Chapter 411

"It's alright! Mei is an exception, it won't matter if she writes a few IOUs. Here, just sign here."

Mei took out the IOU she had already written from her small bag and signed her name speechlessly. However, she was also attracted by what Pardofelis had just said: an exception. Why was she an exception?

"Pardofelis, what do you mean by the special case you mentioned?"

Unable to resist asking, Mei suddenly had a very bad feeling; it probably wasn't what she thought.

"Hmm? Mei- nee, don't you know? I heard from Sister Elysia that Mei is a very trustworthy person, someone who always keeps her word. With Sister Elysia as my guarantor, of course I feel at ease."

Pardofelis put away the IOU with a happy smile, but Mei's expression stiffened slightly. This couldn't be what she thought, could it?

"... Just in case, let me confirm. Elysia... what did she say to you?"

Still unwilling to give up, Mei held onto a sliver of hope that she might have misunderstood. "Elysia, she shouldn't be that ruthless. Calm down, I have to calm down."

However, Pardofelis's words completely shattered Mei's last shred of hope. The cat-like girl tilted her head in confusion and looked at Mei. Why did Mei seem a little off? It must be just her imagination.

"It's about you promising to let her touch your corner, right? What happened? She's been talking about it everywhere with a megaphone. From this incident, I know that Mei is an honest and trustworthy person."

Pardofelis inadvertently betrayed Elysia, Mei's face darkened completely. This vixen, shouting everywhere with a megaphone... does that mean the entire Elysian Realm knows that she touched his horn?

This guy actually dared to spread such a shameful and embarrassing thing around with a megaphone. He really doesn't care about his own reputation!

"Elysia ... Shen Gonglin, Pardofelis, wait here for a moment. I'm going to kill someone and I'll be right back."

Mei drew her long sword and walked toward the Elysian Realm Lounge on the other side with a dark face. Immediately afterwards, a commotion of chickens and dogs came, and then Shen Gonglin and Pardofelis saw Elysia being chased by Mei with a sword. The two of them tacitly made way for her. As expected of Mei, she even dares to chase after Sister Elysia with a sword. How amazing.

Chapter Thirty-Five: An Unreal Feeling

After waiting for a long time, when they saw Mei return with a dark face, Shen Gonglin and Pardofelis knew that she must have been escaped by Elysia. No wonder that fairy said she would be happy all day long. It turned out that she had already spread the news throughout the entire Elysian Realm with a megaphone. This girl is really heartless.

"Phew... Shen Gonglin, next time I'll plant an anchor point on that girl, so that whenever I remember, I can rush over and slash her. That way, I'm sure I'll succeed at least once."

Mei took a deep breath and solemnly said to Shen Gonglin, "I've been trying so hard to keep this a secret, but Rin has gone and started spreading it around the Elysian Realm with a megaphone. Now the whole Elysian Realm knows that she touched my horn. Just thinking about it makes Mei want to die."

"Um... Mei, it's not that serious, it's not that serious. Sister Elysia was probably just joking... By the way, aren't you going to the Deepest Place? Let's go, let's set off now."

Seemingly startled by Mei, Pardofelis's tail fur stood on end. The cat-like girl smiled ingratiatingly at Mei, then desperately tried to change the subject. Had she said something she shouldn't have? She couldn't afford to offend Sister Elysia too. Although Sister Elysia had a good temper and seemed to never get angry, it was precisely this kind of personality that made her all the more dangerous when she did.

"...Okay, let's go."

Pardofelis is right, there are still important things to do. Mei forced herself to suppress her anger and focus on what she needed to do next. Calm down, even if she could cut Elysia to pieces now, it wouldn't help, so it's better to focus on the important matters first. In this state, Mei was even less likely to provoke Mei Shen Gonglin. Led by Pardofelis, the two followed the path to the gallery-like space they had just visited. According to Pardofelis, they shouldn't encounter Kosma here... But what is this guy doing now?

"Hey—Amo, are you there? Hey—"

Pardofelis cupped her hands around her mouth and shouted loudly. The girl's clear voice carried far. Unexpectedly, Shen Gonglin and Mei looked at Pardofelis in surprise. Wasn't she supposed to lead them through the side path to bypass Kosma? Why did she look like she was here to find him? What was she thinking?

