Didn't you go to Teyvat to earn money to support me?

"Now?" someone asked, puzzled.

"Now that civilization has been established and humanity has truly stepped into a technological society, is it still the world of us superhumans? Or rather, with each country having its own Valkyries, and no extremely difficult-to-solve Honkai events having occurred for a long time, and civilization and Honkai having reached a balance point where they can restrain each other—" Otto said, emphasizing each word, "is Schicksal still necessary to continue acting as a pawn?"

Finally, it was time to get down to business, and all the Valkyries had different expressions. Durandal raised her eyes, looking at the others who were either excited, puzzled, or thoughtful, then lowered her head, casually playing with her golden hair.

She didn't understand any of this; she just found it incredibly boring. Although she was the most important person among them, Durandal had neither her own faction nor her own power. She didn't need to think; a sword only needed to obey its master.

“Your Excellency…this is a divinely ordained responsibility that cannot be shirked.” The South American branch leader was a staunch supporter of headquarters, but she still spoke in a low voice, quite hesitant.

"Yes, Schicksal must fight on the front lines against the Honkai, because we are strong enough. To outsiders, your extraordinary strength may be enviable, but it brings you more than just benefits. Being a Valkyrie is one of the deadliest jobs on Earth. Even an S-rank Valkyrie risks being killed if a detection goes wrong. Others can avoid dangerous areas, but you cannot. So, in a sense, you were born to be soldiers. From ancient times to the present, you have been the bulwark of humanity, and you must never allow the Honkai to affect the secular world!"

Each of the officers wore a slight expression of pride. They might hold high positions now, but each of them had participated in missions to combat and resolve Honkai. Small-scale Honkai incidents occurred everywhere, and the vast majority were resolved by them before the world even knew about them. They were proud of this.

"But the Destiny of the past still possessed dignity; the Destiny of today can only remain hidden behind the scenes." Otto took a deep breath, then spoke grimly, "We have sacrificed far more than any other superhuman in the world. We should be revered, but for so many years we have hidden ourselves from the world, preventing ordinary people from knowing of our existence, striving to suppress the potential spread of Honkai. Yet, we have been so cautious, and now we have almost brought the Honkai calamity under control. Why must we still be constrained by worldly conventions? Why must we... be pioneers, heroes, and sacrifices, yet still be confined to this not-so-large city of London, subject to the world's vigilance and scrutiny? Since humanity envies, is jealous of, and even hates our superiority, and fears our power, why can't we create a new super empire on our own! We were born as a new kind of humanity; we should be above them! Isn't that right?"

The question was too pointed, so the officials remained silent.

This is a highly "biased" question, practically a naked torture of humanity. The purpose of Destiny has always been to fight against Honkai and protect humanity. If Otto said this two hundred years ago, it would have made people very wary and worried that some Honkai had entered their minds and eroded the bishop's personality.

However, things are different now than they were two hundred years ago. Modern society, with its rapid industrialization and advanced technology, has balanced collapse and calamity with the progress of civilization. At this point in time, some questions are indeed worth asking.

“Because we…can’t live without the human world,” Rita said softly after a long silence.

Yes, why should we be bound by worldly constraints? Why should we willingly be guarded against by the whole world? Why should we, who clearly hold the sword, humble ourselves before others?

Because the inner and outer worlds are not parallel; rather, the inner world is rooted in the outer world, like a baby in swaddling clothes. This vast Earth civilization could exist without the inner world, without superhumans, without destiny, without Valkyries, but it cannot exist without this prosperous civilization created by ordinary humans.

Every Valkyrie marches to the battlefield without hesitation because they deeply love this world. Without the skin, where will the hair attach? This fragile world, composed of millions of ordinary people, is filled with countless jealousies, hatreds, conspiracies, and schemes, but it also possesses warmth, peace, tranquility, and love—the home they cannot live without.

“So this is fate. We are dependent on humans, like the guard bees in a hive, always leading from the front.” Otto’s tone softened at this point. “But even the guard bees of a hive form their own organizations, which no one can control. The most dangerous work should be valued more than other bee species. Take the current situation, for example. You are all under unlimited scrutiny in your own countries, and even simple journeys are monitored. Ultimately, it’s because we don’t have enough means to make the world feel fear.”

