Time flew past. In the blink of an eye, half a month had passed.
Through consciousness clones distributed around the world, Lucius could detect that news about Honkai had spread rapidly during this time.
Part of this was indeed his doing. Of course, the main person responsible was Prometheus.
This super artificial intelligence created by MEI, after collective modification by several great scientists standing at humanity's intelligence peak and who knows how many iterations, could now crush all AIs of this era.
She alone could transform into millions of online water armies, outputting Honkai energy-related information globally.
However, if only this, even with Prometheus exerting herself, it couldn't have gone so smoothly.
The most important reason it went so smoothly was... moles inside Fire Moth.
These moles weren't arranged by Lucius. They even spontaneously pushed for Honkai news to leak out, making him realize some people within Fire Moth also hoped for Honkai information to be revealed.
This caused Fire Moth's department originally used to censor Honkai information to become basically useless. Under combined internal and external action, the information isolation wall jointly built by the United Government and Fire Moth was riddled with holes.
Ultimately, several days ago, Fire Moth announced the disaster called Honkai according to United Government instructions.
In Fire Moth's announcement, so-called Honkai was just ordinary natural disasters, like wind, rain, thunder, and lightning.
But almost no one expected that Honkai's revelation quickly caused even greater panic.
Some horrifying Honkai disaster records leaked out, causing public panic to increase. Naturally, Lucius and Nicholas pushed this.
But the main pushers were still certain forces inside Fire Moth. They seemed to desire the public pressuring the United Government due to fearing Great Honkai, thereby obtaining greater autonomy.
However, the United Government also temporarily had no intention of relenting. After all, they knew that once they relented, it would be equivalent to giving the already highly independent Fire Moth even more autonomy.
Once power was delegated, trying to reclaim it would be difficult.
However, the most direct impact all this had on Lucius himself was actually just affecting a movie's rating.
That movie filmed back then to complete Himeko's plot, called "Star Wars: Sky People vs. Shicksal," wasn't discarded after completing the plot. Instead, Lucius took it to the movie market for screening.
And it achieved an excellent score of 2.8.
Under the review website, various praise such as "plot trash," "exaggerated acting," "pacing collapse," "cinematography simply disaster," "wasted such good special effects and actor looks" showed audiences' enthusiastic praise.
Of course, achieving such excellent results, the former official Ryusui with huge scandals contributed greatly.
Under various debuff boosts, achieving the high score of 2.8 didn't require excessive modesty.
Alright... Even with eyes closed, Lucius couldn't deceive himself. This movie had completely flopped at grandma's house!
Just when he thought his life's first movie would flop like this, fate played a bizarre joke on him.
As Honkai information was revealed, this movie's rating actually began rebounding. In a very short time, it rose from 2.8 to 5.6, even with possibility of continuing to rise.
Curious about this, Lucius looked at comments under the review website.
[This is actually a documentary. No wonder, no wonder]
[I knew it. Scripts can't write such logically collapsed content]
[Compared to movies, reality is indeed more absurd]
"..."
After reading comments, Lucius's mood became even more complex. But regardless, the rating went up.
This proved he indeed had talent on the director's path!
With the movie rating rising, plots on both Shenzhou and Europa sides were also rapidly advancing.
On the Shenzhou side, the Seven Disciples' Patricide was undergoing personnel preparation.
On the Europa side, anti-Honkai vaccines were also steadily entering production.
Once the vaccine came out, Nicholas's prestige would break through the heavens. Then when he raised his arms and called, Schicksal's problems could be solved. The plot could enter the next segment.
Thinking of this, Lucius couldn't help humming lightly.
"Our cause is prospering!"
However, smiles don't appear from nothing. They only transfer from one person to another.
When Lucius smiled, Nicholas couldn't smile.
During this time, he'd actually had it smooth. Whether at the United Government or Fire Moth, his prestige was increasing daily. He was steadily sprinting toward power's peak throne.
By rights, he should feel happy.
But now he had no smile. Even the throne within reach seemed to gradually become dull.
These past days, he seemed to have seen through the mortal world's disturbances. His entire person carried a kind of transcendent aura.
At a glance, one might think they saw a great virtuous monk.
As for why he'd become like this, it was because... he was impotent.
