Chapter 197 Extra: The Management Models of the Three Major Organizations
When the Fourth Eruption descended, Schicksal and World Serpent took turns appearing on the scene, eliminating the Honkai while simultaneously vying for the core of the Herrscher of Wind. So, after Cocolia’s fleet withdrew from the battle, what was Anti-Entropy doing? The answer is simple: infighting.
Anti-Entropy employs a confederated management system. Within Anti-Entropy exists a tier known as “Executors,” whose status is second only to Welt. They possess independent authority and oversee different institutions under the Anti-Entropy umbrella. For instance, individuals such as Cocolia, Raiden Ryoma, Einstein, and Tesla are all Executors of Anti-Entropy.
Simply put, Anti-Entropy fundamentally operates under a corporate management model. Welt Yang, as the Sovereign, serves merely as the Chairman of the Board, but he is not the sole majority shareholder. Consequently, while he holds the greatest influence in many matters, he lacks veto power and final decision-making authority. Under such a management style, mutual buck-passing and bureaucratic wrangling are only a matter of time.
Following the Second Eruption in the year 2000, Anti-Entropy expanded at an accelerated pace. Although this provided the organization with greater resources and increased strength to counter Schicksal, it also disrupted its original personnel structure. The radical faction, led by Cocolia, rose swiftly to prominence, employing various methods to challenge the standing of the conservative faction.
The Executor system was established primarily because many of Anti-Entropy’s founding elders were scientific researchers who lacked the capability to command armies or manage corporate operations. This system allowed them to each focus on their respective fields of expertise.
Of course, there was another reason: to evade pursuit and suppression by Schicksal.
Since all Executors hold equal rank and do not report to one another, even if Schicksal were to capture one or even several Executors, it would not result in the complete dismantling of Anti-Entropy. The remaining Executors could continue to ensure the normal functioning of Anti-Entropy’s operations elsewhere.
Most of Anti-Entropy’s Executors are individuals who, for various reasons, are unwilling to cooperate with Schicksal or are even hostile towards it. Yet, they are capable of playing significant roles in the fight against the Honkai. Therefore, Welt granted them autonomy, hoping that each Executor would provide mutual support and assistance within their respective areas of expertise.
However, due to the decentralized nature of the Executors and their vastly differing ideologies, cooperative relationships among them are highly unstable. One could argue that if even a single Executor harbors a personal agenda, they possess sufficient authority and resources to covertly implement their own plans, thereby impacting other Executors or even the entire organization. Cocolia serves as the perfect example.
When her plan to seize the Herrscher of Wind’s core failed and her fleet suffered losses, she returned to the Anti-Entropy base and immediately directed accusations at Tesla, criticizing her for inadequate logistical and support work, as well as purported quality issues with the mechs.
Dr. Tesla is clearly not one to be trifled with. In response to Cocolia’s reproach, she promptly sent her a strongly worded telegram, insinuating that any quality issues with the mechs must be due to Cocolia diverting the previously allocated maintenance funds for her own purposes.
Finding the conservative and radical factions locked in an irreconcilable dispute, Welt Yang, as the Sovereign, could only attempt to mediate and prevent a civil war from erupting within Anti-Entropy. This explains why, following Cocolia’s departure and until the conclusion of the Fourth Eruption, no trace of Anti-Entropy was ever seen.
Such a scenario, however, would be inconceivable within Schicksal.
Unlike Anti-Entropy, Otto Apocalypse, having occupied the position of Overseer of Schicksal for five hundred years, commands absolute and supreme authority within the organization.
While Schicksal possesses councils at both its headquarters and various branches, Otto can verbally dismiss any member of these councils, regardless of who they are, on the spot. During council deliberations, even if the vast majority hold opinions contrary to Otto’s, he is still capable of overriding all opposition and advancing his own will.
This is precisely why Schicksal, which controls over half the world, operates with vastly greater efficiency than Anti-Entropy, which only holds sway over North America.
“Ah, well. Whether centralized authority or decentralized governance is superior is a debate humanity has failed to settle for centuries. My idle speculation here will hardly yield any definitive conclusions…”
Due to the impact of a typhoon, Enoxia’s villa on a small Pacific island had, unsurprisingly, collapsed, leaving the interior in utter disarray. Fortunately, she had moved all critical equipment elsewhere beforehand, and Sirin had long since evacuated the personnel. Now that the typhoon had passed, Enoxia was overseeing the rebuilding and renovation of the house.
“Supervising,” in this context, felt rather like a teacher proctoring a two- or three-hour exam—exceedingly dull.
From the ceiling work to the wall plastering, Enoxia paid the official quotes from the renovation company with an extra zero tacked on for every single service. If the work met her satisfaction, a single day of painting walls or laying tiles could net the workers a cool ten thousand US dollars.
Subsequently, Enoxia discovered that the service attitude of the construction crew could not possibly have been better. Even when she made highly demanding requests or nitpicked the tiniest details, they would respond with beaming smiles and profuse apologies. Even without her supervision, they diligently worked their full eight-hour shifts, and no one dragged their feet or grumbled during overtime after hours. It simply couldn’t be helped—she was paying them far too generously.
Thus, driven by sheer boredom, Enoxia found herself analyzing the management and operational structures of the three major organizations based on their respective performances during the Fourth Eruption.
“Whether Schicksal or Anti-Entropy, their management systems are essentially products of the evolution of human societal structures; echoes of them can be seen in various nations. But World Serpent’s management system… it’s simply too bizarre.”
Within World Serpent’s organizational framework, nearly all matters pertaining to personnel management and task delegation are handled by humanoid automatons like Gray Serpent. For fifty thousand years, they have steadfastly ensured the smooth operation of World Serpent, communicating with one another via the Gray Serpent Network. This ensures both efficiency and prevents the entire organization from being uprooted by the capture of a single member, thereby combining the strengths of both Schicksal and Anti-Entropy.
Of course, this would not apply in the face of someone like Enoxia—a Herrscher of Corruption capable of freely traversing digital networks.
But as far as Enoxia knew, given the current technological level of this civilization, accomplishing such a feat—let alone creating so many highly intelligent Gray Serpent units, or even replicating the Gray Serpent Network itself—was utterly impossible.
“To summarize: the management of Anti-Entropy holds considerable individual power, but is plagued by excessive internal squabbling. Schicksal’s management must obey Otto’s every command. If one desires both freedom and ease, the most suitable partner remains World Serpent—they possess vast knowledge yet involve themselves in few trivial matters.”