"To make the world...feel fear?"

“I know you all love humanity, and I will never allow Destiny to become a force that opposes the outer world. I may be old, but I am by no means senile.” Otto spoke like a door-to-door insurance salesman, eloquently saying, “But just like the five permanent members of the United Nations, why do we have the same deterrent power as the five permanent members but not the status of the five permanent members? Because we do not have independent territories. We only integrate into the world. Therefore, we are at most a ‘large multinational corporation’ rather than a ‘nation’.”

"Does Your Excellency mean... that we need to achieve true independence and possess genuine inviolability in order to gain a share of the world's situation?"

"Bingo!" Otto snapped his fingers, finally reverting to his usual smiling, blond-haired self. "But it's not about taking a share. Schicksal has always been taking a piece of the pie from the world, but what we want is genuine respect—the respect of being treated as a political group. Just relying on the current Schicksal headquarters, every operation requires coordination with various parties, carefully avoiding the United Nations' watchful eye to complete various relic developments. Every powerful Valkyrie becomes a thorn in the side of every power. In this information-saturated age, the Valkyries' whereabouts are almost impossible to conceal. We superhumans are practically transparent to the world. Our actions are restricted everywhere, and we even need to report to the United Nations regularly so they can assess our threat level! And why is all this? Because Schicksal's core, its headquarters, is located in the small city of London. If we show any tendency that doesn't conform to the UN's assessment, all it takes is an atomic bomb—BOOM!"

Otto looked around at the puzzled eyes of all the Valkyries. "Of course, no one will drop an atomic bomb on us; the cost would be too high. But the key point isn't whether the UN will drop it, but the core of Schicksal, the core of the entire supernatural side, which is essentially under the control of the secular world. The reason Schicksal hasn't been destroyed isn't because we have the ability to protect ourselves, but because the secular world is weighing the cost of destroying us. Even if some Valkyries escape after Schicksal headquarters is destroyed, even if the branches still exist, the supernatural side of this world has already collapsed, because apart from Schicksal, there is no supernatural force standing at the top of the world, and no one can unify the supernatural side."

"What does Your Excellency intend to do?" the Eastern European branch leader said. "Schicksal is indeed always under the suppression of the United Nations. We are only the nominal 'Sixth Permanent Member' but have never had the power of the Sixth Permanent Member. But it is precisely because we are suppressed that we can develop safely. Can Schicksal, which does not reassure the United Nations, really survive? After all, apart from S-class Valkyries, most Valkyries are still unable to withstand modern combat."

“It’s not about fighting, it’s about independence.” Otto smiled broadly. “Just as everyone guessed, the Destiny International Airport has been completed, and the final relocation of the headquarters building is nearing completion. Yes, the world’s first Leonov anti-gravity engine has been successfully adapted. It currently appears as an airport, but when it takes off, it will be the world’s first and only giant floating island complex. It will be the new Destiny headquarters, possessing nine main islands, capable of supporting not only the current headquarters’ tens of thousands of residents but also a self-sufficient ecosystem. At that time, all Destiny’s aircraft will take off and land from the airport, and no country will be able to detect the exact location of the Destiny headquarters. It will become the Valkyries’ new home, marking a new era for Destiny!”

Otto took a deep breath and set the tone for the meeting with a resounding bang, like the gavel striking at an auction: "No power, no nation can threaten the Schicksal Headquarters. We will establish our own earthly kingdom!"

Everyone looked up with a mixture of shock and excitement, including Durandal. They all knew the true nature of the airport built on the Essex coast, but when Otto revealed everything, everyone was still awestruck by this magnificent feat!

The earthly paradise belonging to the Valkyries, an uncontrolled and supreme headquarters of Destiny that reigns above the rest of the world.

"This world is going crazy," Durandal whispered.

“I’ve been crazy since this project was born, Bianca,” Otto said. “However, as the bishop of Schicksal, I have fulfilled my responsibility to protect humanity. What I need to do next is to protect Schicksal and all the Valkyries. Once the spaceport takes off, there will be no force in the world that can restrain the headquarters, and the Valkyries will be able to gain true freedom.”

