"Eh?"
Hearing Bai Chen's abstract description, Seele subconsciously tried to think. Just as she was about to answer, a flash of inspiration suddenly crossed her mind. She seemed to have some impression of him?
"You've seen him?"
Bai Chen was also somewhat surprised by Seele's reaction. He had only asked with the intent of trying his luck, but he had not expected Kevin to have encountered Seele this early?
"Maybe I don't know him? But I do have an impression."
Seele had stayed in this World Bubble for a while. She seemed to remember seeing someone matching Bai Chen's description somewhere in this World Bubble.
Seele then led Bai Chen in the direction she remembered.
Bai Chen was even more dumbfounded by this development. What was going on? Was Kevin in this world?
Although Kevin did not have Chi You as a supplement, so his current strength was definitely not at its peak, Bai Chen still did not want to run into him.
What if Kevin found him interesting and tied him up to bring him to World Serpent? If that happened, wouldn't it be better to just go see Elysia? Go directly to see Elysia?
Just as Bai Chen was lost in that beautiful fantasy, Seele pointed at a huge electronic screen and slapped him hard across the face with reality.
"Academy Handsome Man Selection Contest! Hurry and vote for your ideal type!"
No. 1: Swimsuit-wearing popsicle riddle man
No. 2: Want to take a bath with Lord Otto?
No. 3: Who said all I could cook was barbecue?!
Bai Chen sharply sucked in a breath of cold air. Where the hell had he ended up?
Strange
Looking at the images on the electronic poster, Bai Chen felt like his eyes had been stabbed. Especially Otto, lying in a bathtub playing with a little yellow duck—Bai Chen genuinely felt like his eyes were about to bleed.
"Seele, why did you make me look at this?!"
Bai Chen asked Seele in tears.
He had never wanted to see this stuff! He would rather go head-to-head with the real Kevin!
"But didn't Bai Chen ask for it?"
Seele answered weakly, without a trace of malice in her pure eyes.
"Uh... you're not wrong."
Bai Chen felt like he was about to suffer internal injuries from holding it in. Seele might have hidden potential for being mischievous.
"HAHAHA!!"
Black Seele, meanwhile, laughed nonstop inside Seele's body. So this guy hated such trivial things.
If Bai Chen knew Black Seele was laughing at him, he would definitely retort—if she knew what the people on that ranking were like in their original world, she would lose it too.
"Cosmo isn't on there."
At that moment, Bai Chen noticed a blue-haired little girl had also arrived beside them. Her calm voice seemed to carry a hint of disappointment.
Only the top three were displayed on the screen, and Cosmo was not among them.
Griseo? Bai Chen curiously observed Griseo's outfit.
Yep, she really was not wearing shoes. Even outside, she was barefoot.
Didn't that hurt her feet? Wouldn't they get dirty? It had to be because of Honkai energy. Honkai was amazing, huh?
Wait, judging from Griseo's words, did Cosmo participate too? Did every man in the Honkai world participate?
And they had all lost to the third-place contestant, who had not even shown his face!
"Little Griseo, why are you here?"
Just as Bai Chen's thoughts were becoming a mess, a cheerful voice interrupted him.
That voice... only that woman could sound like that.
Bai Chen looked over and, sure enough, saw a pink figure approaching like a fairy.
Elysia. It was indeed her, though unfortunately, she was not the Elysia from the main world.
"Wow, Little Griseo, did you make new friends?"
Without waiting for anyone to react, Elysia ran over without a second thought and wrapped both Bai Chen and Seele in her arms.
"Eh?!"
Bai Chen was fine, but the instant Seele was hugged, she became flustered and twisted awkwardly.
"You pink fatty! Let go of Seele already!"
For some reason, the moment Black Seele saw Elysia hugging Seele, an inexplicable fire rose in her heart. Black Seele was furious!
Of course, Elysia could not hear Black Seele's impotent rage.
Elysia was now kneading Bai Chen and Seele like dolls she had finally found, dragging them toward somewhere else at the same time.
"Eh? Wait!"
Just as Bai Chen tried to explain, Elysia gave him no chance to speak. She quickened her pace and took the two of them away.
By the time Bai Chen came back to his senses, he found that Elysia had abducted them into an apartment!
Along the way, Bai Chen had kept trying to explain that they did not know Griseo at all, but Elysia's enthusiastic questions interrupted him every time, leaving him no chance to speak.
There was even less need to mention Seele. She still looked like her soul had left her body and she had yet to recover.
Neither he nor Seele had forceful personalities. If Kiana were here, things probably would not have turned out like this, right?
Thinking that, Bai Chen sighed helplessly.
"Eh?"
