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

The box added, "Also, this photo shows what I looked like when I was seven or eight years old. Now I look much older."

Claire smiled and put her phone away.

The girl in the photo is only seven or eight years old. Even in her sleep in the nutrient solution, her innocent face reveals that she will surely grow up to be an absolute beauty. Long, silver hair covers her flat, delicate body; her eyes are closed, and her expression is blissful, like Sleeping Beauty from a fairy tale.

Unfortunately, after thirty years, the girl in the nutrient solution did not grow up as she had hoped.

Claire looked down at the tiny little girl who was not even as tall as the box and whose figure was hidden by the box. The girl didn't look much older than in the photo, and was less than 1.4 meters tall. She was cute and innocent, and was glaring at Claire with dissatisfaction.

"Ms. Theresa, you've only developed to this extent in thirty years?"

"Are you going to bring up my body shape? My grandfather set the genes, so if I don't grow up, it's just a genetic issue, what does it have to do with me?" Theresa said unhappily. "Delete the photos quickly, what are you keeping my photos for? Do you like seven or eight-year-old girls? You pervert!"

"I just want to see where the limits of artificial humans are. I've recently become interested in clones."

Theresa's expression turned slightly cold as she looked up at the tall woman. "Claire, are you deliberately provoking me? Why? I don't remember doing anything to offend you."

"Is it considered provocation just to casually mention your identity, you android?"

“You…” Theresa was a little stunned. Of course, many people knew that she was a homunculus, but it was unpleasant to say such things out loud, and few people would deliberately bring up this topic in front of Theresa. What was wrong with Claire today? She and Claire weren't very close, but they were colleagues, so why did she suddenly touch on a point that Theresa didn't want people to mention?

“Sorry, I just wanted to see your reaction,” Claire said. “I’ve been thinking a lot lately about whether androids count as human. Cecilia’s opinion is that if you’re loved, you’re human. That is to say, Otto loves you and created you, so you’re human. But if an android is born out of necessity, then it’s just a simple experimental subject, right?”

Theresa was taken aback again. Was this person not provoking her? Was he asking her a question?

She hesitated for a moment. "Hack-a-man... I'm also an android, so my answer to this question might be a bit biased. But I believe I am human. I am no different from humans. I have always felt the kindness of human society. I have never been treated as an outsider. Not just my grandfather, but I have many friends around me, such as my cousin Cecilia, Siegfried, and Amber. I have always believed that as long as an android has contact with society, it is equivalent to a human."

"So conversely, if an artificial human has no contact with society, no one cares about her, no one loves her, and she is born and dies in a laboratory... then she is just an experimental subject, right?" Claire's lips curled into a cold smile. "As long as no one else cares, then whatever is done to that artificial human cannot be considered morally corrupt... such an artificial human cannot be considered human, and the so-called daughter, granddaughter, these titles cannot be given to her."

Theresa was baffled.

“After all, how could a human possibly love her if she wasn’t born from here?” Claire stroked her lower abdomen, her eyes filled with a sinister glint. “Only a child in its mother’s womb is a child. What are children on the lab table, if no one acknowledges them?”

Theresa shook her head: "I don't know what you're thinking, but... how should I put it, I don't agree. I believe that androids have human rights from birth, even without parental recognition."

“An android born without love, so what if it dies?” Claire laughed. “Like Theresa, Otto destroyed thousands of androids to create you. Your brothers and sisters… do you expect to seek justice for those destroyed brothers and sisters?”

Theresa was speechless.

That's true. If androids had human rights, then the family that Schicksal should be most responsible for reckoning with would be the Apocalypse. Otto's android project created her, but did Otto truly create her with love? Impossible. The love she felt was all cultivated later. Otto only recognized her as his granddaughter several years after she emerged from the nutrient solution... If her genes had been defective at birth, she would have been no different from the countless androids that were destroyed.

So Claire's theory may not be wrong. Artificial humans born without love have no human rights. Killing them or experimenting on them is perfectly justified.

Although Theresa felt... something was off.

“But I’m not here today to discuss the Cloning Act with you, Claire. Are you planning some kind of artificial human experiment? That’s a highly dangerous experiment that requires approval from Schicksal headquarters to be conducted there. I’m here today to hand it over to you. Grandpa told me to give it to you. You have to use it carefully and don’t break it.” Theresa said, holding up the large iron box in front of her.

“In fact, the project that Otto and I have been working on recently is also related to androids themselves,” Claire said with a smile, then she pressed the handle of the box, and the fingerprint password verification was successful.

Theresa was stunned. "How is that possible? Only three people have fingerprints on this box: me, my grandfather, and a secret user..."

