First Arrival at Dusk Street

Today is Thursday. Having experienced the heat of being scorched by the sun yesterday, Lin Li changed into a very refreshing outfit.

A light blue short-sleeved shirt paired with white denim shorts, her slender and fair legs were thus exposed to Elysia's view.

Although Elysia was dressed similarly, seeing Lin Li like this, she couldn't help but steal a few more glances.

Well, actually, she had been looking the whole time.

Compared to Lin Li, her shirt was pink and white, and she had a small white leg garter tied around her thigh, just above the knee.

"Where are we going today?"

Lin Li tied her hair in front of the vanity mirror, a long ponytail with a few strands of hair framing her forehead, forming a small fringe. She looked full of energy.

"To grab some breakfast? Then, hmm... Actually, I don't know of any fun places in Flame-Moth. If you'd like, Lin Li, we can go traveling, okay? As long as we can get back before a Honkai event breaks out." Elysia reluctantly withdrew her gaze and naturally didn't refuse when Lin Li took her hand.

"But, aren't we soldiers of Flame-Moth right now? Even if we don't have training, wouldn't traveling be a bit..." Lin Li hesitated.

"Oh, Lin Li, Er already messaged me. I'm the captain of the Second Special Squad now, very impressive!" Elysia clenched her other hand into a small pink fist and waved it forward in the air.

Seeing this, Lin Li made the same gesture, but with more force. Elysia could even hear a faint sonic boom.

"Then I'll listen to you," Lin Li said.

"Mhm~"

And so, the two arrived at the Flame-Moth cafeteria and casually ordered two breakfast sets.

When Lin Li used to stay at home, she often ate rice noodles at the breakfast shop downstairs, so she ordered a regular bowl of noodles.

Elysia ordered the same as her.

Lin Li took a few bites. Although it didn't have the same flavor as her favorite from before, she had to admit that Flame-Moth's breakfast was quite good, at least tasty.

Thus, under Elysia's gaze, she slurped down the bowl of noodles in a very unladylike manner.

Seeing that Elysia had barely touched her bowl, Lin Li frowned and asked, "You don't like it?"

"Uh... No, I just didn't expect you to eat so fast, Lin Li." And so... heartily, could you say that?

Oh, right. Lin Li doesn't care about her image, so why should she?

Thinking this, Elysia also became more unrestrained in her eating.

In Lin Li's eyes, for someone as beautiful as Elysia to eat like that created a slight sense of incongruity.

Little did she know, Elysia felt the same way about her.

Perhaps "contrast" would be a more fitting word.

After finishing the noodles, Elysia took out a tissue to wipe her mouth and then wiped Lin Li's mouth as well before leading her out of the cafeteria.

"By the way, Lin Li, you listened carefully to the story I told yesterday, right?" Elysia suddenly asked, remembering something.

"Mm, what's up?"

"Nothing, it's good that you listened."

"Honkai has many forms. Only the Great Honkai produces Herrschers. The special squads' missions are roughly to deal with intermediate and Great Honkai."

"Uh, you mean besides Herrschers, we have other Honkai beasts to fight?"

"Mm, but I just asked Er, and he said there have only been small-scale Honkai recently. Other Flame-Moth soldiers will handle them," Elysia said. "Anyway... just remember what I said, Lin Li. Once we get notified, we'll have to fight."

"Got it."

Lin Li didn't have much of a reaction to this.

Wait, there's something I need to ask.

"If we deal with intermediate Honkai, will there be a bonus?"

"..." Elysia choked upon hearing this. Although she had anticipated Lin Li might ask this, she didn't know how to answer when it actually came up.

"There should be... but I don't know how much."

"It's fine, as long as there is," Lin Li said dismissively.

They wouldn't just give her a few dollars to get rid of her, right? She felt terrifyingly strong now, like she could kill half a bull with one punch... though that didn't seem that strong.

"Mm."

Elysia breathed a sigh of relief.

In her impression, dealing with intermediate Honkai didn't usually come with any bonus, just a few extra words on one's resume. This seemed completely useless to Lin Li, who only cared about money.

It seemed she would have to discuss this with Er and the others later. If there were no bonuses, Lin Li might have no motivation to fight at all, which wouldn't do.

The two walked out of the Flame-Moth gates and onto the streets of Flame-Moth City.

Perhaps because it was Thursday, a certain brand was having a promotion, so the street was deserted except for one particular shop.

As the two girls, Lin Li and Elysia, passed by this shop, they could clearly feel countless gazes fixed on them from behind.

Lin Li's scalp tingled, and she couldn't help but quicken her pace.

Elysia, with a hidden smile in her eyes, deliberately pulled Lin Li back.

So, their pace barely changed, even slowing down a bit.

"Where are we going for our trip?" Lin Li couldn't stand it any longer and asked first.

They couldn't just walk around aimlessly, right? She really disliked the feeling of being stared at.

However, being stared at by Elysia didn't bother her at all.

"Let me think... How about Dusk Street?" Elysia pondered for a moment before saying.

"I haven't heard of it. Wherever you want to go is fine with me. Just lead the way."

"Mhm, mhm."

Actually, Elysia had already bought plane tickets to Dusk Street that morning before Lin Li had even woken up.

A long time ago, when she was traveling the world, she had visited Dusk Street once and met a very interesting person.

That person was a nurse, but she had a kind heart and aspired to become the director of an orphanage, specifically to take in homeless children.

Because she really wanted to know how that nurse was doing now, she wanted to go there.

They had already been walking for a while, so they decided not to take a taxi and just walk to the airport.

Then came boarding, takeoff, and they arrived at Dusk Street around noon.

