How do you describe the world?

The fight between the two ended with the great principal's victory.

" Hmph! You know how powerful I am as the principal, right?"

Theresa placed her hands on her waist and spoke condescendingly and triumphantly.

She was obviously a little carried away now, but she didn't think there was anything wrong with her current posture.

Luo Mo rolled his eyes. She wasn't heavy at all, so he'd just pretended they were playing a roughhousing game.

"Sister Theresa, humans... what are you guys doing?" Luna asked, tilting her head in confusion. She'd just finished her meal and was staring at them with wide, curious eyes.

"Ahem ..." Theresa cleared her throat awkwardly, finally sliding off of Luo Mo. "Right then, back to business. What exactly do you need Anna to do?" she asked, her tone overly serious to mask her embarrassment.

"You do know her? That makes things a lot easier." Luo Mo nodded, relieved. It seemed like this White-Haired dwarf actually was helpful for once.

"Just kidding, of course I know everyone from the Schariac family," Theresa replied, shooting him a slightly odd look.

Luo Mo couldn't shake the feeling something was off about that statement, but he pushed ahead with the main question, "But... aren't you from the Apocalypse family?"

"No, no, no, what I meant is, why do you care so much about the Schariac family?" Luo Mo asked with a teasing glint in his eyes.

"Well, of course! Cecilia and I are great friends!" Theresa replied defensively. She definitely didn't have the same…interests as her niece. And even if she did, Cecilia wouldn't be interested in her anyway.

"Hmm, okay then," Luo Mo replied, deciding to drop the subject for now. "Anyway, as you know, Anna is meant to become the next Herrscher of Ice. It's safer to have her at St. Freya, especially with what's coming in the storyline."

"Uh... actually, Anna works for your company. She's one of your programmers."

"But didn't she say that she was a branch of the Schariac family?" Luo Mo asked puzzledly,

Of course, this is not the key. The most important thing is that the other party is far from his image of Anna. He really did not think in that direction at the beginning.

She's not even white-haired!

Wait, Luo Mo realized that he seemed to have remembered it wrong and was confused by his existing impression.

The Kaslana family should be among those with white hair. The images of his mother-in-law and Kiana were so profound that he mistakenly thought that the Schariac family also had white hair.

"Could she have been undercover in the company all along? Is basic disguise part of Valkyrie training?"

"Sure enough, how could it be my fault?"

Luo Mo is very good at forgiving himself and never admits that it is his fault.

After all, a person needs to learn to make peace with their mistakes, right?

"Though, come to think of it, she didn't keep up with the disguises for very long. Always preferred to show her true face. Apparently, she quite liked working here," Theresa added, eyeing Luo Mo carefully.

"She wasn't much of a fighter, to be honest, but the stigmata certainly gave her an edge. That's probably why she wasn't recalled."

Even though they both knew the real reason, it felt a bit...awkward to say it out loud. Fortunately, Luo Mo didn't seem to mind.

"So... I didn't even recognize her at the employee awards last time? Damn, talk about missing the obvious!" Luo Mo groaned, realizing his preconceptions had totally blinded him to Anna's true appearance. 

He'd been so focused on looking for white hair, he never even considered that she was ash blonde!

"Speaking of which, she complained the other day about never being able to find her boss. Apparently, even when she wants to protect you, you're nowhere in sight. Her exact words were, 'Where the heck does that guy disappear to?'"Theresa stretched her hand forward, pointed at Luo Mo, and asked.

"Obviously at home, with you and Luna," Luo Mo ignored her. Theresa has been getting more and more free lately, so she has to find something to do.

"Hey, don't forget – if I'm being lazy, so are you! I leave for work, and what are you still doing? Napping!"

"How dare you call the principal's duties lazy?" Theresa huffed, cheeks flushed. 

She rattled off a list of important tasks: overseeing the academy, keeping Luna company (definitely not reading comics while Luna played), and the list went on...

Luna watched the two humans below her. Sister Theresa seemed to be getting along with her human better and better lately. They were getting so close! the close contact is... Originally, it was only done between herself and humans.

Luna pouted, feeling a little grumpy. 

Hadn't Sister Theresa said she didn't like humans? It was all very confusing.

...

Deep in a remote corner of Nagazora City, the over-the-top game event has finally wrapped up. Raven lets out a sigh, relieved and a little frustrated.

"Oh, it's finally over. Fortunately, I didn't appear again in the end. I'm so lucky."

Raven said helplessly, still feeling a headache while watching the game, "I didn't expect that guy to be so stingy."

Well, there's no doubt about it, she's going to be even more famous after this. Her idol career is definitely leveling up, but the overwhelming attention is already leaving a sour taste in her mouth.

"Teacher, tell me who messed with you! I'll stay out of their way in the future... or better yet, I'll avenge you!" Lyle declared, a mischievous glint in his eye. He clearly meant it as a joke, and the whole room felt a little warmer with the shared laughter.

