Chapter 403

Chapter Four: Execution by Cannon Fire

"Take a bite, Durandal, are you disgusted with me? This stuff is delicious, I guarantee you've never tasted anything better than this."

Changguang, oblivious to the atmosphere, continued to promote his favorite food. He felt embarrassed for deceiving Durandal before, so he really wanted to mend their relationship. Durandal, however, was getting annoyed by him and wondered if he could at least consider the situation.

"Yes, I'm a little disgusted... Can this thing taste as good as a jianbing guozi? I don't believe it. And what are you doing here, Nagamitsu? Why did you come to Shen Gonglin's room so early in the Changguang?"

Durandal glanced disdainfully at the tofu pudding. No matter what it was, it couldn't compare to the deliciousness of jianbing guozi. She clearly remembered that Changguang was very awake last night. She should have been sleeping in another room. After helping everyone get to Shen Gonglin's room, she left. And she's not here just to show off how delicious the tofu pudding is, is she?

"... To be honest, Durandal, your straightforwardness can be a bit hurtful sometimes. I do have something to do. I was thinking it would be a bit troublesome if you were asleep, but now that you're all awake, it's fine. I'm going to wash the sheets now. Remember, if the bishop asks about it in the future, you must casually mention that I washed the sheets. Don't make it too obvious."

Feeling rather troubled by his friend's low emotional intelligence, Changguang tapped his head and casually uttered those words. Why did he say it so unintentionally? Of course, it was to leave Shen Gonglin with the impression that he wasn't putting on an act for the sake of it. After all, he would be Shen Gonglin's subordinate from now on, and Changguang wanted to get along well with him. However, the young female professor's words brought a bit of energy to the gloomy roommates. Wash the sheets? Why would Changguang wash Shen Gonglin's sheets?

Has this girl gone this far to please her boss?

"Why are you looking at me like that? After all, I'm the one who made it dirty, so of course I have to wash it. I accidentally spilled some red wine on it when I brought you back yesterday. I was going to clean it up yesterday, but you all just lay down on it and fell asleep. I had no choice but to wait until morning. If you don't believe me, take a look. It's right here. I remember it very clearly."

Puzzled by everyone's reaction, Changguang pulled back the covers and pointed to the bright red stain on the bed. Yesterday, when she helped bring everyone here, she accidentally spilled wine on it, and the stain was still very obvious. She wondered if it could be washed off. If it couldn't be washed off, would she have to buy a new one? But she hadn't received a salary all year. Should she buy it on credit?

Oh no, this is bad.

Upon hearing what Changguang said, Kiana quietly lowered her hand from her lower abdomen. The girl keenly sensed that something was wrong, and wondered if she should run away first.

"Wait a minute, Changguang, you mean this is a stain from spilled red wine, not blood?"

As if grasping at a lifeline, Durandal gripped Changguang's shoulders tightly and said this, her lake-blue eyes shining. Is this what it feels like to find a way out of a dead end? This is the first time I've felt that Changguang is so useful.

"Yes, of course it's red wine. If it's blood... please, with so many battle-hardened Valkyrie here, you can't possibly not even recognize the smell of blood? Or did one of you have a leak yesterday? If so, then I won't be washing the sheets."

Changguang had no idea what was going on or why they were all looking at him with such excitement. Had he said anything strange? This stuff could only be red wine, what else could it be?

There was no time to pay attention to the ramblings in the second half of Changguang's sentence. After her reasoned clarification, almost everyone understood what had happened. Yesterday, Changguang was very sober. After taking them to Shen Gonglin's room, she didn't forget to have another drink. Then, she accidentally spilled the wine on the bed, which was the source of the red stain on the bed. After hearing her say that, Rita immediately leaned closer and took a sniff. Finally, the maid gave the final answer.

"It does taste like red wine. It must have been supplied to the market by a Parisian winery last year. It's not top-quality, but it's still quite good."

Okay, things are clear now. Everything was caused by them overthinking, which led them to have wild ideas and then follow those wild ideas. The culprit who caused this whole mess has now been revealed.

"Qi, Ya, Na".

