Chapter 253

"Hey, come on, come on, don't be angry, let's shake hands..."

Having grasped Rita's psychology, Raven tried to approach Rita while feigning a smile, revealing that this mercenary was actually a very bad person. However, this time she could not move forward, because a slight gust of wind came, and Raven was slightly distracted. The sharp spear tip was already pressed against her neck, and she was met with Durandal's clear, lake-like eyes.

"I know you helped Shen Gonglin in the past, so I'll tolerate your previous actions. But if you keep bothering me, I won't be so polite."

Out of respect for Shen Gonglin, Durandal didn't cause trouble for Raven, because this mercenary had indeed helped Shen Gonglin. Although she didn't know what her motives were, it was an undeniable fact. However, this didn't mean she would just stand by and watch her bully her adjutant. For the same reason, Rita was only verbally abusive, but Durandal couldn't pretend not to see that she had repeatedly angered Rita.

"Hmm... okay, it was just wishful thinking on my part."

Raven raised her hands, Raven, and returned to Mei's side. The mercenary's eyes were filled with apprehension. She hadn't seen Durandal's actions at all. If she had wanted to kill her, she probably wouldn't have even felt the pain of her head being cut off. So, she should probably restrain herself a little.

"Let's go, Rita."

Durandal glanced deeply at Raven and Mei, then turned and left with Rita. However, she gave Shen Gonglin a look, as if he understood her meaning.

"Durandal, what's wrong? Are your eyes bothering you?"

Well, this guy didn't understand what I meant at all. I can't use such subtle hints with this guy. Durandal helplessly raised her hand to cover her forehead. Although Schicksal was unable to participate in the operation against the Herrscher due to the bishop's orders, Shen Gonglin was not a member of Schicksal. So, didn't he understand?

"Lady Rin, Durandal means... We are about to go and stop the Honkai Beast on the outskirts. We've had a long and tiring journey, and I think you must be tired too. It just so happens that Miss Mei is here, so perhaps you could spend some time with her."

Ultimately, Rita had to explain to Shen Gonglin that they couldn't get involved, but Shen Gonglin was different. No one could stop him from doing whatever he wanted, and with him around, they could get any information immediately.

"Oh, to put it simply, you want me to be a spy, is that what you mean? You should have said so earlier. Okay, I'm going now."

Chapter Eighty

"The strongest Valkyrie of Schicksal is indeed a tough opponent."

Raven, who had just walked the Raven between life and death, stretched her neck. As a mercenary, roaming the borders of death was commonplace for her, but she couldn't help but admire Durandal's power. It seemed that the strongest Valkyrie of Schicksal was not just a boast. Legend has it that she even punched the Lord hard, but she didn't know if it was true or not.

"Hey, Mei, if you fight her right now, who would win?"

Suddenly thinking of this question, Raven asked with some curiosity, "Raiden Mei controls the power of the Herrscher of Thunder. When she first awakened, she easily defeated the Herrscher of the Void in her semi-awakened state. If she were to fight Durandal, who would win? "Raven suddenly became very curious about this question.

"I don't know... Alright, let's go."

Mei shook her head. She didn't know the answer herself. When she first met Durandal in Sky City, she felt that she was unfathomable. Now, seeing Durandal, the girl still gave her that feeling. Even though she had the power of Herrscher, Mei couldn't guarantee that she would win. Durandal was indeed powerful enough to break through to the next level.

Mei and Raven also left. They entered a tunnel that led directly to Coral Island City, where they would meet up with another World Serpent leader. However, they hadn't gone far when Mei and Raven frowned slightly. They turned back to look in the direction they had come from through the tunnel. Thanks to the Herrscher and the mercenary's excellent hearing, they both heard a small footstep.

Is someone following us?

"Mei, Raven... Dodo, where are you two?"

Just as the two were on guard, Shen Gonglin's voice came from inside. Shen Gonglin? How could it be him? Didn't he leave with Durandal and Rita? Why did he follow us? And this Dodo bird... Meeting Mei's strange gaze, Raven's expression changed slightly. Raven was her code name, but what the heck was this Dodo bird?!

"I am Raven! Or you can call me Chiora. What's the name Dodo? And... didn't you go with those two Valkyrie? Why did you come back here?"

This guy kept yelling. Raven quickly came out from its hiding place. Raven sounded like it had some fighting ability, but the name Dodo Bird didn't have any ferocity in it. It even made the enemy laugh. Unlike the sarcasm it showed when facing Rita, Raven seemed much more real when facing Shen Gonglin. Mei silently watched Shen Gonglin Raven. So her real Chiora Shiora.