"Looks like he's really not here... Why are you two looking at me like that? We should be on the safe side. It would be troublesome if we really ran into Ah Mo, so I'm just calling out a few times to see if he shows up. If he does, we'll just say we were taking a walk and chatting and accidentally wandered over here... That way, even if it is Ah Mo, he can't do anything to us."

She smiled and explained to Shen Gonglin and Mei that this was the way a shrewd merchant operated. Without these two tricks up his sleeve, how could he possibly gain a foothold here? As the weakest of the Thirteen Flame-Chasers, Pardofelis also had her own way of dealing with people. Otherwise, what if she got caught? That would be too terrible.

"... You really are well-prepared, Pardofelis."

Mei was speechless at her thorough preparations. Oh well, since she was used to it, she might as well go with the flow. Anyway, there was no one more suitable to guide her than her right now. Knowing this girl's personality, if she were really caught, Mei had no doubt that she would immediately turn against her and say that she and Shen Gonglin had forced her to come...

"Hehe, better safe than sorry, better safe than sorry!"

Pardofelis smiled and continued to lead the way, while Shen Gonglin and Mei followed in her footsteps. They didn't know what awaited them ahead, and since there was nothing else to do, Mei finally spoke up and asked the question that had been bothering her for a long time.

"Rin... why do I have this feeling that in the Elysian Realm, you seem... always very passive?"

Finally, Mei spoke her mind. Pardofelis was happily leading the way and wouldn't notice what was happening on their side. Even if she said something now, Mei wouldn't hear her. Mei then spoke her mind. She didn't know if it was just her imagination, but... she felt that although Shen Gonglin was right beside her, he never seemed to actively get involved in any of Flame-Chasers's affairs. It was as if he only reacted when something affected him.

It just feels a bit... nonchalant?

Mei can't say for sure.

"Hmm? Is that so? It must be your Mei, Mei..."

Unexpectedly, Mei noticed this point. Mei was slightly taken aback when Shen Gonglin pointed it out, and then his expression turned somewhat unnaturally. Mei was right. He did not have any intention of taking the initiative in the Elysian Realm. Although he would draw his sword at Chakravartin and touch Elysia's ear, everything around him reminded Shen Gonglin that his current experience... did not count as reality.

Could it be the power of the Herrscher of Consciousness? Or perhaps it's the power of Shen Gonglin herself? Kurumi and Yukari Yakumo, who claims to be her older sister, have both said that their constitution is special, and no negative situation can affect them. Forcing themselves to accept it would only burden their bodies. Back in the underground chapel of St. Freya, when Kiana experienced the illusion of Siberia Shen Gonglin forced her subconscious to engage with the illusion alongside Kiana. And the feeling now is quite similar to that time.

All of this... Thirteen Flame-Chasers, they are still standing alive before me, but their fate... Although Shen Gonglin doesn't know what kind of ending would be worthy of their magnificent lives, the ending is the ending. This "illusion" composed of memories and consciousness will eventually be resolved.

Whenever she realized this, Shen Gonglin felt a desire to leave this Elysian Realm, but because she was worried about Mei, Shen Gonglin kept forcing herself to accept the concept that this place was real. This also meant that Shen Gonglin didn't have much energy to actively engage with other things, and she didn't expect that Mei would discover it.

This girl is indeed much more perceptive than the Kiana of the past.

"Okay, if you feel uncomfortable at all, be sure to tell me."

Knowing that Shen Gonglin had something on his mind, Mei didn't say much. The girl had no intention of pressing Shen Gonglin for answers; if he wanted to, he would tell her.

Chapter Thirty-Six: Preserving Strength?

"Hey, it looks like things are going even better than expected. We're almost at the finish line. We haven't encountered Amo or any of the soldiers that Little Griseo... It seems like this is another perfect infiltration for Pardofelis!"

Following Pardofelis's footsteps, Shen Gonglin and Mei entered a strange space. The ever-ascending staircase ahead was the only path in front of them. Pardofelis was particularly pleased that she had managed to sneak in so easily, as she herself had never expected it to be so smooth. As expected of herself, Pardofelis of the Dream Weaver, she was truly something else.

"Soldier...you mean this thing? Mei, it looks like it's running towards Pardofelis. Should we help it?"

Perhaps it was a case of too much joy turning into sorrow. Pardofelis was still standing there proudly with her hands on her hips, but Shen Gonglin had already seen the enemy appearing behind her. They had seen this thing before when they first met Kosma, and it wasn't particularly difficult to deal with. However, Pardofelis didn't seem to have noticed it.

