Chapter 442

Hearing Griseo's words, Aponia's fist hardened. Was this portrait even proper? Why did they have to wait until Griseo was older to paint it? Shen Gonglin probably didn't have any ulterior motives...

"Griseo, listen to me, stay away from Shen Gonglin from now on."

Placing her hand on Griseo's shoulder, Aponia spoke earnestly. Griseo was puzzled. "Why?" she asked. Unable to understand, she looked at the mural again. Instead of answering Aponia, the girl changed the subject and spoke again.

"Mom Aponia ... I had this feeling when I saw this painting. It likes us."

Oh no, even Griseo has learned to change the subject. She doesn't seem to care about what I'm saying, which means she still wants to contact Shen Gonglin... Aponia is extremely conflicted. Upon hearing her words, Aponia also uttered a word that everyone is very concerned about.

"The answer to this question depends on the Ark... hmm?"

Before they could finish speaking, another presence interrupted Aponia. The two looked to the side and saw that Kosma had appeared there at some point. The boy with two horns on his head spoke up to stop Aponia, saying that this was not something Griseo should know.

"Shut up, Aponia... Stop here. That's what you should do now."

In the Elysian Realm Archives, Elysia covered her face and ran to Shen Gonglin's side. The girl seemed to want to show Shen Gonglin her shy face, but Shen Gonglin couldn't see any shyness in her expression. He held the Elysian Realm Archives archivist with one hand and pushed Elysia's head away from him with the other. He was playing rock-paper-scissors with the fairy when this girl suddenly came over. How annoying.

"I didn't see you being shy. Could you move away from me a little? I'm busy building up my relationship with Miss Fairy and don't have time for you."

Once again, attention was focused on that little Fairy Administrator, but Shen Gonglin's actions made the real Elysia very angry.

"What?! Mei saw such an innocent memory, I was blushing, Shen Gonglin, look closely, I'm really embarrassed... Also, the real me is right here, but you only focus on the administrator modeled after me, Shen Gonglin, that's not right of you, Mei, look at him!"

Elysia was very unconvinced. So, the only one who could defeat her was herself? And why did she feel a strange sense of satisfaction?

"Hmm... I didn't notice you were shy at all; in fact, I thought you were enjoying it."

Mei didn't comment on Shen Gonglin's situation; instead, she shared her thoughts on Elysia's state. Being seen in the past and then feeling embarrassed? That's not something Elysia would do.

"Wow... as expected of Mei, that's quite a bold statement. But it would be a lie to say I'm not happy. Mei really knows me. After all, Mei said she wanted to know everything about me and wanted to take our relationship to the next level, so of course I'm happy to accept that..."

Elysia put her hands behind her back and moved closer to Mei, looking at the girl's enchanting face up close. Even as a girl herself, Mei couldn't resist. Look at Elysia! If Shen Gonglin were this proactive, Mei would have given in long ago.

Chapter 146 It's Broken

This Elysia... is really something else. Luckily, her Dao heart is stable. Mei is absolutely certain that she likes men. Otherwise, Mei feels that she would definitely be won over by Elysia without even realizing it. She is indeed very charming and so proactive. She has to be careful.

"I don't think I said anything like that..."

Who said anything about developing a deeper relationship with her? Mei herself never said that. This guy just likes to misinterpret my meaning. Mei emphasized calmly, don't think that just because she said so much, I'll agree. Mei's head is very clear.

"Oh dear, Mei such a perfect girl, but this is the only thing she's not perfect about. If she were as frank as me, she would definitely be more popular... Okay, let's get back to Elysia, shall we?"

Extending her slender, white fingers, Elysia waved them in front of Mei, teasing Mei for a while before bringing up more serious matters that Mei was interested in. She knew Mei needed to balance work and rest; Mei had been looking at documents for so long and must be exhausted. Now that she had Alicia, her source of joy, to cheer her up, she was sure Mei would be happy.

"After learning about my past, what is the next thing Mei wants to know? Let me think... There are several suitable topics... I have so many things I want to tell Mei, my past, Mei can know them all."

Hopping and skipping, Elysia ran to the typewriter again, but this time the typewriter did not spit out the documents with her past printed on them. The machine made a clicking sound, but it wouldn't spit out the documents. What was wrong?

"What's wrong...? Listen, there seems to be a strange noise inside. Is something stuck?"

Mei also came over. The old-fashioned typewriter made a series of sounds befitting its age. Could it be broken? Mei and Elysia looked at the administrator, who was still being held in Shen Gonglin's hand. This kind of thing should be within her jurisdiction.

