Chapter 444

As they walked back, Mei asked about this matter. She felt that if she hadn't come over, Aponia and Kosma might have actually started fighting. The Flame-Chasers Mei n't a monolithic entity. Judging from Aponia and Chakravartin, Aponia Aponia Kosma in the same situation?

Aponia seems to be not very popular.

"I understand what you mean Mei. After all, in a sense, they are all Griseo's guardians, but they each have their own stance. However, most of the time the three of them won't be present at the same time, so there's no need to worry."

Smiling at Mei, Elysia fluttered and leaped ahead like a beautiful butterfly. The three of them returned to the archives. Fairy Elysia carefully placed the typewriter on the table. It had already broken once, and she had to be careful not to break it again this time, since she had already used the excuse of not having paper once.

"Elysia, it seems that everyone's life here is inextricably linked to you, is that so?"

In the archives, Mei carefully recalled all the Flame-Chasers she had encountered, and then she discovered a common thread: all the Flame-Chasers had a strong influence of Elysia in their lives. Was this a coincidence, or was there another reason?

"Oh my god, Mei suddenly praised me so directly! Could this be... a heart-pounding offensive? That's so unfair!"

As always, she liked to misinterpret Mei's meaning, but this time Mei wouldn't be fooled. This girl pretended to be interested in her, but her heart was probably with Shen Gonglin. However, her reaction clearly indicated she wasn't talking to her directly. Mei stared at Elysia for a long time, then could only sigh. There really wasn't a good way to deal with Elysia.

Chapter 152

"Never mind."

Mei's voice was filled with helplessness; reason told her not to dwell on it anymore. After all, Elysia would only react the same way, and continuing to agonize over it would only bring her more suffering.

"Maybe you can remove 'seems' from it. Which Flame-Chasers's story here isn't intertwined with others? You'll understand soon enough. Alright, which period of me does Mei want to see next? Mei, come along this time too. Seriously, Rin didn't want to know about my past but looked at Kosma's past... No way, could it be that Rin is more interested in cute boys like Kosma than pretty girls like me?"

Alicia actively invited Mei to continue exploring her past. This time, Elysia also invited Rin Shen Gonglin. To prevent him from refusing, Elysia even brought up Kosma, saying that he had even looked into his past but was unwilling to pay attention to her, which was not fair at all.

"Who said that? I think it's not good enough."

Reluctantly, Shen Gonglin walked over. Otherwise, what if Elysia thought she was interested in boys? Just to prove this point, Shen Gonglin had to be serious; this was not an open question.

"Elysia, you said that you and Kevin got to where you are today step by step. So... where did you take your next step?"

Mei pondered for a moment before asking the question. Shen Gonglin looked at Mei with some alarm. Why did this girl seem to be speaking in a riddle-like way? What should she do if she couldn't understand Mei's words anymore? Mei remained Shen Gonglin and pretended to understand, otherwise it would be too embarrassing.

"Oh... I'll have to think about that. Back then, the Fourth Honkai War was considered a victory... Kevin tasted the fruits of victory for the first time, and the team also met new companions. Then came the Old Pupa Crisis, but that was more of a stage for Sakura and Vill-V; we were just supporting characters... It was the same after that. During that time, the Flame-Chasers was busy dealing with all sorts of problems almost every day, but if we really had to talk about the next decisive event..."

She said a lot in one breath, all of which were things worth paying attention to: the Fourth Honkai War Old Pupa Crisis? Mei didn't speak, quietly waiting for Elysia to sort out her thoughts. Their experiences were far more than she had imagined.

"Hmm, it should be the Sixth Honkai War, right? Mei should have heard about it too."

Remembering this pivotal event, Elysia spoke up without any hesitation, while Mei also recalled the information she had seen. Unlike Shen Gonglin, this girl was conducting a thorough investigation, and the more she learned, the less she felt she knew.

"I remember... the Herrscher born in that Honkai, when she was dying, showed a human-like consciousness, which made Kevin waver. But... that was just an illusion, and humanity paid a huge price for it."

After sharing the information she knew, Elysia nodded in approval. Mei's understanding was indeed comprehensive. It was indeed a tragic memory, but it was something that had truly happened and been experienced.

