"Despicable!"
The beautiful dream of a villa and an island was like a shackle on her life, binding Raven's hands and feet, preventing her from moving an inch.
Admittedly, if she just remained stubborn and watched the man in front of her press the button, sinking that island in Ireland into the sea, she could become a woman without weaknesses.
No villa! No island! No wallet! And certainly no feelings!
Because everything would be turned to ash by her one decision!
If this really happened, even Raven knew that besides pacing around in sorrow and polishing the floor of World Serpent's meeting room to a shine with her cloak,
there was only one other thing she could do...
Kneel on the spot where the island sank and cry out: "There's nothing I can do!"
The moniker 'Exploding Island Raven' would also become the most unforgettable pain of her life!
PIN! Pain!
"If you've got guts, come at me! What kind of skill is it to harm an innocent island!"
Desperate, Raven, knowing her island was piled with explosives, could no longer remain as calm as before.
Young Brian smiled and shook his head. "Raven, there are three mistakes in what you just said."
He was very kind and decided to correct her grammar on behalf of her PE teacher in heaven.
"First, an island is not a living being, so you can't describe it as innocent."
"Second, I'm a man with no skills. Besides despicable methods like threats, I only know how to use backstabbing to go through the back door."
"Third, we're not after you."
How much was the current Raven worth? At best, she was on the same level as his ex-girlfriend, Ms. Tower, and had no grudge with them. There was absolutely no need to target her.
No need, really no need.
"Tell us, where is the Herrscher Core!"
A gloomy light flowed over Jizo Mitama.
It made the man look like a demon king in Raven's eyes.
If she refused, her island was definitely gone. If she submitted, Gray Serpent wouldn't go so far as to have her eliminated.
But her professional ethics as an assassin constrained her, preventing her from making an easy choice.
If the island was gone, she could buy another one, but there was only one Herrscher Core. If Gray Serpent's desired Gem of Serenity was lost, who knows how many years it would be before they could get the next Herrscher Core.
Moreover, once she was under this man's thumb, that legless island would be her eternal weakness, and she would be controlled by him for the rest of her life.
Being controlled is something that happens either zero times or countless times. Even if this guy booked a presidential suite at a luxury hotel for their next meeting, Raven wouldn't be surprised at all.
The girl's face was filled with struggle, but young Brian didn't give her time to react.
"Raven, I'll count to three. If you don't answer, I'll turn you into Exploding Island Raven!"
"1!"
"2!"
"3!"
The moment of decision arrived, and the black-haired youth didn't hesitate. "Ana, have our people over there detonate the bombs immediately. Let this woman know the price of offending our Schicksal!"
"..."
The chestnut-haired girl, who was on guard, was taken aback.
Although she had been told to have people carry out this order in the afternoon, Brian was not the Schicksal Overseer, after all. His words wouldn't take effect so quickly.
The bombs meant to turn Raven into Exploding Island Raven were probably still piled up in some warehouse at the European branch.
However, she wasn't a big brain from the Kaslana family; she wouldn't choose to undermine her companion at a time like this.
"Yes, sir!"
Ana Schariac pretended to take out her communication terminal and randomly selected a lucky person to send a message to.
Raven, feeling like her cloak was about to become a rag, had to make a choice with tears in her eyes, her gaze filled with hatred. "You win!"
"If you want the Herrscher Core back, go look for it in Singapore!"
With that, the assassin who had been blocking the three of them at the door vanished.
Out of sight, out of mind.
As long as she learned to run away, her island would never sink!
"She's gone!"
"Should we chase her?"
"No need. We're going to find the Gem of Serenity."
"To Singapore?"
The black-haired youth looked at the completely controlled computer, his gaze seeming to see through all the secrets hidden there.
"No, right in this city!"
...
Running away is shameful, but it's very useful.
Raven, having fled to an unknown corner, was like a husky kicked out of its home, only able to hide in some dark, unknown corner.
The heel of her high-heeled shoe had snapped during her frantic escape, and the strength seemed to have been drained from the girl's legs as she slid weakly down a wall.
"My island... my little island..."
One escape, a lifetime of regret.
Raven could run, but the island couldn't.
She had legs and could choose to flee, but the island she had spent all her savings on was fixed to the continental shelf and couldn't move at all.
Her escape this time was tantamount to handing over the island she had just bought.
Perhaps the next call she received would be someone informing her...
Your island has sunk!
The vexed girl ran her hands through her short hair, making it a mess. She felt her heart thumping violently in her chest, unable to stop.
Her island! Her island!
In the midst of her turmoil...
*Bzzzz—!*
The communicator she carried vibrated, causing Raven's eyes to narrow, terrified that someone was calling to inform her that her island had sunk.
The gray-haired, red-eyed girl hesitated, fearing she would receive a piece of bad news that would evaporate her entire net worth and dreams.