"Uh... wait, let me take a look. Strange, did it break because it hasn't been used for too long? Let me see the repair manual... It says in this situation you should do this first... then this, and finally... um... never mind! Just watch me, hey!"

Finally, I have a chance to get rid of Shen Gonglin. This guy has been looking for some kind of switch on me. Seriously, how could a girl have any weird switches? What does he think a fairy is?

Flying over to the typewriter, the Fairy Administrator carefully examined it. Then, she pulled out a small booklet from somewhere, glanced at it casually, and then slammed it down on the typewriter with a stick. She couldn't understand the repair manual at all, but these things could be fixed with a tap.

Shen Gonglin nods in satisfaction at the fairy's actions. He thought so too. There's a high chance that this kind of thing can be fixed with a tap. As for if it's not fixed... what does that have to do with me? I didn't do it.

After being hit so hard by the administrator, the typewriter made a mechanical whirring sound, and then, after a loud bang, it went completely silent. Mei stared blankly at the wisps of black smoke rising from it.

"... This time, it has completely stopped working."

"This shouldn't be... Strange, why isn't it fixed yet? It should be fixed by now."

The fairy girl flew around the typewriter, her small face filled with deep confusion. This shouldn't be happening. With her efforts, this thing should have been able to be fixed, but now it's like this. Why does she have the feeling that she messed it up? This kind of thing shouldn't happen to her.

"No, you just hit it hard with your staff. That doesn't even qualify as a repair."

Mei offered a rather amateurish explanation, which obviously wouldn't be accepted by the senior archivist. Mei still didn't understand how something like this should be fixed when it's broken.

"But based on past experience, this is the most efficient repair method."

The Fairy Administrator was biting her fingers in distress, and Mei also gleaned a lot of information from her words. Based on past experience, this thing often breaks down.

"I have my doubts about the source of your experience... but that's not important. Let's see... what to do with this typewriter you smashed, Shen Gonglin? Do you have any way to fix it?"

They placed their hopes on Shen Gonglin, who possessed the abilities of the Herrscher of Reason, capable of creating things out of thin air. Repairing a typewriter should be no problem for her.

"Unfortunately, this thing is too ancient. I have no idea about its internal structure, so even if I wanted to repair it, there's no way to."

Shen Gonglin helplessly shrugged. He wasn't Bronya. Within Bronya's core, the thoughts of 300,000 people were helping her. Those 300,000 people must have understood the internal structure of this typewriter. Shen Gonglin couldn't do that. His Herrscher of Reason Core was pure, so there was no need to worry about it going out of control, but it wouldn't provide such a great boost either.

"What?! I didn't break it! It's... it's... right, we ran out of paper! How can we print documents without paper, right?"

Fairy Elysia, feigning bravado but inwardly resentful, tried to shirk responsibility. How could such a conscientious administrator like herself make such a basic mistake? This thing wasn't broken by her. She racked her brains for a suitable reason. Yes, that must be it.

Looking at the Fairy Administrator who had convinced her, Mei crossed her arms and wasn't going to let her get away with it.

"But isn't this the memory space? And when it was functioning normally just now, there didn't seem to be any paper being fed in, right?"

Faced with Mei's calm questioning, the beautiful Fairy Administrator clearly began to panic. Why was this woman so hard to fool? Did she really have to make her admit that she broke it? Honestly, such an aggressive girl is not cute at all!

"I... I'm the administrator of this archives! This human, who's just as adorable as me, has to listen to the Fairy Administrator!"

When she couldn't win an argument, she resorted to using her position to intimidate others. The librarian, hovering in the air, crossed her arms like Mei, believing herself to be the boss in this archive room. What she said was law. It must be because there was no paper; there couldn't be any other reason. Even if Mei was a girl as cute as herself, she couldn't contradict her on this matter.

Chapter 147 Elysia is a good person

"Okay, then it's as you said, the printer ran out of paper... Oh right, here's a blank sheet of paper that was just printed out, now we have paper, right?"

Mei, with a mischievous glint in her eye, handed a piece of white paper to the administrator. To everyone's surprise, the administrator actually took the paper. The fairy held the white paper in both hands, looking somewhat bewildered. She seemed about to cry from being bullied.

"Well, that's already been used! It can't be used anymore!"

Okay, that's obviously an excuse. The thing is definitely broken. The "no more paper" excuse is just her reason.

"Okay, I got it. I just need to find you some unused blank paper, right?"

