The next day, as Schicksal's official announcement declared Durandal's promotion to S-Rank Valkyrie, Gray Serpent also transferred Shin's mission payment directly into his account.
A full "small target"—and in euros, no less.
"Whoa~ Is World Serpent really this generous?"
Shin sucked in a sharp breath, contributing yet again to global warming.
"This is the price of recruiting someone on par with an S-Rank Valkyrie."
Raven hit the truth dead-on.
It was worth noting that her payment was processed separately from Shin's, so she only received two million.
"I see."
Shin nodded calmly.
It made perfect sense.
After all, World Serpent had just stumbled upon a monster-level talent who could go toe-to-toe with Schicksal's ace. If they didn't secure him properly, Gray Serpent would be an utter failure as HR.
In fact, when transferring the money, Gray Serpent didn't even mention the relic from Raymond—clearly leaving it to Shin's discretion.
Shin even felt that, given his record of matching Durandal in battle, if he asked for Raven to become his personal maid, Gray Serpent might actually go along with it… Though, more likely, Raven would find out and beat him senseless.
Tch, women only slow down his bat-swinging speed.
With that thought, Shin entered a Zen-like state.
Still, even though Gray Serpent didn't bring up the relic, Shin wasn't planning to keep it for himself.
That would just be too greedy.
The relic was something the organization had specifically requested, and they had already paid him. Keeping it would send the wrong message.
Besides, in his hands, the Moonlight Throne was little more than a toy.
Sure, during his final attack before leaving, he wiped out nearly a thousand Honkai beasts in one go, but that was thanks to his own power. The Moonlight Throne just served as a glorified lightbulb.
Literally—it lit up and got hot.
For anyone else, the best they could do would be use it like a flashbang. The Throne was never designed as a weapon. Not just anyone could turn a spotlight into a Jedi lightsaber.
The true value of the [Moonlight Throne: Imaginary-Embedded Pulse Annihilation Reactor] lay in helping the organization's scientists better understand pre-civilization tech and deepen their research on the Honkai.
That was the proper way to utilize a relic.
If Shin wanted real weapons, he could always request them through official channels. Gray Serpent definitely wouldn't block him.
In fact, one could say Gray Serpent was just waiting for Shin to name his conditions.
Throwing money around was easy, but World Serpent's high-grade gear stockpile was one-of-a-kind.
Compared to Shin, who had now risen to S-Rank status and could thrive anywhere, Gray Serpent had more reason to nurture the connection between them.
If Shin hadn't still been in Sicily, Gray Serpent probably would've dragged him straight into the organization's warehouse and told him to take whatever he wanted.
Of course, among all the global powers and factions, Shin would have to scratch Schicksal off his list—for now, anyway—because he had just received an enormous bounty from them.
"Six hundred and fifty million... Schicksal really is loaded."
Looking at the string of zeros on the bounty notice, Shin couldn't help but sigh.
It was just a fake identity, yet Schicksal didn't hesitate to throw cash at it. He hadn't even committed any crimes against humanity yet.
Shin strongly suspected Otto just wanted an excuse to show off his S-Rank Valkyrie.
After all, if he was worth 650 million, then Durandal—who fought him evenly—had to be worth the same.
This was peak "filthy rich and shameless" behavior.
"They do control two-thirds of the world's nations and regions."
Raven's tone was filled with envy.
That's what a true sugar daddy looked like.
Too bad Schicksal didn't hire mercenaries. Otherwise, she would've tried to snag a side gig for sure.
Even if her main ID, [Raven], got tagged with a bounty, she had plenty of alts.
There's no way Schicksal could bounty them all, right?
What stung, though, was that [Raven] only got a five-million bounty—not even ten million. As a high-ranking officer, that was a little embarrassing.
Even [Welt White] was technically her junior.
"Sis Natasha, what if I turned myself in? Would Schicksal pay me?"
Shin was tempted.
His resurrection cooldown was ready again.
If he could trade one revive for 650 million, Shin figured it was a pretty good deal.
"Then make sure they wire the money to my account."
Raven offered a helpful suggestion.
"And would you come rescue me after?"
Shin blinked innocently.
Realistically, one resurrection probably wouldn't be enough if he ended up in Schicksal HQ.
"Nope." Raven shook her head without hesitation. "But I'll make sure you get the fanciest funeral. Solid gold coffin and all."
"…"
Shin could only give up on the 650 million—his heart breaking in the process.
Still, when he looked at the new balance Gray Serpent had transferred to his account, his mood lifted instantly.
Gray Serpent really was the best. Always ready to throw cash his way.
From now on, World Serpent was his second home.
At the same time, across the ocean in another country, someone's mood wasn't quite as good.
Because on Shin's bounty notice, his listed affiliation was… Anti-Entropy.
Within the Arks—Anti-Entropy's dimensional headquarters—executors from all over the world had gathered for what quickly devolved into a never-ending shouting match.
"Slander! This is outright slander!"
Tesla, her bright red twin-tails swaying, was the first to erupt. Her beautiful face was visibly distorted with rage.
She had never seen such brazen shamelessness.
