Aboard a luxury cruise ship just departing from Sicily, Shin stared at the freshly issued wanted notice in his hands, stunned into silence.
Anti-Entropy had lost their minds. He hadn't even done anything yet, and they'd already slapped a bounty on him—and not just any bounty, but a ridiculous one billion!
Even Otto's bounty wasn't that high.
Curious, Shin did a quick search and found that the golden-haired, granddaughter-obsessed lunatic was only worth a few tens of millions?
Apparently, Anti-Entropy never really expected anyone to bring Otto's head in for the reward. His bounty was more symbolic than anything.
But still, if both were just symbolic gestures, why was his own bounty dozens of times higher than Otto's!?
All he did was use the name "Welt." Was that really worth this level of hatred?
Bunch of petty idiots!
Infuriated, Shin took a massive sip of milk tea.
"I think it's worth trying," Raven suggested, her burgundy eyes sparkling with mischief. "When the time comes, I'll be the one to break you out of Anti-Entropy."
She couldn't do anything about Schicksal, but Anti-Entropy? She was confident she could handle it.
Most importantly, World Serpent had people inside Anti-Entropy.
Even if they locked Shin up in the most secure prison imaginable, she was sure she could still get him out.
"Can Anti-Entropy even afford to pay that?" Shin rubbed his chin, highly skeptical of their financial situation.
The kids in Cocolia's orphanage were still eating pickled vegetables and gruel.
He couldn't tell whether Cocolia was just really honest and upright, or if Anti-Entropy was just flat broke.
After all, they were all about mechas—and that burned through cash fast.
Plus, the rules of the Honkai world were extremely unfriendly toward mechanized systems, leaving Anti-Entropy perpetually short on funding. Their leader even had to moonlight as an anime producer to support the cause.
On the flip side, Schicksal's Saint Maiden game series was already up to its thirty-second installment. Aside from one annoying blond character who ruined the experience, the visuals and music were top-tier. The price was insanely cheap too, like they didn't care about profit at all and were just living off government subsidies.
That's the difference.
Sipping on his pearl milk tea, frothy with cream, Shin let out a deep sigh.
"Anti-Entropy's a massive organization. Surely they can cough up a bit of cash?" Raven still believed in Anti-Entropy's strength.
For people like her and Shin, a billion dollars was an astronomical amount. But for Anti-Entropy, it probably wasn't much.
Even if just to preserve their credibility, they'd have to pay up.
Reputation mattered way more than money to them. That's likely why they placed a bounty on Shin in the first place.
"Hard to say," Shin shook his head. "They could drag the whole thing out through bureaucratic procedures."
Given the scale of this incident, taking three to five years to process it would be completely reasonable, right?
"True." Raven's eyes dimmed slightly, her expression full of regret.
The ten billion she'd almost gotten... gone just like that.
"How about you disguise yourself as the Archbishop of Schicksal and loiter around Anti-Entropy's base for a while?" Raven had clearly discovered the formula for wealth through this incident.
Even if she couldn't land a billion, a smaller cut would still be nice, right?
"Otto's still alive and well," Shin rolled his eyes.
Unlike a certain comatose Herrscher, Otto was in top form.
And besides, there was no way he could mimic Otto's appearance.
"Shame." With the road to riches firmly blocked, Raven jerked her chin toward Sicily. "Aren't you going to say goodbye to that white-haired girl?"
Ever since Shin messed with her at the castle ruins, Raven hadn't dared to joke about her again.
At her words, Shin glanced toward Sicily, now shrinking into a small dot on the horizon. His eyes softened with a hint of nostalgia.
Even though they had only stayed in Sicily for a little over a week, a lot had happened in that time—especially meeting two of the world's main characters, and even going toe-to-toe with Durandal, making the name "Welt" infamous across the globe.
But that was all in the past.
Now, Shin and Raven were headed for India.
There, World Serpent officer Jackal was waiting for them—or rather, waiting for the Moonlight Throne in Shin's hands.
After a long pause gazing at Sicily, Shin finally turned away and said, "If fate allows, we'll meet again."
He absolutely wasn't going to admit to Raven that he never got Kiana's contact info.
That white-haired dumpling was so clueless. He even gave her his email, but she didn't bother leaving hers in return.
Not that he would've contacted her first anyway.
He had a persona to maintain.
"This world's a big place," Raven said thoughtfully. "Sometimes when you miss someone, you really might never get to see them again."
Especially people like them, who lived on the edge of life and death. There was no telling when one of them might just drop dead in some corner of the world.
Although, with Shin's strength, he'd probably last a while.
"You've got stories, Natasha." Shin looked at her with curiosity.
"Do you have wine?" Raven tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear.
"…"
Shin silently raised his glass of milk tea.
"You little brat~"
A soft Mediterranean breeze rolled across the deck as Raven gave Shin a playful side-eye before flashing him a dazzling smile.
"Forget I said anything."
Shin turned his head and went back to sipping his drink.
The luxury cruise had excellent beverages, though the price tag was just as impressive.
Still, with their mission over, there was no need to rush. They could now relax and enjoy the sights along the way.
As for the enormous bounty on the wanted poster… well, the man being hunted was "Welt."
What did that have to do with him, Shin?
Watching the boy throw a silent tantrum, Raven couldn't help but smile faintly. She leaned against the railing, letting the sea breeze wash over her as her eyes gazed out at the rolling Mediterranean waves.
It was another beautiful day.
Meanwhile, on the other side, Kiana, having saved up enough money, also boarded a ship departing from Sicily.
Her eyes swept across the harbor several times, but she never spotted the person she was hoping to see. With a soft sigh, she lowered her gaze.
So it really had just been a coincidence, their meeting.
The world was far too vast. Two people running into each other again… wasn't so simple.
But that wasn't necessarily a bad thing.
Next time they met, she was sure she'd have a whole boatload of stories to tell him.
The only shame was that she couldn't share what had happened in Leimont with him this time—even though it was truly an incredible adventure.
She wouldn't bring someone like him into the world of Honkai. That was her bottom line.
Thinking back to that silver moon, brighter than even the sun, Kiana still felt her heart pound.
One day, she too would become that powerful!
Standing on the deck of the ship, Kiana silently made her vow.
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