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

"Are you asking Rita to steal the Divine Key?" Rita smiled at her. "Lady Durandal, if it were you, would you repay kindness with enmity to the boy who saved you? Or do you mean that Rita has to choose between Mr. Pandora and you... Lady Durandal, you are not the kind of person who would force others."

“No, I didn’t mean to force Rita, I just…” Durandal stared at Shen Liang for a few moments, then said dejectedly, “I just felt…”

She knew she was in the wrong, but she was also very unhappy. Always outspoken, she couldn't find any reason to persuade Rita, after all, she felt that she really shouldn't have advised Rita to do anything... She didn't want to put Rita in a difficult position.

But she was still unhappy.

Rita smiled broadly. She knew exactly what kind of person her captain was—to put it nicely, straightforward and unrestrained; to put it bluntly, a bit silly. If she couldn't express something in the simplest and most direct way, then she wouldn't express it at all.

For example, right now, Rita knew very well that she just wanted her to make a statement and get away from Shen Liang, who was being watched by countless people. But she couldn't say it directly to Shen Liang, so Rita pretended not to understand.

For some reason, she didn't want to leave Shen Liang's side for the time being.

"You want the Divine Key, huh?" Shen Liang looked at the Valkyries in St. Olaf Square, reached out and took the large lance-like weapon from the light screen, feigning sudden realization. "You should have said so earlier! You wanted this? I would have taken it out then. I thought you were trying to steal my eggs... Anyway, people from all over the world have come, so who's responsible for taking this thing? Have you all discussed it?"

Durandal was about to say, "Of course it's me," but before she could finish speaking, someone behind her burst into hearty laughter, "Good kid, good fellow, as expected of someone from Shenzhou, you've got a good hand at sowing discord. With just one Divine Key, you're not trying to kill three warriors with one peach, are you?"

Shen Liang looked over and saw a stunningly beautiful and voluptuous Siberian woman.

Ekaterina looked Shen Liang up and down and laughed, "Don't even think about it, child. We're not going to fight over a Divine Key. It's commendable that the fox wanted to lure the lion pride, but the lion pride usually tears the fox apart first. Listen to your sister, this thing doesn't belong to you. You'd better hand it over to the United Nations obediently, my darling."

As expected of a Siberian, Shen Liang knew from a young age that Russians were a straightforward people who would come up with threats without any nonsense.

However, Shen Liang didn't have much ill will towards Ekaterina. His closest relatives were all Russian girls, and he was quite friendly with them.

Besides, she calls me "baby".

“Ekaterina, are you threatening our friends of Schicksal?” Durandal stared coldly at Ekaterina. “The matter of the Divine Key can be discussed separately, but Mr. Pandora saved Schicksal’s S-rank Valkyrie, and we cannot allow him to be harmed in any way.”

"Come on, First Place. It's not like your Destiny has no designs on the Divine Key. Your unauthorized excavation of the Divine Key behind the UN's back violates the Vienna Convention. Do I need to remind you again?" Thales, the American A-rank Valkyrie sitting on the monument in the square, mocked dramatically. Then she looked at Shen Liang with a sweet smile, "Little Pandora, hand over that Divine Key to your sister. Don't worry, no one will dare to lay a hand on you. No one has ever dared to covet what America wants."

Shen Liang turned to look at the others who hadn't spoken yet; he didn't recognize the ones among these Valkyries who truly held power.

“No, that won’t do, Thales,” Victoria, an A-rank from Great Britain, retorted softly. “Even you can’t do it. The British government believes that this Divine Key should be kept by the United Nations. Such a relic of a pre-civilization with extremely high research value should be studied by the whole world rather than being used as a weapon, and should not be left to just one country. In fact, we believe that the Divine Key currently held by Schicksal should also be handed over to the United Nations and rotated among the countries at regular intervals.”

"I second that." France's A-level Serena and Victoria stood on the same side.

"Demand that Schicksal hand over the remaining Divine Keys? That's quite an arrogance. Even we wouldn't dare mention that." Ekaterina shrugged. "Try saying that to the First One yourself! You're trying to uproot Schicksal! Aren't you afraid Otto will just send the First One to London to arrest your Prime Minister? After all, Schicksal's three S-rank members are—"

She suddenly stopped laughing and said coldly, "Minimum nuclear deterrence strategy for individual soldiers."

The atmosphere on the field froze for a moment.

"What does this mean?" Shen Liang asked Rita in a low voice.

Rita sighed, "You really haven't studied the supernatural side at all? This is basically public information on the supernatural side."

"Speak quickly."

What do you think the concept of an S-class Valkyrie is?

"Not so good," Shen Liang said honestly, before Rita grabbed his waist and pinched it hard.

He genuinely thought it was nothing special. Having witnessed the Thunder General of Teyvat, whose imposing presence could even cause thunderstorms over hundreds of miles left him feeling utterly powerless to resist. In comparison, Rita, an S-rank Valkyrie, didn't even come close to that level of combat prowess.