The raven glanced at him and said helplessly,

"You little Brat, Start thinking like that once you're running your own company!"

She ruffled Lyle's hair affectionately before getting up to start dinner. 

There was no way they were ordering takeout in this remote place.

 Now that she was finally here, she wanted to spoil the kids and show off some of the new recipes she'd been practicing.

" Oh? That game is going to make a lot of money. It must be very rich. It's kinda shady of them to use your image like this, Teacher. Don't you think?"

"Lyle, quit complaining and go get everyone for dinner," Sora interrupted and tugged on Lyle's sleeve, causing him to pause what he was saying.

Raven walked into the kitchen, pulled the bottles and jars from it with her hand, and sighed.

Many things are difficult to buy, and many are on the verge of expiration. Even if she diligently sends in supplies, it is not a long-term solution after all.

Lyle grumbled a reply, but his earlier point still lingered in her mind. She knew she'd agreed to the game developers using her image… and she could already imagine their excuses.

Just then, the communicator on her hip buzzed. She didn't even need to check the caller ID – she knew exactly who it was. Raven opened the message, a frown forming on her face.

"Natasha?"

"Well, it's me. Why, Gray Snake, do you still have time to come say hello to me?"

She smiled softly and rummaged for the needed condiments with her other hand.

Really, she is not good at cooking, but what can be done? That Miss Mei looked like she could cook, but she was not her.

"The Lord has decided to let you garrison in Saint Freya from now on and ask about your wishes."

Raven froze, eyes wide. "Wait, what? Gray Snake, are you serious?" Her voice rose in disbelief.

"The World Serpent is entering negotiations with Schicksal."

"But how on earth could they agree to Project Stigma? It's a long shot," Raven questioned, her voice tinged with doubt.

"Our agents recovered one of their stigmatas – remember the one featured in the game? That's crucial for Project Stigma, but we'll need more than just that."

"Besides, the success of the plan is a matter for the Lord to consider. As for Saint Freya... well, we need a closer look, a way to get inside."

Raven pieced it together, Whisper "So, Project Stigma is still full steam ahead, and they're putting me right under Schicksal's nose? As a… what, a spy?"

Raven weighed her options carefully. It wasn't like she cared deeply about the grand plans of the organization – that was way above her paygrade. 

Her main concern was simple: what was in it for her? No way would she take a risk without getting something good in return!

"Let me think about it..." she began.

"Don't refuse in a hurry. If you are willing, how about if the organization decides to buy you a villa nearby? It is not impossible to even give you an island in the future."

Although Raven obviously heard a giggle from it, which caused a few black lines to appear on her forehead,.

Is this gray snake so nosy?

Her mind flashed back to her sunken island. Seriously, how had that news spread like wildfire? It was all that Luo Mo's fault!

"Don't bring that up... I don't want to talk about it," she said, her voice sharp with annoyance. She might be a mercenary, but she still had her pride.

 Why would she care about some island? Unless they were here to see it sink personally...

"Haha—— " A burst of laughter crackled from the communicator, the mechanical distortion only fueling her irritation. 

The urge to toss the whole communicator thing aside was strong, but she knew that wouldn't fix anything.

"For now, the World Serpent isn't planning anything major," the voice on the communicator continued. "Barring any surprises, this is your new life. Saint Freya, those kids... until the Honkai is Defeated."

A long pause, then a shift in tone. "You wouldn't betray the Serpent, right Raven?" The question hung in the air, laced with an edge of tension.

"I can't," Raven replied honestly. It was the truth.

At this point, the call ends.

Raven rubbed her swollen temples. She didn't want to go to the Far East Devil's Cave—who knows how many Herrschers there were!

But Gray Snake's words left little wiggle room, more like a thinly veiled order than a question.

What else could she do but follow the Lord's orders? She wasn't some disposable pawn, she had to believe that. 

There was no way she'd abandon everything now.

On the bright side, life there is much better than here, and the children won't be so poor. The devil lives there. If nothing else, she has to think about her own safety, right?

Raven tried to picture a rosy future ahead, but then that devil's words echoed in her head: "Raven, you wouldn't want Sora and the other children to be left without anyone to care for them, would you?"

This sentence has been her nightmare for quite some time.

...

"My Lord?"

Gray Snake ended the call and turned to the man standing nearby. "Raven won't be a problem," he reported respectfully, "but are you certain about negotiating with Schicksal? Their current bishop, Kallen, she's nothing like Otto in the video. Stubborn, strong-willed... resistant to the idea of cooperation."

"In the face of absolute strength, she has no choice." Kevin said it coldly.

He'd already studied Kallen's history. He knew how her dedication had never wavered, from passionate warrior to the head of Schicksal.

It was precisely that strong sense of purpose that made her the perfect candidate for negotiation.