“It’s me.” Claire slowly lifted the lid of the box. The mechanism clicked crisply, and a pale golden light seemed to flow out from the opening. Inside the box was something powerful enough to suppress an S-rank Valkyrie. Claire’s breathing quickened slightly. She knew what it was; it was a safety net. Theoretically, Otto’s plan could proceed without this weapon.

However, if anything unexpected happens, only this thing can suppress Cecilia's rage; it's the most overpowered piece of equipment in all of Schicksal's arsenal.

The Key of God, the Oath of Judah, a Key of God forged from the core of the eleventh Herrscher of the previous civilization, wields the power of "sealing." In the primitive era when civilization of this generation was like wild grass just sprouting, on January 14th, 33 AD, in an age when Destiny was not yet called Destiny, a transcendent being named Judah crucified Jesus, who claimed to be the Son of God, on this cross.

From then on, this Divine Key had a name: its power is sealing and prohibition. Even S-rank Valkyries must submit to its domain and become ordinary people. The user of Judah can rely on this ability to be invincible once the domain is expanded. Schicksal even predicted that only a Herrscher-level Honkai energy equivalent could barely contend with Judah.

"Who are you going to use it against?" Theresa frowned.

“You’ll have to ask your grandfather about that,” Claire said calmly. “But obviously, Otto knows your personality, and he won’t tell you everything about androids.”

"Related to androids?"

"I won't tell you even if you keep asking me. Otto has kept a lot of things from you. Do you think every Valkyrie who does things communicates with you?"

“I just don’t understand what kind of cooperation could there be between the Kaslana family head and my grandfather... You’re the kind of person who doesn’t care about matters of destiny at all.”

“Of course I don’t care what Otto wants to do, but I still have to think about the future of my family. For example… Bubu’s genetic defect can only be verified using androids.” Claire’s beautiful eyes darkened slightly. “Although I don’t think much of Otto’s character, the genetic technology he brought is indeed unparalleled in the world. I can let him do many experiments, as long as he can help me solve Bubu’s problem. And coincidentally, his experimental goals and my needs are exactly the same.”

“Why are you speaking in such a villainous tone…” Theresa hesitated.

“In a way, I am indeed a villain.” Claire glanced at her with pity. “Fate has kept you in the dark, Theresa. You only need to be a child. But unfortunately, I am not a good woman. Nothing I want to do is against human ethics.”

"How can you talk about yourself so much... How dare a mere old maid be so childish?"

"I've done that kind of thing before."

"Huh...huh?" Theresa was surprised. She remembered that Claire's misogyny was so bad that she had to undergo in vitro fertilization. How could she possibly have that kind of thing with a man? Wasn't she uninterested in all men outside of marriage?

"Never mind, whatever plans you and Grandpa have are none of my business. But I want to ask, what does Bubu's genetic defect mean? Does it mean he won't grow up like me?"

She remembered that Brunhilde seemed to have the same problem; she was still only 1.4 meters tall, and only when she jumped did she reach the height of a boy her age. But that wasn't a problem, was it? Just like her, as long as she was cute enough, age didn't matter.

“He is infertile,” Claire whispered.

Theresa was struck dumb.

Then she hesitated for a long time before patting Claire's waist—because she couldn't reach her back—and comforting her, "It's okay, Claire. I'm very sad about this bad news, but... but at least you still have Siegfried. And even if you don't have male ability, you can at least treat Bubu as your daughter. He's so beautiful and outstanding, someone will definitely like him. Think about it, anyway, girls who are lesbians can't have children, right?"

"Shut up! Who told you Bubu doesn't have male fertility!" Claire exclaimed angrily. "He just can't have children! That's all! There's a difference. Bubu is incredibly capable; the chances of him conceiving are practically zero..."

Then she noticed Theresa's strange expression. "How do you know he's so capable?"

Claire looked away. "Anyway, don't worry about it. This... requires a bit of Destiny's technology. To be precise, it's artificial human technology."

"You want Bubu to have a child? Like me... a somatic cell clone?"

Claire remained silent, tacitly agreeing with the topic, but then shook her head: "But cloning technology is still immature, and I need to see some... results from Otto. And that happens to align with Otto's and my goals. He has his own plans for researching androids, which I can't interfere with; I just need to... ensure that Bubu gets a child."

Theresa felt a surge of relief.

Although Claire was older than her, in her memory Claire had always been an irresponsible mother. But a mother is a mother after all, and she had finally matured and learned to consider the children's needs.

"But I don't think Bubu is old enough to be thinking about becoming a father yet, right?"

“It’s alright, I have plenty of time. Let’s deal with Phil’s important life event first.” Claire revealed a confident smile. “After we’ve settled things with Phil and Cecilia, it’ll be time for Bubu… I still have several years left, enough time to change Bubu’s mind.”