Mei would never believe that the two of them had a bad relationship, since he told Mei Shen Gonglin so easily.

"Durandal and Rita asked me to follow you, saying that I could react promptly if anything happened."

Completely lacking any awareness of being a spy, Shen Gonglin openly admitted to the mission given to her by Rita and Durandal. Since she was neither Schicksal nor World Serpent, the more muddied the waters, the better. Neither organization was any good, Shen Gonglin was now dedicated to causing trouble for them.

"Shen Gonglin, the situation is about to become very dangerous. Go back to Durandal first. I'll send you any information as soon as I get it..."

Mei earnestly advised Shen Gonglin to go back. She didn't want Kiana to be in danger, and she certainly didn't want Shen Gonglin to put himself in danger either. He would most likely be fighting the Herrscher soon. Although Shen Gonglin was very strong, in Mei's subconscious, he was still the Shen Gonglin who needed to be taken care of. He could handle the fighting himself. Shen Gonglin should go to a safe place now.

"Hey, Raiden Mei, have you forgotten your own position? You said right in front of me that you would leak information to Shen Gonglin. Are you not even trying to hide it from people now?"

Miss Dodo secretly rolled her eyes, but the fact that she said such a thing proved what she was thinking. She didn't want Mei Shen Gonglin come along either. Mei was right. Even if she wanted to know the information, she didn't have to come in person. Maybe she would accidentally send the information to the wrong person. Or maybe Mei would turn a blind eye when transmitting the information to Mei Shen Gonglin. All of these were acceptable.

"... I'm not bragging, but it would be more dangerous for me to go back alone now. Do you know how many turns we took when we came here? I'm confident that if you let me go back by myself, I'll probably get lost... Mei, you know, my sense of direction is a little bit bad."

Shen Gonglin's expression was quite subtle. To be honest, he felt he was already proud enough to keep up with Mei and the others. But if he were to go back alone, especially in this intricate underground tunnel, it wasn't that Shen Gonglin was exaggerating, but he would definitely get lost. That was a certainty.

How could I forget about that? It's true, Shen Gonglin is a super terrible navigator who always gets lost at the slightest fork in the road.

It's not just that her sense of direction is slightly off; the information on World Serpent clearly indicates in red that Shen Gonglin has an extremely poor sense of direction, is afraid of heights, faints at the sight of blood, and is petty—these are all her flaws.

"You're being far too modest. You have absolutely no sense of direction... Mei, what do we do now? We can't just leave him here alone, can we?"

Raven started being sarcastic again, but she decisively changed the subject before angering Shen Gonglin. Leaving Shen Gonglin behind was clearly unrealistic; neither she nor Mei could feel at ease. It seemed that there was only one solution left.

"...Let's go, but we still need to be careful. We're about to face Herrscher."

After thinking it over, Mei couldn't come up with any other good ideas, so she could only take Shen Gonglin's hand and walk to the other side of the passage. Since Shen Gonglin had already been to the World Serpent's temporary base, it wouldn't be a problem for her to go on a mission with her.

"Hey, you two wait for me... Honestly, Rita, you've really caused me some trouble, not too much, but not too little."

Raven quickly gave chase. Without a doubt, sending Shen Gonglin over to annoy people must have been that scheming maid's idea!

Chapter 81 Night Owl

Stepping out of the passage, a howling, cold wind greeted them. The narrow view was empty except for ruins. This was the place they had agreed upon. After arriving here, other World Serpent executives were supposed to meet them. However, Raven and Mei looked around and, apart from the buildings being blown by the cold wind, they didn't seem to see any of the supposed meet-ups.

"Where is he... Raven, lend me your cloak for a moment."

Mei gently squeezed Mei Shen Gonglin's hand and asked, "Is it a mistake to bring him here? Shen Gonglin temperature is already quite low, and his body temperature is dropping even faster in this environment. "Mei gently rubbed his hands together to warm him up.

Mei looked at herself. After Herrscherization, she was more adaptable to the temperature. She wasn't afraid of this kind of thing when Valkyrie, but not with Shen Gonglin. All she had on her was the clothes that her Herrscher ability had transformed into. Even if she wanted to give them to Shen Gonglin, she couldn't. After thinking it over, the only clothes that Raven had were extra.

"Look, I even put a heat pack inside... Really, we should have met here... Wait, it seems like it's over there."