"Don't worry, Pardofelis is one of the Flame-Chasers after all. Although she pretended to be powerless before, as Flame-Chasers, how could she possibly..."

Mei still had some confidence in Pardofelis, so she didn't rush to intervene. But when she saw Pardofelis being headbutted by that strange-looking sheep-like creature, even Mei began to doubt her own judgment. Pardofelis was really putting on an act. Even at this point, wasn't she going to show her true strength?

"... Mei, she got thrown into the air...and fell back down."

Shen Gonglin's gaze followed Pardofelis's small figure as she Mei Shen Gonglin, whose expression Shen Gonglin his own. Mei ultimately concluded, "She's probably still pretending. After all, she's Thirteen Flame-Chasers; it's unlikely she'd..."

"But... she's already been stepped on by the sheep's hooves several times. I feel like if you don't step in soon, Mei, the fur on her tail will probably be trampled off."

Shen Gonglin felt this didn't seem like an act. Could someone really fake it to this extent? Shen Gonglin knew he couldn't do it. He could already hear Pardofelis crying over there. After all, she had helped them both. Just leaving her like this was really a bit unethical.

"It's alright, I'll intervene if it really comes to that... Okay, looks like it's time to make my move. I didn't expect this guy to be so weak..."

Finally, Mei began to doubt her own judgment. Seeing that Pardofelis's cries were growing weaker and weaker, the girl finally drew her sword and made her move. A faint smell of burning air wafted over as the Herrscher of Thunder rushed to Pardofelis's side and rescued the girl who was being trampled by sheep hooves. The Herrscher girl threw Pardofelis in front of Shen Gonglin and then engaged in battle with the enemy. She had miscalculated earlier.

"It hurts... Shen Gonglin, I won't die... Hey? What are you doing?"

Pardofelis looked pitifully at Shen Gonglin. The girl, who had been so radiant just moments before, was now covered in bruises. This was the first time Shen Gonglin had ever seen Flame-Chasers so disheveled. She figured even Mobius, who had been beaten to a pulp by Mei, hadn't been this badly hurt. Feeling sorry for her, Shen Gonglin spat on his hand and was about to smear the bruises on Pardofelis's body. Pardofelis was immediately startled by this. Couldn't he find a more reliable way to treat her?

"Don't worry, someone said that my bodily fluids have therapeutic effects, so it should be useful... See, it really is."

He smeared saliva on Pardofelis's waist, and the sensation made Pardofelis tremble involuntarily. Then, she was surprised to find that the pain in her waist had really lessened a lot. The cat girl stared wide-eyed at Shen Gonglin in disbelief. Really? It really works that well?

I feel like I could totally collect some of Shen Gonglin's liquid and sell it in my own shop. Mobius is always getting beaten up by Robbery, so she'd definitely buy a lot of it, not to mention anyone else.

"It's really amazing! Shen Gonglin, help me apply this to the other parts of my body. That thing kicked my butt several times, it hurt so much... Hmm? Why do I feel a little cold? Is someone watching us?"

Before Pardofelis could even take off her shorts, Mei had already finished fighting and returned. As soon as she came back, Pardofelis immediately became more subdued. Her cat instincts made her dare not be arrogant anymore, and the girl turned into a pitiful girl again. Seeing Pardofelis like this, Mei also felt a little embarrassed. She hadn't made a move at first because she wanted to see Pardofelis's true strength, but she didn't expect this result. As Flame-Chasers, how could she be so weak?

"Phew... Mei, now... we're finally... safe, right?"

With her injuries mostly healed by Shen Gonglin, Pardofelis was finally able to stand up. The girl looked at the fallen monster with lingering fear. This was something Little Griseo had drawn; it was far too dangerous.

"...I'm sorry, Pardofelis, I didn't expect...you really..."

After thinking for a while, Mei took the initiative to apologize. This time it was indeed her fault, and Pardofelis's current state was inextricably linked to her, so she should honestly apologize. However, these words... were indeed hard to say. She thought she was actually very powerful. Aren't there often people like this who pretend to be weak but are actually hiding their strength? She originally thought Pardofelis was one of these people.

"... Mei, you don't think...I'm hiding my strength, do you...?"

