Starting from the Collapse World, I became the behind-the-scenes boss

At midnight, Shihen got into Raven's car and sped off towards the outskirts of Raymond, leaving the city's hustle and bustle and lights far behind them.

"The moon is so round tonight."

Sitting in the passenger seat, Shihen couldn't help but sigh.

According to the lunar calendar, today is the 15th of August, a traditional Chinese festival for remembering relatives and friends.

But he was all alone in this world, so there was no one to remember him.

“Yes.” Raven looked up at the sky and nodded in agreement as he gripped the steering wheel. “Speaking of which, we owe a lot of the moon to the progress this mission has made.”

"Ok?"

Shihen timely expressed his doubts.

"Having been here for so long, you must have heard of the legend of Raymond, right?"

"That's what the raven said."

"That knight from a thousand years ago?"

Shihen asked.

The city is called Raymond, which is said to have come from a knight from a thousand years ago.

Although the knight's family no longer exists, many of his stories still circulate, the most famous of which is...

"A thousand years ago, a terrifying tsunami struck Sicily, with black waves reaching high into the sky, plunging the entire island into turmoil."

The raven slowly began to tell the story.

"The great Raymond traversed the sea, calming all the storms with a single sword strike, restoring clarity to the sky." Adding to this, Shihen's expression shifted to surprise. "So, this is true?"

Although this story was recorded in Raymond's history books, history is a complicated matter... well, you know what I mean.

In many cases, the subjective conjectures of the recorder also become part of history.

Perhaps Raymond was simply saving a few people in an ordinary storm?

The dust of time has been blowing slowly by, and only heaven knows what really happened in the past.

But the fact that Raven is investigating this matter indicates that Raymond's story is not entirely false, and there must be some hidden information within it.

"Based on my research, this Raymond is very likely a natural Stigmata Awakener."

As she spoke, Raven glanced furtively at the boy beside her.

"Are we looking for the stigmata left behind by Raymond?"

Ignoring the raven's gaze, Shihen frowned slightly and pondered silently.

If this story is true, then Raymond's power is ridiculously strong.

Faced with a massive natural disaster capable of annihilating the entire island of Sicily, he wouldn't be significantly affected, but to quell the storm with a single sword strike... he would probably need to use the power of a Herrscher core to achieve that.

The power of natural sacred marks has its limits.

At the very least, Shihen himself could not quell the natural disaster with the power of the Holy Mark alone.

"Perhaps." Raven curled his lip, neither confirming nor denying. "There's also intelligence suggesting that Raymond may possess a powerful relic from a previous civilization."

It was precisely because of the power of that sacred relic that she was able to save Sicily.

Raymond, whose full name is Olivia Raymond, was a female knight who lived a thousand years ago.

"A relic... This treasure hunt is going to be interesting."

A hint of anticipation flickered in Shihen's eyes.

Generally speaking, relics left over from pre-civilization eras can be called artifacts, among which the Divine Key series is the most famous.

But aside from the Divine Keys, the other artifacts aren't necessarily that bad, because you never know just how far those lunatics at Flamemoth have skewed the tech tree.

For example, the immortal holy sword that can cut through space—Durandal.

If anyone dares to say that Durandal is inferior to the Key of Gods, then the strongest Valkyrie will immediately jump out and give you two punches.

"Don't get your hopes up too high. Until the very end, nobody knows what they'll find this time."

The raven offered its advice in the tone of someone who had been through it all.

She's encountered this kind of discrepancy between the advertised product and the actual item many times before.

The intelligence might indicate a holy sword, but once you reach your destination, you'll find that what's stuck there is merely a magnificent sword of courage, perhaps with a shield of radiant will as a bonus.

Nodding, Shihen indicated that he had taken the advice to heart.

Looking at the moonlit fields in the distance, Shihen turned to the raven dressed as a mercenary and asked, "By the way, what does Raymond's legacy have to do with the moon?"

The moon wasn't mentioned in the story just now.

“There is a record that says Raymond ascended to heaven at the end of his life and went to the divine kingdom on the moon,” Raven said softly, looking at the moon that shone with infinite light in the sky. “And that day happened to be a full moon.”

Time traces: ...

Another sword sweeps across the sea, another lifts the moon to ascend to heaven—what kind of ultimate Frankenstein's monster is this?

Could Raymond's holy sword have been pulled out of the stone again?

However, the full moon...

Looking at the perfect white jade disc on the horizon, Shihen inexplicably thought of the Honkai Beast he had encountered in the sea during the day.

Although it is unclear what a full moon actually means, since it is something worth recording, the moon must possess extraordinary significance.

It really makes me more and more excited.

Under the moonlight, a slanted smile curved the corners of the boy's mouth.

Chapter Ten: Treasure Hunt Under the Moonlight

After driving for a while, Shihen and Raven finally stopped at the foot of a mountain.

"We can't drive on the road ahead; we'll have to walk it ourselves."

Raven got out of the car carrying a black leather bag and pointed with a powerful flashlight to a winding path leading uphill beside the highway.

"What's up there?"

Carrying a leather bag similar to those used by legendary mercenaries, Shihen also carried a flashlight.

I have no idea where Raven drove the car. There are streetlights every few miles here, and the path is pitch black, not even the moonlight can reach it.

