Didn't you go to Teyvat to earn money to support me?

"I already know enough, thank you Miss Durandal." Shen Liang was certain that the more vehemently Durandal refused, the more it would be tantamount to admitting that his guess was correct.

In other words, something even more troublesome than the Judgment-class Honkai Beasts appeared during the Siberian War.

But... why would Fate hide this news?

Does Cecilia and Maria's aversion to Schicksal headquarters also stem from this?

As Shen Liang thought about this, he looked up and saw Youlandail staring at him warily. He was just about to show a victorious smile when he suddenly stopped.

Staring at the blonde girl's deep blue eyes and perfect jawline, Shen Liang blinked in confusion.

The girl's pouting expression just now subconsciously overlapped with the image of the pure white saintess's unhappy face in his memory.

"Really? Do they look alike?" Torachiyo shrugged, also observing the tall girl. "She has such brilliant blonde hair, you know. Their genes are completely different, okay?"

"Doesn't it seem like it?" Shen Liang also doubted himself.

Of course they don't look alike, but beautiful girls always share some similarities. Since that saintly figure is number one on your beauty ranking, of course everyone else looks like her.

【Have it? 】

【Of course there is! You idiot!】Tora Chiyo crossed her arms. Shen Liang felt that she had been speaking in a strange TVB tone lately.

------------

The observation elevator ascends, offering views of the bustling streets of Munich through indigo glass walls. Inside, a gray-haired young man in a leather jacket sits, assembling his silver-white briefcase, which bears an ouroboros emblem.

The woman leaning against the elevator glass was tall and slender, with short, bluish-gray hair, a hooded leather jacket, and 10-centimeter stiletto boots that pattered on the ground. She looked down at the young man with a bored expression.

“You really are persistent,” Raven said first.

“I’m going to take Anna away from the Shaniat family, away from this place that only knows how to humiliate and exploit her.” Night Owl finished assembling the last combination lock on the box, tested the unlocking function, and took out the test tubes inside. “This is an important task that Anna entrusted to me. I can’t let her down.”

The raven glanced at the bright red test tube in his hand and sighed softly.

There's no hope.

After being bluntly rejected by Anna, Raven realized that his colleague had completely lost his mind. He seemed to be trapped in a completely self-centered world and didn't care about other people's feelings at all.

In his eyes, Anna was still the innocent girl who deeply loved him, while the Shaniat family was a deep, dark abyss. He firmly believed that this family had an unbreakable, rigid hierarchy, and that Kiana and Pandora could use their status as daughters and sons-in-law of the main family to ruthlessly bully Anna, who was from a branch family. The frail ice princess was powerless to resist the torment from those around her.

Why does it feel so... astringent?.jpg

Chapter 48 The Anna Capture Plan Begins

Raven guessed that in Night Owl's mind, Kiana was definitely a lecherous rich girl who craved three beautiful girls to sleep with every day. Pandora, with her angelic face but venomous heart, was seen defiling the timid Anna with her wicked girlfriend.

That's how it was at the engagement banquet. The branch family had no standing in front of the main family, so Anna had no choice but to let him leave with a heavy heart. He was humiliated when Pandora easily took advantage of him in front of him. The perverse tastes of those young ladies and gentlemen made him witness the cruelest moment firsthand.

But Night Owl was too weak; he was neither qualified nor capable of rescuing Anna from villains like Kiana and Pandora. He could only watch helplessly as the boy smiled and closed the bedroom door. This hatred and jealousy festered and became etched into his heart. The handsome cyborg youth swore a solemn oath to win back his beloved.

That's roughly the mentality.

Raven was speechless. She knew her colleague had become twisted after being hurt and suggested that Night Owl see a doctor for psychological counseling. But Night Owl didn't think he had a problem at all. Whenever Raven pointed out something that didn't match his understanding, he stubbornly believed that Raven didn't know enough about the Shaniat family, and even less about his and Anna's tacit understanding.

Over time, Raven gave up. No matter what Owl wanted to do, at least his rationality made him the most reliable teammate. And capturing Anna was part of the World Serpent's mission, so satisfying Owl while completing the mission was perfectly acceptable. Raven was too lazy to criticize his colleague's abnormal values.

But what Raven was hesitant to ask was whether his colleague was truly in love, or simply consumed by narrow-minded jealousy... or perhaps possessiveness?

She looked at the test tube in Night Owl's hand and spoke again: "That's the 'Herrscher Killer'?"

“Yes, the serum made from the blood sample of Saintess Shaniat Cecilia is just a reverse version,” Night Owl said calmly. “Schicksal calls it ‘Herrscher Resurrection.’ Think about it: when Saintess Shaniat released her holy blood in Siberia, she could even suppress the activity of Herrscher genes. If this operation is reversed, then it is only natural that a new Herrscher will be born.”

“Anna, the Herrscher of Ice, Night Owl, you should know what such an awakening means,” Raven whispered. “If we can’t suppress Anna, it’s tantamount to watching a Herrscher be born… Don’t forget how destructive the Herrscher of the Void, hidden by Schicksal, was during the Siberian War.”