Her hand trembled slightly, but she knew there were some things you couldn't run from.
For some reason, Raven didn't even look at the caller ID. "Did... did my island sink?"
Gray Serpent: "..."
I'm calling about work, and this is what you give me?
"Raven, if you're not fully awake, you can go back to sleep."
The sorrows of one Gray Serpent are not shared by another. This Gray Serpent was Raven's adoptive father and teacher, and outside of work, he showed a bit of extra concern.
Raven: "No need. Just say what you have to say."
Gray Serpent, who had always known about Raven's dream of a villa and an island, didn't proceed with his original intention. Raven's reaction made him sense something unusual.
His hoarse voice asked, "Raven, what did you encounter? What happened to your island?"
To own a villa on an island, open an orphanage there, and then live a peaceful life without worries every day.
This was Raven's life goal.
For this ideal, she had even quit World Serpent at one point to open a bar and make money.
Raven's tone was wooden, but she had no intention of hiding anything. "I just ran into someone from Schicksal. That bastard said he was going to blow up the island I just bought two months ago!"
Though her expression had been wooden just a moment ago, it immediately became furious when she spoke of the island and young Brian.
She, Natasha Cioara, had never been wronged like this in her life!
She had already bought the island, only to have that innately evil Inner World Protagonist from the Far East Branch use it to threaten her.
She had never been wronged like this in her life!
Gray Serpent: "..."
Although he was an android, it didn't mean he couldn't understand human emotions.
If he were in Raven's position, Gray Serpent would have reacted similarly, even wanting to take revenge on the one who threatened him.
However, considering that fellow held the Twelfth Divine Key, he felt that enduring it was a good choice.
As for the island used to threaten Raven...
"Raven, if your island was blown up by the enemy because of work, I can authorize a reimbursement for you."
Although he knew it was unlikely Raven would betray World Serpent over this, Gray Serpent still made this decision.
The best way to prevent betrayal is to not give her the opportunity to betray.
It would have been difficult for World Serpent to achieve this before the Sovereign's return, but the only place a defecting Raven could go was Schicksal.
Although Raven wouldn't choose to betray them now, it didn't mean he, the great steward of World Serpent, could arbitrarily exploit World Serpent's cadres.
Wolves travel a thousand li to eat meat, dogs travel a thousand li to eat shit.
Using currency that was destined to become waste paper to buy people's hearts was a great deal for him.
"Really?"
Raven couldn't believe it. This old miser was actually being so generous?
She had risked her life for World Serpent for so many years, and the main source of income for buying the island was her mission rewards.
The salary and bonuses World Serpent gave her as a cadre... were basically nonexistent.
Gray Serpent: "It's true. As long as it's a financial loss caused by your work, I'll authorize a full reimbursement."
The moment she got confirmation again, Raven felt like she was back on her feet.
From this day on, there would be no more Exploding Island Raven, only Reimbursed Island Raven!
"That's great."
In an instant, Raven was like a different person, beaming with joy.
"Gray Serpent, what did you need me for?"
Since her island could be fully reimbursed, it was naturally time for her to dedicate herself to her work for the organization.
An organization with such generous benefits, one that would even fully reimburse her for an island, was truly hard to find.
Gray Serpent returned to the previous topic. "You've already crossed paths with the people from Schicksal. How did it go?"
A Schicksal team with an A-rank Valkyrie was stationed locally in Manila, and there were countless peripheral members of Schicksal.
To stir up trouble in this place, a sufficiently powerful cadre was needed to hold the fort.
As expected, Schicksal came on strong.
"Not great. If I had a choice, I would never choose to fight that man."
Never mind fighting, even just shaking hands with him, Raven felt like she might get pregnant.
She didn't know the principle behind it, but this guy's abilities were extremely depraved. The stimulating pleasure was so intense that it almost turned her into a 'gluttonous child', making her forget her dream of a villa and an island.
She continued, "The two Valkyries with him are nothing to worry about, nothing special. The most troublesome thing is that he's holding Jizo Mitama."
With Jizo Mitama present, the information systems were completely defenseless.
So much so that even Gray Serpent didn't dare show up in the Philippines now, and had to use dozens of proxy servers just to make a phone call to her.
Over the phone, the android's voice remained hoarse and gloomy, with a strange calmness. "The existence of Jizo Mitama is indeed a very troublesome matter for us."
"But the operation in Manila can only be completed by you. The Stigma Project, which has been in preparation for a thousand years, needs a suitable testing ground."
Every word from the android carried an unimaginable weight of lives.
The Herrscher Core was one of World Serpent's goals, but the long-prepared Stigma Project was the key of keys.
In the face of the Stigma Project, even a precious Herrscher Core could be sacrificed.