Theresa looked at Kiana with a gloomy face, but the girl had already sensed that something was wrong and was preparing to slip away. After Theresa called out her name, the girl had already slipped to the door and was about to run away when everyone looked over.

"It's not my fault. I was just going along with what you were saying. I never said what happened... Besides, I just said it a little early. Anyway, it's bound to happen eventually, so what's wrong with me saying it in advance?"

After leaving those words, Kiana fled through the door, only to find a black cannon barrel appearing before her. Bronya had somehow appeared in front of Kiana, summoning Heavy-duty Rabbit and entering battle mode. Her expressionless face was unusually cold. It was all because of that idiot Kiana that she had almost cried. It was all that fool's fault!

"Uh... calm down, calm down, Bronya, don't be impulsive. The gun should be pointed at the enemy. I'm your best friend, I'm Kiana."

Forced back into her room by Bronya, Kiana was sweating profusely with nervousness. She had already paid the price for her reckless and careless remarks. Couldn't they give her another chance? If she had a choice, Kiana wanted to be a good person this time.

"Bronya doesn't recognize the Kiana in front of her... Headmistress, what should we do now?"

Bronya didn't even glance at Kiana. What should she do with this Kiana now? Bronya personally feels she should be executed.

"Let me think... Oh right, Kiana was supposed to be in charge of lower-level maintenance today, right? Seeing how energetic you are, then the maintenance and cleaning of the Hyperion Ship will be entirely yours. Good luck, Kiana, you can't eat until you finish, okay? What do you all think?"

Theresa smiled and said some very cruel words. She was really angry this time and had to teach this guy a lesson, otherwise he would definitely dare to do it again next time!

"As expected of Lady Theresa, we all agree to this punishment."

Rita, representing everyone, expressed her opinion. "Let's do it this way."

Chapter Five: The Musicians

"Bronya still wants to carry out the execution by cannon fire..."

Bronya spoke up weakly, but unfortunately, no one present seemed to notice Bronya thoughts. The girl could only shake her head helplessly. Clearly, cannon fire was the most suitable method, so why did no one agree with fighting? Against Kiana, cannon fire was undoubtedly the most effective way.

Kiana's sentence has been handed down; she's being escorted to clean up the entire Hyperion. Who told her to talk so much? But this also shows that Kiana is in a good mood. Unlike her previous composed demeanor, Kiana still has that playful side. Bronya is quite happy about this, but as for Shen Gonglin ...

Where did he go? Bronya looked at the Class President who was making the bed with Changguang. As Shen Gonglin's guardian, she should be the one most concerned about Shen Gonglin's whereabouts, but she didn't mention it at all. It seemed that she would have to rely on herself to find Shen Gonglin.

"Seele, can you help Bronya out?"

In matters like this, Bronya dared not trust anyone but her own sister. She was certain that her sister would not deceive her. As Seele approached, Bronya earnestly begged her for help. Although the incident had turned out to be a close call, Bronya had seen all her potential enemies in that experience.

Needless to say, the Class President's feelings for Shen Gonglin have been distorted for quite some time now. Bronya saw the maid's expression clearly at the time, as did Durandal. As for the others... Bronya didn't want to think about them anymore. It wouldn't be an exaggeration to say they were enemies of the world. The most outrageous one was Theresa. Why did she also show that expression back then?

Because of Theresa, Bronya felt a strong sense of crisis. After all, Theresa and she had overlapping images, both being lolis... oops, both being young girls. Had something happened between Shen Gonglin and the headmistress? She was supposed to be the first person to come into contact with Shen Gonglin; they had already gotten along very well when he helped her heal her legs. So why did she seem to be the one lagging behind now? This situation made Miss Bronya very unhappy, and she had to do something about it.

"Sister Bronya, what's wrong?"

Naive Seele had no idea what kind of brainstorming session Bronya was having. Of course, she would do her best to help her Sister Bronya, no matter what the problem was.

"Help me find Shen Gonglin. He must still be on the Hyperion. Find him and then notify Bronya... Seele is a master of hide-and-seek, she'll definitely be able to find him."

