Elysia the Super-Hustler

"No, thank you, Sister Elysia. I still want to stay here... I don't want to go anywhere else."

"Mhm, I'll take good care of myself, so don't worry, Sister Elysia."

"Sister Elysia, thank you for this outfit. Once I have money, I'll definitely repay you."

"No way, this is our rule. We can't accept favors without returning them."

"..."

Lin Li woke up late. By the time she opened her eyes, Elysia and Felice had already been chatting for a while.

Felice looked completely different from the shy girl last night; now, she was full of energy.

But Lin Li was not. Not only had her leg soreness not improved overnight, but she felt it had gotten worse.

Her whole body ached, and she felt like she was going to die with every movement.

"Ugh..."

Lin Li let out a pained groan.

"Xiao Li?" Elysia turned her head and saw Lin Li squirming.

Thinking something was wrong, she hurried over, intending to lift the blanket and check.

Lin Li quickly said, "Don't, don't touch me. I feel like I'm dying."

"..."

Elysia stopped.

"Did you do something last night? My whole body is sore right now."

"How could that be? I think you just don't exercise enough. You were chasing Felice for so long yesterday, you're bound to be sore," Elysia said speechlessly. She still lifted the blanket and began to massage Lin Li's thigh.

Why only the thigh? Because it felt the best... cough, because Xiao Li needed to walk, and her legs had to recover first. Otherwise, they couldn't possibly carry Lin Li through all of Dusk Street, could they?

"I told you not to touch me..." Lin Li truly felt like she was dying; her legs hurt terribly.

But Elysia didn't care. She turned Lin Li over and had Felice help.

The two of them massaged one leg each, enjoying themselves immensely.

Lin Li felt both pain and pleasure.

"Why is Felice okay?"

"Because I run every day," Felice said with a smile.

"..."

Lin Li covered her face, feeling a bit embarrassed.

She opened her system panel and asked, "System, is there any attribute that can strengthen my physical fitness?"

[Physical strength increases with the improvement of Strength.]

"Then why am I still in so much pain?"

[If it were low-level Strength, the host would still be in a coma.]

"..." Lin Li was speechless.

What the System meant was that her ability to chase for so long yesterday was entirely due to this Strength; otherwise, she would have given up after a short while.

"Then what is Stamina for?"

[It pairs with Strength to improve physical fitness and the endurance for various activities.]

"..."

Lin Li closed the system interface and looked at the two people massaging her legs on the bed.

"Xiao Li, try moving your legs. Do you feel any better?" Elysia asked after a while.

Lin Li moved them as she said.

Indeed, she felt much better, although still sore.

Compared to her arms, her legs could now move normally.

"It seems like there's no problem, so let's get up quickly."

"..."

Lin Li had no desire to get up and pulled a corner of the blanket over herself again.

Seeing this, Elysia smiled and called Felice to help lift Lin Li.

"Hey! What are you two doing?"

"We're carrying you home, of course. Since you're unwilling to get up, this is the only way," Elysia said matter-of-factly.

"Wait, I, I'll get up myself!"

"Too late?"

Elysia opened the room door and, true to her word, she and Felice lifted Lin Li down.

But she certainly wouldn't push it too far. When the elevator doors opened, she let them down.

Afterward, the two said goodbye to Felice and prepared to leave Dusk Street.

"Isn't it really dangerous for Felice like this?" Lin Li asked.

"Don't worry, I made her look so youthful, energetic, cute, and adorable. How could there be any danger?" Elysia said with a smile. "Xiao Li, stop thinking about that bounty. Let's go home, okay?"

"I'm not thinking about any bounty..." Lin Li retorted.

"Mhm, mhm, you're not thinking about it. All this soreness you're feeling is from when you were dreaming."

"..."

Lin Li puffed out her cheeks.

She turned her head, looking at the entire Dusk Street.

She felt like she could still see a bright yellow figure in the crowd, but it was becoming more and more blurry.

"Alright, Xiao Li, don't look anymore. We can go to the airport after we stroll around here a bit more," Elysia said, tugging on Lin Li's hand.

"I took a lot of pictures of Felice just now. If you miss her, I can send them to you."

"I don't miss her..."

The two returned to Flame-Moth.

Elysia didn't just find out about Vill-V's escape from the Flame-Moth official website last night. She had known since the afternoon, but since they were in Dusk Street, there was no need to pay special attention to it.

