Benefactor, Please Spare Him!

Wendy: I'll treat you to a fancy meal, the latest dresses and jewelry, and even game gift cards!

[Delta: [Transfer] 50 million]

[Delta: DM me! <(￣￣)↗]

[Anqi: [Received] 50 million]

[Anqi: Hmm! (? o? o)??]

Wendy: w(?Д?)w!!

Weren't you asleep?!

And how did you manage to barge into our private chat channel? Is this how you use your all-powerful S-level privileges?!

"Click!"

Wendy accidentally pressed a crack on the screen, turned her head, and glared fiercely at the medical room surrounded by white sheets, her eyes almost spitting fire.

"Calm down! She's still injured, we can't hurt her now! I need to stay calm!"

Wendy slowly withdrew her bulging, veiny fist, suppressing the urge to rush in, drag the injured man out, and smash his head against it.

It was at this moment that Cocolia and her group hurriedly brushed past them.

A question mark popped up above Wendy's head.

"Wasn't this place supposed to be for us to rest and recuperate? What are they doing here?"

Wendy wasn't the only one filled with confusion and wariness; all the Schicksal members who witnessed this scene were also perplexed and wary.

However, when living under someone else's roof, one must act accordingly. Besides, with Ninti and Welt also present, under the intimidation of two Herrscher- level warriors, the members of Schicksal tacitly became silent bystanders.

"How did the signal get so close? Couldn't this guy find a hidden spot to hide and wait for rescue? Is he out of his mind?!"

"Cocolia, don't worry. Kuerla is very resilient. She's doing this out of a sense of duty. You should also trust her abilities."

"Get lost! She's just an ordinary person, not Herrscher like you. I... never mind, no matter how many reasons there are, I was the one who sent her out, so I have nothing to say."

Cocolia, her pretty face tense, hurried to the edge, then checked the signal map on her tablet while anxiously gazing out to sea.

Welt sighed softly, feeling somewhat relieved. Cocolia was trying so hard to hide her anxiety and maintain her authority as an executor, seemed more human in his eyes now, a far better version of the ruthless person he had initially perceived her to be.

"Splash!"

Not long after the group looked around, a few dozen steps away, a hand with tattered armor emerged from beneath the sea, gripping the edge of the steel bars and slowly climbing upwards.

Welt, Ninti, An, and others with their keen senses were the first to look in that direction, followed by Cocolia.

Kuerla, disheveled, wet, and battered, climbed onto the base's platform.

She seemed somewhat dazed, glancing blankly at the Valkyrie before her, then spotted Cocolia and staggered over to her.

Cocolia immediately went to meet her.

Soon, the swaying Kuerla collapsed into Cocolia's arms.

"Cocoa... Lia... serum... I brought it back..."

"Yes, I received it. Thank you for your hard work. This is something that can save countless lives, and you did it!"

"That's good..."

Kuerla's hands fell to his sides, and he leaned against Cocolia's chest, motionless, as if he were dead.

Cocolia held Kuerla in one arm and the two black boxes Kuerla had given her in the other. Her expression was blank, and she was so quiet that one couldn't bear to disturb her.

'Good grief! You're giving me way too much screen time, aren't you?'

"I've been traveling halfway around the world with Schicksal, and I'm the most exhausted one. Is it wrong for me to build up my reputation a little? Let me tell you, I'm definitely getting this script and storyboard done, not even Jesus could stop me!"

So, adding scenes is a unique feature of the thousand-person show, something we have to experience?

That makes sense.

No one knew that these two people, who seemed to have a lot to say about each other, were actually complaining about each other.

All they knew was that of the two black boxes Cocolia was holding, one of which was most likely the Gem of Serenity.

The atmosphere suddenly became awkward.

Xing, carrying her sword, walked to Cocolia's left and gave the restless Schicksal members a dangerous, manic, and ferocious smile.

Ninti was to Cocolia's right, holding a teddy bear she had just received from Tesla and Einstein, her expression blank.

Welt positioned himself between the two sides.

"Calm down. You're not in a good state, and there's obviously a powerful third party involved. I don't think this is the time to start a conflict, either morally or logically."

