Alicia is the True Golden Finger in Honkai!

K423 observation log.

After reading it word-for-word, Otto's cold expression gained a hint of a smile. He opened a communication channel to a small, isolated laboratory—

"Miss Prometheus?

This is Otto. Schicksal is currently developing the fourth-generation God-Slaying Armor. As one of the few individuals most likely to advance to A-rank, Gwen is qualified to possess such an armor.

Therefore, I wish to invite you to participate in the design and manufacturing of the armor."

Chapter 24: Raven's Mission

"Gwen?"

In the opulent yet exquisitely elegant Golden Courtyard, the red-haired woman, once the most dazzling superstar and a former benefactor of Fire Moth, repeated the name she had just heard from the person before her. Her golden eyes narrowed slightly, and after a moment of thought, she slowly shook her head:

"I'm very sorry, but I don't recall that name."

"It's fine, I was just asking around."

Shaking his head, the mercenary and World Serpent cadre codenamed "Raven," whose real name was Natasha Sciola, said indifferently.

In this Elysian Realm filled with strange people, the woman before him was one of the few she could communicate with normally. Moreover, she would need her expertise in appraising treasures later. How could Raven possibly offend her benefactor over a no-reward mission from Gray Serpent?

"Hmm..."

After a moment of hesitation, Eden, who was gently swirling the fine wine Raven had brought but hadn't yet drunk, tried to tell herself not to be curious about the outside world. However, she couldn't suppress her curiosity. Thinking that if she was being asked about it, it must be related to the previous civilization, Eden finally spoke up:

"Miss Natasha, may I ask why you are inquiring about this name?"

"Hm?

Of course."

Raven nodded and casually replied:

"Recently, someone has appeared outside who seems to have emerged from a base left behind by Fire Moth. They are suspected to be a pioneer from the previous civilization, but for some reason, they only appeared in this world now.

The information Gray Serpent has outside is incomplete, and they can't find any data on this person, so they asked me to inquire when I came in."

"Oh?"

Upon hearing this, Eden's eyes lit up slightly, and she even put down her wine glass. She slowly said:

"Could you tell me about him?"

"Uh, sure."

Raven nodded, not expecting Eden to react so strongly. Under her gaze, she slowly recounted the information she knew—

Although Schicksal had already sealed the information regarding Gwen's origins, and the members of the archaeological team had all signed confidentiality agreements.

However, Gwen's dazzling performance had attracted the attention of various factions. World Serpent, which considered itself capable of secretly influencing the entire world, was no exception.

Combining the various pieces of information gathered, especially Gwen's inhuman state revealed during the battle where he defeated the Emperor-class Honkai Beast Ganesha, World Serpent had formed some hypotheses about Gwen's identity.

However, as Raven had said, although World Serpent was established by Gray Serpent, who survived from the previous civilization, they had not fully inherited all of Fire Moth's data.

It was normal for seemingly insignificant things like the list of warriors injected with the Hyper-Evolution Factor to be lost.

Thus, this led to Gray Serpent's action of sending Raven to the Elysian Realm to seek answers.

And while Raven was being held up by Eden in the Elysian Realm, Gray Serpent, looking at the information in his hand about Gwen's contact with Raiden Mei and the Second Herrscher's body, couldn't help but sigh:

"It's really... interesting..."

Meanwhile, in Changkong City, Gwen, unaware that he had already caught Gray Serpent's attention, was about to have his first formal meeting with Raiden Mei a few days later—

While Gwen wasn't sure if Cocolia knew that severe negative emotions could catalyze the emergence of a Herrscher, thus tightly monitoring Raiden Mei.

Gwen was certain that Cocolia definitely had basic surveillance on Raiden Mei to prevent this valuable experimental subject from escaping her laboratory.

Therefore, during his meeting with Raiden Mei, Gwen made sure to be as discreet as possible.

Furthermore, to lower Cocolia's guard, Gwen also had a layer of disguise—

His American citizen identity used to scare those two female students the other day was not a lie—

If Cocolia were to look up Gwen's information now, the result would be an FBI overseas operative, with his hidden identity being an outer member of Anti-Entropy.

Therefore, unless Cocolia dug extremely deep into Gwen's information, the message she would receive would be that he was a spy sent by your conservative elites, not an A-rank Knight from Schicksal.

And the method for the FBI operative, sent by the conservative faction of Anti-Entropy to contact Raiden Mei, was—

"Hello, excuse me, is your online username... [Dear Alicia]?"

Following Gwen's suggestion from a few days ago, Raiden Mei, who had put on more disguise than when she went out a few days prior, wore her usual long hair tied up in a high ponytail, dressed in a fitted tracksuit, and a hat on her head, completely unlike her usual ladylike appearance, looking like a sporty girl. She asked the young man who had helped her out a few days ago with a hint of surprise on her face.

"Hmm, it seems we really are fated to meet."

Gwen, also showing a hint of surprise, appeared more natural than Raiden Mei:

"Hello, my name is Gwen."

"Hello, my name is Raiden Mei."

And so, two netizens who had only known each other online for a month successfully met in real life.

"Looks like I got lucky, my online friend's cute avatar isn't hiding a sweaty, unwashed guy behind it."

Gwen revealed a smug smile, appearing like a young American who was simply meeting an online friend in person.

"Huh?"

Raiden Mei, completely unaware of what was happening, displayed genuine surprise.

"It's nothing, I'm happy to meet you, Miss Mei."

The young American, unfamiliar with certain Japanese customs, used a direct address that would be considered intimate by Japanese standards.

"Mhm, me too."

Flustered by her American online friend, Raiden Mei nodded, looking like an innocent girl.