Shen Gonglin took off her cloak and handed it to Rin. She was always bickering with Rita, but Raven was very nice to Shen Gonglin. She didn't even get angry when she was called a dodo. The hand warmers inside the cloak must have been a great help to Shen Gonglin, judging from his calmed expression. After taking off the cloak, Raven was left with only her tactical bodysuit, which also had a cold-proof function, so it didn't matter if she didn't have the cloak.

Raven looked around and finally spotted something different in a corner of this icy world. The three of them walked towards the corner, and as they got closer, the light and shadow in the empty space gradually distorted, outlining the silhouette of a figure—a man huddled in a sheltered spot, shivering. Was this the cadre who was supposed to be there to meet them?

"Why did you take so long to arrive... and why are there people who aren't on a mission here as well?"

The male voice was hoarse and languid, giving the impression that he hadn't woken up properly. When he raised his head, Shen Gonglin and the others were even more certain of this. His messy hair and his fairly handsome face were marred by two large dark circles under his eyes. This person, who looked like he could be blown away by a gust of wind, was the executive of World Serpent.

The food at World Serpent is really not good. Look how hungry this guy is. Mei can't be like this. Shen Gonglin looked at the World Serpent executive who was like a champion of staying up all night, and then looked at her own Mei. Hmm, full of energy and looking radiant. She really is her cook.

"Night Owl, because of a little incident, Shen Gonglin will also be traveling with us. As for the time lost... we just greeted the Valkyrie of Schicksal when we encountered them on the way."

Raven clearly recognized the man codenamed Night Owl, the champion of staying up all night. She explained the current situation, and whether it was just Shen Gonglin's imagination or not, she felt that the man codenamed Night Owl was subtly observing her. She wondered what he wanted to do by staring at her like that.

"The Valkyrie of Schicksal... you mean that S-rank Valkyrie? Why did you provoke her? You really asked for trouble. Even the Lord got a good beating from her... Gray Serpent and Jackal forbade me to talk about this, so don't say I told you. Never mind... I'm a member of World Serpent, codename Night Owl. I'll be assisting you in completing this mission... Is this the legendary Shen Gonglin?"

Night Owl shook his head. From his words, Shen Gonglin and Mei did not hear any respect for the World Serpent Lord. It seemed that he was adopting the same mercenary attitude as Raven. Night Owl, the champion of staying up all night, introduced himself and then looked at Rei without any attempt to hide it. His listless eyes stared straight at Shen Gonglin, as if he wanted to study him in depth.

"I don't need help."

Why is he staring at Shen Gonglin? Does he have to worry about boys in addition to girls? Mei took a step to the side to block Night Owl's view. At the same time, she put her hand on Shen Gonglin's shoulder and stared at Night Owl. No matter who it is, don't even think about messing with Shen Gonglin!

"I see... Then I'll leave the Herrscher in your care. I'll be going now. To be honest, it's so cold here. I'm more suited to a warmer place."

Night Owl's reaction was unexpected. After being blocked by Mei, he withdrew his gaze from Shen Gonglin, and then the man decisively turned around to leave, as if he had really been waiting for Mei to say those words. Are all World Serpent executives this casual?

"Say it again?"

Sharp feather throwing knives pierced the Night Owl's path, and Raven's sinister voice stopped his retreat. Completing the mission was Raven's top priority; she was a mercenary, and if the mission wasn't completed, where would she get the money?

"Oh, just kidding..."

With his hands raised above his head, Night Owl lazily walked back. He scratched his head, looking completely listless, as if he had been forced to complete a mission. The World Serpent are full of talented people; there are all sorts of them.

"He is an expert in information reconnaissance and a master of covert operations. He will assist us in completing the operation. Although he may seem a bit undisciplined, his abilities are beyond doubt."

After explaining the role of the Night Owl, Raven rubbed her head and took off the hood from Shen Gonglin's cloak, putting it on her own head. It felt more natural this way. Even after giving the cloak to Shen Gonglin, she had been deliberately avoiding other people's gazes, and wearing the hood made it much more natural.

"Raiden Mei ...Master? It has been confirmed that the Fifth Herrscher has been born in this Honkai. As instructed by the Jackal, I have prepared the Staff of the Underworld. After you defeat her, I will capture her."

Scratching his head, Night Owl addressed Mei as he stated the established plan. Indeed, that was the proper way to address Mei. Although he had been with World Serpent for much longer than Mei held a higher position and was likely a member of the leadership, making her far more useful than a lowly pawn like himself.

"Just call me Mei."

After leaving those words, Mei Shen Gonglin and headed straight into the depths of the city. She wasn't very interested in World Serpent's plan; Mei just wanted to defeat the Herrscher as soon as possible so that the damage caused by the Herrscher could be minimized. In that case... she would help Kiana do what she wanted to do.