Bronya patted Seele on the shoulder. This was the mission the organization had given her. Seele nodded blankly. Find Shen Gonglin, right? She understood.

"So, Bronya sent you to find me, and now you've betrayed us, is that what you mean?"

In the storage room below the Hyperion deck, Shen Gonglin looked at the girl sitting on the box in front of her, aimlessly playing with her fingers, and said these words. It seems they are still angry. It's not my fault, so why did I hide away... I really don't understand.

"Yes, that girl honestly wanted to find you and hand you over to my sister in exchange for a reward, but I think it's more interesting to defect to the enemy. After all, when everyone is trying to find you, I'm hiding you. That feels the most fun."

Beneath her long, black and red hair were a pair of red eyes. Unlike the gentle and kind Seele, the one in control of the body now was undoubtedly the Black Seele. Bronya trusted her sister a lot, but she forgot that her sister had such a mischievous personality. She was indeed very good at hide-and-seek and finding people. In just a short while, she found Shen Gonglin.

After all, this guy got lost on the lower level, so he's actually quite easy to find.

"... You really are something. By the way, how are they doing now?"

Somewhat exasperated by Seele's tendency to have fun, Shen Gonglin shook her head and asked her about the wind direction outside. If it wasn't too dangerous, could she go out? After all, she was a victim in this whole affair; she was just drunk... How could such an excuse sound so lame?

It's like saying that he only made a mistake that any man would make.

"The situation is... Kiana has already been taken to wash the deck. Durandal and that maid seem to be preparing to leave. If you ask me, you shouldn't be in front of Sister Bronya right now. No, not just her, I feel like the others also want to stab you. For safety's sake, it's better to wait until they calm down first."

Black Seele earnestly offered advice to Shen Gonglin, seemingly for Shen Gonglin's sake, but in reality, she was just looking out for her own amusement. It wouldn't be fun if Shen Gonglin went back now; they would forgive him quickly. Only by letting Shen Gonglin run away first could things get more interesting. Calm down?

If you dare to wait for things to calm down at a time like this, you'll be the one who gets burned.

"Hmm... you're right. So where should I hide now? If I hide on the Hyperion, I feel like I could be discovered at any moment."

How could the "simple-minded" Shen Gonglin possibly know the sinister intentions of Seele in front of him? He thought this girl was genuinely thinking of him, but now Shen Gonglin really had no idea what to do. He felt like he had nowhere to go.

With Durandal and Rita by Schicksal, the Doctors of Anti-Entropy, and everyone on the Hyperion, it seems like I'm not safe anywhere.

"Let me think. It seems like you've really offended everyone this time... Wait, there's one more. Raiden Mei, you haven't offended her yet, have you? Go find her. That should give you some time to hide."

Black Seele made the suggestion, and Shen Gonglin's eyes lit up. That's right, she still had Mei. She couldn't stay Schicksal, she couldn't stay in Anti-Entropy, and now it seemed that World Serpent was the only option. At least she wouldn't have to worry about food while staying with Mei.

"You're right, Seele, thank you so much! I'm off!"

A golden portal opened, Shen Gonglin's figure vanished instantly. Black Seele smiled faintly, and when she opened her eyes again, her pupils had turned blue. "Huh... how did I get here...?"

"What happened to my other self while you were using your body?"

"No, nothing has happened."

Chapter Six

As soon as the space jump ended, Shen Gonglin smelled a strong odor of alcohol. Having just woken up from a hangover, Shen Gonglin was very sensitive to this smell. Could it be that Mei was drinking too...? Come to think of it, this size, could it really be Mei?

Blinded by something, Shen Gonglin didn't want to get up for the time being, but those hands pulled him out of his Shen Gonglin racked his brains but couldn't recall her name. He remembered seeing her before, those golden eyes...

"Welcome back. Have you forgotten who I am? Here's a hint: my name is Eden."

The moment he opened his mouth, a rich aroma of wine wafted out. When the drunkard in front of him uttered such words, Shen Gonglin's lips twitched. This could no longer be considered a hint; it was practically an open secret. Shen Gonglin finally remembered who the person in front of her was: one of the Thirteen Flame-Chasers, named Yixun.