In the family residence, Nicholas leaned against a leather sofa chair, staring blankly at the sky, tears sliding from his eyes.
"Can't get it up anymore, truly can't get it up anymore..." Nicholas muttered to himself.
Ultimately, this old monster who'd lived five hundred years actually cried like a helpless child.
"Get up! My brother, I command you to get up!"
"Wah! Second brother, why are you weak and powerless? Have you also abandoned me?"
"Wahhh!"
Not far away, Lucius looked at Nicholas making strange cries at the sky. His entire person almost wanted to show the subway, Welt, phone expression.
He'd come this time originally to arrange post-Schicksal establishment plots including "Schicksal's Eastern Expedition," "Black Death," "Indulgences," "Execution Ground," etc.
After all, his time was still tight. He couldn't possibly wait until Schicksal was truly built before considering these matters.
To save time, he prepared to have these plots proceed simultaneously, ensuring that after Schicksal's establishment, he could speedrun these nodes.
Then he discovered Nicholas had actually begun breaking free from the mental suggestions he'd left.
As for how this guy with weak willpower broke free, he could only say it originated from some most primitive instinct humans birthed for survival.
Not that this guy couldn't suppress his lust again and wanted to go fool around with those lovers, but rather... he was impotent.
Perhaps nearly dying when lust erupted and he went to find lovers left psychological shadows. After returning, this old geezer discovered his brother had died.
Even switching to synesthesia substitutes couldn't get it up. This showed the problem wasn't in the flesh but in the spirit.
Such a blow was actually greater than the mental damage from nearly dying not long ago, to the point where the mental upheaval almost invalidated Lucius's mental suggestions.
"Old geezer, you truly always create surprises in some unexpected areas."
Even the well-traveled Lucius couldn't help sighing at humanity's species diversity after seeing Nicholas's current state.
However, as an increasingly mature director, he could already calmly face changing scripts, even pulling plots back to their proper trajectory without changing expression.
Nicholas's mental state made his suggestions no longer stable. To ensure control over Nicholas, he had to soothe his mental state.
And conveniently, by slightly modifying the upcoming Schicksal Eastern Expedition script, he could soothe the other's mental state while completing the Eastern Expedition simultaneously.
In the main plot, the Schicksal Eastern Expedition was nothing more than internal contradictions being too great. They had to ease internal contradictions through external expansion, hence the conquest of the Ming Empire.
And because the Eastern Expedition failed, contradiction displacement failed, causing Schicksal's internal contradictions to explode. Only then came events like Kallen's imprisonment, Otto's execution ground rescue, etc.
The Schicksal Eastern Expedition's cast was nothing more than Kallen, Otto, Fu Hua, and a bunch of Schicksal extras.
Lucius of course couldn't possibly arrange an actual war for this entire plot node. Going through the motions counted as giving face to this silly system.
His original plan was using the secret of immortals' undying immortality to dangle this old geezer who made survival his life creed, inducing him to organize personnel to "Eastern Expedition" to Mount Taixu in Shenzhou to seize the immortals' undying secret.
Arrange Hua to perform a mob-clearing mission, then fight Kallen and say some teaching words. This plot would pass.
But now, looking at the greatly mentally collapsed Nicholas, he knew if he couldn't solve this old geezer's mental problems, this beggar version Eastern Expedition couldn't proceed.
"In that case, let's modify the script!"
Thus, Lucius manifested and knocked on the table before Nicholas.
Finding he didn't respond, he said: "Old geezer, I have a way to save your second brother."
With these words, Nicholas sprang up like a carp, looking at Lucius with old tears streaming.
"Son! Save Dad's brother! Dad can't lose it!"
Lucius had the impulse to slap him but felt touching his face would dirty his hands. So he decisively moved farther away.
"It's said on distant Mount Taixu in Shenzhou, there's a Divine Physician Fu whose medical skills are godly. If you can obtain elixir from her hands, it will definitely solve your worries, old geezer."
"This... such a remarkable person, how have I not heard of them?" Nicholas was somewhat doubtful.
"If many people knew, would she still be remarkable?"
"That makes sense..."
"In that case, I'll personally visit this immortal to seek elixir to save my brother!"
After seeing hope, Nicholas immediately raised his fighting spirit—a state never present in previous work.