"Change... Bubu's mind?"

"Um... it's about getting Bubu to accept the concept that androids can also be his children."

Chapter Fifty-Eight: The Child of Kaslana?

Six months later, the Destiny Nordic Branch.

"Mrs. Claire, this is the stamp duty for the five Nordic countries this fiscal year. Please take a look."

The door to the CEO's office was knocked open, and the finance lady came in carrying a folder. As soon as she looked up, she saw the white-haired housewife, Claire, lounging in the boss's chair behind the desk. She was wearing a little suit dress, her legs in black stockings casually draped over the table, holding her petite daughter in her arms, seemingly looking at her phone.

When the accountant entered, Claire casually ruffled Brunhilde's hair, her toes dangling from her high heels, exuding a captivating charm. She gently kissed the child's earlobe in her arms, then looked at the stunned accountant and said, "Yes, I understand. Is there anything else?"

The finance lady glanced admiringly at the girl in the long black t-shirt, "Oh, it's Miss Bubu. Is Miss Bubu fast asleep again?"

"Shh." Claire held up a slender finger and winked at her subordinate. "Don't wake her up. Bubu's nap is very light."

The finance officer nodded knowingly and whispered, "Miss Saintess is looking for Miss Bubu."

"No need to trouble her, Bubu can just take a nap here."

The finance person quietly opened the door and left.

In fact, everyone in the Nordic branch knew that their CEO's youngest daughter, Miss Brunhilde, was a sickly beautiful girl. Although she was aloof and capable at work, she was so weak that she couldn't get out of bed in the afternoon without taking a nap at noon.

Moreover, her sleep quality was very poor, and she almost always slept until 3 pm. Every time she reported on her work, she could see the president taking good care of Brunhilde. The mother and daughter slept with their necks intertwined, the mother gentle and the daughter beautiful, which was a very beautiful and warm scene.

Claire smiled slightly as soon as the finance lady left.

"You're awake."

She quietly turned off her phone and put it in the drawer.

“I wasn’t asleep at all.” Brunhilde got up; she had only pretended to be asleep when she heard the knocking, and she had been doing this for the past few days.

But he hadn't gotten up yet. Claire reached out and put her arm around his waist to stop him from leaving. Then, with a helpless yet shy expression, she brushed the hair behind her ear, lowered her head, and began to do some cleaning work after her lunch break.

She knew that Brunhilde wouldn't refuse, even though he loathed Claire, he was indeed a germaphobe. If Claire didn't do this, he would just go take a bath, as if that would wash away the filth of being with a wicked woman... Although Claire didn't care much about his resistance, she still felt a slight pang in her heart every time she saw the boy go to take a bath with a disgusted look on his face.

She would rather compromise and clean up after him, even if it made her feel nauseous.

While she was looking down, Brunhilde immediately took her phone out of the drawer, grabbed her thumb to unlock it, and found the photos she had taken while she was pretending to be asleep in the album.

In the photo, he is fast asleep in Claire's arms, her face pressed against his, her cheeks framing his face with a charming smile, and she is making a peace sign at the camera.

More than one photo; various poses, various defiant stances towards the camera. And she managed to snap so many photos in just two minutes?

“You promised you wouldn’t take pictures of us.” Brunhilde sat at her desk, flipping through the photos one by one. She grabbed Brunhilde’s long hair and forced her head down, coldly asking, “Who do you want to send them to?”

"Cough cough..." Claire finally caught her breath, gagging while clutching her neck and begging for mercy, but her smile remained. "Ouch, Bubu, but I didn't send it randomly, I won't send it to anyone."

Brunhilde opened her text messages and found other messaging apps; the photos hadn't been sent to anyone. He deleted them one by one before jumping off the desktop and getting dressed.

Claire licked her lips, looking aggrieved. "You don't care about Mom at all. You only care about your sister Cecilia. Isn't serving you every day enough? I'm angry, I want to..."

Brunhilde glanced at her and sneered, "If you dare say such things to Sister Phil, I'll die right in front of you."

Claire fell silent.

Brunhilde's disgust and murderous intent were genuine. For so many years, Claire had been holding her hostage, but conversely, wasn't he also a hostage to Claire?

Brunhilde was serious about reciprocity.

"You're only doing this because I love you." Claire's eyes were filled with displeasure as she lifted his chin, her gaze both intoxicated and sinister. "Does this kind of threat have any effect on others? You take advantage of my love for you to hurt me with impunity?"

“That’s enough that it’s useful to you.” Brunhilde stared back at her. “Don’t cause me any trouble, Claire. I’ve already given you a lot.”