Raven, Who Hasn't Yet Bought Her First Island Villa

Miss Raven was quite unhappy. Lately, her missions had been going south, and while she always completed them, she was furious. Just as she was about to head back to her bar to drown her sorrows, the detestable Jackal sent her a notification for overtime.

"Siola, there's been an anomalous Honkai Energy fluctuation at Taixu Mountain. The location shows you're nearby, go investigate it for me." This was the ruthless exploitation from a capitalist.

"Huh? I'm not doing it. Do you think I'm your servant?" Raven retorted indignantly.

"Oh, alright, I respect your will. Gray Serpent, deduct Siola's salary for this month."

"Ahem, as a fellow cadre of the World Serpent, I'd be happy to assist my colleague." This was the humble plea from the working-class Raven.

"Heh, don't be so reluctant. If you can bring back valuable research materials for me, there'll be a substantial bonus. And if you can bring back a natural Stigmata carrier, the reward will be even greater~ Oh, right, Schicksal has also noticed. You'd best hurry."

Raven, clad in a black cloak, searched Taixu Mountain with annoyance. "If it weren't for my villa and island, I wouldn't be working for that dog-headed scoundrel." The black raven grumbled, filled with resentment. Just then, a deafening roar echoed from afar.

Raven rubbed her ringing ears, took out her bow and arrows, and headed towards the source of the sound. She then discovered a huge crater blasted out by some force and a broken box. "Interesting." Seeing fresh footprints, Raven's spirits lifted. But these footprints looked like a child's?

Half an hour later—

Xing, holding the captured Crimson Kite bird, inexplicably felt like someone was watching her. However, upon looking around, she saw no one, so she continued forward. Raven, hidden in the shadows, stared at Xing. "It really is a child. And quite good-looking. That chicken she's holding looks just like the mythical immortal beast Crimson Kite from Shenzhou legends? Wait, that pattern on her hand, could it be a Stigmata? Impossible, the pattern is too intricate, it must just be a tattoo?"

"Dada, dadada~" Xing hummed a happy tune as she skipped back to the village. The village secretary looked at the Crimson Kite bird she was holding with a complicated expression. "Uh, Little Xing, the one in your arms..." The village secretary hesitated. "What's wrong? Is it a protected animal?" Xing was a little worried about her Kung Pao chicken. "No, it's not..." Hardly anyone had ever seen a Crimson Kite; most people believed it only existed in historical records, so it couldn't possibly be on the protected animal list.

Meanwhile, Raven infiltrated the village secretary's office, searching for Xing's file. "Hmm, found at Fuyun Temple at seven in the morning, in a state of unconsciousness. The time is not far off from the anomalous Honkai Energy fluctuation. The suspicious pattern on her hand... wait, gender: male?!" Raven became inexplicably excited. She had actually found a natural Stigmata carrier! Handing her over to Jackal would mean a hefty bonus!

"Hold on, they actually reported it to Schicksal? They're coming to pick her up at three in the afternoon?" Raven checked the time. "It's half-past two now, so making a move first should be fine. Wait, what's that commotion outside?!"

"Commander Himeko, we have arrived at the mission area." Rank-and-File Armor, a B-rank Valkyrie, was reporting the mission status. (Shenzhou should fall under the jurisdiction of the Far East Branch, right? I should be fine writing it this way.)

"Understood. Immediately ascertain the situation of the residents, eliminate any Honkai threats, and clear any Honkai Beasts or Maniacs immediately!" Murata Himeko, the elder single woman and sharp blade of the Far East Branch, was not present in person but was commanding the operation remotely from the Hyperion battleship. Schicksal attached great importance to this matter, as the Honkai Energy concentration at Taixu Mountain had always been very low. An anomaly like this was bound to be suspicious.

"Yes, sir!"

Miss Raven was having a headache. They said three o'clock, why did they arrive half an hour early? And it was this fully armed Valkyrie squad, were they sure they weren't here to clear out Honkai Beasts? She looked at Xing with a conflicted expression. This seemed to be her first time kidnapping, no, targeting a child. Uh, why did it sound stranger the more she said it?

Xing suddenly felt a chill. Meanwhile, the village secretary was talking non-stop to the Valkyrie who had come to investigate. The leader looked bewildered. When did we get a mission to pick up a child? After reporting to Himeko, they received an additional task: "A villager at Taixu Mountain found an amnesiac child this morning and reported it to the Schicksal Orphanage. They can't make it, so your logistics department will help take care of the child temporarily."