She was still shaken by what had just happened. She was sent flying high by the monster and rolled around on the ground like a football. Not only her, but the Canned Food almost got hit too. She was just that weak. Who gave Mei the illusion that she was actually hiding her strength?

"...Um."

Mei nodded honestly, and her performance left Pardofelis speechless. She really didn't know what to say. She was really bad at the game. She believed in herself, okay? She really was the kind of person who couldn't beat anyone.

"... Alright, that won't happen. I'll handle the rest of the battle by myself."

"I feel a little bad for Pardofelis, "Mei said. "She's really bad, so let's not try to get her to show her true strength anymore."

Chapter Thirty-Seven: Shen Gonglin's Drawing Skills

Mei kept her word and took full responsibility for the upcoming battle. She had wanted to see if Pardofelis would reveal her strength at the last moment if she didn't intervene, but it turned out that the girl was really useless. It seems that not all of the Thirteen Flame-Chasers are superhuman fighters. At least Pardofelis... Mei thought that maybe Canned Food could fight even better than her.

Mei glanced at Shen Gonglin and Pardofelis behind her and began to feel helpless.

"Lick me, Shen Gonglin, lick me again. My waist is still a little sore, as are my wrists and neck. These places were stepped on by the soldiers that Little Griseo drew. It really hurts. Shen Gonglin, saving a life is better than building a seven-story pagoda."

After being healed by Shen Gonglin, Pardofelis was like a kitten that had received a sweet treat. She wondered if there were such amazing people in the world. She felt that he was even more powerful than the Flame-Chasers. His bodily fluids actually had a healing effect. Pardofelis felt that Elysia could relinquish the title of fairy. Shen Gonglin was clearly more suitable for the title than her.

"That's all, not a single drop left... If that's still not enough, lie down, and I'll drink some more water to prepare myself. I'll definitely soak you in it, okay?"

Shen Gonglin rolled her eyes and walked around Pardofelis, continuing on her way. This silly cat girl had been bothering her since earlier. Did she really think she had that much saliva? Shen Gonglin was already feeling a bit thirsty. As for her sore back, that was just because she liked to crawl around, and it wasn't a medical condition at all.

"... Shen Gonglin, as expected of you. No wonder Mobius is so interested in you. You and she are both perverts."

Pardofelis was horrified. Shen Gonglin could say such things to a pure and lovely girl with such impunity. It was truly terrifying. No wonder she was Shen Gonglin; she was even more perverted than the most perverted person she had ever met. Pouring water on her—that was probably what she meant, right? She wondered if it would have any therapeutic effect.

"Fine, you actually dare to insult Mobius. I've already recorded it, and I'll play it for Mobius when I get back."

Shen Gonglin pulled out the same megaphone as Elysia from behind her back—the one she traded three Crystal Flower for at Pardofelis's shop. Of course, this one was constructed by Shen Gonglin using her Herrscher of Reason abilities, and its effect was even better than Alicia's.

"I'm sorry, I was wrong! Please don't, just take it out on me. Come on, unzip your pants and let loose... Ouch!"

Pardofelis knelt down honestly and apologized to Shen Gonglin. Mei, who couldn't stand their nonsense any longer, finally lost her temper. She turned around and grabbed Pardofelis's tail. The sudden attack made the catgirl's tail fur stand on end.

"Stop messing around! What's going on here...? That girl, is she Griseo?"

Following the only path, Mei and her group had reached the end of the road, where a little girl with long, light blue hair was sitting. She was seriously drawing with a drawing board and paintbrush. At this time, it would be better to talk to her, as she was also a Pardofelis. But instead, she was playing that kind of shameful game with Flame-Chasers Shen Gonglin. It was too much!

They've never even played with me!

"Is that you, Kosma?... Hmm? No, it isn't."

The girl, who was focused on her painting, was drawn to the sound. She calmly turned her head and, realizing it wasn't her usual friend, looked over with some curiosity. It seemed like there were a few more colors here.

"Ouch, ouch, ouch... Mei- nee, you're so mean! Hi, little Griseo, long time no see!"

Pardofelis snatched her tail back from Mei's grasp, blew on it tenderly, and then waved energetically at Griseo. All the Flame-Chasers treated this little girl very well.

"Sister Pardofelis... and... who else?"