"Yes. Mei may find it hard to imagine, but in that era, there was not a single example of someone becoming Herrscher and then turning back into a human as far as I know. Back then, we chose to believe, and reality made us realize how heavy a burden belief can be. Perhaps from that time on, some things were already destined."

It's rare to see such an expression on Elysia's face. Mei only sees cold numbers in the written records, but Elysia is someone who has truly experienced those things, so her understanding is undoubtedly much deeper.

"It's like someone planting a seed; even if they do nothing, it will slowly take root and sprout..."

She placed her hands on the typewriter, which dispensed a sheet of paper covered in writing. Elysia held the paper in both hands and brought it to Shen Gonglin and Mei. Unlike Kosma's coyness, Elysia openly and frankly showed them her past, and the contents printed on the paper...

"Oh, that's why Griseo calls me Elysia. You think about it, if Griseo calls me 'little sister,' it would definitely scare everyone else. They would think that Griseo saw something they couldn't see. And I even made Griseo change her address for Mobius from 'auntie' to 'grandma.' Little Griseo really didn't understand. Calling a girl 'auntie' is even more hurtful than calling her 'grandma.'"

Looking at the words on the paper, Elysia vividly recounted what had happened to them. Now Shen Gonglin finally understood why Griseo called Elysia that. Well, it really suited her style. As for Mobius, it was a super-duper way of saying it.

"It also mentions Kevin."

Mei continued reading, and Kevin's name appeared on the paper. The timeline above should show him defeating the Seventh Herrscher.

"Hmm... Back then, we had just defeated the Seventh Herrscher, and Kevin hadn't recovered yet. He had just returned from seeing a psychologist, and it seemed like he was going to go for the cold, handsome guy route, which is why he wasn't paying much attention to me. I thought he disliked me. It was around that time that the Flame-Chaser plan was launched, trying to secretly surpass me. He was so malicious."

That's all the information on the paper. Next, Elysia went to see Mobius. Elysia was no less capable than the others, and she accepted the modification of the Flame-Chaser. Elysia's fusion factor had to be unique. It was from that moment that she became Flame-Chaser.

"I have similar memories, feeling helpless and powerless."

After putting down the paper, Elysia smiled at Mei. The atmosphere in the room became somewhat somber. Even the ever-flying Fairy Administrator quietly sat on Shen Gonglin's shoulder. Elysia could always easily influence the mood of those around her.

"Kevin never managed to escape that shadow. In the ensuing Seventh Honkai War, he was forced to kill his former comrades... No wonder, he seemed like a completely different person."

Mei roughly understood what happened next, and she also understood why Kevin had changed so much. In Elysia's memories, she had seen the very first Kevin, who could laugh and even make girls happy. But now...

Chapter 153 It still remembers how to laugh back then

"During that time, he suffered from severe mental illness and even wanted to run away from his companions. But I always felt that it wasn't his problem, but the psychologist's problem. That psychologist must be unreliable; he could have come to me. If that were the case, he definitely wouldn't have been the first person to become Flame-Chaser, right?"

Elysia muttered to herself, she had always believed that she could take on the role of a psychologist, but Kevin had never come to see her even once. Did he not trust her professionalism? He could have always trusted Elysia, Sue was not as capable as her at all.

"Flame-Chaser... I remember Mobius always had doubts about your surgery."

When this came up, Mei couldn't help but ask, and Elysia gave her a very smug look. "Hmm, that's probably because Mobius was always looking forward to what side effects the Hyper-Evolution Factor would bring me. She even said she would choose a way for me to die, which disappointed her greatly... or perhaps she envied me? Dr. Mobius also has her little girlish thoughts. I could have switched places with her, you know?"

The experiment with the Flame-Chaser did not have any side effects on Elysia. The fusion of the Great Freedom Sky Hyper-Evolution Factor did not affect her at all. Elysia felt that Mobius must be envious of this.

"Mei, actually, I don't really like this approach of gradually blurring the lines between humans and Honkai Beast... The Flame-Chasers also made other attempts... such as artificial life and giant robots. You can probably guess whose ideas those were, right?" If they had succeeded in the end, the story would have taken a completely different turn.

Elysia said excitedly, "Life is full of uncertainties, and it is precisely because of these uncertainties that life is called life."