At this, Miss Raven became anxious. "Schicksal is going to make a move first. If they take her, and she really has a natural Stigmata, Jackal will definitely find out. Then it won't just be a month's salary. I don't care anymore, I'm doing it!"

Xing, who was eating an apple and feeding the Crimson Kite bird its last meal, saw a gray-haired, red-eyed woman in a professional OL outfit. "Ahem, hello little brother, I am Natasha Siola, director of the Schicksal Orphanage Shenzhou Branch. Don't worry, you'll receive good care. (Jackal will 'take good care' of you.)"

Xing looked up and examined Raven's face, feeling a strange sense of familiarity. "Pretty lady, can I ask you a question?"

"Uh, sure. (He won't figure anything out, will he? Time is of the essence, if necessary, I'll just knock him out and take him.)"

"If your villa and island were sunk, would you cry and roll on the ground?"

"???" Raven feigned slight surprise, but her heart was churning. If her hard-earned villa and island were gone, she couldn't even bear to think about it! You wretched brat, I'll throw you into Jackal's lab right now! Raven's lingering hesitation vanished instantly.

"(No reaction, it shouldn't be Raven. Besides, why would a World Serpent cadre be in a place like this?)"

Raven took out a small instrument and pressed it against Xing's right hand. "Here, little brother, let big sister give you a check-up. Don't resist~" The boy, about to be sold, felt the Stigmata on his hand burning, but experienced no other discomfort.

The check was complete. Honkai Energy adaptation: Superior; Honkai Energy control: Superior; Honkai Energy concentration: Extremely low; Stigmata possession confirmed. Within ten seconds, the instrument provided the results.

"Oh yeah! (＾－＾)V!" Raven was ecstatic. She saw her villa and island waving at her. The seasoned mercenary nimbly scooped up Xing, who seemed incapable of resisting (in fact, he was completely unable to resist; he couldn't even use his Stigmata yet. The last time he summoned Mortal Tribulation Difficult to Cross, he found he couldn't summon it again, and even if he could, he wouldn't know how to use the abilities of the Key of Consciousness). Carefully avoiding all surveillance equipment and lines of sight, she successfully got into her beloved car parked near Taixu Mountain—a gray Koenigsegg Gemera.

"Phew~" Raven breathed a sigh of relief. Fortunately, nothing went wrong this time, and she could finally get her bonus. As for Xing, what trouble could a child of ten years at most cause?

"Hey, Jackal."

"Oh, Natasha, you found something so quickly? I'm impressed~" Jackal's sickeningly sweet tone sent a shiver down Raven's spine.

"No, Schicksal people showed up. If I stay any longer, there's a risk of being discovered, so I'm leaving early."

"Oh, Gray Serpent, deduct Raven's salary for the next three months..."

"Hey, don't you want to know what I found?" Raven's tone was flippant, with a hint of smugness.

"What did you find?" Jackal's interest was piqued.

"A child, a child with a natural Stigmata, and a male one at that. How's that, satisfied?" Raven looked at Xing, who was resting with his eyes closed in the backseat (actually trying to summon Mortal Tribulation Difficult to Cross), and a smile curved her lips.

Without a doubt, Miss Raven would receive a large bonus, taking a big step towards her villa and island. As for poor Xing, he would die before his journey even began, becoming Jackal's test subject—that is, unless Jackal didn't add more missions for her.

"Well done. By the way, don't come back just yet. I have a new mission for you." Jackal pulled up a file and sent it to Raven.

"Ha, you're giving me another mission before even paying me for the last one? Is your company blacker than a black-hearted company?" Raven's good mood instantly diminished by half.

"Don't rush. I guarantee the reward afterward will absolutely satisfy you. Those idiots at Anti-Entropy implanted a Herrscher Core into a girl's body, trying to create an artificial Herrscher. Heh, overestimating themselves. There are things even I only have a 60% chance of succeeding at, where does she get her confidence?" Jackal's tone was filled with arrogance.

"Alright, alright, you're amazing. Wait, you're not trying to get me to retrieve that Herrscher Core, are you?" Raven felt a sense of foreboding.

"No, I want you to bring the girl back too. She's excellent experimental material, isn't she? I've already sent you the girl's information. Good luck, and I wish you a smooth mission~" Jackal hung up the communication.

"I **** (World Serpent profanity)" Raven cursed loudly, but as a worker, she had no choice. Mentally tearing Jackal limb from limb, Raven opened the file. A black-haired, purple-eyed girl appeared before her.

"Raiden, Mei?"

Author's note: Let me explain why Raven used her real name here. She felt the protagonist had no chance of escaping and was too lazy to think of a new name, so she used her real one. Besides, not many people should know her real name.