But now it was different. After all, Vill-V was someone they had captured. Even though she had escaped, the two of them should still be responsible for recapturing her.

However, given Xiao Li's current state...

Elysia shook her head, took Lin Li back to the villa, and cooked dinner herself.

Lin Li lay on the bed, not wanting to move. It was Elysia who personally fed her.

Xiao Li wouldn't let her feed her before, but now, without her, Xiao Li couldn't even eat. Sigh.

Taking care of a cute, beautiful girl was truly a joyful thing.

Seeing Elysia about to leave, Lin Li couldn't help but ask, "Where are you going?"

"Of course, I'm going to find Vill-V," Elysia said. "Xiao Li, are you reluctant to see me go? Hmm... If that's the case, I can stay and accompany you all the time."

"All I need is a kiss."

"Then you should go. Goodbye."

Upon hearing this, Lin Li lay back down and immediately started sleeping.

Elysia smiled, shook her head, and went out.

Flame-Moth was large, surrounded by walls, with only four entrances and exits at the northeast, southeast, southwest, and northwest corners.

It was almost impossible for ordinary people to climb over the walls, and the entrances and exits were guarded by soldiers twenty-four hours a day. Logically, Vill-V shouldn't have been able to escape.

But the reality was that even with Vill-V's photo, Heng's assigned half of the new recruits couldn't find her within the base after an entire afternoon.

Elysia went to the place where Vill-V was held, which was a simple prison cell. Three sides were enclosed, and the last side was a wall made of iron bars. The door was also an iron door.

There were no signs of damage in the entire prison cell, but the person was simply gone.

It was very strange. The people at Flame-Moth had studied it for a long time but couldn't figure out how Vill-V had escaped. Even though everything she had hidden on her person was searched when she was put into the cell, she still managed to escape in less than a day.

Elysia found nothing in the prison cell, except for a row of crooked characters carved on the wall:

You Have Been Tricked

You've been played.

A very simple sentence expressing mockery.

Elysia didn't know where to look for Vill-V, so she simply left the base.

Although looking for someone in Flame-Moth City was like finding a needle in a haystack, it couldn't hurt to get out and about.

For example, she could go to her restaurant and see the cute little maid, which would surely lift her spirits.

"Are all the prices here so romantic?"

Vill-V looked at the menu handed to her by the maid server and was greatly shocked. "Or does your boss have some peculiar hobby and just likes these kinds of numbers?"

"With this kind of decoration, will anyone actually come?"

"..."

Vill-V had many questions, but the maid server just smiled at her.

Vill-V bit her finger, unsure of what to eat.

"Fine, bring out your restaurant's signature dish."

"Okay, please wait a moment."

The waitress said, picking up the menu and leaving with a smile.

Bored, Vill-V continued to bite her finger.

Having just escaped Flame-Moth, she had nothing on her now.

No, if she really had to say it, she still had a micro-machine hidden in her mouth. It was thanks to this thing that she was able to escape.

It's just that this thing couldn't be turned into money. To get a plane ticket back, she'd need to find another way... like putting on a magic show in this city to raise some funds?

Vill-V thought for a long time but couldn't come up with any viable methods.

A dish that looked and smelled delicious was placed on the table in front of her.

It looked quite tasty, and the price wasn't expensive... though she wasn't planning on paying.

She wasn't very good with chopsticks, but she had learned some before, though her technique was a bit rusty.

The first bite of meat exploded with savory flavor in her mouth, stimulating her taste buds.

"..."

It's delicious.

Vill-V judged inwardly.

She ate slowly, trying to distract the waitress this way.

However, she didn't notice someone wearing similar colors to the restaurant walk in from outside. The person was surprised to see her, then casually sat down in a corner.

This time, Xiao Yun saw Elysia and didn't call out "Boss" proactively.

She now knew that whenever the Boss appeared and didn't greet her, it meant she was here for a reason.

Like now... it should be because of the green-haired girl in front of her.

Xiao Yun was very sensible. After receiving Elysia's gaze, she turned and walked into the kitchen.

Seeing this, Vill-V quickly finished the last few bites and ran towards the door.

But as soon as she stood up and turned, she saw Elysia already standing beside her, smiling at her.

"Holy crap, how did you find me?" Vill-V shouted, darting past Elysia and fleeing towards the entrance.

But Elysia wasn't flustered at all, because at that moment, Xiao Yun had already pressed a button in the kitchen...