"How could I forget you, Izuru? We met before, with Mei... By the way, where is Mei?"

Shen Gonglin looked around, but he didn't see the girl with two horns on her head. It seemed that his spatial positioning was still a little problematic. If it were the Herrscher Queen, she could have teleported directly to Mei's side.

"If you haven't forgotten, do you still remember what my mark is called... It's been a long time, hasn't it? As for Mei, she's not here right now, but I think she should be back soon, and she'll get what she wants."

Ignoring Shen Gonglin, Eden downed the wine in his glass in one gulp. This drunkard seemed to always have a wine glass in his hand. Shen Gonglin looked at the drunkard with a helpless expression. How did she end up running into him? It seemed a little difficult to get anything out of this drunkard.

"I saw something in your eyes that really bothered me... Did you think I was drunk? No, Shen Gonglin. A lot has happened since you left Elysian Realm. Mobius was defeated by Mei, and some unexpected changes have occurred in the Elysian Realm. Besides that, there's an outsider... Hmm, she's wearing black clothes, has a great figure, and is wearing red claws. Shen Gonglin, do you know who she is?"

Eden's tone remained calm, but what she said this time really bothered Shen Gonglin. What did she mean by Mobius defeating Mei? Mobius was that green Mobius. After she left, Mei fought with her? As expected of Mei, she should have taught that Mobius a lesson. But the kind of girl Eden described...

"You mean Raven? She's here too, where did everyone else go?"

In her memory, the only girl dressed like this Raven. Had she also come to this Elysian Realm? It was better to have someone she knew. In World Serpent, besides Mei, Raven was the person that Shen Gonglin trusted the most.

"Hmm...she was just here? Where did she go... Oh, it seems she went deeper into the Elysian Realm. I remember... Elysia was there too..."

Miss Jiumenzi's speech became increasingly incoherent, and in the end she even slumped onto the sofa. This drunken state left Shen Gonglin quite helpless. But as expected of a beauty, she was still so beautiful even when drunk. It seemed that it would be difficult to get anything out of this drunkard; she would have to rely on herself.

Seeing Eden about to fall off the sofa, Shen Gonglin reached out and picked her up. Eden was well-built and not very heavy, so Shen Gonglin could easily lift her up. However, just as he was about to put Eden down on the sofa, a footstep stopped behind him. Shen Gonglin turned around and saw a samurai girl with two horns on her head standing quietly in front of his saint. Shen Gonglin looked down at the girl who was completely drunk and defenseless in his arms, and then looked at Mei.

"I can explain."

Sigh, fake alcohol really is harmful, just like real alcohol.

"I see... Eden often gets drunk, you'll get used to it."

Mei is Mei for once; this girl actually listened to her explanation. After Shen Gonglin explained the reason, the misunderstanding was cleared up. Mei helped Eden back to the sofa, ignoring the girl's boastful words about wanting to drink more. Mei smiled at Shen Gonglin. After lending her power to Kiana, she didn't know what happened next, but now that Shen Gonglin explained, she finally felt relieved.

So that bishop has already left. It feels so unreal...

"It seems you two get along quite well... It wasn't like this when I left. By the way, where's Elysia? Eden just said the Raven went deeper into the Elysian Realm, and I'm quite concerned about that."

Looking at Mei's gentle movements, Shen Gonglin knew that she got along quite well with the Flame-Chasers in the Elysian Realm. Indeed, Mei was a good girl. Unless there were some overly individualistic people, she could generally get along very well with others.

"Elysia ... I'm looking for her too. She should be in the intelligence room over there. She's usually there."

Having become quite familiar with the facilities in the Elysian Realm, Mei pulled Shen Gonglin's hand and led her to another room. Sure enough, upon entering, they saw the pink-haired fairy girl pointing her finger at her chin, deep in thought. She wasn't surprised to see Shen Gonglin, as if she knew he would eventually come, though perhaps a little too late.

"Hey, Shen Gonglin, you're finally back! And Mei, why are you back so soon? I thought you'd be out there for a while longer."