Rita said that she could cut down a skyscraper with a single strike when she was at full power, but how many skyscrapers are there in that narrow gap between the blades on Hachiman Island? Compared to Thor, Earth's strongest superhuman combat power is nothing more than that.

“A C-rank Valkyrie is someone who has just entered the realm of the extraordinary, a B-rank Valkyrie must be able to defeat the limits of humanity, an A-rank Valkyrie can fight against a small modern army, but the standard for an S-rank Valkyrie is,” Rita looked at the boy with his ears perked up, a little smug, “that without using her extraordinary abilities, human civilization has no means to threaten her.”

Disgusting Maid.jpg

Chapter 165 That is the Motherland

These words made Shen Liang's heart pound violently as he listened intently.

—Does human civilization lack the means to threaten her?

How come the gap between S-level and A-level is so huge all of a sudden! A-level is only able to deal with a company of a hundred people, while S-level is so exaggerated that it ignores any threat that human civilization can pose!

How could an S-class Valkyrie possibly be this powerful!

"Don't believe me?" Rita chuckled.

"This range is too exaggerated, you're not kidding, are you?"

The maid looked at Shen Liang's astonished expression with satisfaction. That's more like it. I am, after all, one of the world's strongest S-rank Valkyries. It's like I'm useless to look so pathetic in front of you.

Just by thinking about it, I can tell you have absolutely no concept of S-class.

"The only standard for S-class Valkyrie certification is that one's strength reaches a level where one can disregard the threat of human civilization." Rita's voice was soft, trying to make sure only Shen Liang could hear it. "Each S-class Valkyrie certification means that she is no longer an existence that any modern power can deal with. Take Rita as an example."

"Rita's speed can exceed the speed of sound, and she can destroy all the buildings in a city with the destructive power of her bare hands. Guns and bullets pose almost no threat to Rita, and similarly, almost no technological means of positioning can detect my movement path."

"You mean those standard weapons can't threaten you?" Shen Liang was slightly taken aback, then seemed to remember something. "Do you mean they can't hit you, or they can't cause you any harm?"

“Each S-class Valkyrie has a slightly different ability to counter these things. For example, once Rita strengthens her physical body with Honkai energy, even an anti-material sniper rifle would have a hard time breaking through my defenses in a short time. And more likely, I can escape when the sniper rifle is pointed at me.” Rita smiled slightly and tapped her brain. “Superhumans have a strong sense of danger, and there are no ordinary humans who can aim at me when I start to move.”

That's the confidence of an S-class!

A-rank Valkyries like Anna might still need to rely on their abilities to protect themselves, but an S-rank Valkyrie like Rita can make herself invincible on the modern battlefield simply by relying on her speed.

But Shen Liang still seriously considered her flaws and said, "What about weapons of mass destruction? Take nuclear weapons as an example?"

“Valkyries are also human beings living in countries and cities. They may be powerless to resist weapons of this level, and may not even be able to escape the area,” Rita said with a smile. “But which country would use such a weapon against an individual? No matter how strong an S-class Valkyrie is, the damage she can cause is limited. In the end, can we compare our destructive power to that of a nuclear bomb? Using weapons of mass destruction against Valkyries is not worth the effort.”

Shen Liang then understood.

That makes sense. If you really want to deal with an S-class Valkyrie, wouldn't the cost and consequences of sending a squad of Valkyries to defeat her be no less than dropping a weapon of mass destruction? The invincibility of S-class Valkyries is based on dealing with technological civilizations, but when dealing with beings of the same extraordinary nature, perhaps you could just overwhelm them with sheer numbers?

"But to reach this level, you have to be much stronger than A-level, right?" Shen Liang looked Rita up and down again. "You... are that amazing?"

“I think Mr. Pandora should consider this: Rita contributed at least 70% to your victory over that Judgment-class Honkai Beast.” Rita smiled, but her tone was chilling. “You seem to underestimate Rita. Perhaps we should find a nice day to spar?”

To be honest, Shen Liang felt that Rita was at least 90% responsible for killing that Honkai Beast, but he was still stubborn and deliberately teased her with lewd remarks: "A sparring match? Sure, in bed or out of bed?"

But the maid was not intimidated at all, and said with a smile, "Understood, Rita will go and book a room right away."

Gan.

"I'm sorry." Shen Liang was forced to admit defeat under the sharp gazes of her younger sisters behind her.

“It is precisely because the criteria for S-rank are much stricter than those for A-rank that S-rank has now become almost nothing more than an honorary title,” Rita continued. “Currently, there are very few S-rank Valkyries in the world, but Schicksal Headquarters has three. It is precisely because of the three S-rank Valkyries at Schicksal Headquarters that Schicksal is qualified to speak on equal footing with the five permanent members of the UN Security Council.”

"So you... are called those 'minimum nuclear deterrence strategic soldiers'?"

"Yes, every S-class is beyond the reach of normal means. A country's defense is practically non-existent against us, and once we carry out military activities with weapons, the damage and impact are enormous. After all, our attacks are uninterceptable, uncounterable, and unstoppable, so our deterrent power is, strictly speaking, similar to that of nuclear weapons. The individual deterrent power of an S-class Valkyrie is roughly equivalent to the minimum nuclear deterrent."

