Villa Island: Will We Win? / Anna: Heehee. Raven: Not Heehee.

Theresa looked on with suspicion. "You've simplified the whole process way too much. It's hard not to wonder who these so-called friends of yours really are."

"Ahem... This is really not convenient to disclose. It's not that I don't want to tell you, but the other party's identity is somewhat sensitive."

Xia Ling silently looked away.

"Sensitive? Could it be Grandfather?" Theresa became even more suspicious.

"Cough cough cough, that's absolutely not it, first of all, it's a woman." Xia Ling shook her head repeatedly.

"But Grandfather can indeed turn into a woman."

"I feel like you have a lot of misunderstandings about Bishop Otto ..." Xia Ling tried to make amends for Otto.

"Anyway, as long as it's not Grandfather, that's fine." Theresa put her hands on her hips and decided to let Xia Ling off the hook. "As for your friends... since you don't want to talk about them, I won't press you any further. If you feel you can tell me, then tell me; if you can't... that's fine too."

"Hmm? Theresa, why are you being so agreeable today?" Now it was Xia Ling's turn to be puzzled. She had originally planned to reveal a little bit of information about the Elysian Realm, but she didn't expect Theresa to not even bother to pursue the matter.

"... It's alright to tell you. Some time ago, I learned for some reason that I might have a problem with my memory."

Theresa's eyes were somewhat lost as she couldn't help but recall what Einstein had said to her that day in the basement of the St. Freya Central Church.

"Ms. Theresa, even though you don't remember, I still want to tell you that you, us, Cecilia, Sigfried, and Welt were once good friends who fought side by side on the battlefield of the Second Honkai Outbreak."

"How is that possible?" Theresa immediately retorted, "My memory isn't that bad. If I had cooperated with Anti-Entropy to this extent, I couldn't possibly have no recollection of it at all."

"That's because Otto tampered with your memories." Einstein crossed his arms, unsurprised by Theresa's rebuttal.

"The news of the Second Honkai Outbreak has not been blocked. If you want to cooperate with Anti-Entropy in the future, you can look at our records about the Second Honkai Outbreak, or you can find someone who specializes in mental illness to remove your seal."

"Of course, if you carefully examine your Schicksal's database, or try to contact Sigfried, you should be able to find quite a few clues, and there should be many things that don't match your memory."

"Later, as she suggested, I looked up some materials, including some photos from the scene and private interviews with some Valkyrie, etc." Theresa's expression darkened. "In the end... there were quite a few discrepancies."

"So, I can't even guarantee my own memory, so how could I force you to reveal a secret?"

"Is that so..." Xia Ling patted Theresa's head reassuringly. "There will be a chance, I promise you, at most one year, you will know the people I mentioned."

"You might get a surprise then."

"Don't touch my head! It'll stunt my growth!" Theresa clutched her head. "But, I'm going to take the liberty of looking forward to the surprise you mentioned."

"Instead of this... Theresa, I think you should think about how to explain this to Kiana and the others later."

"!"

"Oh no, we've been chatting for so long without even realizing it." Theresa said with a long face, "Oh no, Kiana and the others are definitely going to start thinking this."

In the living room downstairs, the Big Three sat on the long sofa in the middle, looking at Theresa and Xia Ling with different expressions.

Theresa was holding a Hormu doll to cover her face, her face slightly flushed.

Xia Ling seemed indifferent. She had just found a pair of fingerless gloves to cover the red mark on the back of her left hand that looked like Command Spell.

"Tsk tsk tsk..." Kiana was the first to make a move, but judging from Bronya's amused expression, Kiana was probably instigated by her to be the one to stick her neck out.

"Sigh, I don't know where Xia Ling is either; sigh, Xia Ling asked for leave from me." Kiana perfectly imitated Theresa's tone during lunch.

"Pfft." Kiana couldn't hold back her laughter at Xia Ling's first words.

"You're still laughing!" Theresa glared at the two of them.

"Cough cough, stop teasing your academy head, or she'll throw Judah at you later."

Xia Ling cleared her throat. "You must be wondering why Theresa and I have been getting so close lately."

"It's not because..." Mei glanced at Kiana, her meaning clear.

"Theresa is indeed very cute." Xia Ling tilted her head, dodging the HOMU that Theresa threw at her. "But there is obviously another reason."

"Of course, you shouldn't spread this around, since it involves quite a few things."

Chapter Twenty-Three: Villa Island: Will We Win?