Ultimately, she was a kind girl. If it were someone else, they would definitely have bullied this fairy until she cried. But Mei stopped and even went along with what the Fairy Administrator was saying. This thing was definitely broken, but she stubbornly insisted that it wasn't broken. She was probably waiting for me to leave so she could actually fix it.

The understanding girl prepared to leave and give her enough time, hoping that she could really fix it.

"That's right! I'll fix it in the meantime... I mean, once you find a real blank sheet of paper, this typewriter will be working properly!"

As if he had found a suitable reason, the Fairy Administrator, hands on his hips, floated in the air and said arrogantly, "Now all I need to do is send them away so I can take a good look at the manual and fix this thing. I can't lose face as the administrator of the Elysian Realm Archives."

Okay. I don't have any other choice now, so I can only go outside and wait for a while.

Mei knew what the demon was thinking, but there was nothing she could do. She could only pull Mei Shen Gonglin's hand and walk towards the outside of the archives room. With her there, the demon would definitely be too embarrassed to fix it. In order to fix it as soon as possible, she shouldn't stay here any longer.

They really are like fairies and elves from fairy tales, only willing to work when people are not around or are asleep.

"Alright, then I'll go out and find some suitable blank paper. You... do your best."

Outside the Elysian Realm Archives, Mei and Shen Gonglin strolled along, enjoying the scenery. But someone else was completely different from their leisurely demeanor. Elysia was carefully searching around, in corners, along the roadside, and even in flowerbeds. She was looking for something diligently, muttering to herself as she searched.

Blank paper, blank paper... Where can I find it?

Looking for paper in a square like this—is Flame-Chasers's thinking really that advanced? She should also know that the claim of no paper is just an excuse, after all, the administrator was modeled after her; she couldn't possibly not know that.

"... Do we really need to search this hard?"

Unable to resist speaking up, Elysia knew they were out here to give the Fairy Administrator time to fix the typewriter, so why was Elysia actually looking for them?

"Hehe, Mei, you have to take every little thing in life seriously, Mei... Hmm, should we peel off the Eden poster? The back is just a blank sheet of paper, maybe we can use it."

Elysia had her eye on the Eden concert poster on the wall, and suggested it while resting her chin on her hand. In the end, she abandoned this bold idea and took every little thing in life seriously. That's Elysia.

"... Okay, I'll help look for it too."

Shaking her head somewhat speechlessly, Mei also prepared to join the search. After all, if she didn't bring anything back, the Fairy Administrator would have an excuse, and if she found the blank paper and brought it back, she wouldn't have any reason to do so.

"Hmm! But Mei, I feel like this is a bit inefficient. How about... we split up and look for it separately? I'll take care of this side, and you guys take care of that side, okay? We can switch over too, you know?"

Elysia was taking this matter very seriously and was genuinely thinking about the most efficient way to search. Mei Shen Gonglin and it didn't matter which side they searched for.

"Okay, we'll meet up when we find the meeting point."

Mei and Shen Gonglin walked away to the side. After walking a little further away, she secretly glanced back. Elysia... She probably went back to help that administrator lady show off her typewriter, right? Oh well, there's no need to dwell on this. What's done is done, and there's no need for me to say anything.

Let's give them a little more time.

Mei was incredibly clever, and she quickly came up with this idea. Since they were going to kill time, it would be better to go for a stroll in Elysia's garden. That way, they could probably fix the typewriter when they got back.

"Mei, should we go and launch a surprise attack? Elysia is probably helping her fix her typewriter right now. If we suddenly show up, we can definitely catch her red-handed."

Mei Shen Gonglin eagerly, and Mei tapped his head lightly in annoyance. This guy had also figured it out. Mei wasn't surprised, but didn't he intend to act like a human being? At a time like this, he should definitely pretend not to know.

"No need, come with me for a walk. Maybe we'll run into other Flame-Chasers... Didn't you notice those graffiti-like colors on the wall? If I'm not mistaken, the other Flame-Chasers should be here too. And if you're looking for blank paper, then Griseo is the perfect place to find it."

Having stopped Shen Gonglin's inhuman behavior, Mei half-forcibly led him away from the plaza. The closer they got to the garden, the more graffiti appeared on the wall, and the source of these colors was undoubtedly her.

Sure enough, Mei hadn't gone far when she saw the group of people talking ahead. Griseo was there, and there were also... Kosma and Aponia.

"Mei... and Shen Gonglin?"