"Freedom to be feared?"

“When there is an organization behind the superhumans that transcends all violence, the superhumans will not become victims. Now is a time of peace, and we should not continue to be victims.” Otto said slowly, “This is true peace and freedom, which relies on the deterrence brought by violence. Where there are people, there is violence. If you want others not to use violence against you, you must first master the uncontrollable… absolute violence.”

Durandal was terrified by the bloodthirstiness in those words.

She had always been reluctant to participate in this meeting. Although Otto had said that this meeting would open up the future of the superhumans, she felt it had little to do with her, and she couldn't bear the weight of a new future on her shoulders. For this future, she would have to watch Otto deviate from the norm, watch him take the Shaniat children hostage, and perhaps even stand up for Otto and use her violence against innocent people.

But his ideals seem to be completely pure.

He's done all sorts of dirty, sordid, and despicable things; he's definitely not a good person, at most just a capable one. But what else can be said about him now? He's so old, having dedicated five hundred years of his life to Destiny. Now Destiny is about to become the heavenly kingdom that all the Valkyries of the past have dreamed of; it's just one step away.

Whatever stands in his way, Durandal will cut it down for him.

“Please, everyone, lend me a hand.” Otto took a glass of wine from the waiter, turned his back to the crowd, and looked only at the tombstones. He drank half of it and then poured the other half into the cemetery. “From now on, we’re on opposite sides.”

Chapter Thirty-Nine: Why doesn't Maria's son look like me at all?

Nightclubs.

The definition of this term is very vague. Generally, it refers to entertainment venues that operate 24 hours a day.

In the understanding of most people on Earth, these generally include entertainment venues such as karaoke bars, discos, performance halls, dance halls, nightclubs, host clubs, and even bars in a broader sense. Their common characteristic is that they provide guests with drinks, videos, space, music, and various facilities and equipment, allowing men and women to eat, drink, have fun, and relax.

In the more traditional Asian understanding, nightclubs are not good places, and men and women who frequent such places are not considered virtuous. Even a playboy like Shen Liang, who accepts all comers, almost never goes to such places because his aesthetic standards are extremely high, and aesthetics include not only appearance but also personality.

After all, apart from professional hostesses, almost all the girls in nightclubs go there voluntarily. They can be divided into the following categories: lonely single women, married women seeking pleasure when their husbands are not around, women who want to snag a rich husband, girls who come to indulge after a breakup, women who have encountered great setbacks, women who are invited by men, women who simply want to find a sexual partner, and fools who want to see the world.

But it's all just for the most primal human impulses.

Shen Liang disliked such places; to put it bluntly, he couldn't eat anything unclean.

Especially when he had to maintain the facade of being the adorable young master of Shaniat.

The crimson spotlights on the ceiling of the Chunshan Bar swept across the room to the rhythm of the resident rock band. A young boy with long hair tied in a high ponytail sat expressionlessly in the center of a circular booth. Above the glass table in front of him stood a magnificent champagne tower. A white-haired girl standing on the table, amidst the cheers of dozens of Valkyries around her, drunkenly waved her hand! Then, two cases of expensive champagne swayed and floated up, stopping atop the champagne tower, which was over two meters high. She then pulled out two pistols from an opened portal and, laughing maniacally, fired a barrage of shots at the suspended bottles!

"Bang bang bang bang bang bang!"

"Splash splash splash splash splash splash splash!"

The bottle exploded! The golden liquid, gleaming under the lights, also splattered out! The icy liquid instantly soaked half the women in the bar, and the champagne tower spilled all over the table!

"Cirin! Sirin! Sirin!"

The Valkyries surrounding the booth clapped and cheered her name, their hair, skirts, and stockings all soaked with the smoldering alcohol—it was a chaotic scene. They ranged from glamorous mature women to seemingly schoolgirl high school girls, from tall, alluring supermodels to innocent, adorable, large-breasted lolis. Being Valkyries, they were all stunning beauties, but at this moment, they were all clinging to Shen Liang, their disordered, alcohol-scented breaths and indistinguishable body odors almost engulfing her.

