Ryn looked down at the woman in the photo, then looked up at Hare. He had to admit, even the child-version of Hare bore some resemblance to the woman in the photo.
Ryn had seen the childhood photos Durandal had hanging in her room. If little Hare dyed her hair blond, she would look a lot like a young Durandal too!
But that was probably impossible. After all, one had white hair and the other had blond; the difference was still significant.
Pushing the thought aside, Ryn cleaned out his ear and tossed the photo back to Hare.
"This is the condition I won't refuse? I don't even know her. Are you trying to entice me with a mother-daughter special? Get lost, I have no interest in getting involved with you people."
Hare fumbled to catch the photo and tucked it back into her clothes protectively. Then she jumped up angrily and stomped hard on Ryn's foot.
"What mother-daughter special! What kind of filthy things are you thinking about!"
"No mother-daughter special? Then there's even less reason for me to join World Serpent." Ryn shrugged, looking completely indifferent.
He didn't know the woman in the photo at all. Trying to bribe him with a stranger was just ridiculous.
"Hmph! Mother-daughter special, is it? I'll give you a mother-daughter special!" Hare charged forward in a rage, intending to punch Ryn.
And then, there was no 'and then.' Ryn once again grabbed her by the collar and lifted her up, letting little Hare's tiny hands and legs flail in the air.
Ryn: "I'm doing great in Schicksal. I can take vacations whenever I want and live with my family. Besides, Schicksal's path to fighting the Honkai doesn't conflict with mine. Schicksal has given me a lot of help, even taking me in when I was at my lowest and improving my life. I have no reason to abandon Schicksal to join your shady, underground organization."
"I can't disagree with your point, but unfortunately, I have a deal with Gray Serpent, so I have to remain a World Serpent executive for now…"
Hare nodded in strong agreement. What kind of sane person builds their base in the sunless underground? Something about creating a dark, snake-like atmosphere, but there were barely any lights, making the whole organization feel gloomy.
"However… for someone like you, your moral baseline is certainly different from ordinary people. It's just that the bargaining chip to change your mind isn't big enough…
Here, take the photo, and don't you dare damage it. Take it back to your beloved Kiana and let her tell you what an irresistible offer is…"
Hare stuffed the photo into Ryn's collar pocket and patted it down, straightening his clothes for him.
At the mention of Kiana's name, Ryn's red pupils emitted a terrifying crimson glow.
The gravity in the room instantly reversed, forcing Hare and Raven to their knees.
Ryn summoned the Star Sword and held it to Hare's neck, all traces of playfulness gone from his face.
"I told you, if you dare to lay a hand on the people around me, I will turn this entire planet inside out and slaughter every single person in your World Serpent."
Hare strained against the gravitational field, trying to stand, but found herself completely powerless against Ryn's strength. She transformed into a dream, attempting to transcend the material plane and escape his gravity.
But after leaving the material plane, Hare found herself in an even more terrifying prison.
A colossal, leafy tree stood on the surface of a boundless, white sea. A giant Ryn, towering over everything, looked down at her, who was as small as a speck of dust.
When she opened her eyes again, Hare had returned to the material plane.
Ryn squinted, smiling at the returned Hare.
"Don't even think about running~ My sword now cuts not only matter and consciousness, but also the very source of the soul… Misteln, we're no longer at a point where we're just entangled, unable to kill each other. Now, I can really kill you!"
Ryn released the pressure of his field. Hare could finally breathe again, but Raven wasn't so lucky and had already fainted.
"Tsk… saying things like that really hurts… alright, alright, I surrender, I surrender. World Serpent only wants to recruit you, not make an enemy of you.
Whether it's Schicksal or World Serpent, our ultimate goal is to defeat the Honkai. We're not mortal enemies out for each other's blood."
Hare first made a silly face and pleaded for mercy, then went to help up the unconscious Raven and give her some simple first aid. She also felt her own back, feeling the cold sweat brought on by the fear of that supreme being.
"Sigh, I never thought the first time I'd feel fear would be because of you."
"Hehe… isn't that great? I gave you a taste of what fear is like. Now, when you encounter other things in the future, you won't be afraid of anything~"
Ryn cheerfully put away his sword, smiling at Hare and Raven.
Ryn had already marked Hare and Raven's auras. They could chat and laugh now, but if a real fight ever broke out, Ryn would let World Serpent know what the "Edge of Taixuan" from beyond the ninth heaven truly was.
"No fun. I was hoping for a good chat!" Hare shook her head in disappointment. Being scared by Ryn like that had killed any desire to continue the conversation.
"Hehe, didn't we meet as enemies from the very beginning? The fact that we can chat peacefully here is already a miracle. Spit it out, who is the woman in the photo, and what does she have to do with Kiana?!"
"Not telling. Go guess yourself." Hare pouted, refusing to tell Ryn who it was.
Mother-daughter special, indeed. She hoped Ryn would be able to say that to Kiana's face.
Ryn: "Suit yourself. I'll investigate it on my own. Is there anything else? If not, get out of here. It's almost time for school to let out, and Kallen and Yae Sakura will be back soon. I don't want anyone seeing me associated with your World Serpent."
Hare: "I came all this way just to see you, and you take my first time so casually, and now you're coldly kicking me out."
The awakening Raven was just about to open her eyes, but upon hearing Hare's words, she quickly shut them again.
Oh no, how long was I out… They were just at each other's throats, and now it's come to this? Does this mean Ryn joining World Serpent is a sure thing?
Ryn tapped Hare's little head, sighing in exasperation, "Did you get scared stupid? I'm noticing your words can be very misleading!"
"Really? I don't see any problem with it. Do you want to check my body? Though I think it's probably because your thoughts are too filthy."
"…" Raven's mouth twitched, and she silently screamed internally.
"Right… I almost forgot the real business this time." Hare gently placed Raven on a chair, letting Raven rest her head on her lap as she remained peacefully unconscious.
Hare: "You jerk Ryn, guess why we suddenly came to find you this time?"
Ryn: "Didn't you say it was to recruit me?"
Hare: "Well… actually, it was mainly because I wanted to see you… World Serpent has always paid special attention to beings like you, and they were aware of your previous disappearance. So, I kept calling you just to make sure you were safe.
Recruiting you was just my idea. For an uncontrollable factor like you that's so far beyond expectations, World Serpent wouldn't hold out much hope.
See this girl in my arms, who has cried her eyes out? This time, I used her as an excuse to come and see you…
Raven—Natasha Cioara… her family, her life, everything she had was destroyed by the Honkai. But she still wanted to live a free and peaceful life, so she worked hard on missions to save money… Finally, she bought a small, remote island in the Pacific Ocean and built a large villa there."
As Hare spoke, gently stroking her face, Raven, who was feigning unconsciousness, was suddenly overcome with sadness, and tears streamed down her face uncontrollably.
Feeling the tears drop onto her leg, Hare gently wiped them away from the corner of Raven's eyes and hugged her comfortingly.
"But just as the villa was about to be completed, a sudden, massive tsunami submerged the entire island…"
Pacific Ocean… massive tsunami… small island… sudden… these words were common enough on their own, but strung together, they made Ryn's scalp tingle.
Wasn't this the disaster Kukulkan caused a few days ago…
"Gulp… so…"
"So I brought a tear-streaked Raven here to demand compensation! Gray Serpent won't let us claim the compensation issued by Schicksal, fearing that Schicksal will track our location. But seeing Raven crying, pacing back and forth, and rolling around, I just couldn't bear it!"
"...…"