"But in the end, the Herrscher of the Void was destroyed, proving that Herrschers aren't such unattainable beings after all." Night Owl's tone remained calm. "After Anna became a Herrscher, the Schariac family no longer had the right to keep Anna. Coupled with the pressure from Schicksal, Anna will inevitably be handed over to us, World Serpent. Moreover, a newly born Herrscher won't be too strong, and it's even less likely that she can withstand the power of the Third Divine Key. As long as we defeat Anna as Schicksal's ally, we can take her away openly and legitimately."

“No, I’m not talking about the success rate of the plan.” Raven looked at him. “I mean… never mind.”

Raven was somewhat disappointed; she could see almost no hesitation in the owl's eyes.

This plan certainly has a high success rate: turning Anna into a Herrscher, then capturing her, all orchestrated flawlessly. With the addition of Destiny to smooth things over, even the Schariac family, unwilling to accept the emergence of a Herrscher, will have to hand over their daughter.

but……

Where is Anna?

Don't you love her deeply?

If someone truly loves another, can they really bear to see her hurt? Activating the Herrscher genes within Anna is indeed World Serpent's goal, but you… since you keep saying you love her and cherish her, why didn't you hesitate even a little?

Raven understood perfectly what Herrscherization meant: it meant Anna would directly face the corruption of the Honkai will, and if she didn't survive, she would completely turn against humanity. Night Owl had once strongly opposed this plan, but now he was carrying it out without hesitation, even impatiently.

The desire to "get Anna" had overwhelmed any so-called love. Raven looked into the young man's eyes and could only see the fervor of someone about to achieve their goal.

She took a deep breath, suppressing her resentment towards her colleague.

They were all the same, really. Even if she thought that way, she had no right to despise Night Owl's desires; they were all the same kind of people. Night Owl coveted Anna's pure body, and she coveted the World Serpent's high bounty.

Why does it suddenly feel so vulgar the more I think about it?

The elevator ascended to the 27th floor of the Bode Tower, home to a real estate brokerage firm. Employees bustled about as soon as they emerged, paying no attention to the two carrying suitcases. Perhaps someone glanced at Raven, who was easily over six feet tall in high heels. The two walked straight ahead, bypassing the lobby filled with telephone operators, and headed directly for the internal elevator.

The elevator led to the general manager's office and required a card for entry. A security guard in a suit stood at the elevator entrance, stopping Raven and Night Owl and demanding to see their credentials for visiting the general manager. The guard wasn't particularly nervous, as both Raven and Night Owl were good-looking men; most people wouldn't assume that a beautiful woman and a handsome man were thugs.

Raven reached into her bosom, and the gesture of lifting her clothes by such a beautiful and tall woman briefly drew the attention of the two security guards. Then, Owl instantly slipped between the two bodyguards, her mechanical hand grabbing the back of their necks and easily snapping their necks without making a sound. The employees, who were only separated by a wall, were completely unaware.

"Why kill people!" the raven growled.

“There’s a possibility that someone might wake up midway after being knocked out, and this operation is not simple. Anna is an A-rank Valkyrie,” Night Owl said casually.

Raven glanced at the two security guards, their eyes still bulging with death, then bent down and smoothed their bulging eyes. He then took the elevator card from their pockets, opened the elevator, and pulled the two corpses inside to prevent panic. This elevator was only accessible to the general manager and security guards; no one else could operate it, so it was relatively safe.

----------

The 27th floor and above of the Bode Building are owned by the Shaniat family, but the employees working in this building probably don't even know what the Shaniat family is. They only know that the general manager of this huge stock exchange is an extremely young chestnut-haired girl.

Therese was idly playing Fruit Ninja on her phone, one of the most popular games of 2015, a great stress reliever for a secretary like her. Although she didn't actually feel much stress, when she was transferred to the general manager's office as his secretary, she thought it was because she'd finally caught the eye of a wealthy middle-aged man by wearing black stockings and a miniskirt every day. She was overjoyed all afternoon and even bought ultra-thin mini-diamonds to prepare for her "baptism," only to find that her boss was far more beautiful and charming than herself.

The boss's youth and beauty were a complete surprise, and she spoke kindly and gently, never making any special requests. Even as a secretary, her duties were limited to serving tea, water, and picking up packages; the vast majority of the work was handled by her maid. Yes, Teresa was also surprised that this boss even had a maid; it was as if she lived in 18th-century Germany.

However, the boss isn't a perfect girl either.

Occasionally, Therese would notice a long-haired Asian boy frequently entering and leaving the boss's office. At first, Therese thought he was the boss's distant sister, but later she discovered that the boy was going into the men's restroom. And every time the boy came, the boss would always kick her, the secretary, and the maid out of the office, often for an entire afternoon.

At first, Therese didn't think much of it, but later she gradually became suspicious. One day, while helping the boss's maid take out the trash, Therese found used balloons crammed into the garbage bag. She instantly became furious. She knew very well how old the long-haired, straight-haired boy who frequented the place looked; although Anna was only a teenager herself, the boy looked like he even had to stand on tiptoe to kiss!