Shen Liang finally let out a breath.

It's unimaginable.

He stared at Rita for a long time. This alluring and sexy beauty was nothing short of a nuclear bomb in the eyes of the five permanent members of the UN Security Council—a nuclear bomb that could move on its own. No wonder Schicksal became the "World Government" of the transcendental side; it actually possessed three nuclear bombs!

Hmph, in the end, this world still maintains peace through nuclear deterrence, only the appearance of nuclear bombs has been slightly modified.

“Currently, there are probably no more than ten publicly recognized Valkyries in the entire world who are qualified to be called S-class, and half of them have passed away due to fate,” Rita said.

"Public? So, there are also things that aren't public?"

“S-rank is the trump card of every country or power. Who dares to say there aren’t any hidden S-ranks in the world? At the very least, there’s the Divine Continent’s transcendent side,” Rita said softly. “The Valkyries of Divine Continent often don’t like to participate in strength assessments, but your Divine Continent is currently the oldest country in the world. Your transcendent foundation surpasses even that of Destiny. Your population is larger than the entire Europe and America combined, and most of your Valkyries awaken among ordinary people… Do you understand?”

Shen Liang finally understood why these Valkyries were somewhat wary of Durandal. Although they might not have spoken highly of Destiny, they kept referring to her as "number one," clearly showing their deep suspicion of Durandal's strength.

The gap between S-rank and A-rank is like an insurmountable chasm. Durandal or Rita alone could easily sweep away everyone present! A-rank are already the elite of their respective countries, but their foundation is simply unfathomable! If it weren't for the backing of their nations, they wouldn't have the confidence to speak so arrogantly here!

However, there seems to be one country here that has not spoken, the only one that makes Destiny wary on the extraordinary side.

Oh, China.

Shen Liang's feelings were somewhat complicated, but this country held a completely different place in his heart. Although he had never returned to that land since he was ten years old, he had always considered himself a Chinese. For this reason, he only had a residence permit in Siberia and had not changed his nationality.

In this grand battle, the last person he wanted to face was someone from China.

That is our motherland.

Chapter 166 Little Immortal Cheng Ling Shuang

No more gossip.

Shen Liang planted the Black Abyss White Flower heavily in the ground, looked around, and said loudly, "Since everyone has brought it up, let's get straight to the point. The Black Abyss White Flower, a key to the Gods, has the abilities of creation and decomposition, but what's special is its power of creation. Rita and I were able to survive because of its power of creation. So you can imagine its value."

Upon hearing about the healing effect, the Valkyries from various countries all showed expressions of surprise.

Each Divine Key possesses unique abilities, but it's clear that "healing" abilities are the most sought-after. Pure healing that ignores illness or injury is far more valuable than Divine Keys designed purely for combat!

A little thought reveals that using this stuff to heal injuries would be a waste; it would be far superior to using it to save high-ranking officials or exceptionally talented individuals…

“I don’t know if modern medical techniques can bring the dead back to life, but the Black Abyss White Flower can. Apart from injuries caused by Honkai energy, it can heal most physical wounds. So, how much do you want to pay for it?” Shen Liang smiled.

He genuinely didn't care that the thing was taken away, because the power of the Black Abyss White Flower clashed with that of the Transformation Sea Moon. Although the Black Abyss White Flower was far superior to him in healing the physical body, to be honest, if he suffered an injury that only the Black Abyss White Flower could heal, he would basically just die on the spot and wouldn't survive.

Moreover, the Black Abyss White Flower can only treat physical injuries and illnesses, while his Transformation into the Sea Moon can even solve the problem of Honkai energy erosion, making it a truly versatile and wonderful technique.

"Buy?" Thales gave a strange smile. "Little Pandora, what gave you the illusion that we need to buy? Do you think you have the right to refuse to hand it over?"

"I know you Americans are never reasonable, but at least there are many people watching here. You can't take it all by yourself, so why are you talking so arrogantly?" Shen Liang glanced at her. "An A-level slacker like this? Aren't you afraid of dying?"

“Oh? That’s interesting, little Pandora.” Thales chuckled softly. “Are you provoking your sister? A man, provoking a Valkyrie? Don’t forget, the reason I’m patient enough to chat with you is because you have that girl named Rita standing behind you, and you’re cute enough too… But you’re not cute anymore, so don’t mistake my patience for your arrogance.”

“I heard that the United States has the fewest native Valkyries among the supernatural beings? That makes sense. A world superpower can only send an A-level.” Shen Liang chuckled and looked around. “We either send S-level beings here, or regional superpowers like Britain and France, which are A-level. To put it bluntly, they are not what they used to be and can no longer be considered superpowers.”

He looked at Thales and said, "You Americans sent an A-level candidate. No wonder you keep babbling and trying to get attention. You're an A-level candidate; you're not qualified to attend this meeting at all."

"Pfft." Serena quickly covered her mouth.