His eyes were terrifyingly determined.
But Lucius stopped him. After all, Nicholas still had to go through the upcoming plot.
"Old geezer, you're a highly visible figure. Every move is exposed under the spotlight."
"Going over so openly—do you want to spread your impotence across the globe?"
Hearing Lucius's words, Nicholas imagined if this matter spread out... then his Nicholas lifetime would probably have to end early.
"Cannot! This matter absolutely cannot spread!" But soon Nicholas fell into worry again. "But if I don't go, it seems insincere..."
"Don't you have so many children? Have them go seek medicine on your behalf, won't that work?"
Hearing this, Nicholas's eyes brightened.
"Excellent plan!"
He paced the room, eyes growing brighter.
"I've raised them so long. It's time for them to show filial piety, but who to send..."
Lucius induced: "Why not send them all? That way shows more sincerity."
"Yes, that's the principle!"
Hearing Lucius's words, Nicholas clapped his hands excitedly: "Good! Then I'll send them to Shenzhou, to Mount Taixu to find Divine Physician Fu for medicine!"
"Old geezer, to prevent outsiders from suspecting, I think you should give the medicine-seeking group a proper reason."
"Tsk... true. Those old foxes have sharp eyes. Need to find a suitable reason."
"Otto, my most relied-upon son, what do you think?"
"How about calling it a sightseeing group, using family bonding to tour Shenzhou as the reason."
Nicholas nodded: "Sightseeing... a passable reason."
Seeing him fooled, Lucius continued: "I've also named the medicine-seeking group. Let's call it 'Schicksal Eastern Expedition Sightseeing Group'!"
"Schicksal Eastern Expedition Sightseeing Group?"
Nicholas savored this Shenzhou vocabulary, gradually frowning. As an old geezer who'd lived five hundred years, he had considerable understanding of Shenzhou culture.
"Eastern Expedition... eastward conquest. We're seeking medicine. Isn't this name a bit inappropriate?"
Lucius had anticipated this and smiled:
"Old geezer, you don't know. 'Zheng' doesn't only mean conquest."
"'I征 journey west, to the vast wilderness'—'zheng' also means distant travel!"
"Therefore 'Schicksal Eastern Expedition' can also refer to Schicksal's eastward traveling party!"
"Is... is that so?"
Nicholas pondered a while, ultimately nodding: "In that case, this medicine-seeking will be called 'Schicksal Eastern Expedition'!"
After settling the plan, Nicholas quickly assembled his children.
In the spacious family council hall, Nicholas gave an impassioned speech before his hundred-plus children.
"My sons and daughters, Dad has raised you these years. The time to show Dad filial piety has come!"
Hearing this, quite a few sons' faces changed greatly, eyes showing terror. They all knew what happened last time this old bastard talked about showing filial piety.
—Many saw eldest brother covering his bottom coming out of the family head's residence!!
Not caring about his sons' terrified eyes, Nicholas continued:
"In a distant place in Shenzhou called Mount Taixu lives a Divine Physician Fu whose medical skills are godly, with all kinds of miraculous abilities."
"Dad wants you to make a trip to Shenzhou to seek some elixir from her."
Then his expression darkened, tone icy:
"Remember, you absolutely must tell outsiders you're touring Shenzhou!"
Hearing this, the children below exchanged glances with barely perceptible joy.
Ultimately, they reached a consensus.
"Celebrate! This old bastard has finally gone mad!"
...
However, neither Lucius nor Nicholas anticipated that within Fire Moth, a secret meeting among mid-to-high levels was unfolding.
In a secret room no detector could penetrate.
A group sat around a wide long table. On the table sat a black box engraved with a moth.
"Nicholas, this dog, researched anti-Honkai vaccine yet still wants to be the United Government's dog!"
"Not surprising. He was originally United Government high leadership. Fire Moth isn't that important to him, but... Fire Moth is our everything."
"Since he's unwilling to go further, we'll push him. Honkai grows fiercer. Humanity can only survive under Fire Moth's leadership."
"Since we've verified the anti-Honkai vaccine's effectiveness, let's proceed with our plan—spread this virus discovered ten years ago!"
"Soon, all humanity will understand Fire Moth is their savior."
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