Chapter 82

"Is this the Herrscher of Thunder that the Lord spoke of...? She looks like a high school student taking a walk with her boyfriend, so carefree, and seems... a bit weak. Is it really okay to leave her in this position?"

Watching Mei and Shen Gonglin figures, Night Owl tilted his head and asked Raven beside him. This mission was undoubtedly led by Raiden Mei, because only she had the ability to confront the Herrscher directly. However, Night Owl Mei was reliable, especially since she was with Shen Gonglin. She seemed to be ready to betray them at any time.

"... You have the right to call others lazy? Don't worry, she has the same reasons as us, and she has to fight. As for Shen Gonglin... there's even less to worry about. It's okay to have him with you."

Raven glanced speechlessly at Night Owl. This guy was the most carefree person in the entire World Serpent, and he had the nerve to talk about others. As for what he said about Mei earlier, Raven wasn't too worried about it, because she knew Mei's resolve and knew exactly what she should do. Shen Gonglin, since he had already come, there was no way around it. She had to take him with her, even if she knew that this was a dirty trick Rita used to annoy her. What could she do? He was Shen Gonglin.

"Alright, I'll wait and see... And we'd better hurry up and catch up. Raiden Mei seems to have taken the wrong path; that should be a dead end."

Since the senior had already said so, Night Owl wouldn't say anything more. Looking at the direction that Shen Gonglin and Mei were heading, Night Owl pointed at their backs speechlessly. They were so proud and high-spirited, but they went the wrong way. Just as he thought, this Raiden Mei is a bit unreliable.

"... No doubt, that guy is leading the way. He's obviously terrible with directions, so why does he love leading the way so much... Mei, Mei, you're going the wrong way! This is the right way..."

Raven was speechless. She quickly chased after her, calling Mei's name loudly. Then, Night Owl saw the Herrscher of Thunder of Thunder, with a dark face, return, grabbing Shen Gonglin's cheek. The girl's usually cold and serious face was now flushed with an uncontrollable blush. Mei glared at Shen Gonglin angrily. Why did he lead the way if he didn't know the way? He really made her lose face. Did he even understand?

And me too, even though I know that Shen Gonglin has no sense of direction, why did I blindly follow him?

Hmm, I feel like the road ahead is going to be quite interesting. Night Owl looked at Shen Gonglin, who was being pinched and pleading for mercy. Night Owl, who had no enthusiasm for anything, nodded to himself. Not only Raiden Mei, but even Raven was very tolerant of him. I wonder what Lord Lord would think if he knew that the two generals of World Serpent had this kind of attitude towards the enemy forces?

After much thought, it seems that only Gray Serpent and Jackal are seriously working for World Serpent. This situation is exactly the same as that of a certain black organization. World Serpent's situation reminds Night Owl of a comic that is still being serialized. It's quite similar.

—

On the road leading to the city center, red lightning and steel feather throwing knives raged through the streets. The closer they got to the center of the Honkai, the more Honkai Beast there were. After finally clearing out the Honkai Beast in front of them, Raven, slightly out of breath, glanced at Night Owl behind them with hostility. This guy was a bit too much.

"Night Owl, Mei and I have been fighting all the way here, can't you lend a hand?"

Raven was very annoyed, unable to help but accuse the Night Owl like this. This guy just followed along without putting in any effort, just like someone over there!

"Hmph... With Raiden Mei around, my skills aren't much of a help. I might as well save my energy for the battle against the Herrscher... Besides, why am I only talking about him and not him? He should be even more relaxed than me."

Night Owl pointed to Shen Gonglin beside him. This guy's behavior was exactly the same as his own. He hadn't done anything either, so why didn't Raven -senpai criticize him and only criticized him? He felt a little unbalanced.

Just kidding, how can you compare to him?

"Alright, stop arguing. How is the Herrscher doing now?"

Mei sheathed her sword to stop the conversation between the two. For her Herrscherization, the battle just now was not even a warm-up. Moreover, she did not want Shen Gonglin to participate in the battle. With her there, why should Shen Gonglin have to take action? Although she had become Herrscher, Mei's heart had not changed. In her subconscious, it should be her protecting Shen Gonglin. This situation was the normal one.

Shen Gonglin and Kiana, and she enjoyed the sunshine under their protection. Now she finally has the power to protect them, so Mei is in great shape!

"The Herrscher's signal stopped moving just now, and the place ahead is where she was last seen."