Flame-Chaser, colossal robots... This feels so much like the philosophies of Schicksal and Anti-Entropy. Schicksal's Valkyrie, Anti-Entropy's mech forces—these are probably just coincidences with the philosophies of Previous Era.

Shen Gonglin listened attentively this time; these ideas must have originated from Vill-V's thoughts.

"But in the end, you still chose the Flame-Chaser."

"Who can blame them? Kevin did such a great job. People saw hope in him, and you know, hope is far more precious than victory. There are many ways to achieve victory, but when it comes to hope... people usually don't have many choices. However, if you think this is a heavy story, you're sorely mistaken."

Perhaps sensing the somewhat somber atmosphere, Elysia flicked her fingers, regaining control of the mood. She didn't like it this way; she preferred a joyful, carefree atmosphere filled with birdsong and fragrant flowers.

"Back then, the selection criteria for Flame-Chaser were quite strict, entirely controlled by Mobius's laboratory. Although sacrifices were inevitable... the success rate was still guaranteed, relatively speaking. Before long, the Flame-Chasers had eight Flame-Chaser, and these are the ones I wanted to show you."

Elysia's fingers lightly swept across the typewriter, and this time the typewriter spat out a photograph. Fairy Elysia took the photograph out of the typewriter and showed it to Shen Gonglin and Mei. Seeing a girl in the picture, Shen Gonglin couldn't help but look at Mei. This really did look exactly like Mei. She was the legendary woman, Dr. Mei.

"This is the birthday party everyone held for Kevin not long after. Shen Gonglin, look, this is me... Don't mistake me for someone else, that's Sakura. Oh my, I was so pretty back then. Of course, I've always been pretty."

Mei was a little surprised when she saw the photo, because Kevin was actually smiling. Her impression of Kevin had always been that he had an icy face, and it was hard to imagine that Kevin would smile like an ordinary person.

"Mei, that reaction is a little rude, but I can understand what Mei means. After all, Kevin is just a big boy next to Mei. He wants to be closer to her, but he is worried about her getting frostbite and happy for her feelings... That's the Kevin you know."

Holding the photo in her hands, Elysia closed her eyes as if recalling the scene. Mei, too, only acted like a young girl in front of Kevin and Alicia. Sakura also showed a carefree side in the photo. Elysia always felt that this expression suited her best. Although Aponia and Mobius weren't present, they had prepared very interesting gifts. The photo also showed Kon wearing a dress for the first time, and Dessidobia ...

"Mei, look, this is Dessidobia. She even showed everyone how to cut the cake with her telekinesis, and pretended not to control it properly, deliberately cutting Kosma's piece very small. He was so disappointed, but he couldn't say a word. In the end, everyone shared some of their cake with him... Oh, so many things happened back then. Even in that time, there were such happy memories."

Elysia's face was full of reminiscence, but then the girl returned to her cheerful self. This was not an act, but her true nature. She was happy in the past, Elysia still happy now.

"... But after knowing the outcome, the happiness of the past... will turn into sadness."

There were such happy times, but now they have all become memories of the past. In Mei's eyes, the sweeter the past was, the more painful, even sad, it is now.

"Hmm, maybe... there's a touch of sadness. But I think it's not pain, but joy. Happiness for having experienced a certain kind of happiness, and anticipation for miracles to happen in the future. You see, everything has two sides, right? After going through that, Kevin can still remember... how a person should smile."

Elysia's fingers gently traced the photograph. Without this photo, Mei and Shen Gonglin might never have seen this scenery, nor would they have had the chance to witness Sakura and Mei dressed up so beautifully, the time before Kosma grew its horns, or even Dessidobia and Hen's appearance... But now, they not only saw it, but they also remembered it. Wasn't that a joyful thing?

At least, Elysia herself is happy that they can see something like this.

Chapter 154 I Can't Tell Her

So that's how it is. Mei admitted that what Elysia said made a lot of sense. Mei could practically see the happiness in Alicia's eyes. She could feel the meaning behind this memory, and it was indeed easy to forget. Elysia must have her own thoughts and meaning in keeping it.