Suddenly, Bai Chen felt a reaction from Fu Hua's Feather inside him.
"Class Monitor?"
Out of concern, Bai Chen asked.
"No... it's nothing. I just feel that the woman before us seems familiar."
Fu Hua quietly observed Elysia's appearance. That sense of familiarity meant she should know her, right? But what kind of relationship did they have?
Familiar? She was far too familiar. Bai Chen complained inwardly.
Elysia's death had been a scar for every Flame-Chaser. Even Chijie, who had always been wrapped in rage, had felt... displeased about it.
After settling Bai Chen and Seele down, Elysia excitedly went to prepare tea and snacks, as if she had not had visitors in a long time.
"..."
Seeing how happy Elysia looked, Griseo, who had followed behind them, hesitated for a moment over whether to tell the truth. But Mama Aponia had taught children to be honest.
"Actually... I don't know them."
At Griseo's answer, Elysia's movements suddenly froze, and several beads of awkward cold sweat appeared on her forehead.
"I'm really sorry."
Elysia held the tea and snacks before the two of them, smiling apologetically.
"Hmph! That's what you get for not listening to anyone."
After holding it in for so long, Black Seele immediately took over and greeted Elysia with obvious displeasure.
"I'm sorry! Miss Seele was just so adorable that I truly couldn't control myself."
Elysia pretended to be troubled and tapped her head.
"Hmph, Seele is adorable, that's true. But you still can't just drag people away like that."
Black Seele decided that while this woman was rather reckless, she did have good taste.
"The other me!!!"
Seele, who had been pushed offline, flushed bright red at the praise.
Bai Chen felt embarrassed for Seele just watching from the side. But they probably would not be able to leave until tomorrow, so where were he and Seele supposed to sleep tonight?
Should he go check the dormitories at St. Freya and see whose room was there? Although the map of St. Freya here was somewhat different, such as this large apartment, other places were the same, like the dormitory layout.
Bai Chen was about to get up and excuse himself first, but he suddenly noticed that although Elysia had been talking to Seele, her eyes had actually been glancing at him now and then.
That look seemed to be hinting at something?
"Um, I'm going to use the restroom first."
Bai Chen decisively used the restroom as an excuse and ran to an unobserved corner, where he silently stood. Sure enough, Elysia followed shortly afterward.
"So... do you need something?"
Bai Chen looked up into Elysia's eyes. A hint that obvious meant she definitely had something to say.
"You... aren't from this world, are you?"
Elysia immediately asked the key question.
Although Bai Chen was startled the moment he heard it, he was not particularly surprised.
After all, Elysia was the most special Herrscher. It would not be strange if she was also more unusual in another World Bubble.
There was no need to hide it, so Bai Chen directly nodded and admitted that he was an outsider.
"You need to be careful. In fact, before I brought you back to the apartment, you had already been watched."
A Dark Threat
"?"
Bai Chen was somewhat surprised by those sudden words, then listened as Elysia continued explaining.
In short, Bai Chen and the others had been targeted from the moment they arrived in this world. There was a rather special being in this World Bubble, one who was not content with being trapped in a World Bubble that could disappear at any time.
So she would use every possible method to capture outsiders, attempting to leave this World Bubble through that means.
If Elysia had not arrived in time, Bai Chen and the others would likely have been attacked.
As long as Elysia remained by their side, that special person would not dare act immediately out of fear.
That was also why Elysia had been so forceful from the beginning. It was not that she had intentionally interrupted their explanation; she had wanted to protect them first.
"I'm actually not weak either."
Bai Chen said that he had some big guns in his hands now. Coupled with the Stigmata he had only recently unlocked, if that person truly dared attack him, it was hard to say who would beat whom.
"I know you're strong, but I simply don't want anyone between you and her to get hurt."
Elysia smiled and touched Bai Chen's cheek, though he did not know whether she truly believed him or was merely comforting a child.
"Me and her?"
Letting Elysia do as she pleased, Bai Chen thought over her words. Did "you and her" mean him and Seele, or him and that special person?
"Hm? Elysia, did you bring back more children you don't know?"
Just as Bai Chen and Elysia were staring at each other, a weary voice from upstairs interrupted them.
Hearing the movement, Bai Chen also stepped out of the corner and looked toward the source of the voice.
A mature Mobius!
Even inside the apartment, she was still wearing a lab coat. What a strange style, along with that messy green hair... had she just gotten out of bed?
"Oh my, Mobius, it's already three in the afternoon and you've only just gotten up. That's bad for your skin."
Rather than answering Mobius's question, Elysia changed the subject.
"Tch."
Hearing Elysia mention skin, Mobius glanced at Elysia's pale, smooth skin and immediately became annoyed.
Before you continue