Stopped by Mei, Raven lost interest in arguing with Night Owl. She pointed ahead, which was their final destination. Raven took a deep breath. The only fighting force consisted of herself and Mei. As for Shen Gonglin wasn't considering helping unless the situation had reached that point. And Night Owl Raven, the champion of staying up all night, was a master of slacking off. The heavy responsibility rested on her and Mei's shoulders... Wait a minute, why am I being so serious? I rarely put my mind to this. I feel like something's off about me this time.

It's as if they're deliberately trying to show off their power, but the question is, who are they showing it to?

Miss Dodo was a little confused.

"Is this the place...? I can sense that the Herrscher is nearby."

The group continued forward, and when they reached a plaza, Mei stopped. As a fellow Herrscher, she could sense the Honkai energy surging nearby. Undoubtedly, this was the reaction of Herrscher. The group looked up at the sky, where the intertwined ice pillars between the tall buildings connected to a huge crystal, from which the Honkai energy was emanating.

"It's still hard to imagine even with my own eyes that the tropics can freeze. The power of the Herrscher is truly a miracle."

Night Owl also looked at the enormous ice crystal, his eyes, usually surrounded by dark circles, showing seriousness for the first time. The Herrscher was inside, Anna ...

"It seems we guessed right, the Herrscher is in there... However, it seems we need to clear out the other things first."

The Honkai Beast that had just been eliminated reappeared. Mei took a deep breath. To deal with the Herrscher, she had to take care of these things first.

Chapter 83 I Also Have Herrscher of Thunder

On the battlefield, where the cold wind howled, the battle continued. They had reached the location of the Herrscher, and the Honkai Beast were attacking Shen Gonglin and the others as if they were protecting their master. No, they weren't attacking; they were stalling for time, waiting for the Herrscher to hatch.

"Mei, these Honkai Beasts are buying time for the Herrscher. We can't let this drag on any longer... Shen Gonglin, is there any way? We can't wait here for the Herrscher to hatch. Even though you might see me as a villain, I don't have the habit of waiting for the enemy to be ready!"

Feathered throwing knives hovered in front of Raven. She wasn't good at close combat, and facing so many Honkai Beasts at once really made her a little flustered. Night Owl had already dodged far away the moment the Mei Honkai Beast charged, but the situation wasn't so critical for Mei. To the Herrscher of Thunder, this was just a small matter. Right now, only she was in danger.

"Let's get rid of the Herrscher first, Raven, go over there and take your positions."

A ring of stars flickered in Shen Gonglin's pupils, and a golden spatial tunnel suddenly unfolded beneath Raven's feet. When Raven reappeared, she was already in a safe place. Shen Gonglin could precisely control the teleportation distance, which was visible to the naked eye. If the distance were farther... without pre-set spatial coordinates, Shen Gonglin's sense of spatial direction would have to rely on luck.

The power of the Herrscher of the Void... can this also be controlled by humans? And the Herrscher of Thunder... if they can, she certainly can too.

Watching Shen Gonglin use the power of the Herrscher of the Void, Night Owl, who was hiding to the side, slightly shifted his lifeless eyes. He had previously received information that Shen Gonglin could use the power of multiple Herrscher without showing any signs of being corrupted or having her mind disturbed. Raiden Mei was the same, which proved that this possibility existed. However, he was afraid that World Serpent would not give him this opportunity.

"Thanks, Shen Gonglin. This position is perfect. Shatter it, Herrscher!"

Teleported to the best position, Raven knelt on the ground. A sniper rifle had appeared in the mercenary's hand at some point. Calling it a sniper rifle wasn't quite accurate, because Mei instinctively felt uncomfortable when the weapon appeared in Raven's hand. This was a weapon that could threaten her, and this weapon... was it Divine Key? So Raven could use Divine Key.

Energy converged at the muzzle; such a large target required no careful aiming. Gunfire erupted before the Raven sniper rifle, accurately hitting the massive crystal in mid-air. Ice crystals scattered, and Mei swung her sword to block the falling ice. Amidst these scattered ice crystals, the Herrscher finally revealed herself—a figure like a snow sprite. Beneath the white wall was a body enveloped in a layer of black, icy substance. Even the Herrscher's face was covered by the ice crystals. Was this the Herrscher's true appearance?

Shen Gonglin squinted, staring intently at the Herrscher, as if his gaze could pierce through the layer of black ice on Herrscher face. Damn it, he couldn't see her face at all. Too much time had passed, and he couldn't quite remember what she looked like. But all the signs indicated that she was the one Shen Gonglin knew.