A nameless anger rose in her heart.
If Raven weren't absolutely sure Kiana couldn't possibly take her money—and if not for everyone's discussion in the chat—she might have believed option D was correct.
"Raven, five minutes are almost up," Gray Serpent reminded her.
"Relax, I know the answer." Raven waved her hand confidently.
Eliminate all impossibilities—whatever remains, no matter how unbelievable, must be the truth.
So there really is a man in this world who meets all my conditions…
That's kind of exciting. Maybe I should ask Gray Serpent to track him down…
But I can't let him fall for Kiana. I'm not into being cuckolded.
Clutching her chest, Raven felt her heart flutter. Then she answered:
"I choose B."
[Raven submitted answer: B.]
[Incorrect. Correct answer: D.]
[Punishment: Raven receives a tricky legal problem.]
Someone named "Du" used 99% of her savings to buy an island as her future residence. All procedures were legal and protected by law.
A few months later, because a certain "bug" was kidnapped by someone surnamed Fu and taken to Schicksal, then forced by someone surnamed Ao into human experiments that caused a split personality, the island was indirectly destroyed.
It is known that:
Fu is now physically dead.
The "bug" has a certified dissociative identity disorder diagnosis.
Ao also submitted a mental evaluation, claiming long-term harassment by Void Archives caused insanity.
Question: Who should compensate for the destroyed island?
Fu Hua: ???
Rita: …
Kiana: What do you mean "bug"?!
Bronya: Idiot tuna.
Kiana: Bro-nya!!
Mei: A legal question… that's a punishment too?
Einstein: Sometimes a word, a look, or a gesture can easily ruin someone.
Tesla: I feel a bit bad saying this, but I really want to see Raven's face right now.
Normally Raven would fire back at the chat. But now…
"My island! My island!! My villa!!! Waaaah!"
Raven completely broke down, wailing in agony.
Raven pacing.jpg
Raven running.jpg
Raven rolling on the floor.jpg
Jackal and Gray Serpent watched quietly, both thinking Raven's brain might have short-circuited.
Einstein: Unexpected, yet reasonable. I only considered Valkyrie-level power and forgot to factor in Herrscher variables. My mistake.
Amber: Based on what I know, Fu Hua, the Overseer, and Kiana can probably avoid compensation…
Mei: So… a world where only Raven gets hurt…
Tesla: Hmph. A World Serpent executive holding a grudge over just an island villa? Not very magnanimous.
Bronya: Logically and emotionally, Kiana should apologize.
Kiana: Huh? I'm a victim too! Otto's the real culprit. But hating me for that reason…
Thinking about it… the logic wasn't wrong.
Raven had spent nearly all her money on that island and villa. Then the Honkai destroyed it completely. Anyone would break down.
But Kiana still found it hard to accept—it was Otto's fault.
Kiana: Anyway, I've already gained the Sky Ranger power. In the future I won't be captured for those Sirin experiments again, so no massive eruption will happen. Raven's island will stay intact and we won't be connected.
Rita: Miss Kiana, it's not that simple. Raven already knows from the video about the Herrscher of the Void. She might ambush you someday.
Kiana: …Such a grudge-holding bird… over just an island villa…
Raven: That's enough! Who are you calling a bird?! My name is Raven! And "just an island villa"? Do you know how hard it is to find one with the right climate, far from Honkai zones, and cheap?! You think buying another one is easy? It costs a fortune! You might not care—but I do!
Biting her finger, Raven looked extremely unwilling to accept it.
Everyone exchanged looks. She… had a point.
Just then, the screen changed. A new video began.
A purple-haired girl with one eye covered appeared, eating happily. "This… this… this is so good…!"
She kept chewing curry, smiling blissfully as if it were a royal banquet.
But despite the cozy scene… her condition was miserable.
Both hands wrapped in thick bandages.
Left arm in a cast, hanging by a sling.
Blood seeping through the bandages.
A head injury covered by gauze.
Beside her floated a blue owl-like robot holding a bag of yellow medicine, feeding it through a tube into her vein.
The girl's condition was clearly terrible. "Kong! Kong, how did you get hurt? Are you okay? Any aftereffects? How are the other kids?!"
Seeing the familiar child, Raven panicked and lunged toward the screen, forgetting it wasn't real. She stumbled through it.
Jackal and Gray Serpent were speechless. Was Raven losing it?
Sad one moment, angry the next, then numb, now panicking.
But the video continued.
Every movement the girl made caused slight pain, yet she stayed quiet and kept eating on her own.
Mei and Tesla couldn't help but feel pity.
"There's plenty more in the kitchen. Eat as much as you can," Mei said gently.
She had wanted to feed the girl, but was refused:
"Mei still has to fight later. You should rest."
Such a considerate child, Mei thought.
"…There's so much chili, yet it's not spicy at all. It's actually refreshing," the girl said.
"That's because they're sweet peppers…" Tesla muttered.
"Sigh… If only Teacher Key had cooking skills like Mei. She's great at everything else, but her cooking is hard to love…" The girl sighed regretfully.
"…Actually, I've always wondered," Tesla asked, "Your teacher leaves every month. Why hasn't she taken you away after three years?"
Mei wondered the same. Nagazora City wasn't safe.
"Ah… there's a reason," the girl said.
She looked up at the ceiling and spoke softly.
"Life in the nest is lonely. We always begged Teacher to tell us stories, so we learned a lot about her."
"She wasn't born rich or powerful. Her childhood was unfortunate. She started with nothing."
"But she kept climbing… dealing with people across many countries. After over ten years, she finally saved up her own fortune."
"She used most of it to buy a private island in a faraway country… I forgot where… anyway, she bought it."
"She planned to build a big house and live freely and peacefully."
The girl smiled gently.
"Of course, she planned to bring us and the others she saved with her…"
"The house was almost finished. We were all happy for her."
"But… no one expected the tragedy…"
She sighed.
Life is like cups on a table—you never know whether tomorrow or disaster comes first.
"What happened?" Mei asked.
Everyone stared at the screen, waiting. Especially Raven—her pounding heartbeat was loud enough for Jackal and Gray Serpent to hear.
After a pause, the girl spoke quietly:
"Four months ago, a major Honkai eruption occurred."
"Teacher was in Nagazora City at the time. Honkai beasts kept appearing one after another. She fought them alone to protect the nest…"
"The chaos lasted hours. Finally it calmed down. Everyone relaxed… But then bad news came from afar—"