The white-haired Knight Princess listened to Muninn's tale, only to find herself even more puzzled.
"But how could you be sure Gray Serpent would come in person? What if he used anonymous messages online or some form of encrypted communication?"
"He had to come, Miss Kiana. Have you forgotten what Cocolia holds in her hands?"
Muninn, noticing Kiana's confusion, offered a friendly reminder:
"The Gem of Desire!"
"Exactly, the Gem of Desire. That's why he had to come. For the World Serpent, it's a crucial condition for restoring their Sire's power and ensuring his return."
"However, thanks to Lady Snow's interference, their Sire, Kevin Kaslana, never informed the World Serpent executives that he could return at any moment. So, in their eyes, obtaining the Gem of Desire remains an absolute necessity."
"Of course, as you pointed out, this alone doesn't guarantee that Gray Serpent would immediately abandon all his plans and rush directly to ME Corp's headquarters to confront Cocolia."
Muninn paused, allowing Kiana to ponder this.
"Are you referring to Wendy? I heard from Simon that Wendy, who was originally headed to Africa, suddenly drew a series of sharp, zigzagging turns on the map and abruptly veered toward New Nagazora City. Was that part of your plan?"
"Drawing random zigzags on the map is Wendy's own business. She flies however she pleases...—originally, she was supposed to fly all the way to Asia, but then she suddenly doubled back and slaughtered her way to Schicksal's Mediterranean headquarters, shaved all the fur off a certain cat's tail, and punched Overseer Otto twice for good measure..."
"However, Lady Snow did intend for Wendy to come to Nagazora City—Wendy had originally planned to visit you all later."
Muninn tilted his head, spreading his hands to indicate that our Wendy was simply too free-spirited.
"I think I'm starting to understand now..." Kiana sighed, rubbing her temples.
"Cocolia possesses the Gem of Desire, which the Gray Serpent desperately covets. The original owner of the gem was Schicksal—or, to put it literally, the Fourth Herrscher, Wendy."
"This Herrscher used to fly aimlessly around the world, drawing erratic, high-frequency zigzag patterns in the sky. At that time, the Gray Serpent was anxious but not panicked, because the Gem of Desire could still be retrieved smoothly. At most, there would be some trouble from Schicksal, but Cocolia served as a convenient shield."
"But when Lady Snow issued her order, Wendy, now acting like a diligent worker, made a beeline for New Nagazora City. This shattered the Gray Serpent's composure, as the Fourth Herrscher had completely abandoned her previous erratic behavior—characterized by aimless wandering and goofy laughter."
"This time, Wendy took a direct route, crossing the Indian Ocean from the African continent to New Nagazora City near the western Pacific. This clearly demonstrated that she now had a specific purpose."
"So Gray Serpent panicked. With current human technology, there's no weapon that can rival Wendy—let alone steal something from her. He had to secure the Gem of Desire from Cocolia first, right?"
"Roughly correct. Gray Serpent reacted swiftly, warning Cocolia, but Wendy was nearly as quick. By the time he finished warning Cocolia, Wendy was less than a minute away from New Nagazora City."
"Ultimately, Gray Serpent abandoned the idea of directly retrieving the Gem of Desire and chose to wait and see how things unfolded. After all, carrying the gem would be no different than Wendy shouting through a megaphone, 'I'm here! Is anyone out there?' He wouldn't be foolish enough to return to headquarters with such a conspicuous object."
"He needed to gauge the Fourth Herrscher Wendy's attitude toward the Gem of Desire. If she showed no interest, he could brazenly snatch the gem amidst the chaos. But if she did care, given that information broker's personality, he'd likely propose trade conditions acceptable to Wendy to obtain the gem from her."
"After all, this Herrscher has shown signs of being able to communicate from the very beginning to her subsequent actions. Taking a gamble can't hurt."
"Besides, according to the Venerable God's instructions, if Gray Serpent actually came to make a deal, Wendy was to simply exchange the gem for something she liked and give it to him. Wendy herself didn't care about the gem at all; she even found its shape ugly—completely asymmetrical."
"Emmm... to be honest, the World Serpent is quite wealthy—" Muninn shrugged.
"So, Wendy missed an opportunity to become a rich woman?"
"Missed it, so what? Do you think she'd even care?"
"Probably not."
Kiana thought about Miss Wendy, who had become famous throughout St. Freya in just a few days, and shook her head decisively.
"So... Gray Serpent ultimately took advantage of the chaos caused by the out-of-control Godfather to snatch the gem?"
"To be precise, he forcibly snatched it. The Gray Serpent didn't act himself; it was another World Serpent executive: Raven."
"The Gem of Desire had already been recovered by Skuld's Divine Authority First Division. Then Raven suddenly appeared and intercepted it."
"That woman in the dark, shabby robes has no martial ethics! She resorted to theft, deceit, and ambushed Skuld—a 19-year-old Valkyrie—all alone. Is that fair? Absolutely not! I advise that nameless woman to watch her step."
"—Those were the Valkyrie Commander's exact words. Afterward, she was furious and vowed to break the woman's legs if they ever crossed paths again..."
"I doubt she'll get the chance... In fact, I wouldn't be surprised if she ends up subsidizing the Valkyrie's salary..."
Kiana recalled the events that followed, her lips curling into a smirk.
"Speaking of which... Legally, who's responsible for compensating for the destruction of her villa island?"
"Ah, that's straightforward. First, the Honkai and the subsequent earthquakes and tsunamis fall under 'force majeure'—non-compensable acts of God. Thus, the insurance company won't cover it."
"Second, as a party involved, you possess multiple personalities and a mental health certificate from a psychiatric hospital. Given your lack of self-control during the Honkai manifestation, you, Kiana Kaslana, cannot be held liable."
"Finally, as for the mastermind behind all this, the Schicksal Overseer..."
"This is Schicksal's court, with Schicksal's judge, Schicksal's jury, and Schicksal's lawyers! Even the ground you're standing on belongs to me, Otto Apocalypse!"
"What makes you, a mere mercenary of the World Serpent, think you can challenge Schicksal's Overseer?"
"Therefore, because the defendant has sued this official... because Ms. Natasha Cioara, engaged in the illegal mercenary business 'Raven,' has been sentenced to ten years' imprisonment."
"Court adjourned!"
Muninn vividly described to Kiana the consequences Raven would face if she sought compensation, her voice and the corners of her mouth betraying barely suppressed amusement.