas spoke to himself, as if completely disregarding Otto's will. In a commanding tone he said: "Otto, lie down inside."
Lucius walked to the machine and extended a finger to lightly tap it, discovering this machine's material didn't seem to be a known metal. This piqued his curiosity.
"Can you tell me what this is for?"
A crimson feather drifted past Nicholas's vision. A desire to confide suddenly arose in his heart.
"Of course it's to let me live forever..."
Suddenly, Nicholas suddenly frowned, his face actually showing some confusion.
"Otto, you seem a bit different today?"
Lucius sighed, unable to help complaining.
"Speaking of which, are there too many cheap fathers in this era?"
"Old geezer, don't you have even a bit of care for your child?"
"Old geezer?"
Nicholas heard such vocabulary from this timid son's mouth for the first time. His face showed disbelief, but he quickly felt his dignity as a father had been severely offended.
This made him extremely furious. He couldn't help gritting his teeth and rebuking:
"Enough! Don't talk back. Lie down obediently!"
"I'm your father. I gave you life and raised you for over ten years. Shouldn't you repay me?!"
After hearing his heartfelt words, Lucius actually nodded.
"True. The debt of nurture must be repaid. So I'll give you a great fortune."
While speaking, he walked before Nicholas, leaped up, then punched him in the stomach.
Nicholas hadn't anticipated this situation, much less thought his ten-year-old son would have such strength. The severe pain in his abdomen made his face contort. He couldn't help clutching his stomach and kneeling on the ground, continuously wailing.
At this moment, Lucius walked before him and said:
"Old geezer, look at me!"
Under Fenghuang Down's mental interference, Nicholas involuntarily raised his head and met eyes with Otto controlled by Lucius.
He saw a crimson feather falling in "Otto's" pupils. Strangely, he actually felt this feather growing clearer and clearer—even the patterns on it could surface in his mind.
As this feather outlined itself in his mind, he felt his spirit become completely ethereal. His face became vacant.
At this moment, Lucius's voice rang in his ear.
"Come, repeat after me."
"I will forever obey your commands, absolutely without any defiant thoughts."
After hearing Lucius's words, Nicholas's face showed a vacant expression as he muttered:
"I... I will forever... forever..."
Speaking to here, his expression actually began struggling. With a shudder, he actually awakened from Fenghuang Down's control.
"Damn it, you're not Otto. Who are you... thunk!"
Lucius punched Nicholas's head, causing his eyes to lose focus. With a thud he fell to the ground unconscious.
"Since reason doesn't work, I also understand a bit of 'physics.'"
Lucius squatted beside Nicholas. A Fenghuang Down feather appeared in his hand. He pressed it against his forehead.
This was his first time seeing someone able to resist Fenghuang Down. Although just a mimic, it still wasn't something an ordinary person like Nicholas could resist.
"Let me see what's going on with you."
Borrowing Fenghuang Down's power, Lucius's consciousness probed into Nicholas's mental ocean.
After initial smooth progress, he was quickly blocked outside the consciousness core by an unusual power.
Lucius discovered this power came from something in Nicholas's spirit.
It was a feather floating in his consciousness ocean, showing black-red-gold tricolor.
Unlike Fenghuang Down, this was a peacock feather.
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