Today is my third day in London. This afternoon I visited the Tianming headquarters building for some observation and learning, and in the evening I relaxed at a bar. The itinerary is to wait until the Tianming International Airport building relocation ceremony is completed, and as one of the airport's directors, I can attend the opening ceremony before returning to Germany. These days, Shen Liang and Xilin have been staying at the Chunshan Bar, which is also Raiden Mei's office, and the third floor offers hotel services.

These days, the Chiyuyama Bar isn't open to the general public, yet its customer traffic has only increased. Ever since learning that the White Flower Child is stationed here, the place has become a must-visit spot for London Valkyries. The bar is packed every moment, with countless girls coming out of curiosity to see the only boy in the Schariac family in a thousand years almost finishing off Raiden Mei's drinks.

"Kiana's older sister...does she play this wildly at home too?" The Japanese kendo girl with long, straight black hair, also behind Shen Liang's booth, looked at the white-haired little queen who had begun to use her spatial powers to try to extract the wine and turn it into a golden rain.

“She’s never drunk this much at Neuschwanstein Castle. I didn’t know she was such a bad drinker.” Shen Liang casually put her legs up on the table and leaned back in the booth, watching the girls dance and cheer on the dance floor. “And her alcohol tolerance is too low. She went crazy after just one bottle. If she were in a regular bar, she would be tricked by a man in no time.”

“Miss Sirin is an A-rank Valkyrie, who could possibly deceive her?” Miss Mei walked around the sofa, picked up a drunken girl next to Shen Liang and threw her onto the single sofa next to her. She bumped into the girl who was completely drunk on the sofa, and both girls groaned incoherently.

Raiden Mei shook her head, casually sat down to Shen Liang's left, and crossed her legs. Because she was going to be at a bar, Miss Mei dressed more maturely this time. Instead of wearing the St. Freya school uniform, she wore a charming alluring black outfit: a black blazer and short skirt, shiny black stockings and high heels. Her beauty was so alluring and sharp that she looked like the bar owner.

“A-level only represents strength, but you don’t need strength to fool girls. Sister Xilin is a complete novice when it comes to relationships. She’s having so much fun in this mixed place, so she’s bound to be a target for ordinary people.” Shen Liang shrugged. “But luckily she has never experienced these things before. Whenever there’s a possibility of experiencing them, she’s always accompanied by family members to ensure that she won’t be taken advantage of because of her lack of common sense.”

Yes, Celine never has to worry about being taken advantage of. No matter how naive she is, someone will always take care of everything for her. Before, it was her mother, her secretary, her sisters, and now it's him. The little queen always has someone watching her from afar, allowing her to act with impunity.

Raiden Mei chuckled: "My bar won't let the young lady of the Shaniat family be taken advantage of. It's all girls here, even the waitresses are Valkyries."

"Not necessarily. Girls can have ulterior motives too. Who knows if someone is drooling over Sister Xilin?"

"They might be found elsewhere, but not here today."

"why?"

"Because everyone came for Junior Brother, their sexual orientations are all normal." Raiden Mei smiled, then looked up and saw another woman standing to Shen Liang's right. Her expression froze, and she suddenly looked down.

Rita, dressed in a rose maid outfit, did not join the conversation. Instead, she stood next to the booth, smiling and gazing at the two pretty girls in suspender dresses and lace stockings to Shen Liang's right. The two unfamiliar girls, one with short gray hair and the other with long sky blue hair, seemed to be drunk and unconscious. One was leaning on Shen Liang's shoulder and the other on his lap, talking nonsense.

Shen Liang was casually stroking the fair, beautiful backs of the girls, which were exposed behind their little dresses, and patting them symbolically to show that he wasn't taking advantage of them but helping them sober up. Everyone understood each other implicitly; the two girls were playing hard to get, giving the boy an opportunity to take advantage of them. The boy, knowing the girls' intentions, didn't go any further and continued to act like a gentleman.

It wasn't that Shen Liang was pretending to be a gentleman; normally, he wouldn't necessarily let a girl of Valkyrie caliber who offered herself to him pass up. But these past few days… he'd become afraid. He'd underestimated the allure of male superhumans; these Valkyries were practically trying to provoke him at any time and in any place.

