Troubles

If Gray Serpent's plan is too outrageous and not the type she needs to be involved in, Raven will not hesitate to directly intervene.

"Stigmata Plan..."

The Gray Serpent slowly uttered a word, then unconsciously increased the pressure, tearing through the thin white blanket covering its body to reveal a patch of snow-white skin. The Raven's expression shifted as it slowly spoke.

"Judging from the current situation, it seems that Cocolia is preparing to directly trigger an artificial Honkai in Changkong City, inducing Raiden Mei, who has the Conquest Gem in her body, to completely become Herrscher."

Then, directly capture Raiden Mei, using the Conquest Gem within her body to rescue her daughter trapped in the Sea of Quantum, and simultaneously complete the work of the Heavenly Father, which has been unable to be finished due to a lack of a sufficiently powerful power source...

As he recounted his guesses, Gray Serpent's words revealed not a trace of pride, but rather a hint of helplessness and... pleasure?

Even Raven, who prided himself on being quite familiar with the Gray Serpent, couldn't immediately tell if he had misheard.

However, the Gray Serpent clearly had no interest in the Raven's feelings at the moment, and continued:

"In that case, why doesn't the snake just use the chicken to lay eggs, add some ingredients to this Honkai, and turn this Honkai into an experiment of the Stigmata Plan at the same time."

Although the appearance of Feather Rabbit seemed to bring the seventeenth version of the Stigmata Plan, which had been doomed to fail, to some extent, it has not yet been verified.

Therefore, Gray Serpent needs to prepare for both possibilities while simultaneously advancing the progress of the first version.

"..."

The Raven felt a surge of turmoil as it recalled certain materials it had been allowed to view.

However, what the Raven saw and learned gradually calmed the waves in its heart, and its emotions slowly returned to peace:

What do I need to do?

"It's very simple. Send the raw materials for the Stigmata Plan to those rudimentary laboratories in places that Cocolia can't find."

If Cocolia is indeed preparing to initiate an artificial Honkai, then this will be the first experiment of the Stigmata Plan.

Of course, if our guess is wrong, then it simply means that Cocolia's experiment has one more variable, which is insignificant.

The Gray Serpent's voice finally regained its usual composure, but it left the Raven feeling a sense of unease—

Although it's hard to admit, a large part of the reason Raven chose to leave the World Serpent after earning enough money for retirement was due to those plans that were nothing short of anti-human.

Despite the examples of Previous Civilization, these plans could be said to allow people who would have died from the Honkai to play a greater role, and even allow some of them to awaken Stigmata and survive, thus contributing to the continuation of civilization.

However, the Raven couldn't quite accept this explanation.

Even though Raven considered himself to have blood on his hands after becoming a mercenary, it was still hard for him to accept.

Raven had initially thought she could escape before getting involved in this plan, but now it seemed she was about to be dragged in by Cocolia ahead of time...

So... should we do it?

Raven hesitated for a moment.

Seemingly having guessed the thoughts of one of his colleagues' adopted daughters, Gray Serpent continued:

"However, I should remind you that because there are many of our people in there, this mission is not mandatory, and the reward is also very limited."

"?"

Upon hearing this, Raven's heart stirred, and he understood that Gray Serpent was implying that he didn't need to get involved.

However, before the Raven could respond, the Gray Serpent said:

"Besides that, there is another mission in Changkong City that you can try."

"What mission?"

Although this inexplicable feeling of being protected made Raven feel very awkward, she wasn't a rebellious girl, so she asked Gray Serpent what he said.

"In the information Cocolia gave you, there should be someone named Yuzuru, right?"

Seeing that the Raven wasn't dwelling on the previous issue, the Gray Serpent, as if the previous conversation had never happened, asked leisurely.

"Yes, is there something wrong with this person?"

Raven raised an eyebrow, her body relaxed, her right leg crossed over her left, appearing exceptionally fair and slender in the sunlight.

"Based on information from various sources, this person using the Kaiser Yuzuru, is using a false identity."

If nothing unexpected happens, her true identity is Schicksal than Gwen Caslana, a rising star who has gained prominence in the last two years.

As he spoke, seemingly remembering something, a hint of amusement crept into Gray Serpent's voice—

"Speaking of which, the two of you have had some indirect contact."

"Um?

That rising star Schicksal?

What could possibly have to do with a rat from the gutter like me?

A hint of curiosity flickered in the Raven's dark red eyes, and it couldn't help but ask.

"Do you remember the Ganesha we asked you to sample before?"

That meant he and another rising star of Schicksal, who would almost certainly become the next S-class Durandal, joined forces to kill him.

Gray Serpent gave a succinct reminder.

"..."

Subconsciously, the Raven touched its belly—

Beneath that smooth, firm skin, many organs have been replaced with mechanical ones. Although, with World Serpent's technology, the effect is no worse than the original, it is still not one's own.

However, despite some inexplicable emotions, the Raven smiled and even switched legs with great interest.

"Oh?

So it's the owner's house after all.

So what is my task?

Although she ultimately lost many things because of that Ganesha.

But isn't it normal for a thief to get beaten up for stealing other people's things?

The Raven wasn't so twisted as to think that stealing other people's things was perfectly acceptable.

Then, the Raven heard the answer that made her smile freeze—

"Approach him and try to become friends."