Raven: "I know. According to the original plan, I just need to hold them off, right?"
Gray Serpent: "Execute the plan. The Honkai eruption in Manila is destined to happen. No one can stop it!"
This was fate, and also the karma of human civilization.
...
Singapore...
A gray-haired girl ignored the pile of scrap metal at her feet and connected to the Hyperion's communication line.
"Principal, we've found Dr. Magi."
Celestial would not lie, much less engage in small talk. But at a time like this, her straightforwardness became one of her few virtues.
Theresa: "You can deal with that traitor as you see fit. Have you found the Gem of Serenity?"
Dr. Magi was not important; the Herrscher Core was.
If this old fool had defected to Anti-Entropy's conservative faction, Theresa might have considered turning a blind eye.
After all, her grandfather was often not a good person, which led to the creation of things like Anti-Entropy.
It was reasonable for someone to want to betray him.
But this old fool, Dr. Magi, had defected to the notoriously inhuman Cocolia, which left Theresa no room for mercy.
The gray-haired, blue-eyed Valkyrie looked at the snow-haired girl behind her who was interrogating the location of the Herrscher Core, and a bad premonition arose for no reason.
"Principal, our operation may not be going smoothly."
A fair, slender, yet powerful hand gripped the collar of a portly old man, lifting him from the ground. "Speak up! Where is the Gem of Serenity!"
Kiana Kaslana's expression was fierce, flames burning in her blue eyes.
The combination of the words "Herrscher Core" and "Cocolia" nearly gave her PTSD, forcing her to recall unpleasant memories.
If it weren't for that inhuman scoundrel Cocolia, that damned Blondie would never have appeared. If it weren't for that Blondie's ill intentions, her Mei wouldn't have refused to elope with her.
Now, she had no choice but to endure Blondie, and had even become a poet on the spot in front of Raiden Mei.
Now that this fellow wanted to continue his evil plan from Nagazora City, she had to stop him no matter what!
The disheveled old man's expression was calm, as if he had seen through all worldly things. "Give up, Valkyrie of Schicksal. you are a kind child and should not sacrifice your young life for that man's purpose."
He didn't care about his old bones anymore.
Ever since he watched his only granddaughter die before his eyes, he had no more ties to this world.
"You old fool! Do you know what you've done!?"
Kiana had never realized that there was someone in this world more foolish than herself.
"Do you know what the consequences will be if you give the Gem of Serenity to Cocolia!?"
"That's still better than it remaining in Otto's hands."
The flames of hatred burned in the old man's eyes.
It was Otto who had made him a lonely old man, who had killed his only granddaughter!
He opposed Otto not for so-called peace and justice; otherwise, he wouldn't have worked under Otto for so many years. The only reason he betrayed Schicksal was that he opposed Otto!
Kiana was furious. "You!"
But she also knew she was bad with words and had no good way to get more information out of this guy.
Fu Hua, who had already obtained all of Dr. Magi's files, stepped forward. Her slender figure appeared particularly tall and straight under the light.
"Dr. Magi, I think you've misunderstood. The reason we are here before you is not because of the Schicksal Overseer's orders, but to protect what we want to protect."
Fu Hua's words were sincere, without a trace of falsehood.
If it weren't for that foolish woman Cocolia planning to use the Gem of Serenity to stir up trouble, they would still be living their happy daily lives at St. Freya High School right now.
To be precise, the daily lives of the dorm next door. She was merely a stabilizing device to prevent the Herrschers from accidentally firing.
A bit of light returned to the old man's eyes. The two Valkyries in front of him reminded him of the girl who had disappeared before his eyes.
And...
The countless Valkyries who, by his hand, had been turned into cold, hard data.
Those Valkyries all knew their deaths were imminent, so they offered their insignificant bodies, wanting to burn away everything they had to retaliate against the Honkai.
Not for Otto, but simply for their own beliefs and long-held principles.
"Tell me, why don't you cherish your own lives and appear before me!"
"Isn't it obvious? That Cocolia woman wants to use the Herrscher Core to create a great eruption! We're not here on orders from any Schicksal Overseer!"
The snow-haired, blue-eyed girl was straightforward.
She could barely contain her anger and wanted to punch the old man in front of her.
The unexpected answer made Dr. Magi's face turn pale. "I was wrong... I failed her..."
His self-righteous rescue had been the very cause of a greater disaster.
Without him, Cocolia's plot would not have proceeded.
Getting the Gem of Serenity away from Otto would prevent more tragedies... that was just his wishful thinking.
"The Gem of Serenity is not in my hands, and I don't know where Anti-Entropy sent it."
"..."
The mission was still not complete.
...
Manila...
"The Gem of Serenity could be anywhere in Southeast Asia, but it absolutely cannot be on Coral Island!"
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