"So, why are you here?"
In the kitchenware store, Tian Shi and his group encountered an unexpected person.
"Should I ask Miss Ciora why she's here? It's clearly work hours, isn't it?"
Rita looked at Ciora, who was wearing casual clothes, with a bit of curiosity.
Since the other party was also wearing casual clothes, Rita considered switching and calling Raven by her real name.
"Are you slacking off work?"
"Slacking off? No, I'm earning money."
Raven looked at Rita without interest.
"Selling your labor and time for money is called labor income, isn't it?"
Anyone who can say such things is clearly a slacker.
"Besides, World Serpent has been very inactive lately, and I'm not responsible for sitting in the office."
Perhaps because both of them were wearing casual clothes, although there was a little tension between them, the tone was not very aggressive.
"Good morning, Dr. MEI, and... Raiden Mei?" Raven looked at the group.
"Is the Sir here too?"
"Yes."
"I knew it."
Raven's eyelids twitched.
Is this considered my boss catching me being lazy?
"By the way, what are you doing here? I remember you were fighting fiercely before."
Ciora pointed to Mei.
"I once even tied you to a chair, Miss Ciora."
Rita chuckled.
"Is this what they call the inconstancy of fate?"
"Tsk, that's just a coincidence... Oh, okay, I get it; you're worthy of being an adult."
What do you get?
Tian Shi looked at the enlightenment on Raven's face and curled the corners of his mouth.
"Uh... have you heard of me? Good morning, Miss Ciora."
Mei greeted Ciora.
"It doesn't matter whether I know you or not. I just want to have a quiet and relaxed time."
Ciora waved her hands, looking lazy and unwilling to worry about anything.
But... why did she appear in the kitchenware store?
"Is Miss Ciora good at cooking?"
Rita asked Raven indifferently while selecting a kitchen knife.
"Aren't you too curious?"
Raven asked, somewhat annoyed by Rita's curiosity.
"But my culinary skills... are improving."
"So, it's crap?"
"You might as well demonstrate some emotional intelligence as a maid."
"It seems that you, Miss Ciora, have great potential in the kitchen."
"I don't know why, but I feel angry when you say that."
Without the dark combat uniform, Raven now seemed much cheerier and, of course, a little lazier.
"Is something wrong?"
Tian Shi asked, having possessed the unopened kitchen knife.
"You scared me. Please don't make sudden noises in a public place like this, Sir. It's very troublesome, in every sense of the word."
Ciora, who was about to pick up the kitchen knife for a look, withdrew her hand while complaining.
"But speaking of trouble... you are truly worthy of being called Your Excellency."
This means that Ciora admitted that something was indeed wrong with her.
"After all, my impression of Ciora is that even if she's a bit lazy, she's not this... apathetic."
Tian Shi thought of an adjective that was very suitable for the current Ciora.
"That adjective is truly Shenzhou style... But is my acting so obvious?"
Ciora slapped her face.
"It's just a problem. It's really no big deal... Yesterday, I accidentally burned the kitchen, that's all."
"Is that what improving in cooking means?" Tian Shi complained.
"I think burning down the kitchen is more than just a simple thing, right?"
Rita said with a subtle expression.
"It's hard to imagine a normal adult woman burning down the kitchen, and I seem to have heard Mr. Grey Serpent mention that you, Miss Ciora, have experience in the catering industry. Could you be using the Seven Thunders of Retribution as a spatula?"
"Even if I had the guts, I wouldn't treat that ancestor like a spatula."
Ciora complained.
"Besides, does running a tavern count as a restaurant? I don't think so."
"Well, even so, I really can't understand how you burned down the kitchen."
"Not everyone can be a perfect maid like you who knows everything."
Ciora complained.
After all, Rita's usual performance would subconsciously make people think that Rita is a very good cook, even if no one said it.
"I'm just an ordinary person, an ordinary person, you know?"
"Miss Ciora, please have a clear idea of yourself. The word 'ordinary' is probably the least fitting adjective for you."
"Tsk, that hurts, bastard maid."
This phrase caused critical damage to the lonely Ciora.
"Miss Ciora, please don't forget that even though Tian Shi doesn't care much, I am now a maid apprentice."
Rita said with a smile.
"But you seem to have completely failed to master the skills a maid should have."
"I'm sorry, I'm generally not interested in those things."
Ciora pouted.
"By the way, do you have any kitchenware recommendations? Preferably something durable, but other than that, I'm not very picky."
"I'm under the impression that traditional kitchen knives are quite durable, as long as you don't burn down the kitchen."
Rita squinted at Ciora.
"If you burn down the kitchen every day, no kitchen knife will be useful to you, unless one day the Seven Thunders of Retribution suddenly go crazy and turn into kitchen knives."
"My advice is, if you can't, don't force yourself and try ordering takeout. As the saying goes, one step back opens up new horizons."
"We can't let those kids eat takeout every day..."
Ciora said a little depressed.
"Kids?"
Rita's face became thoughtful.
"Is that why Miss Ciora is working so hard to get an island?"
"Mhm."
Ciora didn't hide it either.
After all, this was no secret in World Serpent.
She used to be in Changkong City.
After all, that place is considered Anti-Entropy's private territory.
Although there are occasional accidents, it is generally safe.
As Ciora spoke, she looked at Mei, who was choosing kitchen utensils with her.
"Changkong City is the territory of ME Company."
Because Mei smoothly acquired the Herrscher's power, there is now no major Honkai collapse in Changkong City.
"I saw that things had calmed down recently, so I brought them. Actually, I should have done it a long time ago, but I didn't have time."
"Your words always make it seem like my presence allows you to relax."
Tian Shi complained.
But in a way, it's true.
