Schicksal Negotiation - Part 1
Luo Mo was getting frustrated. He needed to offer something valuable. If he couldn't form a strong partnership with Schicksal, his game development would be incredibly slow! He could tell that Kallen was open to working together, but she didn't seem too impressed with the information he had given her. That meant Schicksal's support wouldn't be very strong.
Starting with more resources would make everything easier. He had the confidence and the "cheats" to succeed, but more initial funding would help him develop faster and more reliably. It was a rare opportunity to speak directly with the Archbishop, and he had to seize it.
"About the Red Kite immortal, she's currently at Schicksal, and you're planning to send her to watch over Sirin. Her name is Fu Hua." The timeline should be more or less the same, since the third Honkai eruption had just happened. Fu Hua should be heading to the academy to keep an eye on the three protagonist.
Fu Hua's arrival was important for everyone involved. If the timeline remained similar, she would come. Luo Mo decided to take a chance and mention it.
There was more information he could reveal, but he couldn't be sure of the consequences.
Kallen looked at him in surprise. Yes, that was her plan, something she had decided on in the past few days. But she hadn't told anyone yet. Could it be because of parallel worlds? Kallen pondered this. She knew there were similar world bubbles in the quantum sea, and if he came from another world, it was possible...
On the other hand, there were practical matters to consider.
The portrait rights and voice acting for the Valkyries, as well as venues and personnel, were all important. He couldn't expect Schicksal to let so many Valkyries participate in his game based on his words alone.
If the game wasn't successful, the rewards from the system would be reduced, and players would be disappointed. That would make it difficult for him to prove his worth to Schicksal. Most importantly, Otto was gone. The timeline was no longer following the original story. What if the Honkai actually won? What if he couldn't get Theresa, Kiana, and the others to cooperate with him?
The thought was a bit ironic. He had been so cautious about Otto, and now he felt even more worried and anxious than before. The original world had its hardships, and he had been unhappy with the fight against the Honkai, wishing he could change it many times. But now... the outcome was uncertain.
Luo Mo felt a surge of determination. He needed to get more support from Schicksal.
But what more could he offer?
Suddenly, an idea sparked in his mind. There was something he could offer, something this world desperately needed.
Luo Mo reached behind him and felt around, as if searching for something. At the same time, he pushed against the stigma in his heart, pulling with all his might. A trace of blood dripped from his lips.
"Damn it, so stigmata can't be changed on a whim. The system never mentioned that!" He thought bitterly.
Fighting the pain, he spoke with a slight tremor in his voice, "This is the hope of defeating the Honkai! The original hope!"
He slowly held out a ball of light to Kallen. The light faded, revealing an anime-style card of a girl.
A message from the system finally arrived: [Stigmata cannot be changed freely, and others can only equip one piece. The host must slowly peel off the stigma to avoid injury. Forcibly removing a high-level stigma will result in death.]
"This... this is?" Kallen gasped, her eyes wide with surprise as she stood up. She took the card, her hand trembling as she looked at it with disbelief. "How is this possible? A natural stigma? It can be peeled off like this? And it can take this form?"
"Yes," Luo Mo replied, wiping a trace of blood from his mouth with his sleeve. "This is what I can offer to help fight the Honkai. It's only the lowest level, but I'm sure you can see its value."
Kallen's expression was complicated. Schicksal had been researching artificial stigmata, as Valkyries were their main fighting force. But without Otto's guidance, their results were limited. They were still using first-generation Valkyrie armor, while other branches had already developed the third generation. The only usable artificial stigma they had was the God-killer Armor from a previous civilization, and its side effects were severe.
But the stigma in her hand, although not powerful – about B-rank Valkyrie level – felt like a natural stigma. It seemed to have no negative side effects at all.
If they had these stigmata earlier... So many Valkyries wouldn't have died in battle, but from the side effects of artificial stigmata. Even if they survived, they would be bedridden and unable to care for themselves.
These were young women in their prime! Their lives were cut short just as they were blooming...
Being a Valkyrie required talent. Without it, you could only sacrifice your life, and even then, you might not be as strong as those with natural talent. The ability to resist Honkai was even more important. That was why Schicksal's three main families had lasted so long. Some of their members were born with stigmata, but more importantly, they had a high resistance to Honkai energy.
Anyone dealing with the Honkai needed that resistance. Only by remaining uncorrupted by the Honkai could they fight against it. Even researchers needed a certain degree of resistance to conduct Honkai-related experiments.
Kallen had a feeling she could wear this stigma, even though she already had one. This was a game-changer. Valkyries with stigmata could potentially add another, like Cecilia, who could regain her S-rank Valkyrie strength with a suitable stigma like this. And those without stigmata wouldn't need to rely on dangerous artificial ones anymore.
Being a Valkyrie would no longer be a high-risk profession.
Resisting the Honkai wouldn't require the constant sacrifice of lives.
"But I need to be clear," Luo Mo said. "I can't just produce these things on demand. I have to earn them through game results. You can think of it like a game designed by some high-dimensional existence. They set challenges, I create games, and then submit the games as answers to get rewards."
"Are you saying you need a lot of money?" Kallen's voice was urgent. "If so, Schicksal can immediately cancel some projects and invest in this." The deaths of countless Valkyries weighed heavily on her, and now, a possible solution was right in front of her.
"That would be ideal," Luo Mo replied with a wry smile. "The game results are judged by this high-dimensional existence, but the number of people playing is also an important factor."
Emotional value was the biggest factor, followed by game quality. But more players meant more emotional value.
So, bishop, I didn't lie.
Seeing Kallen's reaction, he knew most of his conditions were met. He felt a sense of relief. At least he was safe for now.
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edited, thank you for reading this
(￣ 'i ￣;)