That bastard Otto had not only put some random guy on the wanted list but claimed he was an Anti-Entropy terrorist. He even sent a legal demand for one billion dollars in compensation.
A whole billion!
Why didn't the old crook just rob a bank?
Wait, no—this was robbery!
"Doctor Tesla, please calm down. I think we all understand this has absolutely nothing to do with Anti-Entropy."
A calm voice came from a blue-haired girl with a near-expressionless face.
Red and blue always made a pair. The speaker was obviously Tesla's close friend, Einstein.
"Really?"
Someone spoke up with an irritating lack of awareness.
Einstein glanced at the speaker—someone slapping their own face with every word—and immediately understood.
This was one of the radicals.
As Anti-Entropy grew, its executors split into two camps: the conservatives and the radicals.
Unlike the conservatives, who favored diplomacy and restraint, the radicals advocated using any means necessary to crush their enemies.
In short, they were all lunatics.
As a veteran of Anti-Entropy and a leader among the conservatives, Einstein didn't agree with the radicals, but their strength was necessary for the organization's survival.
Without them, Schicksal would've crushed Anti-Entropy ages ago.
But with limited resources, conflicts between the factions were inevitable.
Back when Welt was still around, the disputes were manageable.
Now that Welt had been absent for too long, those tensions had begun to boil over.
Case in point: this radical who had been an executor for less than a year was already bold enough to challenge Einstein publicly.
There was no point in pretending he "didn't mean it."
To make it to the executor level, everyone knew there were things you just didn't say.
You could be slow, but you couldn't be stupid.
"What kind of question is that?! Are you suggesting this 'Welt' has ties to one of us?"
Another voice barked in anger.
Also a radical.
The moment the accusation was made, the room fell silent. Everyone looked around suspiciously, as if the traitor was already among them.
"Everyone, I believe we all understand what the name 'Welt' represents."
Einstein spoke up again, cutting off the rising paranoia.
"That name stands for a hero who sacrificed everything to build Anti-Entropy. It is a symbol of our honor and our ideals. We cannot allow it to be defiled."
"So I propose we add this imposter to our own wanted list—with a bounty of one billion."
Anti-Entropy's funds weren't exactly overflowing, but when it came to protecting the name of Welt, they couldn't afford to show weakness.
Besides, Einstein doubted this fake "Welt White" would be easy to catch anyway.
Of course, if someone did manage to claim the bounty, she wouldn't mind giving the faker a lesson in how the mass-energy equivalence formula was actually derived.
"There's no need for that. We just need to deny any connection to Schicksal's accusations."
A new voice spoke up—a tall, voluptuous woman with waist-length golden curls.
Einstein glanced at her.
Cocolia, a key figure among the radicals. With Anti-Entropy's support, she had carved out a powerful position in Siberia and was starting to show signs of leadership ambition.
"This isn't something we can brush off," said a middle-aged man with short blue hair. "That name was sacred to us. This imposter must pay."
As a senior conservative, Raiden Ryoma knew he couldn't just let Einstein do all the talking.
If the conservatives stayed silent, it would only reinforce the idea that they were weak.
Denying and ignoring Schicksal's claims might let them ride the wave of fame Shin brought, but… they were still Anti-Entropy!
If they couldn't even protect their legacy, how could they claim to save the world?
Welt's disappearance had left them vulnerable.
But this—this was something they could not compromise on.
"Fine."
Cocolia clicked her tongue in frustration.
She only cared about profits, not honor.
She had joined Anti-Entropy a decade ago. Welt's glory meant nothing to her.
In fact, most of the radicals didn't care about the symbolism behind the name.
Einstein, you just made a misplay.
Watching Einstein stubbornly push the proposal forward, Cocolia smirked coldly.
Then she gave a subtle signal to someone.
A moment later, an executor asked loudly, "Executor Einstein, do you really have no information about the Commander?"
All eyes turned to the blue-haired girl in the center.
Anyone who had been in Anti-Entropy long enough knew that not all executors were equal.
And Einstein?
She was one of the oldest members—and Welt's closest friend. If anyone knew where he was, it would be her.
"No."
Einstein's expression didn't change. "As an executor of Anti-Entropy, I care deeply about the Commander's safety. If I learn anything, I'll share it immediately."
No one was satisfied with that answer, but there wasn't much they could do.
They couldn't exactly string her up and interrogate her.
Cocolia's smirk widened.
Every meeting, someone would ask about Welt's whereabouts, and every time, Einstein gave the same copy-paste answer.
Frustration was piling up. How much longer could they hold out?
Cocolia licked her lips. A predator's gleam shone in her eyes.
Power vacuums always demanded a successor. Even if the previous holder had been godlike.
No, because Welt had shone so brightly, the shadow he left behind was all the more glaring.
Schicksal's new S-Rank Valkyrie had already been born, but Anti-Entropy's Herrscher was nowhere to be found.
When the pressure boiling inside the executors finally exploded, that would be her moment to seize the throne.
The future of Anti-Entropy… would belong to Cocolia.
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100 P.S = 1 Extra Chapter