The vibrant outfits of the two girls attracted a lot of attention again.

However, the people here seemed very busy, all rushing around and walking quickly, paying little attention to the two girls on the street.

Lin Li had just taken a nap on the plane, resting her head on Elysia's shoulder.

Her neck now felt sore even when she twisted it, like she had a stiff neck.

Can you get a stiff neck from sleeping while sitting? Lin Li wondered, taking in the sights of this not-so-bustling small town.

Dusk Street, as the name suggested, was just a street.

Although there might be countless branching paths, the main body of this small town was truly just this central street.

They were standing at one end of the street. Looking ahead, besides the buildings lining the street, all they could see was the slightly yellowish horizon in the distance. Even though it was morning, it truly gave off a twilight vibe.

This is probably why Dusk Street got its name, right?

It seemed like there were even more people active here than in Flame-Moth City.

Some people were in a hurry, frequently looking down at their watches, afraid of being late.

Some people were acting suspiciously, glancing sneakily at people on the street, clearly up to no good.

After just a few simple observations, Lin Li felt that this was a place brimming with talent.

Of course, this wasn't talent in the conventional sense, but rather...

"Help! Robbery!" A woman's sharp cry echoed through the busy street.

However, it didn't cause any stir, and the thief escaped without a hitch.

"..."

Lin Li's eye twitched slightly.

See, I told you this was a place brimming with talent.

Without much hesitation, perhaps driven by an innate sense of justice, Lin Li started running in the direction of the thief.

Being at the intermediate level of Agility wasn't a joke. Her figure weaved through the crowded street, and within ten seconds, she was right behind the thief.

But before Lin Li could exert force to grab the thief, a leg stretched out from an alley, tripping the thief and sending him tumbling to the ground.

— THUMP!

The heavy thud of the fall accompanied the bag dropping from the thief's hand. Lin Li curiously glanced at the alley, from which emerged a person draped in a tattered, patched cloak of a dark yellow hue. It was impossible to tell if they were male or female, but judging by their slender, slightly yellowish, and seemingly undernourished legs, they should be a girl, around her age.

At the same time, the woman and Elysia also hurried over. The cloaked girl picked up the bag and handed it to the woman.

"Ah! Oh my goodness! Thank you!"

The woman gratefully took her expensive bag and left without looking back.

"..."

Seeing this, the cloaked girl let out a barely perceptible sigh. She glanced at Lin Li and Elysia, two unfamiliar faces, and seeing them looking at her, she had an idea and said:

"You two look like newcomers to Dusk Street, right? How about I be your guide? I dare say I've been everywhere in Dusk Street, and no one knows this place better than I do."

The cloaked girl's voice was pleasant, crisp, and seemed to carry an innate sense of optimism and vitality.

"..."

Lin Li and Elysia exchanged glances. More accurately, Lin Li was seeking Elysia's opinion.

"You seem to have a good eye for people. In that case... could you help us find someone?" Elysia said with a smile.

The three of them walked into the alley. The thief had already gotten up and, after casting a wary glance at them, ran away.

No one cared who he was, and no one would even remember today's robbery.

"Hehe, so you're looking for someone, boss? That's easy! I'm quite famous in Dusk Street; most people recognize me," the girl said proudly.

Although the two couldn't see the girl's expression under her cloak, they could tell from her voice.

A hint of self-mockery was mixed into the pride.

Elysia heard this and asked curiously, "Is she really that famous? Hmm... but your appearance just now didn't seem to cause much of a stir."

"Cough! Because I'm wearing a cloak right now, of course those people wouldn't recognize me... Boss, shouldn't you tell me who you're looking for?" The girl's tone gradually weakened as she spoke, and she quickly changed the subject.

"Mm, the person I'm looking for is called..." Elysia thought for a while before slowly saying, "Aponia, I think that's the name. Do you have any impression of her?"

"Sister Niya?" The girl's tone was clearly a little surprised. "What do you need Sister Niya for?"

"It's nothing, I just want to meet her," Elysia said. "Hearing you say that, you seem to know Aponia very well?"

"Of course! Sister Niya is... Eek!"

A melodious siren sound suddenly arrived, and the girl instantly stopped, turning her head sharply and running deeper into the alley.

Seeing this, Lin Li told Elysia to wait there and chased after her.

The girl was agile, easily vaulting over walls three to four meters high. It looked like she was genuinely running away.

Lin Li didn't know what she was running from, so she decided to catch up and ask for clarification.

These so-called walls were nothing in Lin Li's eyes. Her speed was even faster than the girl's, but the latter was from Dusk Street, so her familiarity with the area was definitely far greater than hers.

Under the onslaught of various corners and obstacles, Lin Li almost fell.

If her reaction speed were at the intermediate level, she might have been able to catch up to the girl, but with her current low-level reaction speed, she could only lose track of her.

She relied on her memory to return to the original alley, where Elysia was waiting for her quietly.

"Little Li, how did it go?"

"Couldn't catch her, she ran too fast, and she was as slippery as a cat." Lin Li shook her head.

"Hmm... It's okay, let's keep going. We should be able to find out where Aponia is on the way."

"Okay."

The two walked out of the alley.

What they didn't know was that a few minutes later, the cloaked girl returned.

She looked at the empty, dirty alley, pursed her lips, and just as she was about to leave, she saw a beautiful pink crystal flower placed on top of some scattered goods.

Even in the dim alley, the crystal flower still reflected a faint light.

"What is this? It's so sparkly and pretty."

The girl gently picked up the flower, holding it in her dirty palm as if it were a treasure.

With no one around, she put the crystal flower in her pocket and scaled the wall again.