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"Calm down, Dad."
"It'll be fine."
"Yes, yes, I know, I know."
"Honestly, you're more nagging than a grandma. Gotta go now."
On the training ground of the Immortal Blades, Susannah muttered as she hung up the phone.
Alvitr teased from the side, "How many calls has that been? That makes eleven just this week, huh? Your family really cares a lot about you."
"Yeah, maybe too much." Susannah sighed and said, "Every day they keep asking when I'm coming back home."
"Is something wrong at home?" Alvitr couldn't help but ask, puzzled. "I remember your family never called this frequently."
"I've asked, but my father insists it's nothing." Susannah pursed her lips. "But if truly nothing is amiss, would they be urging me to return home?"
Susannah belonged to a prominent oil-rich family in the Middle East. With their vast wealth from oil fields, she had been born into privilege, standing above most ordinary individuals.
However, instead of indulging in a lavish lifestyle, at the age of 15, she felt a calling from Schicksal and joined as a Valkyrie.
Naturally, having such financial backing made her path smoother.
Alvitr suggested, "Do you want me to investigate? There might be some unspoken issues."
"No need. I'll take time off and go back for a visit."
"Take time off? Where to?" At that moment, Ana approached, sounding perplexed.
Startled, Susannah quickly realized it was Ana and sighed with relief, "Oh, it's just you. For a moment, I thought it was Vice-Captain Rita."
"Oh? Is there something important?" Rita unexpectedly appeared nearby.
Susannah hesitated, feeling slightly unnerved by Rita's sudden presence.
If her heart weren't strong, Vice-Captain Rita might have scared her to death.
"Nothing... nothing important," the girl stammered, blushing deeply. "It's all fine, Vice-Captain Rita."
Rita smiled and turned to Alvitr. "Alvitr, there's something I need you to investigate."
"Yes, ma'am." Alvitr promptly saluted the vice-captain.
"Don't be so tense; it's not a major issue." She paused before continuing, "This information comes from Chen Tianwen. Please assess how serious the situation is."
"Chen Tianwen, that girl?"
Alvitr took the documents handed to her.
The matter outlined in the files seemed relatively straightforward at first glance. It began with Chen Tianwu, a World Serpent operative, making contact with his sister Chen Tianwen. Despite their affiliations with opposing factions, occasional interactions between them were tolerated, with both sides turning a blind eye.
Chen Tianwen was only thirteen years old, still young and inexperienced, having had no access to any confidential information within Schicksal. Consequently, her meetings with Chen Tianwu did not raise concerns among others.
However, when Chen Tianwen informed Rita about this particular incident, Rita realized just how grave the situation could be.
Chen Tianwu wanted Chen Tianwen to resign from her position as a Valkyrie of Schicksal and join the Ark Fortress, revealing that spots outside the Ark Fortress were already being sold for one hundred million dollars each.
At this point, most wealthy individuals were still unaware of the Ark Fortress plan's outcome. Consequently, families associated with Valkyries of Schicksal sought to contact World Serpent, hoping to purchase spots.
Some even considered having their Valkyries withdraw from Schicksal altogether.
Chen Tianwen shared this information with Rita because it was affecting the World Serpent itself. Bribery attempts led to significant delays in regular operations.
In such circumstances, World Serpent needed Chen Tianwen to convey to Schicksal the urgency of curbing this trend. They had already received intelligence that certain Valkyrie-affiliated families intended to leverage their influence over the Valkyries to exert pressure on World Serpent.
"Lady Rita, I will definitely investigate this thoroughly."
"Good."
As Rita watched Alvitr depart, a hint of concern surfaced in her eyes.
Schicksal's dominance rested upon people's belief that it could lead them to victory against Honkai, akin to governing a nation where a political party must gain public consensus to effectively carry out its policies.
Once that consensus waned, maintaining Schicksal's current position would become exponentially more challenging. The lack of skilled management personnel was Schicksal's greatest weakness today.
"Lady Rita."
Ana's voice interrupted Rita's thoughts. She smiled slightly and asked, "What is it?"
"It's nothing," she paused before continuing, "Just noticed Xia Chen frequently visiting the laboratory lately and got curious. Are there any critical experiments ongoing?"
"Indeed, there are many."
Rita suppressed her thoughts and explained, "The Fourth-Gen Valkyrie Armor has proven challenging to lighten further. Therefore, the laboratory plans to develop even more powerful God-slaying Armor based on the existing Mark-IV framework. This time, it is specifically designed around the limits of a Valkyrie's endurance, making Lady Durandal and Xia Chen the primary candidates."
Durandal's physical prowess was unquestionable, while Xia Chen, after interfacing with the Holy Mark Terminal, had body capabilities just slightly inferior to hers.
In terms of sheer resilience, however, Xia Chen might be stronger.
Currently, Schicksal's only remaining advantage lay in its combat strength, assuming Kevin remained inactive. Without Durandal standing firm, the numerous branches and controlled nations under Schicksal would have likely entertained other ambitions by now.
Given the uncertainty in combating Honkai, investing in elite combat power was always prudent.
"I see," Ana acknowledged, understanding the situation.
She had recently become a new S-rank Valkyrie, although practically, there wasn't much difference from an A rank. Ana tried both Moonlight and Moon Eclipse versions of the Mark-IV armor but found them largely unsuitable.
In essence, her S-rank status was likely just to fill quotas for Schicksal.
However, many others never even had the chance to contribute, making her achievements quite commendable.
Currently, small-scale Honkai incidents still occurred, which Ana and Wendy separately handled. In a way, they have fully taken over the roles previously held by Durandal and Rita.
Rita's control over Schicksal's Special Forces gradually diminished as she delegated authority to other Valkyries.
Although there were minimal changes among Schicksal's top leadership, everyone could sense that the situation had significantly shifted from before.
"I need to discuss collaboration matters with Anti-Entropy next, so I'll take my leave now."
With a slight smile, Rita bid farewell.
Anti-Entropy has become an indispensable force for Schicksal, given their advanced technology, skilled researchers, and capable administrative personnel. Most importantly, three Herrschers currently reside within Anti-Entropy.
For Schicksal to progress further, comprehensive cooperation with Anti-Entropy is essential.
After Rita departed, Alvitr began investigating Ark Fortress quota-related matters within the technical department.
The findings left her feeling suffocated.
Even the Schicksal Branch's leader began reaching out to members of the World Serpent.