Although Shihen himself was able to see in the dark, since Raven, the organization's top leader, was holding a lamp, he naturally had to be more discreet.

"You'll know when you arrive."

The raven simply smiled mysteriously.

They continued uphill along the path, both moving at a considerable pace.

After all, they possess Honkai energy, so Raven and Shihen's physical abilities are far beyond those of ordinary people. For them, the winding, dimly lit forest paths are no different from flat roads.

Before long, the two arrived at the end of the road.

After turning a corner, a magnificent building appeared before the two of them.

Like a castle often seen in knight tales, the building is constructed entirely of brick and stone, surrounded by a thick, high wall with an uneven surface that provides openings for shooting, and several tall towers in the corners.

Inside the walls is the main Gothic-style building, which looks magnificent and grand.

Without a doubt, this is a castle in itself!

But unlike the solemn and majestic castle in the story, this castle was deserted and unlit, clearly having been abandoned for many years, with several gaps in the walls.

Under the moonlight, the castle resembled a broken corpse, waiting alone for visitors to come and pay their respects.

"This is the castle that the Raymond family has passed down through generations."

"It is," the raven explained.

"Could Raymond's treasure really be inside?"

He frowned, expressing his strong doubt.

A thousand years is a very long time; even a country's dynasties can change several times over.

To expect that there are still many treasures left in this castle is like believing that Qin Shi Huang could rise from his grave and become a great general after being fifty years old.

“According to the results of the investigation, strange Honkai energy fluctuations are emitted here every time there is a full moon.” Raven took out a palm-sized device and pointed to the ripples on the screen, saying, “There is definitely something hidden in this place, but ordinary people can’t see it.”

Seeing Raven's serious expression, Shihen could only nod and accept the result.

Although this statement may not sound very scientific, it is actually quite in line with scientific principles.

Simple optical camouflage is enough to create an invisibility effect, not to mention that the previous civilization also possessed advanced technology that could interfere with space.

If Raymond from a thousand years ago truly possessed a relic, then it's possible that he would do anything that defies common sense.

Honkai energy combined with pre-civilization technology was equivalent to a god in ancient times when civilization's technology was not advanced. Its methods and power were completely beyond the imagination of ordinary people.

If you examine it closely, you will find that many of the myths and legends of this era are related to relics of previous civilizations.

After passing through the collapsed city gate and entering the castle, an even more desolate scene unfolded before the two.

Wildly growing weeds have taken over every patch of land where it can grow, bricks and rotten wood are piled up haphazardly, and occasionally you can see a few skeletons that have long since turned to white bones.

"It is said that this place was still in use until World War II."

Looking around at the desolate landscape, the raven spoke with a hint of surprise.

"It's a pity that we can't fine those people now for damaging ancient buildings."

As he scanned the area, Shihen did indeed find some traces that appeared to be left by explosives, but he was not sure because of the great age of the objects.

“This castle was rebuilt more than a hundred years ago, and every single brick is no longer the same.”

The raven pursed its beak, its boots creaking softly on the grass and debris.

"Even so, Raymond's treasure still hasn't been discovered?"

Shihen couldn't help but admire the other party's profound knowledge of the art of survival.

It's likely that this knight will have a lot in common with a certain doctor who has been a recluse in the Thousand Worlds One Journey for 50,000 years.

“Yes,” Raven couldn’t help but exclaim. “There is information suggesting that the relic that Raymond possesses is very likely related to space.”

Space has always been the most challenging aspect of technology.

Things often get very complicated when these things are involved.

"Didn't Heaven discover this?"

Shihen couldn't help but ask.

That bishop has always been very interested in spatial abilities.

Moreover, Sicily is really not far from the headquarters of Destiny.

“The technology of World Serpent and Schicksal is not exactly the same.” Raven raised the palm-sized device in his hand with a hint of pride on his face. “This is the organization’s latest Honkai energy detector.”

If it weren't for the breakthrough in this technology, the World Serpent probably wouldn't have noticed what Raymond was hiding.

"That's it."

The traces of time are evident.

Although the three giants are often compared, each organization has a very different technological focus.

For example, both are biotechnology, but Schicksal's artificial Stigmata universally improve the Valkyrie's Honkai energy adaptability, while World Serpent directly abandons human identity and is dedicated to turning humans into Honkai Beasts.

Therefore, it is quite normal for World Serpent to surpass Destiny in certain aspects of technology.

"But..." Putting aside his wandering thoughts, Shihen stepped through the collapsed door into the castle hall, a hint of hesitation in his expression. "Where should we even begin our search?"

Even though it was already in ruins, the castle was still too vast for them.

Standing at the entrance to the castle hall, the two looked like children who had mistakenly wandered into a giant's house.

Faced with such a large castle, even a large archaeological team would need a long time to explore it completely, let alone just two people like them.

“There’s no need to search every corner. We can use some modern methods.” As he spoke, Raven pulled a disc-shaped device out of his bag. “Install these things around the castle. The locations and instructions for use have already been sent to your terminal.”

Over a thousand years, even though this place was once a noble castle, explorers with all sorts of purposes were able to search every corner of it.

Trying to find Raymond's treasure through normal means is nothing short of a pipe dream.