Purple eyes looked at Shen Gonglin and Mei. The little girl's eyes held a hint of Flame-Chasers, but she seemed hesitant to ask. Could such a young girl also Flame-Chasers? Mei was incredulous. Shen Gonglin's attention, however, was focused on Griseo's canvas. Looking at the colors of the oil painting, a familiar figure suddenly appeared in Shen Gonglin's mind. She also painted often, but... who was it again?

This might be what Sister Purple meant when she said that past memories are breaking through the seal on one's mind.

"They're all my friends, Mei- nee, Shen Gonglin. Oh, I forgot to tell you, this child is a little shy, so don't scare her... Hey hey hey! Shen Gonglin, what are you doing? You can bully me, but don't go bullying little Griseo!"

Before Pardofelis could finish speaking, she saw Shen Gonglin walk straight towards Griseo. Pardofelis screamed in fright, but Shen Gonglin ignored her. He walked to Griseo's side, and the blue-haired girl looked at the person next to her who seemed to be not much older than her with a puzzled expression. She saw him staring intently at his drawing board, and the usually indifferent girl suddenly felt very nervous. What was going on?

"This part is drawn incorrectly; it should be done like this."

Holding Griseo's hand that was holding the easel in one hand, Shen Gonglin took the paintbrush from her other hand. The paintbrush was dipped in paint, and Shen Gonglin began to draw on the easel in front of her. This way of drawing looks better.

"Wow! Shen Gonglin is actually teaching little Griseo draw? I can't believe it even if you beat me to death! Mei, is Shen Gonglin actually a painter? How can his drawing skills be so amazing!"

Cat was surprised. Pardofelis watched in disbelief as Shen Gonglin smeared colors on Griseo's canvas. At first, she thought Shen Gonglin was just scribbling randomly, but in the end, she realized that Shen Gonglin's painting skills were extremely high. This was too strong. Saliva could heal injuries, and he was so good at painting. His combat power could even overpower Jie Ge. Shen Gonglin... If he were Flame-Chasers, Pardofelis would really feel that he was reliable.

"I knew that Shen Gonglin could draw before, but I didn't expect him to draw so well... especially oil paintings."

Mei was also very surprised. She knew that Shen Gonglin was a good artist when she designed Kiana's battle Shen Gonglin back in St. Freya, but she didn't expect her to be this good. Looking at Shen Gonglin, Mei felt proud. My man is really strong.

Chapter Thirty-Eight: Professional Translation

"Mission accomplished! This young master is indeed the best in the world."

The canvas of Griseo was covered with his colors, Shen Gonglin nodded with satisfaction. At the same time, he casually smeared the paint that had accidentally gotten on his fingers onto Griseo's face. This action was very natural to him, just like he would do it casually when painting with someone before. Shen Gonglin's painting skills were indeed very good, but he hadn't had many opportunities to show them off before. Today, he finally had this opportunity.

"You... your name?"

Without wiping the paint off her face, Griseo stared at the magnificent painting before her, unable to come to her senses for a long time. The girl looked at Shen Gonglin, her purple eyes, so similar to Shen Gonglin's, filled with admiration. Amazing, Griseo. I want to know his name.

"Hmm? My name is Shen Gonglin, the current Archbishop of Schicksal, the Commander of the Schicksal and Anti-Entropy Joint Command, the Captain of the Hyperion, and the Captain of the Fifth Squad Valkyrie. That's my attendant Raiden Mei."

Finally, someone asked who he was. Shen Gonglin had been waiting for this opportunity for a long time. He blurted out his identity. As for Mei... she didn't care about such things and just glossed over it.

"A follower? Haha, Shen Gonglin is hilarious... Ouch! Mei, that hurts!"

Pardofelis almost burst out laughing, while Mei stepped directly on her tail. The girl with two horns on her head had a slightly cold expression. A follower? Why didn't she introduce herself as his girlfriend? What, was it embarrassing to say she was his girlfriend?

"...Hmm, Shen Gonglin ...color, the color you like."

Griseo nodded, and then asked the question out of the blue. She wanted to leave Shen Gonglin's colors on her canvas, and this question gave Shen Gonglin a sense of déjà vu, as if someone had asked her a similar question a long time ago.

"My favorite color... or rather, what color I want to become. For me, it's the noble purple, of course. Don't call it gay purple, or I'll get mad at you."

Shen Gonglin reached out and pinched Griseo's cheek. After watching the girl's expressionless, cute face being pinched into various comical shapes, Shen Gonglin threatened her like this. Actually Griseo... probably didn't know anything about gay purple.