Then, under the curious gazes of the three, Xia Ling explained the general situation once again.

Although the Big Three don't actually need to explain clearly, Xia Ling has already decided to develop some new uses for the Stigmata Space, and our dear protagonist group will naturally be the first to be dragged in by Xia Ling as test subjects.

Therefore, some pre-prepared explanations are naturally necessary.

"So, Sister Xia Ling is now like the protagonist in those novels, carrying around a spatial dimension?"

Kiana looked curiously at the red mark that Xia Ling showed.

"It's not that mysterious, but this statement isn't entirely wrong either."

Xia Ling put her gloves back on. "The Stigmata Space is not very stable yet. Once Yae Sakura has a better grasp of the Stigmata Space, I will take you in as well, so you can experience the local customs and culture of Yae Village."

"Yay!" Kiana cheered, unaware of what she was about to face.

"So, does that mean Sister Xia Ling will still sleep in Auntie's room after this?"

Of course not!

"Of course I will!"

Ignoring Theresa's flushed face, Xia Ling gave a thumbs up. "Theresa is the cutest in the world! She'd be absolutely comfortable to sleep with as a pillow."

"Who wants to sleep with you?!" This time, Theresa threw a sofa cushion at her.

"Hey, I'll go after you fall asleep, okay?"

Watching the two flirting, the three exchanged glances, their unspoken meanings clear in their eyes.

"They really did have something going on!" ×3

Over the next few days, Theresa began to be subjected to intermittent "night raids" by Xia Ling.

Because Xia Ling's sleeping schedule is very irregular, the time she sneaks into Theresa's room is also irregular. Therefore, after several failed attempts to prevent her from doing so, Theresa, who was already half-heartedly resisting, simply gave up resisting. While being used as a pillow by Xia Ling, she began to enjoy Xia Ling's very ample softness relative to her height.

Meanwhile, in the Stigmata Space, after the summoning time ended, Sakura rushed to the laboratory almost without stopping and began frequently traveling between the Spiral Workshop and the laboratory.

Although Rin was able to establish communication with the Elysian Realm through the Corrosion Virus, she still could not survive without the virus or fully control the Corruption Virus. In response to this, the two Doctor began to develop a rehabilitation plan.

Therefore, if Ling wants to replenish the Corrosion Virus, she still needs Xia Ling to transport it from the Elysian Realm to the Stigmata Space. However, the medium for transportation has changed from Xia Ling herself to Kishinuma.

Since the bell cannot enter the system space, it is obviously unlikely that Xia Ling could bring the bell back to the Elysian Realm.

Therefore, since Xia Ling couldn't reveal her identity at the moment, Ling stayed in the Stigmata Space for the time being. She wasn't in such a hurry to return to the Elysian Realm. Moreover, as long as the two Doctor's research made progress, she could easily find her way back by herself through the power of erosion.

With Rin's help, Yae Sakura began to make sweeping changes to the Stigmata Space. At Xi's suggestion, Xia Ling asked Yae Sakura to set aside a special area in the Stigmata Space for experimenting with a trial ground that Xia Ling had carefully created for the Big Three.

Just as things were coming to a close on Xia Ling's side, May arrived.

The plot continues as usual. At the banquet celebrating Himeko's recovery, Fu Hua and Kiana are summoned to Singapore to begin a secret mission, which is the plot of the Moon Shadow Chapter in the manga.

Xia Ling had absolutely no desire to participate in this part of the story. After all, it involved a lot of Otto's spies and Cocolia's eyes. If she rashly intervened, she might end up in Otto's sights prematurely.

However, Xia Ling was actually more interested in another piece of news than this.

"The purchase process for Raven's villa island has been completed!"

One day, Flame Willow suddenly excitedly tagged all the members in the channel.

Highmore: "Read."

Xi: "Add one."

Xia Ling: "It's not going to happen in New Zealand, and then it just happens to coincide with the Moon Shadow Chapter, is it? Considering the inertia of the world and the flag you set before, I am very worried about the safety of the island."

Flame Willow: "Absolutely not. Even if something happens, I'll protect Kojima!"

Seeing Flame Willow's boldness, Xia Ling and the others silently lit an incense stick for her.

Xia Ling: "Didn't you say she would tell you the location of the villa island? Where is it?"

Flame Willow: "I didn't ask any more questions, but the approximate location is in Southeast Asia, somewhere in the Banda Islands."