"Exposing the World Serpent to her directly has its advantages. It'll give her a clear picture of what we can do," Kevin mused.

"But... Hare Stigma Plan; don't we need to leave another plan?" Gray snake hesitated. He felt that the Lord in front of him was no longer focused on the stigma plan.

After receiving information that the stigmata 'extracted' by Schicksal were something different, the Gray Serpent began placing several eyes in the analysis laboratory.

Of course, after seeing the stigmata data, Gray Snake himself had desperately wanted to examine one firsthand.

Now, thanks to a stroke of luck, his wish was granted. One of their operatives had intercepted a Schicksal shipment headed for HQ – and secured a single, precious stigma.

The stigmata Schicksal's been 'extracting' lately... they're on a whole other level from anything they've made before. It's not even fair to compare. These aren't like the crude knock-offs they – or even we – usually work with.

They're like the purest form of the stigmata concept, the ideal made real. 

Sure, the data says there are still limitations for most users, but compared to anything we've seen in this century? The difference is night and day.

Let's be real – the old Stigma project was basically survival of the fittest. Theoretically, only 0.1% of the world's population would even develop stigmata. The rest? Well, let's just say Darwin wouldn't have approved.

Jackal's plan was a huge leap forward. We boosted the success rate ten thousand times over. From Gray snake perspective, that's better than most Stigmata plans we've had, but it's still rough around the edges.

Only defeating Honkai cannot be guaranteed, giving only 10% of the population the power to fight guarantees nothing when something bigger coming. 

That's where the 'Hare Stigmata Project' comes in. 

It's meant to be the final solution – Gray Snake knows that.

BUT... if we can figure out the secret behind those mysterious new stigmata, maybe we could revamp the Stigmata plans AGAIN. Maybe we could give everyone a fighting chance.

"Well, Hare is enough." Kevin glanced at Gray Snake, then closed his eyes.

He should only leave the method as a last resort. If it really comes to that point, he can only apologize to his comrades outside.

That's all that's enough in front of finality, the rest is just hope.

He promised everyone a sweet dream.

...

a thrilling lunch.

After a tense battle, the last of the bell pepper curry was split evenly - one portion for Luo Mo, one for Theresa.

Anyway, Luo Mo said that he was fine, but that was not necessarily true for Theresa. She bravely tackled her share, tears streaming down her face, It was a mix of fiery spice and stubborn determination. 

He would've loved to snap a photo of that, but she was giving him the death glare.

After lunch Luo Mo decided to explore the area, not because to avoid Theresa being in a bad mood or something but still…

just forget it.

Sakura had mentioned something on the company group chat... someone in her family had burst into tears over a spicy dish, and the post had blown up with likes and comments.

Wait, hold on. 

Who was in Sakura's family? They were all Flame-Chasers!

No, he had to go and have a look. In order to see... how was Huiyo Sensei? He had promised Su Lu to try to persuade her to work for the company or something.

Yeah, that's it. It wasn't like he was curious to see which of those legendary warriors cried over food or anything...

Luo Mo firmly denied that he was not that kind of person and had misjudged him!

So, he opened the door enthusiastically and saw the wilted Elysia, her eyes still red, looking at him as an uninvited guest with an unkind look.

Bingo!

Eden seemed to have gone to clear away the finished dinner plates, and there happened to be Griseo, Sakura, Rin, and Aponia that she was looking for.

"Ah, what terrible person could make such a beautiful pink elf cry? Tell me," Luo Mo declared, striking a heroic pose, "I'll make them pay!"

Elysia stared at him without saying a word, narrowing her eyes.

An awkward silence stretched between them.

"Why don't you speak?" The two of them were silent, and Elysia couldn't help but speak first.

She already had her fist raised, ready to strike, but now he'd gone mute. Could she really punch him for not reacting to her outburst?

"Honestly? I feel like if I open my mouth again, something really bad is going to happen," Luo Mo confessed. It was the simple truth. As a master of survival, he knew when to retreat and avoid tempting fate.

Elysia's hand clenched and released, released and clenched again, but in the end she felt that the reason she had given a minute ago had expired, and she could not swing it out.

"Well, spit it out! What are you even doing here?" she demanded, her voice a tad less intimidating than before.

Okay, Elysia was even cuter after crying! This was him staying true to his heart.

 A true Elysia fan through and through! 

"I'm here to see Eyo-Sensei. Sakura mentioned it before," Luo Mo said, the words slipping out before he could properly think. 

"Huiyo?" Elysia blinked, confused. "I get the whole Kevin-is-Salvation thing, but did the Flame-Chasers have someone called Huiyo?"

Griseo, ever helpful, looked up from her drawing. "Sister Elysia, Eyo is me! Eyo-Sensei is the name Brother Luo Mo gave me. You can ask him!"

All the while, she continued adding detail to her illustration of the Benares story.