She hesitated for a long time before calling the police that day. On the one hand, she was worried that she would never find such an easy-going boss again. On the other hand, she didn't think there was anything wrong with the boss liking to eat young puppies. Besides, it seemed that the boss was always the one being bullied, because the little guy could always walk out with his head held high and nod and smile at her.

In essence, the boss seems to be under twenty years old, and even from a legal point of view, the boss could meet the Romeo and Juliet clause.

Just then, her phone vibrated, and she immediately picked it up.

"True? Could you pick up a package from the front desk for me?" A soft voice came through the line. The boss's voice was always gentle, but few dared to disobey. Once, a manager tried to argue with the boss, but was stunned by just a gentle glance from her.

No one can explain why the seemingly easy-going young female boss has such a sharp, military-like aura.

“Okay,” Terus said quickly, then she immediately ran to the elevator to wait for it to come up. The reception desk was on the 27th floor, while the general manager's office was on the 28th; the internal elevator was the only way down. Terus didn't understand why the boss had blocked the fire escape on the 28th floor.

When the elevator arrived, Terus saw a man and a woman in leather jackets carrying briefcases. Without thinking much of it, she simply asked, as was her habit as a secretary, "Are you here to see the manager? The manager hasn't had any appointments lately, or did you receive a private message from the manager?"

Then she saw Night Owl's eyes turn cold. Before she could understand what was happening, she suddenly felt a weight on her back as Raven shoved her into the elevator and then slammed the doors shut! As an A-rank bio-type Valkyrie, her power allowed her to reach into the elevator door's latch, twisting it into a pretzel to prevent the door from opening, before pressing the "Descend" button.

Terus was stunned and fell into the elevator, where she then discovered two corpses next to her.

A terrified scream rang out for a moment, but in the soundproof elevator, the sound wouldn't even attract anyone's attention. The elevator to the 28th floor was rarely used to begin with, and it's likely that even if someone passed by and noticed the damaged elevator door and someone banging on it from inside, no one would realize it.

Raven, who had pushed Therese into the elevator, wiped his hands, looked at Night Owl, and frowned slightly: "You just tried to kill her again? We could have let her go."

"Womanly compassion," Night Owl said coldly.

Then, the security door to the general manager's office opened, and a chestnut-haired girl wearing a white dress and a beret walked out, accompanied by four maids provided by the Shaniat family. Each of them was at least a C-rank Valkyrie and had received special training in the Marine Corps.

Night Owl stared blankly at the cold-faced girl, the ice princess he deeply admired, his eyes flashing with anticipation, resentment, jealousy, and ecstasy, before finally whispering, "I've come to pick you up... Anna!"

"Heinous!" Anna gritted her teeth.

She didn't actually know what had happened, but as a Valkyrie, she was used to creating a safe environment for herself. Therefore, there was only one way to get to her office: the internal elevator. And as a precaution, only she, the elevator security guard, and Shen Liang had the cards to open the elevator.

Shen Liang has been coming here frequently lately, so the security guard calls her remotely every time the elevator is opened. This way, she can avoid Shen Liang seeing her exhausted appearance from working on her case. Because Shen Liang cares about her, if he sees her looking tired, he usually just tells her to rest. But as a Valkyrie, she recovers her strength very quickly, and she... she also hopes to try some more daring activities with Shen Liang while they are away from Neuschwanstein Castle.

After all, there were no other Shaniat sisters watching over them here.

It was precisely this little habit that made her slightly suspicious when she heard the elevator going up but didn't receive a notification from security. The internal elevator was the only one, and the surveillance footage was stored on her computer. The moment she opened the monitor, she realized what had happened.

She was no stranger to this; the spying on the Shaniat family had been ongoing since the birth of the Holy Maiden's Blood, and the recent Pandora incident had made every Shaniat prepare for an attack.

Just... Night Owl and Raven?

Anna still felt a pang of guilt towards Night Owl, having robbed a man of his beautiful dream. Yet, facing the two men now surging towards her, Anna displayed exceptional combat skills, showing no intention of dialogue and simply waving her hand!

Four maids rushed towards the elevator entrance! They were all maids of the Shaniat family and were themselves Valkyries, and only a Valkyrie could deal with an attack from a Valkyrie!

They were all biological beings, because those with supernatural abilities weren't suited for bodyguard duties; in low-level situations, flashy supernatural powers were far less effective than a strong physique! However, they possessed transparent, slightly bluish armor—highly dense ice capable of withstanding bullets. The combination of their strong physiques and this ice allowed them to unleash combat power that could even reach B-rank.

Anna, an A-level superpowered being, controls cold air.

Night Owl stood quietly in place, ignoring the anger in Anna's eyes, and simply gazed at her affectionately.

Raven chuckled knowingly, then opened its leather trench coat and plunged its ten fingers into its prominent ribs. When it pulled them out, they were ten jet-black claws covered with alloy finger sleeves.

"Miss Anna, it's better if you just stand still... You're the only target, don't make me kill so many people."

Chapter Forty-Nine: Celestial Changes