Chapter 120

In the scene, Raven is perched on a building, the Divine Key of Seven Thunders of Retribution, radiating a cold light in its hand.

"The Herrscher of the Void is leaving this desert. Are we just going to watch her escape?" Raven asked in the communications.

"Give her time; this is the Lord's command."

The Gray Serpent's voice came through the communicator. "A single grain of wheat, if it dies, remains just a single grain; but if it falls to the ground, it can multiply into countless seeds."

Kiana has already used the power of the Herrscher of the Void to leave far behind; time will tell whether she can reach the level Kevin hopes for in the future.

"Let's focus on more important goals now."

The more important objective mentioned by Gray Serpent was the meeting between Kevin and Otto.

The Raven didn't say much, but frowned and focused its attention on the distant ruins.

Ahead lay a desolate, ghost town, with a golden hemisphere obscuring the plaza—a fluid space created by Otto using the Void Archive.

At this moment, only Otto and Kevin were in the space.

"I still find it hard to believe that Your Majesty would make such a decision..."

The Raven paused, hesitating as she spoke the words that were on the tip of her tongue.

"Raven, I understand your confusion. The Bishop of Schicksal is a sophisticated egoist. He is worldly-wise, understands people's hearts, and is adept at using everything to achieve his own goals. He is the last person you should deal with."

However, Gray Serpent is fully confident that it will successfully complete this transaction.

"It is precisely his selfishness that will give the Lord's bargaining chips almost Infinity value. Soon, the obstacle of Schicksal will completely disappear from the serpent's path."

"Since it is the Lord's command, I will naturally obey."

Raven then changed the subject.

"But you know, there are many people in the organization who have grudges against Schicksal."

"No matter how you look at it, look, they still came... It's rare to see all the World Serpent's top executives gathered together, isn't it?"

The Gray Serpent's voice gradually faded away, disappearing like a ghost into the swirling dust.

The Raven, however, could keenly sense that the voices of ghosts echoed in every corner of this desert.

"If negotiations fail, then we'll wage all-out war against Schicksal right here, is that what you mean?"

"..."

The Gray Serpent did not answer, but his silence spoke volumes.

After a long silence, the atmosphere suddenly shattered, followed by the Gray Serpent's maniacal laughter.

Hahahaha.

The Gray Serpent's voice rang in the Raven's ears, like the sinister laughter of a demon, spreading across the boundless desert.

The Raven could see that the golden sphere containing Kevin and Otto was slowly disintegrating.

"Raven, put away your weapons. Just now, the Lord's deal was completed."

The shadow of the World Serpent in the desert was slowly receding; the moment Kevin completed the deal, there was no longer any need for them to appear.

The video ends here.

Durandal: "If the negotiations between the bishop and Kevin fail, will the World Serpent launch a full-scale attack on Schicksal regardless of the consequences?"

At that moment, Durandal suddenly understood why Otto had said that Schicksal was destined to lose.

It wasn't just because of Kevin's powerful strength; the World Serpent's executives were all lunatics, a group of madmen who would stop at nothing and wouldn't care whether the world order would collapse after they clashed with Schicksal.

If Schicksal and the World Serpent were to fight, the consequences would be unimaginable.

Raiden Mei: "That was close. So, when Kevin and Otto made that deal, the whole world was on the verge of death?"

Welt: "I think so."

The Anti-Entropy Leader pushed up his glasses; his arm was still a little tense.

What a joke! Whether it's Schicksal or World Serpent, their foundations are far more solid than Anti-Entropy's.

They control the vast majority of the world's resources, have Schicksal distributed in various locations, and the World Serpent with Kevin in charge.

If these two behemoths were to go to war, it would be a protracted and catastrophic conflict.

Kiana: "Raven, are all the people in your World Serpent, like this? They're ready to wage war at the slightest provocation."

Raven: "... Don't ask me, I'm just a subordinate, simply following the Lord's orders."

Taking this opportunity, Raven once again proclaimed her unwavering loyalty to the World Serpent and to the Lord.

Elysia: "Kevin's not here, Miss Raven, so please feel free to be casual."

Raven: "Really?"

Elysia: "Of course, Miss Raven, we're not the kind of people who would gossip. Even if you were to say something bad about Kevin right now, it wouldn't matter at all."

Raven: "I am utterly loyal to my Lord and wholeheartedly dedicated to serving the World Serpent. Let's skip the tests."

No, we absolutely cannot fall for such an obvious trap!

If this person records it and then plays back their innermost thoughts about Kevin, Raven will definitely be in big trouble.

Raven: "To protect the Lord's safety, I am willing to stand guard for hours in a sandstorm with the Seven Thunders of Retribution, so please do not doubt my loyalty to the World Serpent."

Danzhu: "But Raven, doesn't your back get tired from lying on the ground like that? Your eyes must get dry in the sandstorm."

Cang Xuan: "Yeah, a normal person wouldn't be able to stand it for more than ten minutes."

Raven: "?!!"

Is there not a single normal person in this group?

Wasn't what she just said a declaration of her loyalty? Shouldn't World Serpent feel gratified to have an employee like her?

Why are you all focused on whether her back aches or her eyes are dry?

Elysia: "Miss Raven, skin is a girl's precious asset. A messy place like a sandstorm can damage your skin, so you'd better be careful."

Raven: "Oh, I've got it."

Well, it turns out that no one in the group cared whether she was loyal to World Serpent or not, and they didn't care if she was a double agent.

But it doesn't matter anymore.

