Before even getting his hands on Oath of Judah, he was already thinking about raising a Kiana. Wasn't that a little backward?
He should check on that little snake in the distance first.
With that thought, Russell logged into the chat group.
The group was much the same as usual.
Remarkably quiet.
After all, there were not many people in the group to begin with, and Valmont, who usually talked the most, seemed to have gone offline.
Who knew whether he had gone to District 13 to steal Shadowkhan masks, gotten caught by Jackie Chan, and been beaten senseless.
Russell observed a moment of silence for Valmont, then privately messaged a certain cauliflower snake's Memeory Body.
"Are you there? How have you been lately?"
Such simp-like concern naturally received no response.
Russell considered it for a moment, then typed another message.
"I heard a senior mention that she knew someone rather unkempt, with a chaotic sleep schedule, who really liked little pink dresses."
"She told me that if I ever ran into her, I should give her a couple. She'd be very happy."
"Mm, she also suggested buying both adult and children's sizes at the same time."
"?"
Far away in Golden Courtyard, Mobius looked at the latest message and slowly typed a question mark.
"Are you close with Elysia?"
The green little snake asked slowly.
Elysia was one of the few people who made Mobius feel a sense of familiarity.
Only Elysia would keep talking about wanting to see her wear a little pink dress.
"Not really. I've just watched some of her personal vlogs. She seems to enjoy showing herself off to others, and while she's at it, showing off her friends too."
The young man said so.
"If you come out, perhaps you can watch them with us."
Personal vlogs?
Had they been prepared before that battle?
Mobius felt a little wistful.
Elysia was the Herrscher who had died before The Finality descends—her purpose in death had been to unite people's hearts through a shared enemy, as well as to explore a place that perhaps only she understood.
If there were personal vlogs, they must have been filmed before that.
She hadn't shared them with everyone at once, instead leaving them for the next era, to tell future generations that an organization called the Thirteen Flame-Chasers had once existed in this world?
"You've successfully made me want to come out."
The snake-like woman said.
"Tell me, how is your candidate doing now?"
"Although I'm not interested in these so-called vlogs, familiar things still have some collectible value."
"Mm, the person has already been sent to Changkong City. They're undergoing a few minor adjustments right now. At most, they'll be ready in three days."
The young man blinked as he spoke.
"I remember World Serpent has an executive called Gray Serpent, but due to some minor conflict, he seems to have fled Changkong City."
"That's made things rather difficult for me."
"Oh, is that so?"
Mobius, far away in the space of consciousness, frowned.
Gray Serpent.
One of her creations—or rather, one of her failed experiments. Because of his desire for life, her past self had given him a chance not to be completely destroyed.
Afterward, he began considering the meaning of his own existence and chose to follow in her footsteps, becoming one of World Serpent's earliest executives.
Who would have thought that little fellow had actually fought with Schicksal's people?
It seemed he had been beaten badly enough that he did not even want to show his face anymore.
Still, it did not matter.
"There seems to be another executive in Changkong City."
After thinking for a while, the true Lord of the Serpent sent Russell the coordinates of a bar.
"Go find her. She'll take your person and complete the final transaction."
I Was the Vessel, Chapter 57
Raven's Bar.
Raven's Bar had not originally been called Raven's Bar.
But after Raven became its owner, World Serpent's people started calling it Raven's Bar.
As for what it had been called before, no one cared.
Among World Serpent's many executives,
Raven was also rather special.
Most of World Serpent's executives were somewhat abnormal. Some obsessively sought the meaning of this world, some spent all day conducting bizarre biochemical experiments, and a few were simply the will of Stigmata—not even human at all...
Raven was someone in World Serpent who possessed normal human sensibilities.
Honestly, she had no feelings for her organization—after all, the people in it really did not do human things.
But World Serpent was truly rich. Miss Raven, who wanted nothing more than to buy an island villa and retire, had discovered that the mercenary market paid far less than World Serpent. In humiliation, she had knelt beneath Mobius's green underwear and become her lackey.
"At noon, receive the Lord's 'vessel' and take him into Elysian Realm."
Raven looked at the clock behind her.
It had already reached one o'clock.
The appointed time for the transaction had passed.
Had something happened to the other party?
A trace of worry appeared in Miss Raven's expression.
This mission was important.
Within World Serpent, anything connected to the words "the Lord" was inevitably a top-level mission, usually handled by Gray Serpent alone.
This mission even mentioned the concept of a vessel...
If nothing unexpected happened,
the next part of the story would be the Lord's resurrection.
Thinking of that, Miss Raven grew increasingly anxious.
The Lord.
Most people believed that referred to Kevin, the Previous Civilization's strongest warrior. But people like her, who had followed Gray Serpent since childhood, knew that Gray Serpent's attitude toward Kevin was merely respectful, not fanatical.
The Lord he worshipped was someone else.
It was only natural that someone so exalted would face obstruction on the way back.
With that thought, Raven's expression grew even more solemn.
Should she go provide support?
Raven could not help hefting a certain extremely bad-tempered Divine Key as she fell into indecision.
But just then, the scent of alcohol drifted in from the bar's entrance.
Who was it?
Raven instantly became alert.
It was mission time. If enemies had come lurking in, that would be perfectly normal.
"Sorry, I'm late."
The door was pushed open.
The newcomer was someone who looked rather young. He bore both Schicksal's and World Serpent's emblems, with a stone resembling a protective amulet hanging around his neck.
Raven relaxed slightly.
The newcomer's appearance matched that of the transaction partner mentioned in the mission. He would bring World Serpent the Lord's vessel.
Since this fellow had arrived safely, it seemed she would not need to carry the Third Divine Key into battle next.
"You're half an hour late."
Raven's expression held some displeasure.
For mercenaries, timing was always better the more precise it was.
"Something happened on the way. My apologies."
The young man bowed politely as he explained.
"It's good that you're all right."
Raven said.
In the mercenary business, dying in the streets on any given day was perfectly normal.
For the fellow before her, who had been escorting cargo, to arrive without even a speck of blood on him would have been stranger.
"It was almost a disaster."
In response, the young man nodded, his face full of lingering fear.
"Because I wanted to move up a generation, I went drinking with my classmate's father. I didn't expect him to hold his liquor so well... It was a real miscalculation. I could only use my ability to weaken other people's sobering abilities and use my ability to expel alcohol... I pretended to drink, and I was almost found out."
Wait.
You weren't late because you had fought off bandits?
Miss Raven, who had spent nearly all her life living on the edge of a blade, shuddered. When she looked at Russell, disbelief had appeared in her eyes.
"You were late because you were drinking, not because you were attacked?"
"Attacked?"
The young man thought about it, looking puzzled.
"I brought a bodyguard."
"Maybe there was an attack, but it probably didn't get past Rita, so I don't know whether I was attacked or not."
Rita, Schicksal's S-rank Valkyrie.
Raven shuddered again.
No, why would a delivery boy have an S-rank bodyguard?!
And you just admitted that you drank before carrying out your mission, didn't you?
Such negligence, and he was even equipped with a bodyguard.
"Which young master's family do you belong to?"
After a long silence, Miss Raven asked this.
In all her life, this was the first time she had seen someone with an S-rank Valkyrie as a bodyguard.
That question made the young man think.
"Um, sorry, I think I'm from an ordinary family."
Before you continue