Honkai: Man(Sludge) From Future

"Amber!"

Otto instinctively called out for his aide.

He was met with a long, cold silence.

Only then did Otto remember that he had already sent Amber to help Theresa deal with the personnel situation in Jerusalem.

Thanks to Welt's "pioneering" efforts for the Nagazora Empire, the Valkyries had even found a decent place to go, a land where they could fully utilize their knowledge and abilities. This helped alleviate the unemployment crisis among the Valkyries within Academy City, which had been caused by the hyper-competitive environment.

After Noldrei suppressed the Honkai, the Valkyrie organization structured by Schicksal had instantly disbanded. Otto then shifted his focus to infiltrating the student organizations of Academy City, his power moving from his right hand to his left.

The reason Otto was so willing to support Academy City was because Noldrei's direction in scientific and technological guidance was unparalleled. He had personally witnessed the emergence of all sorts of incredible abilities, and human experimentation, once limited by a lack of test subjects, had entered a new era.

But the one thing that made him numb to this world was...

The plan to resurrect Kallen was still nowhere in sight. Despite the revival of people from the Previous Era, the influx of their technology, and the aid of Herrscher abilities that gave him a better view of the world's Sea of Quanta, Otto still lacked the material foundation to complete his plan to turn back time.

The thought that Kallen's resurrection was still a distant dream made Otto feel like he might go mad one day. No, that wasn't right. He was, in fact, already mad; he just didn't show it on his face or in his emotions.

With that thought, Otto changed his clothes and decided to take a stroll through the streets of Academy City to see how things were.

Academy City had changed a lot, especially with all sorts of new spectacles vying for the spotlight.

Following Otto's suggestion to decentralize the production rights for Stigma Battlesuits, many people had tried to obtain that authority from the upper echelons of Academy City.

But this didn't mean these people were unregulated; it just meant that the current regulations were still insufficient.

As Otto walked out, he even saw a small group of people holding banners with slogans like "Equal Rights for All," "Everyone Has the Right to Their Own Genetic Privacy," and "Do Not Restrict the Freedom of the People."

The Overseer had seen it all. He mostly ignored this small group.

Academy City had not been founded on universal values from the start, and its textbooks were very disdainful of the political methods of modern society, such as democracy, equality, and political parties. From the beginning, it had no interest in anyone who preached universal values.

Most of these people were originally scholars from the Far East, still clinging to rather simplistic modern concepts of equality. But these ideas were of no help in the face of drastic social change, and many people even mocked them for it.

Otto didn't think these people were bad or stupid; he just thought they didn't seem to consider who was paying their salaries when they spoke.

What truly surprised Otto wasn't this, but another, much larger group nearby holding new banners.

[People of the Far East Demand the Right to Conservative Pornography! We Just Want to See Normal Men and Women, What's Wrong With That?!]

These people had Far East-style headbands tied around their foreheads, their eyes filled with sorrow and indignation as if they were defending their very last shred of lewd freedom.

This moved Otto, who felt a touch of admiration for their courage.

Someone was actually trying to challenge the aesthetic values spread by Noldrei. They were true warriors, indeed.

Look at what happened to poor Welt. He'd been beaten down so badly he was ready to pivot to being a social critic and preach at Noldrei. In the end, it was still the resistance of the people that...

Just as Otto was feeling moved, he saw his student, Horikita Manabu, suddenly appear before the crowd. He was holding a large bag, its contents a mystery.

Just as Otto assumed it was money or something similar, he saw Horikita, with a deadpan expression, begin to distribute simple, white-paper-wrapped discs.

As he handed them out, he said, "Go home! All of you, go home! Stop causing trouble. This is today's 'teacher' product. I know you want to speak up for the interests of the 'teachers,' but it's impossible. Take these and use them at home!"

"You think you can buy us off!" the leader of the group cried out in anguish, but he quickly stuffed the disc from Horikita into his shirt. Then he shouted, "I'm telling you, this isn't over! Let's go!"

A large crowd swarmed over, took a disc from Horikita, and then departed. It left Overseer Otto completely confused. Were these people here to get free discs from their "teacher," or were they here to defend their right to lewdness?

Horikita sighed, looking helpless in this situation.

"Manabu, what is all this? I haven't been out for two days, and now there's this strange group at the gate."

Seeing Otto, Horikita straightened up a bit. "It's like this, Master. Due to the advancement of genetic technology in Academy City, the prices for male and female adult film actors have dropped significantly. Now these companies are engaged in a price war. A large number of cheap, high-quality works have flooded the market..."

He paused for a moment, waiting for Otto's brain to catch up, then continued, "As you know, Master, these things will soon be overwhelmed by our biotechnology. Overly cheap looks and bodies, overly cheap personal sexual abilities, plus very cheap AI panoramic cameras... and this is the result. Many 'teachers' feel that this kind of work is too cheap and doesn't pay well, which has led to a decline in the Far East's adult entertainment industry."

"And these?" Otto pointed to the now-empty bag in Horikita's hand. He had distributed them so cleanly that there were just enough for everyone to take one.

"These? They're amateur films. We have a group of Shrine Maidens in Academy City, right? So we asked the United Student Council to organize a group of students. They basically do the work for free to placate this crowd. Since everyone can change their faces at will, there's no need to worry about the impact on anyone involved," Horikita said calmly. "It's a job that can be done for just a few United Student Council points. Very cheap and affordable."

Horikita's words made Otto take a deep breath. He began to suspect that modern society was getting a bit too unrestrained.

Is it really a good thing to resurrect Kallen in a world like this?

Otto's heart trembled slightly. He started to doubt whether it was necessary to travel back to the past himself, just to prevent humanity from going down this path.

"Their acting is quite good. After being tuned by Academy City's technology, their sensitivity has even..."

"Stop! There's no need to tell me everything. Your master is a man with conservative views on love! Completely different from a guy like the Director-General!"

Otto straightened his clothes, a look of disgust on his face, indicating his disdain for being associated with a student like Horikita.

Horikita pushed up his glasses and said no more, choosing to pretend he had heard nothing.