Although the World Serpent's mission was dangerous, and that Jackal guy always messed things up, the commission was very generous; otherwise, Raven wouldn't have been able to buy a small island so quickly.

As for the cost of the villa, now that she has the Concept Card, she no longer needs to worry about the bounty.

Chapter 199 Heavenly Blessing, Favorable Weather and Abundant Harvests

Raven: "The air at home is definitely the most comfortable."

Stepping onto its own little island, the Raven uttered a heartfelt exclamation.

Before Kiana awakens as the Herrscher of the Void and before the Great Honkai erupts, the island owned by Raven is a private island with all the necessary permits and legal protection.

Raven: "The paperwork and visas are all done. Now all I need to do is build the villa so the children can move in. This kind of life suits me best."

Raven carefully preserved the Concept Card in its hand like a precious treasure, afraid that it might be damaged by accident.

Pardofelis: "A villa island? When will we in Death Space get to enjoy such treatment?"

Elysia: "The Construction Card from last time was used to build the Spiral Workshop for Vill-V. There was nothing we could do about it."

Pardofelis: "But our meals have improved a lot as a result; eating [the Chef's ] cooking is truly a pleasure."

After Vill-V separated her culinary skills, Pardofelis could eat her cooking without worrying about being sent to the emergency room by the Occultist's alchemical potions.

Of course, if Pardo sneaks into the workshop and steals the alchemical raw materials, the potions, that's a different story.

Raiden Mei: "Vill-V the personality responsible for cooking ever appeared? Why haven't we seen it?"

Elysia: "Maybe it's because she's shy. You know, shy people usually don't like to show their faces in public, even we've never seen her like that before."

Sakura: "Most of the time, I'm Magician and an expert."

Vill-V: "Yeah, they dumped all the trouble on me, while the others had a great time. Poor me, all alone and unloved."

The somber atmosphere made it clear to everyone that this time, Vill-V must be an expert.

Theresa: "Expert... it's you again?"

Vill-V: "What, am I actually disliked?"

Theresa: "No, I mean, there are experts appearing far too often. I haven't even seen Magician much."

Vill-V: "Sigh... because there's just too much work in the workshop. There are always a dozen or so big projects waiting for me to plan, so naturally I have to be more involved."

Ever since Elysia assigned her a bunch of tasks, Vill-V has been spending all her time testing her engineering creations at the Spiral Workshop.

Only the experts know the hardships they endured.

Elysia: "I'm sorry, Vill-V, but we can only rely on you, our most reliable person."

Vill-V: "Never mind, this is what I do anyway, it just means I'm around a bit more often... Let's have [Hundred Flavors]'s cooking for dinner tonight."

Pardofelis: "Me, me, me! Sister Vill-V, can I come and freeload... like have a big meal?"

Vill-V: "Of course, anyone can come."

In order to allocate their workloads, the expert did not hesitate to designate dinner for tonight, asking [Hundred Flavors] to treat everyone to a big meal.

1.0 Mio's clothes (six) 1.0 Don't cover

Raven: "Um, wait a minute! You're an engineering expert, right? Could you give me some helpful advice on the island villa I'm about to build? You know, someone like me, a layman, isn't good at building houses."

Vill-V: "Can't Concept Card just be imagined out of thin air? If you really want my advice... then it's to add more viewing areas. After all, it's a building meant for enjoyment, a strategic building."

Raven: "Hmm, thanks."

Standing on the small island she had built with all her savings, Raven felt the cool sea breeze brushing against her face, and even the air she breathed felt so free.

In ten minutes, she had finished imagining the villa she had always wanted, and then activated the Concept Card.

[Raven is using Concept Card; construction has begun, estimated time 20 minutes.]

An exquisite villa appears on the island, and construction begins from the foundation.

The Raven looked up at its masterpiece, a look of utter satisfaction on its face.

Even though it's just a virtual model now, she can imagine herself sitting in the ocean-view room across the street, holding a glass of red wine in one hand, and resting her chin on her other hand, enjoying the leisurely time of watching the waves.

[Q&A begins.]

Who brought Raiden Mei to Kevin?

[A: Jackal.]

[B: Gray Serpent.]

[C: Raven.]

[D: Otto.]

Raiden Mei: "Was I brought before Kevin?"

Raiden Mei had previously thought that Kevin had approached her on his own initiative.

But thinking about it, it makes sense. After all, the World Serpent Lord is extremely busy, so how could he possibly have the time or inclination to personally meet with an ordinary Valkyrie like her?

Theresa: "... Could it be that she was actually tied to the World Serpent?"

Bronya: "Given World Serpent's reputation, they are indeed capable of doing such a thing. Sister Mei is the Herrscher of Thunder, so it's reasonable for Kevin to have her kidnapped."

Rather, given the World Serpent's modus operandi, secretly kidnapping people would be more in line with their organization's positioning.

Theresa: "Raven, do World Serpent do kidnapping?"

Raven: "... I didn't do it, it was the Jackal and Gray Serpent who did it!"

Himeko Murata: "Miss Raven, is it really okay for you to betray your colleagues like this?"

Raven: "Betrayal? That's just stating the facts. Everyone in the World Serpent knows about them, and they can't hear what I'm saying anyway."

Raven stated that although she was World Serpent executive, she still had a conscience and was different from those two heartless lunatics.

She was just a mercenary who wanted to build a villa island and live a peaceful life.

Raven: "But this question is very simple. The person who sent Mei to see the Lord is most likely me, so choose C!"