Shen Liang knew very well that if he were seduced by one of the beautiful girls and something inappropriate happened, the next day someone on the Saintess Lake Forum would immediately post something like "Three sentences to make Pandora fall at my feet" or "How the young master of the Shaniat family cured my mental exhaustion." Then his image of an "innocent and romantic pretty boy" would collapse, and he would become "Shaniat's little stallion."

For Shen Liang personally, there's nothing wrong with his persona becoming this way; he's always been this kind of person, short and need to accept being beaten and stand firm. But for the Shaniat family, he might be slightly disgracing their family, and most importantly, he's maintaining his innocent persona now, so these Valkyries can at least be "gentle and ladylike" towards him, and no matter how much they drool over him, they won't be too direct.

But if he reveals his true nature, it's hard to say whether these Valkyries might suddenly realize what's going on and then kidnap him to some dark room for some... well, you know. Anyway, the Shaniat family only said that anyone who dares to harm the young master will be punished, but for a "little stallion," that's hardly much harm, is it?

Hey.

Shen Liang felt inexplicably terrified at the thought, realizing that even the powerful Shaniat family couldn't save them from this predicament.

At this moment, the two girls who were close to Shen Liang finally noticed the malicious smile of the maid standing next to them. Their faces turned pale instantly, and they jumped up from Shen Liang's body, hurriedly straightening their skirts and standing properly.

“Alvit, I’ve never seen you dressed like this in the team before.” Rita smiled at the short-haired Valkyrie. “You usually just wear a shirt or vest, this is the first time I’ve seen you in such a beautiful dress that shows off your entire back.”

Aylvit pouted unhappily. Shen Liang only remembered her name then; this was the same teammate Rita had been with in Aisha—the logistics technician in the Undying Blade squad. He'd even spoken to Aylvit on the phone in Aisha and threatened her, but who would have thought… this girl would be clinging to his lap, taking advantage of him so much!

Shen Liang was shocked, but she still maintained a well-behaved and confused expression.

"Tch, when I'm with Rita and the Captain, do I need to dress up? We're all women, what's the point of dressing up for you two? I'm not like Rita, who likes to wear a maid outfit every day to please the Captain." Alvit looked longingly at the little boy she had just taken advantage of. "Can't I even spend my vacation getting to know Pandora? I didn't even get to meet Pandora last time, Elsa!"

“Rita needs to remind you, you’re ten years older than Pandora, Yalvit,” Rita said calmly. “You’ll be retiring in a few years, so you should find a man who can support you.”

"Hey, even if I'm ten years older, I'm only twenty-six! Don't talk like I'm old!" Alvitt roared. "Rita, don't worry, I can still have children!"

The maid was stunned by the amount of information conveyed in those words. She remained silent for a moment, seemingly feeling ashamed to have such a woman as a colleague, and could only reluctantly agree, "You're right."

Alvit snorted and confidently turned around, only to find that many of the Valkyries around her were looking at her with the eyes of someone suspected of being a pervert, which was extremely strange, but many others also showed approving looks. She immediately realized what she had just said without thinking, her face instantly turned red, and she hurriedly fled from this place of trouble.

Shen Liang gazed at the Valkyries whose eyes held expressions of approval, and silently hugged himself.

"And what about Lady Qiluo?"

After persuading Alvitt to leave, Rita turned to look at another girl with long, sky-blue hair, wearing a white gauze dress, who had just been drunk and was leaning on Shen Liang's shoulder. The girl's face was flushed, and she timidly squatted down, not daring to look up at Rita.

"Hmm... Why did Rita-chan come?... Why did I run into someone I know?"

Rita sighed, helped the girl to her feet, then looked at the boy whose expression had changed slightly, and smiled helplessly: "Mr. Pandora, this is Ms. Shigure Kira from the Destiny Headquarters... perhaps you haven't heard of her."

"No, I think I've heard about it," Shen Liang said softly.

Rita was taken aback, then understood. She could only look at the girl, whose face was flushed red. She clutched the hem of her pleated skirt tightly and whispered, "Xiao Liang, hello."

Xiao Liang?