The restaurant door slowly closed. Before Vill-V could run out, the door had already completely shut.

"..."

"Don't run away, maybe we can sit down and talk?" Elysia grabbed her hand and dragged her towards a seat.

"Your earrings are beautiful, can you tell me where you bought them? I want to buy a pair for Xiao Li too."

"You don't need to be so guarded. Before the Flame-Moth soldiers arrive... you'll have plenty of time to think about how to deal with me?"

"..."

Vill-V cursed inwardly, This is troublesome.

Talk about what? I'll probably be captured again soon.

After one escape, the difficulty of the second time would more than triple.

Damn it, how did this person find her anyway?

She was absolutely sure she didn't have any kind of tracking device on her.

"Let me guess, you're thinking now... how did I find you, right?" Elysia said with a smile.

Vill-V looked up at her, her eyes filled with confusion and inquiry.

"It's actually very simple. Didn't you leave a message in that room? If you just think about that message a little, you can find you."

"?"

Vill-V looked unconvinced.

"Alright, I was just teasing you," Elysia said. "I was just bored and came to check on my own restaurant, and I didn't expect you to be here."

"...?"

"Is that true?"

Seeing Vill-V's still disbelieving expression, Elysia called out, "Xiao Yun, come out for a bit."

"Yes, Boss."

The waitress came out from the kitchen.

"..."

Vill-V's mouth twitched. She had no choice but to admit defeat.

Elysia smiled, her hand still holding Vill-V's, and the other reached out to touch the girl's earrings.

"I was serious just now, your earrings are really beautiful?"

"If you let me go, I can give you something," Vill-V said.

"..."

"Mmm... oh dear, this is so hard to decide, but the Flame-Moth soldiers are almost here. Even if I let you go... they'll..."

—Knock, knock, knock—

The dining room door was knocked on three heavy times.

Elysia frowned slightly. She had Xiao Yun hold onto Vill-V while she went to open the door. After a brief exchange with the soldiers outside, she closed the door.

Those soldiers all recognized Elysia. The other party was clearly unhappy about her knocking so forcefully, so they didn't dare to knock again and stood obediently at the door.

"Alright, let's continue our chat. Where did you buy your earrings?"

"..."

Vill-V clearly didn't want to talk to Elysia anymore.

However, Elysia continued to talk to herself, even telling Vill-V about her trip to Dusk Street with Lin Li yesterday.

She also talked about her troubles, such as Lin Li not letting her kiss her... She even asked Vill-V if she had any good ideas on how to let Lin Li know her feelings.

Vill-V had no solutions. She felt like she was going crazy.

If she had committed any crime, she should be sent to prison, not forced to listen to Elysia talk here!

"Vill-V, are you listening to me?" Elysia waved her hand, waking up Vill-V, who was on the verge of falling asleep.

"What is it? You continue."

"I want to... talk to you about something."

"My earrings aren't for sale."

"...It's not about that." Elysia smiled helplessly, her expression turning serious. "Do you want to join the Flame-Moth?"

"Huh?"

"This is me extending an olive branch to you. You can go back... uh, consider it in a Flame-Moth prison. If you have this thought, tell the soldiers guarding outside, and I'll come over quickly."

"..."

Vill-V started biting her fingernails again. However, this time Elysia took her hand away, wiped it with a tissue, and said, "That's a bad habit."

"Can you tell me what 'Honkai' is?" Vill-V asked, ignoring her fingers.

"Why are you asking this?"

"I learned about your Flame-Moth because of 'Honkai.' If you explain the meaning of this word to me, I might consider joining you."

"Just considering? Hmm..." Elysia thought for a moment, her eyes suddenly turning sly. She said playfully, "But we have a rule in the Flame-Moth: we can only explain the meaning of this word to Flame-Moth soldiers."

"In other words, you have to join first before I can tell you."

"But if you tell me now, I'll think about joining," Vill-V said speechlessly.

"No, it's the rule," Elysia said righteously. "You have one minute left to consider. When the time is up, the soldiers outside the door will come in."

"Tsk... So troublesome. Forget it, no need to think. Let them in now." Vill-V closed her eyes, as if she had resigned herself to fate.

"Eh? Aren't you going to consider it at all?" Elysia was a little surprised but still listened to the other party and went to open the door.

The soldiers swarmed in and walked directly towards Vill-V.

But no one expected that just as the soldiers were about to grab Vill-V, she suddenly turned her head and said to Elysia:

"I'll join."