Chapter 106: The Island-Exploding Raven
Raven's sharp eyes sized Rovel up and down, a flicker of recognition in their depths. There was, indeed, a faint resemblance to Yuki in the set of his brow.
"My name is Fang Ruobai. It's a pleasure to meet you, Miss Raven," Rovel introduced himself with a simple, polite nod.
"Hmm?" Raven blinked, her head tilting in confusion. "Aren't you two biological siblings? Why are your surnames different?"
"We are half-siblings," Rovel explained calmly. "I took my mother's surname."
"I see..." Raven rubbed her chin, a thoughtful expression on her face. A moment later, a faint, cunning smile curved the corner of her mouth. "Yuki mentioned to me that she wanted to pull you into World Serpent. What do you think?"
"World Serpent's ideals don't quite align with my own, so I'll have to pass," Rovel replied without hesitation. "But I'm sure there will be opportunities for us to cooperate in the future. However, as thanks for you taking care of Yuki, I can offer you... well, a piece of advice." He paused, carefully choosing his words.
Raven let out a soft, humorless chuckle. "Though I'd like to say giving me money directly would be far more practical... advice? Heh, let's hear it." A spark of interest lit her eyes, intrigued despite her skepticism.
"Miss Raven, you've probably had thoughts of buying an island in the past few years, haven't you?" Rovel asked, his tone casual but his gaze pointed. "Or perhaps you've already bought one?"
"Hmm? How did you know?" Her expression shifted from amusement to mild irritation. "Did Gray Serpent tell you? That man just can't keep his mouth shut..." She pressed a hand to her forehead, looking genuinely exasperated with her subordinate. "I have indeed had my eye on a nice little island for a long time, and the funds I've collected are almost enough. I'm currently negotiating the price..."
She narrowed her eyes at him. "What's wrong? What does your advice have to do with me buying an island? Or... can you help me negotiate a better price?"
"I'm afraid I can't help with that," Rovel said, offering an apologetic smile. "However, I suggest that for at least the next four years, you'd be better off not buying any islands."
He had to give her the warning. After all, besides her codename 'Raven,'she had another, far more infamous nickname in the annals of his memory:'Island-Exploding Raven.'
In the original timeline, the cataclysmic arrival of the Herrscher of the Void would directly cause the very island she poured her life's savings into to sink beneath the waves. And from that disaster, a legendary scene was born, forever immortalized in the minds of many:
Raven: Pacing (T)
Raven: Running (M)
Raven: Rolling (B)
To prevent that particular 'tragedy' from unfolding, Rovel felt obligated to give her a heads-up.
"Why?" Raven crossed her arms, her posture defensive. "Will the island depreciate in value? I don't really care about that..."
For her, buying an island was never about the investment; it was about fulfilling a dream she had held for years.
"It's not a matter of depreciation..." Rovel sighed softly. "Anyway, Yuki is very important to me. I've said my piece, and this advice is your reward for taking care of her."
He had made himself as clear as he could without revealing his true nature. Whether Raven chose to listen or not was another matter entirely. If he had directly told her the island was destined to sink, not only might the system censor his words, but it was highly doubtful she would have believed such an outlandish prophecy.
Raven tilted her head, studying him. For some reason, she felt like Rovel wasn't particularly bright. If she had known his advice would be so cryptic, she would have insisted on the money instead. She wouldn't exactly call what she did 'taking care' of Yuki; the girl was someone she had personally recruited into World Serpent, and her student. Mentoring her was simply her duty.
"Thanks for the advice," she said, her tone flat. With a dismissive wave of her hand, she turned and melted back into the shadows of the night.
'I wonder if she actually took any of that to heart,' Rovel mused, watching the spot where she had vanished.
He sincerely hoped she could protect her 'Island Villa.' Although it meant the world would be deprived of one particularly hilarious meme, from the perspective of the person involved, watching a dream she had worked over a decade to build go up in flames right before her eyes... That kind of devastating blow was not something an ordinary person could withstand.
A few quiet days passed. Rovel was no longer bothered by Higokumaru, who seemed to have gone completely silent. Perhaps she was still sulking after he had so thoroughly shut down her attempts at persuasion, too embarrassed to show her face. Or, more likely, she knew she couldn't easily make him give in and was secretly lying in wait, plotting her next move.
Rovel also paid special attention to the news from the Far East in the real world, but he found no reports of Death Soldier movements. Perhaps they were being kept under wraps for the time being.
He did, however, notice a peculiar news item. Someone by the name of 'Naruto Uzumaki' was causing quite a stir in the Far East, with scattered reports of public brawls and people being injured on the streets. Rovel blinked, read the name again, and decided it had absolutely nothing to do with him.
Today, the custom school uniforms for St. Freya Academy were finally finished. One had to admit, the institution lived up to its reputation as a top-tier training academy. Even the school uniform was a decent piece of combat equipment.
[St. Freya Academy Uniform (Blue): The standard-issue uniform of Schicksal's Far East Branch. To encourage students to express their individuality, Principal Theresa allows St. Freya students to apply for custom appearances for their uniforms and battlesuits.]
[Attributes: Damage taken reduced by 5%. When in an area with a Honkai Energy concentration below 300 HW, it can protect the wearer from Honkai influence. When in an area with a concentration below 400 HW, it can effectively slow the rate of Honkai erosion on the body.]
For Rovel, of course, that long list of protective effects was utterly useless.
The uniform Mei had designed for herself was quite different from the classic 'Valkyrie Bladestrike'battlesuit etched in Rovel's memory. Instead, it looked more like her'Striker Fulminata' Core Augment, a design from a future that hadn't yet happened.
The color scheme, however, was almost identical to Rovel's. It was a sleek, tight-fitting combat suit with a pristine white base, accented by gray-white armor plating on the shoulders and the outside of her arms. Black leggings were tucked into black-and-white high-top combat boots that featured sharp gray details.
There was no doubt about it: if the two of them walked out together wearing these, anyone would immediately assume they were wearing matching couple's outfits.
And that, Rovel knew, was precisely one of Mei's subtle ways of marking her territory.
"Mei, you look so cool in that!" Kiana praised, her eyes wide with admiration. "By comparison, mine is a bit plain..." She looked down at her own slightly simpler design, a pang of envy coloring her tone.
Still, the way she instinctively posed, holding her hands as if gripping dual pistols, truly carried a shadow of her father, Siegfried.
"Actually, you could try letting your hair down or tying it into a high ponytail. I think it would look much better," Rovel suggested kindly.
While the twin braids were indeed Kiana's signature hairstyle, he had to admit they were a bit rustic and, at times, looked endearingly silly. It suited the carefree Kiana of this time period quite well, but Rovel knew the stunning beauty that lay dormant. In the early days, Kiana's true visual potential was definitely sealed by her hairstyle, although she was just as cute regardless.
"That would be very inconvenient," Kiana said, shaking her head in decisive refusal. "My hair is already almost down to my waist, and I don't want to cut it."
Her outfit had been designed from the start to emulate Siegfried's style. Looking at herself in the mirror, seeing that faint echo of her father, only strengthened her resolve to become an A-Rank Valkyrie and find him.
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