"I think Mei would definitely understand me, but as you said before, the outcome is also important... You see, even in the Elysian Realm where everything is already set in Mei, people still value the outcome. For example... I can't mention his hometown to Chakravartin, I can't eat what Mobius gives me, I can't refuse Elysia's request, I can't tell Sakura..."

Elysia counted on her fingers, one item at a time. The girl seemed to be thinking seriously, her beautiful eyes filled with earnestness. These were all very important matters, especially the matter of not refusing Elysia's request. This was the most important thing. However, she figured that no one would refuse her request, after all, she was so beautiful and cute, and no one would have the heart to do such a thing.

"Can't you tell me what?"

The sudden sound interrupted Elysia's rambling. The sound of high heels clicking on the ground accompanied the footsteps, and the gently swaying pink ears on her head confirmed the identity of the person who had entered. Sakura walked into the archives and asked curiously, "Is there something you can't tell me?"

"Ah... Sakura... Hmm... Oh dear, it's true, I can't hide it anymore. I was just about to tell Mei how beautiful you were that day."

Elysia waved the photo in her hand and said this, her face beaming with a smile. It was hard to tell whether she was telling the truth or not, but Sakura's attention was indeed drawn to the photo in her hand. The familiar scene on it brought back a lot of memories for Sakura. The photo depicted something from that time, which really made her nostalgic.

"Sakura, are you here to see Elysia?"

Once Sakura looked away from the photo, Mei finally spoke up, asking if she had something important to discuss with Elysia. However, in response to Mei's question, the fox-eared swordswoman shook her head.

"Ah, no, I just happened to see the three of you and was curious, so I came over. What are you doing? And... what's this?"

Sakura's gaze fell on the Fairy Elysia, who was floating in the air with a strong presence. She remembered seeing this before; it seemed that Elysia had wanted to give one to each of the Flame-Chasers, but no one had accepted it.

"I am the lovable Fairy Elysia, and as for what we are doing... hehe, don't be too surprised! They are experiencing this visualization terminal of the Eternal Elysium Effective Information Flow Big Data Processing Center!"

The Fairy Elysia, with her arrogant and cocky demeanor, crossed her arms and uttered these words. The impressive-sounding term puzzled Sakura, while Mei covered her head speechlessly. The name she had just heard... "Eternal Elysium Effective Information Flow Big Data Processing Center Visual Terminal" seemed to be different from the name the fairy had mentioned earlier.

"Mei, why are you looking at me like that? Is something wrong? That's impossible. A cute fairy like me wouldn't make a mistake. This Fairy Magic Typewriter can print out everything that happened in the past. There's nothing it doesn't know, you know?"

The name had been changed again. Everyone present tacitly refrained from commenting on how the name had been changed so many times. Sakura looked at the antique-looking typewriter with some suspicion and spoke up.

"So those files... weren't written by someone else?"

There are many archives in the Elysian Realm. Sakura originally thought they were written down by a recorder, but now it seems they were all made by this typewriter.

"Huh? You underestimate the magic of fairies! This terminal is actually the data recording device of the Flame-Chasers's control center. Even as the administrator, I only have read-only access!"

Sensing that Sakura seemed to be underestimating her Fairy Magic Typewriter, Fairy Elysia said somewhat indignantly, "This is a very powerful thing. It's not like someone hid inside the typewriter and typed it out word by word."

"Oh, that sounds amazing. Can it tell me where Vill-V is right now? I'm looking for her."

Ignoring Fairy Elysia's boasting, Sakura posed her question, which clearly stumped the fairy. The Elysian Realm Recorder could indeed record events, but investigating where someone had gone seemed...

"Ah... this..."

"I remember what Vill-V said; she said she was going to investigate that tower."

Unable to bear seeing the Fairy Elysia's troubled expression, Mei took the initiative to speak up. It just so happened that she did know the whereabouts of Vill-V. After hiding those cards, she should have gone to the tower. What kind of quirk is it that she likes high places?

"The tower... no wonder I can't sense her presence around here. Thank you, then I'll take my leave."

After learning of Vill-V's whereabouts, Sakura nodded to Shen Gonglin and the other two before leaving with a dashing air. Once she was sure Sakura was gone, Elysia patted her chest lightly. The girl wasn't boasting about her ample bust; she was genuinely shocked. It's true what they say, speak of the devil and he appears. Looks like I shouldn't talk about others behind their backs.