Flame Willow: "But I heard her say that she also bought a property in a large island city Seran Island nearby, as a place for the children to live when they don't go to the island."

Flame Willow: "Alright, she told me to pack my luggage. I'll activate the empathy for you guys when I get there."

"Southeast Asia...?" Xia Ling murmured to herself, "Why does this place feel... somewhat familiar?"

Meanwhile, Flame Willow and Raven had already started packing their bags, preparing to take the children to their new home.

"Raven, are you sure the place you found meets the conditions I mentioned before?"

"Oh dear, this is the fourth time you've asked me this." Raven smiled helplessly. "That place has beautiful scenery, a developed economy, and it also has the Schicksal, Anti-Entropy, and the United Nations' joint project. Its development prospects are definitely not a problem."

"Furthermore, considering the children's safety when we're not around, I specifically bought the property near the Schicksal Branch. The Valkyrie's encampment is not far away, and it took me a lot of effort to find this information."

"Besides, didn't I already tell you the name? You can look it up yourself."

"Fine, I trust your judgment. At least from what you've said, it does seem pretty good."

Flame Willow glanced at the half-packed luggage and decisively gave up the idea of searching for this place.

Anyway, it doesn't sound like a place with a name or surname in the original work, so there shouldn't be any problems, right?

At this time, in Southeast Asia, on Coral Island.

"Captain," a Valkyrie walked into Anna's office, "The villa near us was sold yesterday."

"Huh?" Anna looked bewildered. "I was planning to buy that place next month when I get my allowance so we could slack off. Didn't I tell you to keep an eye on it?"

"Captain, I've already started keeping an eye on it..." The Valkyrie sounded quite aggrieved, "But the other party is willing to pay a premium to buy that land, and under the guise of opening an orphanage. I'm a little worried..."

"Is it because some wealthy businessman or political figure found out where we are based and wants to buy a place nearby for peace of mind?" Anna smoothly picked up on her words.

"Sigh, well, these kinds of people are indeed a bit difficult to deal with. After all, our Schicksal is a very positive organization, and competing with orphanages for space does damage our image, especially with Anti-Entropy and the United Nations watching over us."

"Okay, I'll go over there in a couple of days and see who's coming to buy safe houses around our base."

Chapter Twenty-Four Anna: Hehe Raven: No hehe

Raven was very well prepared, and soon the two of them, along with a group of children, boarded a plane bound for the vicinity of Seran Island.

As for why it was "nearby," according to Raven, it's because there seems to be some large project on Seran Island, so civilian aircraft are prohibited from landing or passing through that area.

However, it doesn't really matter, because there are several bridges connecting the Seran Island's center to the surrounding area.

Watching Raven explain things to the children so clearly and logically, Flame Willow nodded with satisfaction. It seemed that Raven's preparations were very thorough.

This sense of relief lasted until they disembarked from the plane and boarded a tourist train bound for Seran Island.

Because the Raven's group was rather unusual, the locals might have mistaken them for teachers from a prestigious school taking their students on an outing. With a barrage of money, they were given a special carriage.

Inside the carriage, Flame Willow listened with a smile to the broadcast introducing the local scenic spots.

"Seran Island has a long history and a superior geographical location. In the early 21st century, in order to promote regional cooperation and connections, Southeast Asian countries and Australia began to launch the largest land reclamation project in human history, with Seran Island as the center."

"In 2006, Coral Island, with Seran Island as its main body and three super-large island-based platforms, was officially completed. The buildings built on the platforms are stacked one on top of another, and the three-dimensional structure like coral became the origin of the city's name."

"Um?"

"Wait, did I just hear some incredible name?"

"Are you talking about Coral Island?" Raven asked, looking up and handing over a map. "It's normal that you've heard of it, after all, it was quite famous a few years ago when the Star Ladder project was proposed."

Flame Willow took the map from Raven's hand with slightly trembling hands.

The familiar terrain above suddenly made her feel as if everything went black.

Okay, that's confirmed, it's Coral Island.

"Reed, what's wrong?"

The Raven noticed something was wrong with the Flame Willow.

"It's nothing... I'm just a little carsick..."

"Hahahahaha!" ×3

In the channel, several people made no attempt to hide their laughter.

They weren't worried about anything happening to the villa island, because even when Anna suddenly became Herrscher transformation in the original work, the surrounding areas weren't greatly affected due to the importance of this location, not to mention that Raven's island wasn't exactly close to here.

At most, the loss would be a villa, which wouldn't be a big deal for Raven.