She greeted the two of them happily. When they were exploring Elysian Realm earlier, Mei said she was going out to help a friend. Elysia thought she would take the opportunity to have a good get-together with her friend. She didn't expect her to come back so soon.

"Oh? So you're saying you don't welcome me back?"

Mei countered with a question, Shen Gonglin looked at Mei with some surprise. She felt that this girl's mouth had become venomous after spending so much time in the Elysian Realm. Mei would never have said such things before.

"How could that be? I just feel that since it's such a rare opportunity to reunite with someone important, I should spend more time with them."

Elysia smiled and said, while Mei frowned. How did she know? Did Elysia know what she had done in the outside world?

Chapter Seven: The Lost Raven

"How... how did you know?"

Mei had just left Elysian Realm and met Kiana through the space of the Herrscher Core, but how did Elysia know that? Mei couldn't help but wonder. This Elysian Realm, this Elysia, was full of mysteries. The more Mei explored here, the more mysterious it seemed. It was truly a headache-inducing place.

"Hmm? What do you know? Someone important? A reunion? Or spending time together? Wrong, actually I don't know anything. I only know that Mei is really happy right now. Her feelings are written all over Mei face. The last time I saw you smile like that was when we were together. It feels like this time... you seem even happier than then?"

Elysia pointed at Mei with her fingers, making this comparison. She was a little annoyed. Mei was actually happier now than when she was with her. She was really curious about that girl. What kind of person was she that could move Mei's heart like this? She herself had never been able to do that. However, if she were to get close to Mei in front of Shen Gonglin, she would probably be able to make the girl's emotions change drastically.

Whether it's good or bad, just tell me if your mood has changed.

"Mei, and Shen Gonglin, if you want to talk about that person, I don't mind. In fact, I'm just as curious about her as I am about you. Would you like to tell me about her?"

As if she were being coquettish, Elysia walked over and gently shook Shen Gonglin's hand. Mei, seeing this, narrowed her eyes and pulled Elysia's hand away. This girl seemed interested in everyone, but Mei didn't have time to argue with her about such things.

"Let's get down to business first. While I was away, someone saw you with Raven... What's wrong? Why are you looking at me like that? Shen Gonglin, you too."

Mei tried to steer the conversation back on track, but after she said that, both Shen Gonglin and Elysia's expressions became complicated. Mei didn't think she had said anything strange, but with those two's thought processes, who knew where they would go off on a tangent?

"Mei... do you know that this kind of statement can easily lead to misunderstandings? Or... is this really what you care about? I didn't misunderstand, you're actually a very possessive girl?"

Elysia looked slightly troubled. What she said was exactly what Shen Gonglin was thinking. Could it be that Mei had been in this Elysian Realm for too long? Although Elysia was a very pretty girl, girls shouldn't like pretty girls... Kiana and Mei seemed to have this tendency before, and she had finally managed to bring them back together. Why was Mei having this problem again now?

"I'm sorry, Mei. Although I do like you a lot, it's just that kind of liking. If we're talking about true liking or love, I prefer boys. So I can't accept you. I'm really sorry."

Elysia clasped her hands together and apologized to Mei. It was really a little sad to refuse the pretty girl's request, but it was necessary. Although she loved everyone, that special kind of love was definitely not something to be taken lightly.

"... It's like you're saying no one is immune. Where is she now?"

Mei was silent for a moment, then retorted, "As if anyone doesn't like men. When it comes to the Elysian Realm Girls, I, Elysia, dare to stand second to none. Now she's actually arguing about these things with me. Having spent some time with her, Mei knows how to deal with her. Just ignore her nonsense and follow along. What I want now is the whereabouts of Raven."

"Haha, okay, I'm just teasing you. Unfortunately, I'm completely clueless about this matter right now. It's really strange, I was clearly watching her the whole time, but she disappeared when I passed Pardofelis's shop."

With a gentle smile on her face, Elysia tapped her chin, revealing a slightly troubled expression. She would watch everyone who came to the Elysian Realm, but the girl in the black cloak had suddenly disappeared. Elysia had been watching her ever since she took off the cloak; she was quite a pretty girl.

The Raven... has disappeared?