"Sakura is really amazing. She always manages to appear behind people without making a sound."

Elysia secretly stuck out her tongue. It was better not to mention her name, otherwise she always felt that she would come back. As expected of her, she didn't even notice it just now.

I felt that Sakura's state just now was a bit strange, which really bothered me. I hope it was just my imagination.

"Although they are all memories, Sakura's time was stuck earlier than everyone else's... that's bound to be a bit of a concern. If she were to discover the truth about that matter... how shocked and heartbroken would that be?"

After confirming that Sakura had left, Elysia whispered to Mei that what she had just told Mei was not about how beautiful Sakura was in the photo. Mei was a smart girl, and she hadn't pressed for details, which meant she realized that this was something that couldn't be told to Sakura.

"... Just like you said, maybe some things were destined from a certain point in time."

Mei didn't comment on Elysia's actions. Mei already knew that nothing that happened in the Elysian Realm could change the predetermined outcome, so Elysia's actions didn't really have any real meaning.

Chapter 155 Are you hot?

"Mei, you can't say that. Although you're right, I do hope that everyone can have a happy ending, at least in this Elysian Realm. Shen Gonglin, do you agree with me...? Huh? Shen Gonglin hasn't said anything since just now. Where is he?"

Wanting a response from Shen Gonglin, the two realized that Shen Gonglin wasn't in the archives. Where had she gone? Mei's eyes narrowed. Someone had managed to steal Shen Gonglin away from her without a sound. Was it Aponia who did it?

There's no way around it, now whenever something bad happens, Mei's first reaction is that it was done by Aponia. To put it bluntly, even if Mei goes out and sees a pile of dog poop, she might suspect that Aponia ordered the dog to poop there.

"Oh, are you looking for that cute human? He just went out with that cute girl with fox ears."

Fairy Elysia raised her hand and revealed Shen Gonglin's whereabouts. Did she go out with Sakura? If so, it shouldn't be a big problem. Mei stroked her chin and felt a little relieved. Apart from the Class President, Sakura was a normal person in the Elysian Realm. Shen Gonglin probably went out with her because she found the archives room boring.

In the darkness, Sakura's thoughts seemed to freeze. Who was the girl crying in her dream? Her tears were so real, wet, full of sorrow... and hatred. Who was this? Her tears seemed to fall drop by drop onto her face from the darkness...

"Sakura, what's wrong?"

A voice roused the girl from her reverie, and suddenly a pair of bright purple eyes appeared in her vision. These eyes were incredibly pure; Sakura had only ever seen such pure eyes on Elysia, and these were clearly not Elysia's, but rather...

"Sorry, I'm fine... I was just thinking about something else. Why did you come out? Weren't you investigating something with Mei?"

After composing herself, Sakura looked at Shen Gonglin standing in front of her and said this. It was Shen Gonglin standing in front of her. After leaving the archives, Sakura fell into the same state as before. This was not the first time. The fact that this situation was happening more and more often, did it prove something?

As she spoke, Sakura looked down at her waist, where a rarely drawn sword lay horizontally. That blade, bound by discipline, would not speak of the profound impact of memories on a person.

However, this deficiency should end here. Vill-V should have already brought it back to light.

"Because I'm feeling a bit bored, and Elysia and Mei sometimes say things I don't understand, so instead of staying there, I might as well come out for a walk... Sakura, are you not familiar with this place? Then I'll walk with you so you don't get lost."

Shen Gonglin said confidently, but the clever Sakura had already figured out Shen Gonglin's true intention. She said that she was afraid that she would get lost, but actually Shen Gonglin was worried that he would get lost, so he thought he would follow her.

Although she was already certain in her heart, Sakura didn't show it on the surface. She already knew that this guy was petty, and if she said it, he would definitely get angry and rub his ears.

"Alright, come with me then. I'm going to find Vill-V. At least Mei said she should be over at the tower... this way."

Sakura didn't mind traveling with Shen Gonglin, and pointed to the tower, ready to move forward. But Shen Gonglin, without hesitation, looked at another replica and started walking. Sakura grabbed Shen Gonglin's wrist and corrected him onto the right path. She felt a little sorry for Mei; she must have a very hard time.