Are you sure?

Raven asked incredulously, wondering if there was something wrong with her ears, her pretty face showing...

"That's right, the World Serpent needs a World Serpent friend."

The Gray Serpent seemed to see the astonished look on the Raven's face, and its voice became tinged with amusement.

"..."

Upon hearing Gray Serpent's suggestive words, Raven blinked and instantly realized that something else was probably happening behind the scenes that he was unaware of.

Chapter 156 Troubles

"It seems you've started another plan that I'm unaware of?"

Although it seemed like she was about to become part of some conspiracy, Natasha actually relaxed quite a bit, her left leg, which was crossed over, even twitched slightly, making her appear rather leisurely.

As for the "you" that Natasha mentioned, she was naturally referring to the Gray Serpent.

As the de facto adopted daughter of one of the Gray Serpent, Natasha had some understanding of the Gray Serpent's situation and knew that the so-called World Serpent were largely built up from individual Gray Serpent as its skeleton.

Similarly, Natasha knew that most of the plans... or rather, conspiracies hidden in the shadows were driven by Gray Serpent.

Then, Natasha heard another answer that left her stunned:

"No, actually I don't know why I did it."

"Ha?"

This time, Natasha even subconsciously let out a surprised and confused sound. Her pretty face, which was both pure and alluring, even showed a look that could be described as cute and dazed, which created a huge contrast with her hot figure that could not be covered by the thin blanket.

Although our World Serpent does indeed have a so-called Lord, there are still things that you, Gray Serpent, don't know about the World Serpent.

Are you trying to fool the island's ravenous crows?

Gray Serpent, however, remained nonchalant, leisurely adding:

"This is an order directly issued by the Lord, and it may quietly end as the situation progresses. At that time, you can simply pretend that this mission did not exist."

However, this task may become increasingly important for some reason, and may even cause a significant change in your identity...

"You mean someone like me, a stinking rat in the gutter, will one day be able to run out into the sunlight and bask in the sun?"

Hearing Gray Serpent's familiar, seductive tone, Natasha had just rubbed her cheeks and composed herself, was no longer as surprised. She even asked with interest—

Given Natasha's understanding of the World Serpent, the only reason the Gray Serpent could issue a mission for which even he didn't know the reason must be an order from their mysterious lord.

Compared to the mysterious lord's rare personal order, what intrigued Natasha even more was the story behind this mission—

Even the Gray Serpent used this deceptive tone to talk to her like a fool, so Natasha couldn't help but wonder why her mysterious lord would issue such an order.

Upon hearing Natasha's question, the Gray Serpent merely chuckled:

"You are destined to be a bird soaring in the sky, not a rat in the gutter."

"Alright, alright, you don't need to say these things to me."

Upon hearing Gray Serpent's words, Natasha felt a chill run down her spine—

Spending too much time in the shadows makes even hearing such words unsettling.

Moreover, listening to Gray Serpent's words, Natasha always had a feeling that she was about to suffer the same fate as those guys who had been tricked by Gray Serpent and left with nothing.

Rubbing her shoulders, Natasha said irritably:

"Just send me the plan, I'll take this task."

However, the Gray Serpent once again gave Natasha an answer she hadn't expected—

"There is no plan."

"Um?"

Upon hearing Gray Serpent's answer, Natasha's eyes widened slightly, then her gaze shifted, and her voice became more calculating.

"If I have to come up with the plan myself, then I'll have to raise the commission fee a bit..."

"Certainly."

The Gray Serpent's voice seemed to carry a hint of amusement, though it was unclear whether it was because of Natasha's words or the bird that had crashed into the net...

Meanwhile, in the apartment, Gwen, completely unaware that he was being watched, was once again flipping through the journal he had already read countless times—

Although the notebook did not contain the combat training methods that Gwen had hoped for because its owner was only a healer, the insights on Cosmo training recorded in it were of little use to Gwen.

However, the use of energy involved also brought Gwen considerable benefits.

At the very least, it showed Gwen how to utilize energy.

As for external surveillance?

Gwen thought that someone would come to monitor him a few days after he came into contact with Raiden Mei, but he didn't feel any obvious spying until spring break.

Gwen was somewhat puzzled as to why Cocolia, that madwoman, hadn't also placed him under surveillance after his appearance—a potential disruptor of the plan—but he didn't delve too deeply into it.

While his intuition was sharp enough to quickly detect malicious glances, Gwen was helpless if the other party was simply observing through technological devices such as cameras.

And... even if they were to monitor us, what difference would it make?

Although he didn't have a super-powerful system that gave him a simulated star map at the start, Gwen wasn't a novice transmigrator who started in a Changkong City.

Given Gwen's current strength, no matter how much Cocolia targets him, it won't have any direct impact on him.

At this point in time, Gwyn's solid A-rank combat ability, combined with the Fourth Generation God-Slaying Armor and a Divine Keys —even if it's the Xuanyuan Sword, which is almost a disgrace to the Divine Keys —is enough to push Gwen into the top tier of this world.

Without revealing their true intentions as enemies, Welt Yang, the First Herrscher, is unlikely to go all out to kill.

Siegfried may hate Otto's lackeys, but without a complete falling out, he wouldn't waste his time risking his life against Gwen.