Footsteps approached, Griseo looked up to see Mei and Rin Shen Gonglin walking over. They nodded to Griseo, and Mei, upon arriving, also noticed the somewhat strange aura. Aponia seemed to be confronting Kosma.

"Griseo, hello... It seems I've arrived at the wrong time?"

He glanced at Aponia and Kosma over there; the atmosphere between them was somewhat tense. Perhaps he shouldn't have come over now.

"No, we'd love for Mei to come anytime, Amo, Aponia- mama, don't you agree?"

Chapter 148 A Man Even More Brut Than a Bull

The two were still locked in a standoff, the atmosphere as silent as ever. Apart from Griseo, Mei, as always, felt no welcome. What were they doing? To be able to argue with a withdrawn boy like Kosma, what terrible things had Aponia done?

"... Never mind, I don't want to say it a second time."

The cold war between the two didn't last long, as Kosma inexplicably uttered those words. The horned boy shook his head; he had never been able to stop Aponia from doing whatever she wanted.

"If you insist on this, I will naturally not say anything more. But sometimes, letting the truth fade away... is not necessarily a better choice."

"It will only be a bad thing."

"Kosma, I used a better word... if Griseo would prefer that?"

"... How can you prove this isn't just an excuse? And how can you prove you didn't unknowingly put pressure on her?"

Mei was as bewildered as ever by their conversation. She couldn't understand what they were saying, let alone Shen Gonglin. Although Rin seemed to be staring intently at Aponia, Mei realized that Shen Gonglin was actually just looking at Aponia's straight, long legs.

Hmph, she's dressed like a nun, yet she's showing off such long legs. She's so shameless. Look at the headmistress, she's dressed like a nun too. That's what a proper nun looks like.

Noticing Griseo's expression, it seemed that the argument between the two had frightened her. This tense atmosphere might have a negative impact on Griseo. Considering Griseo 'Griseo personality, whether for her safety or simply for the sake of the child, he couldn't ignore it.

Although Mei actually wanted to see Aponia and Kosma fight each other until their brains popped out, she reluctantly decided to mediate in order to avoid negatively impacting Griseo.

"Ahem... Although it might seem like meddling, since you all call yourselves Griseo's protectors, shouldn't you consider her feelings?"

Mei interrupted the conversation between the two Flame-Chasers, who were clearly displeased by the interruption. They then turned their anger towards Mei. Kosma turned to stare at Mei: "Mind your own business? That's certainly true."

Not only Kosma, but even the "gentle" Aponia had nothing good to say about Mei's behavior at this moment.

"Mei ... It wouldn't be good to rashly interfere in the conflict between the Flame-Chasers. Please, rest assured, Kosma and I... just want to reminisce about some old matters."

Mei subconsciously used a suggestion, and now it was Mei to be unhappy. She had become wary of Aponia's suggestion. If Aponia hadn't used that word, she might have trusted her a little more.

"Oh dear, this is really... I'm sorry, Mei, I'm sorry you had to see this. I only meant to protect Mei's safety."

Sensing Mei's wariness, Aponia gently shook her head. She meant no harm, but perhaps because their conversation hadn't been pleasant, Mei had been on guard.

"Protect? The word is more unsettling coming from your mouth."

Kosma said sarcastically, glancing at Mei. The girl seemed to understand Kosma hint and gestured for him to walk a few steps to the side. Was there something he didn't want Griseo to hear?

To be honest, her only intention was to borrow a piece of paper; she really had no intention of getting involved in the conflict between the Flame-Chasers. She glanced at Griseo, where Shen Gonglin was talking nonsense with the child. Mei hesitated for a moment and took a few steps over. Did he have something he wanted to say to her?

"... Here's a piece of advice, Herrscher of Thunder. Don't easily trust any of us. We all have secrets, including me, and..."

Kosma hesitated for a moment, then lowered his voice and said, "Don't easily trust any Flame-Chasers." Noticing Kosma's hesitation, and noticing that he seemed to have glanced in Griseo's direction, Kosmo seemed to mean that there were things about Griseo that he didn't understand... And, should he believe Kosmo's words or not?

"Flame-Chasers... is not a hero after all. The so-called Elysian Realm... is far from as wonderful as its name suggests. Herrscher, if you intend to continue digging here... you'd better remember this and not do that again."

It was quite rare to hear so much from Kosma, as he usually only communicated with his eyes. However, even after hearing so much, Mei didn't glean any useful information. This guy seemed to be good at telling riddles. Riddlers should just die! After listening to all that, Mei felt a headache coming on.