"Let's go. I've reserved a spot at a coffee shop, and we can chat there."

After a brief exchange, the young American led the beautiful Japanese high school girl directly to the private room he had booked.

Those monitoring Raiden Mei naturally took notice of her actions, which clearly deviated from her usual routine.

After a simple investigation, Cocolia's subordinates discovered that the young man was just an ordinary American youth traveling in Japan and meeting an online friend.

"What a lucky kid. His first online date is with a sheltered young lady."

Looking at the initial information they had gathered about Gwen, the subordinate monitoring Raiden Mei remarked with emotion.

"Lucky?

Are you sure it's not bad luck?"

Giving his tall colleague a dismissive look, the slender man snorted.

"These Americans, they just love these tricks to deceive young girls.

He's picked the wrong fight this time."

"Heh, who knows?"

The burly man sneered.

"What if the kid leaves in time?"

Chapter 25: Out of the kitchen, no need to cook anymore. My brilliant mind has once again conquered the high ground.

In the private room of the coffee shop, Gwen gestured for Raiden Mei to sit down. He then contacted Prometheus in his mind to deal with any potential surveillance around them before speaking.

"Alright, Miss Mei, you can relax now."

"Huh?"

Raiden Mei, who thought she still had to act and deceive the watchers, exchanging information in a special way, was stunned. Her pretty face then flushed slightly as she nodded.

"Oh, okay, I understand."

"Relax, there's no need to be nervous. The person in front of you isn't anyone important, just an ordinary office worker."

Sensing Raiden Mei's unease, Gwen poured her a cup of coffee and smiled comfortingly.

"If anything, I, an ordinary dispatched employee, should be the nervous one meeting a genuine young lady like yourself.

After all, even if framed and imprisoned, your father's abilities and connections are still intact.

Once this crisis is resolved, your father will still be a person at the pinnacle of this country, someone I, a mere office worker, cannot afford to offend."

"Mr. Gwen, you flatter me."

Hearing this, Raiden Mei became somewhat embarrassed. The cool demeanor she had prepared to face him, despite suspecting he was an ally, crumbled. Her stance, which was based on the premise that his identity was merely based on his one-sided statement, was no longer tenable.

Raiden Mei already had a good impression of Gwen due to his help a few days prior.

Although that impression had diminished slightly upon learning of his identity as a Schicksal agent, his current accommodating attitude and his rather handsome appearance, influenced by various powers, significantly increased her favorable feelings towards him, leading her to unconsciously place more trust in him.

Ultimately, she needed his help. Since his attitude was already respectful, why should she put on a pretense?

With that thought, Raiden Mei convinced herself. She composed herself, her expression turning serious.

"Mr. Gwen, regarding what you mentioned earlier... could you show me some more detailed information?"

"Of course."

Gwen smiled and nodded, taking out his Schicksal terminal. He displayed information about Raiden Ryoma and Cocolia, pushing it towards Raiden Mei.

"This is information about your father and Cocolia, who framed him. Some of it might fall outside your current knowledge, so please don't rush. After you've read it, I'll answer all your questions."

"Thank you, Mr. Gwen."

Gratefully nodding, Raiden Mei's good impression of the young man in front of her increased once more. She eagerly began to read the "truth" that Gwen had provided.

Gwen took a sip of his coffee, not in a hurry, and quietly waited for Raiden Mei to finish, preparing for her many questions.

Of course, even though he had sought help from Rita, such a simplistic explanation still had many points that couldn't be fully explained. However, Rita had deemed it passable.

"In the eyes of the radical faction of Anti-Entropy, the conservative ruling faction is just a bunch of people who achieved nothing but research. It's normal for there to be some loopholes in the plan.

As for Miss Mei...

You're just an ordinary dispatched personnel, so it's normal for you to know limited information, isn't it?"

Raiden Mei read the truth she had fantasized about countless times over the past few months with utmost seriousness, afraid of missing any crucial clues by overlooking a single word.

"Hoo..."

After a long time, Raiden Mei, who had finished reading both documents, let out a long sigh. Despite her youthful, sporty appearance, her demeanor was as weathered and world-weary as an elderly person who had seen the vicissitudes of life.

Fortunately, this aura, unbefitting her age, quickly vanished. She downed the coffee in her cup in one gulp and looked at Gwen, who was leisurely seated before her. Raiden Mei spoke, "Mr. Gwen, I've basically finished reading these documents. I have a few questions now, and I hope you can answer them for me."

"Please, ask away, Miss Mei. I will tell you everything I know,"

Gwen nodded and replied calmly.

"First, what does the term 'Honkai' that appears frequently here refer to?"

Raiden Mei felt a bit more at ease and began to ask her questions.

Gwen answered all of Raiden Mei's questions, which were much simpler than he had anticipated.

In fact, none of the questions Raiden Mei asked triggered Gwen's "no-answer" mechanism.

"Hoo..."

Having received answers to many of her questions from Gwen, Raiden Mei let out a light sigh, a faint glimmer of tears welling up in her eyes.

"Father, so you did so much for Mei..."

Raiden Mei murmured to herself, already deeply moved when she discovered that Raiden Ryoma was the Homonculus Sword Saint. The lingering resentment she had felt in her heart completely vanished.

At this moment, Gwen could barely sense any of the negative emotions Raiden Mei had displayed when they first met. The volatile Honkai energy that he had faintly detected within her upon their initial encounter was now incredibly stable, almost imperceptible.

"Mr. Gwen, thank you for telling me all of this."

After a long while, Raiden Mei, having finally calmed her emotions, thanked him again.

"It's nothing. This is all information you should know. I was just helping you catch up,"

Gwen smiled and gently shook his head, signaling Raiden Mei not to mind.