Theresa and Himeko were willing to give Welt face, but unfortunately they couldn't bring themselves to say it.

Rita and Wendy were seriously considering the third party Welt had mentioned—yes, even Delta was injured like that, so they really needed to think carefully and it was not advisable to act rashly for the time being.

Just as the atmosphere was gradually easing, a massive, indescribable sword of fire appeared in the sky almost instantly and then slowly swung down towards the boundless sea.

Everyone's body and mind froze.

The sword was still high in the air, but the scorching red light already made people sweat profusely.

Just by looking at it, the unprecedented terrifying energy and unparalleled divine and demonic power were clearly etched into one's soul.

"Activate the highest level of defense shield! Welt, protect the base!"

Cocolia shouted, and at the same time reached out and subconsciously pulled Ninti and Xing to her sides as well.

Welt flew to the edge of the rapidly forming massive defensive shield, raised his hand, and countless steel structures were stacked layer upon layer around the base, sealing off the entire base as if night had fallen.

Violent shocks quickly followed, and the entire base, except for a few Anqi and the powerful Welt, was filled with panic. Even Rita, an S-Rank Valkyrie, was no different from an ordinary person in the face of such power.

After a long while, as the commotion gradually subsided, Welt withdrew the outer layer of protection he had been struggling to maintain.

The sea fortress, now bathed in sunlight again, appeared somewhat disheveled, with some structures collapsed in the earlier tremors, but overall remained relatively intact. Looking further out, the sea, recently cleaved open, was now churning with turbid waves that showed no signs of calm.

"This is troublesome."

Welt, having landed, looked up at the cloudless sky and muttered to himself with concern.

It now seems that preserving the Gem of Serenity is extremely difficult.

However, if he is not at ease with Otto in possession of the Gem of Serenity, can he be at ease with the World Serpent in possession of it?

Don't forget that they were instrumental in the Changkong City incident. If this gem is handed over, will the next Changkong City be far behind?

Welt hesitated, but Rita felt a flutter in her heart.

"Delta, are you... able to observe the situation of Durandal and Lady Sakura?"

Beside her, Rita's face was pale as she nervously watched Delta, who was clinging to Wendy's back.

Delta withdrew the Ideal Fluid layer protecting Wendy and herself, rested her head on Wendy's shoulder, and after a moment of silence, said:

"No need to observe, they're here."

Then, the tiny doll indeed slowly floated down from the sky.

For most of the people at the scene, this was the first time they had ever seen Skyfire.

But no one will ignore her; they will remember her vividly.

Because this puppet casually tossed out the Jizo Mitama, which landed near Wendy and Delta's feet. Then it also flung out Durandal, who was stuck in the Flame Sword, into the Schicksal camp.

She hadn't uttered a word, yet everyone felt an intense, suffocating, and trembling pressure.

Chapter 198 My benefactor, spare his life!

As the saying goes, when the sky falls, the tall ones will hold it up.

Currently, all of Schicksal's high-end combat forces are out of commission, with only Delta, who is barely alive, lying on Wendy's back, panting and silent.

As the Herrscher of Reason and Anti-Entropy Leader, Welt considered himself the tallest person present, so he naturally spoke up.

"You..."

"Wait! Let me handle this. You don't know anything, so don't turn a perfectly good situation into Second Great Honkai."

Cocolia stuffed the two black boxes into her bosom, handed Kuerla to the person behind her, and then squeezed next to Welt.

Welt's face stiffened. He wanted to say something, but he held back and silently closed his mouth.

After gaining the initial approval of the three elders of Anti-Entropy, Cocolia asked them for a detailed report on the Second Great Honkai in order to gather intelligence and study Sirin. After reading it, she immediately gave a sharp comment on the series of foolish actions—an evaluation that Einstein and Tesla could not say due to their friendship and sympathy.

This sharp commentary, with Einstein's tacit approval and Tesla's outspokenness, eventually reached Welt's ears, and the humble and honest Anti-Entropy Leader awkwardly expressed his approval and acceptance.

Therefore, Welt stepped back, and Cocolia stepped forward instead.