If it weren't for Tian Shi, Raven would still be out there dealing with people and helping Jackal conduct experiments.
Even if the Stigma Project didn't exist, Ciora should still be an assassin and mercenary to earn money for the island.
But after Tian Shi came out, everything was fine.
The Stigma Project was terminated, and most of the original imaginary enemies became teammates.
Ciora said, "Can you believe I was able to become sisters with the strongest Schicksal Valkyrie, Durandal, last night?"
The island and other things were also created by Grey Serpent.
Ciora instantly went from being a worker who never dared to rest for a moment to a slacker who had nothing to do except play badly.
Half a month ago, if Ciora lost contact for ten minutes, her communicator would have exploded.
Now she turned it off for a whole day, and Grey Serpent seemed not to notice.
He didn't even mention it when he saw her.
Ciora seriously suspected that she might have blacklisted Grey Serpent on her phone, but for the sake of the island, Ciora did not do it.
"What? You mean Jackal?"
Shouldn't that guy be on the blacklist from the first day of the breakup?
"I can't say I'm slacking off... but I definitely have nothing to do."
With her big boss present, Ciora felt it would be better for her to hold back.
Although she sometimes missed the hard work she had done in the past, but...
Who doesn't like getting paid to play badly?
"Now, even if I don't clock in for a month, I can be considered fully present. How cool! Right?"
If it weren't for the poor quality and high difficulty, Ciora said she would even like to get another salary at Immortal Blade.
With her strength, it shouldn't be a problem for her to earn the salary of an S-class Valkyrie, right?
The annual salary, including benefits, of an S-class Schicksal Valkyrie is nearly 10 million euros, which is equivalent to nearly 70 million RMB per year.
Then a very strange phenomenon occurred: Ciora, who had the least to do with Tian Shi and held a grudge against Rita, now supports Tian Shi as much as she supported Grey Serpent.
Can you make me get an extra salary?
A-level is fine too! There are millions of euros in regular education! Wait, what?
Ciora looked at Rita with a strong hatred of the rich.
"?"
"Rita, hey, let me ask you, aren't you very rich?"
"Rich? Well... although I'm not too rich, I still have a few hundred million euros saved up that I can afford. After all, I don't have big personal expenses, and the Bishop doesn't skimp on bonuses."
Rita smiled.
Bonus was just a euphemism.
After all, Rita had to do dirty work in addition to her regular job, so the money she received was much higher than her regular salary; after all, she had only been an S-class Valkyrie for about four years.
But those words took on a different meaning when they reached Ciora's ears.
"Listen, listen, is this human language?"
Isn't she too rich?
The most luxurious island in the world is worth 56.5 million dollars.
Rita's savings are enough to buy the largest island in the world, and the remaining money can also solve the island's maintenance problem for a long time.
Damn it, that Schicksal benefit made her want to surrender to the enemy.
"It's amazing that you can now deceive your Bishop without any psychological pressure."
"Money has limited importance for us Valkyries... although it cannot be said to be unimportant."
Rita shook her head.
It is difficult for Otto to comment on this, but most of those who can become Valkyries are indeed nobles.
Furthermore, this is a profession where most people do not survive beyond their thirties... no, it is difficult to even make it past twenty-five.
Besides, it is very selective, and these salaries can become an inheritance at any time.
"If you were just greedy for money, who would be a Valkyrie?"
"Good point."
Ciora had to admit that Valkyries were indeed exchanging their lives for money.
In her opinion, most Valkyries didn't care much about money.
"How about you lend me some money, Miss Rita?"
"What?"
"To repair the kitchen. I haven't collected my salary this month yet. I paid someone to fix the house a few days ago, but now I have no money."
"You..."
Rita's expression was quite strange.
Girls like Ciora were quite rare in this circle.
"It's okay, I'll lend you some later. It's for those kids, after all."
"I thought you were going to tell me to get lost or something."
Ciora looked at Rita with admiration.
"Well, I have to admit, you don't seem so bad."
"The only thing I don't need is Miss Ciora changing her mind."
Rita sighed softly.
"But in that case, how about you let me visit your house?"
"Visit? Of course!"
"A warm reminder: Rita is a lolicon."
"Please don't slander me, Mr. Tian. And aren't you the same?"
Rita spun the kitchen knife in her hand with dissatisfaction.
Hey, someone used the word "also"!
Ciora: "..."
"Please don't look at me like that. I just like children. I don't have a loli complex."
Rita defended herself with a smile.
"Do you think I believe it?"
"I swear on Kiana, I really like children."
"That's right, admiring lolis is just a hobby; Tian Shi is life."
"..."
Ciora's mouth twitched, and she stared at Rita for a while before turning around and leaving.
I don't believe you!
"No, after all, I really want to help you."
Rita interrupted Ciora.
"After all, I don't know what kind of children you adopted; for example, what if you were a shotacon?"
"I felt inexplicably insulted."
"Well, I was joking. After all, helping children affected by disaster out of empathy is a noble act."
Rita shook the kitchen knife with dissatisfaction.
"Although I don't have a very good impression of you, Miss Ciora, I think I'm on the same side as you in this regard."
"Tsk, okay, even if it's hard for you to say, I remember you're very good at taking care of children, right?"
"Nothing special, just practice makes perfect."
"Your answer is unexpected and somewhat subtle."
Ciora's mouth twitched.
"I'll wait for you outside. Rita, remember to bring me a set of kitchen utensils. By the way, where are you going next?"
"Um... where is the nearest sex toy store?"
"Why do you think I would know?"
"Oh, didn't you buy the black stockings you're wearing?"
Rita covered her mouth, surprised.
"Rita, you really want to fight, don't you?"