"Ahem! Long live the World Serpent!"

"..."

The elfin little doll seemed somewhat speechless at Cocolia's surrender.

"Haha! Just kidding, trying to create a friendly atmosphere for our conversation with a friendly opening. To be honest, you startled us all, so, would you like to sit down and have a cup of tea?"

"I am a mechanical life form, I do not need to eat or drink."

"I know your name, I know your identity, I recognize you. You are Armed Doll from Previous Civilization, the strongest artificial life form comparable to the strongest warrior of that era. Welcome, Skyfire. So, would you like some tea? My daughter makes incredibly delicious black tea!"

"If you demand something, you have to pay for it. I'm here for only one purpose: the Gem of Serenity, give it to me."

After a brief pause, Skyfire reached out his small hand directly, not taking any further action, but instead signaling Cocolia to deliver the goods.

Cocolia narrowed her eyes slightly, a calm yet dangerous smile playing on her lips.

"We agreed to fight the enemy together and then distribute the spoils according to merit. Now you're all acting all high and mighty, but if I hand over the jewel to you, do you think Otto, who has lost face, will let me off the hook? Besides, what about the sacrifices and merits of my subordinates? You make demands, but what can you give me?"

"..."

This time, Skyfire's pause was noticeably longer, as if he didn't know how to answer.

Welt's eyes lit up, as if he saw a turning point, and he tried to analyze and learn Cocolia's language skills.

But what he said next made everyone feel uneasy.

"I'm not here to negotiate with you. You only have two choices: obedience or destruction."

"No, no, this is not a good idea. No matter how powerful you are, you must know that this world is still maintained by Schicksal and Anti-Entropy. You have been lying low since the dawn of civilization, you must have your own plans, and no matter how confident you are, going against the whole world will definitely make things difficult for you. You don't want that outcome, do you?"

"..."

Skyfire frowned slightly, as if she had really been touched on a sensitive spot.

After a long silence, she slowly said:

What are your requirements?

"Demands? Hmph, what a boring topic."

Cocolia changed the subject.

At this moment, Xing, who had been sent to find something, finally ran back and, together with Ninti, set up a tea table and stools in front of Cocolia and brewed black tea.

Cocolia sat down and casually pointed to the miniature steel chair that Anzu had sculpted by hand on the table opposite her.

The Skyfire silently drifted by and then settled down.

On one side were the many bigwigs of Anti-Entropy, and on the other side was Skyfire, who had just demonstrated its terrifying power. The two sides sat facing each other amidst the sound of the waves, and finally, an atmosphere for negotiation arose.

"Based on the data I have, the Honkai is clearly intensifying. As civilization evolves, its nemesis is also accelerating its evolution. The end that Previous Civilization faced is now approaching our time step by step. And now, you are the strongest life form that contemporary humans have ever seen, I am one of the highest levels of Anti-Entropy, and surrounding you and me are four S-Rank Valkyrie can almost represent most of the foundation of Schicksal —in this situation, is it meaningful to talk about conditions and interests?"

What are you trying to say?

"The three of us have been entangled over this gem for days and nights, fighting and arguing, but these are ultimately insignificant matters. Skyfire, you have your mission, and we have our aspirations, but if civilization comes to an end first, then everything will cease to exist. Time is passing, for everyone. Rather than being stuck in a pointless struggle, don't you think... cooperation is a better choice?"

As she spoke, Cocolia gestured for An to set up an extra seat and invited Delta to take her place.

The gathering of the three parties, along with Cocolia's meaningful words, suddenly changed the nature of what should have been a tense, life-or-death struggle.

The overall perspective has broadened.

Whether it Welt, Rita, Theresa, or anyone from Anti-Entropy or Schicksal, no one dared to interrupt at this moment, and instead, intentionally or unintentionally, adopted a posture of holding their breath and listening intently.

Skyfire lowered his eyes and said calmly, "This is not something I can discuss or judge."

Delta touched her bandaged chest and then said, "Theoretically, this isn't my job either."

Cocolia smiled and nodded, "But this can serve as a foundation. There always has to be a beginning, and opportunities are rare, so why not start here?"