Honkai Impact 3rd: Saving Pre-Civilization Through Hand-Crafted Black Tech

"It's definitely here. The Honkai Energy concentration in this area is the highest in this settlement. It looks like the person we're looking for is here."

Her face mostly hidden by her hood, revealing only her mouth and a few strands of pink hair, the woman placed a hand on her hip and said in a low voice, "Elysia, isn't it a bit too hasty for us to just barge in like this?"

"Is it?" The girl called Elysia was still looking around at the church's interior. Though it was bare, she was still engrossed. "Sakura, you're a little too nervous. Perhaps things aren't as bad as you think."

"You're too optimistic, Elysia," Sakura sighed. "The fact that their subordinate could steal the tactical case without us noticing is enough to show that there's a deep secret hidden behind this. They might know more about Moth to Fire than we can imagine, and our information might even be on their desk. We have to be cautious when facing an enemy like this."

"But everyone here says that Ms. Aponia, who runs the sanatorium, is a beautiful and kind nun," Elysia said with a smile. "How could someone like that be a bad person?"

Sakura sighed and said nothing more.

Elysia was just like that. She always looked at everyone with goodwill, but Sakura couldn't do the same.

Fortunately, she had already requested support from above. Even if the enemy's strength exceeded expectations, as long as they could stall for enough time, it should be resolved.

Just then, Sakura tilted her head slightly—her keen senses were telling her that two people were approaching.

But judging by their footsteps, these two didn't seem to pose any threat...

The girl was still pondering, but the two people had already appeared in her field of vision.

"It really is you."

Seeing the two familiar yet strange faces, Ai Yue took a deep breath to control his emotions.

He stepped forward to stand in front of Aponia and took the initiative to speak, "May I ask why the two from Moth to Fire have traveled so far?"

Chapter 5: Oh No, I'm Surrounded by Serpents

The moment he saw the guests, Ai Yue knew they were in the bag.

Compared to Sakura, who hid her appearance under her hood, Elysia didn't conceal her features much, only wearing a hat. Thus, Ai Yue recognized her at a glance.

Although he didn't know why Elysia was here, as long as her personality was the same as he remembered, tonight wouldn't end with the tragic and horrific outcome of the original plot.

Elysia looked at the young man before her, blinking curiously. "Hello, have we met somewhere before?"

The hint of nostalgia in his eyes didn't seem like someone seeing her for the first time, but Elysia thought hard and couldn't recall where she had met him.

"No, I've only heard of you," Ai Yue smiled. "My name is Ai Yue, and this is Aponia, the director of the sanatorium. May I know your names?"

"Since you know we're from Moth to Fire, how could you not know our identities?" Sakura frowned and took a small step forward. "Stop putting on an act. What exactly are you planning?"

Ai Yue was slightly taken aback, completely not expecting Sakura to harbor such hostility towards him. "Miss, is there some misunderstanding between us?"

"Oh, Sakura, don't be so hasty," Elysia tugged at Sakura's sleeve and then looked at Ai Yue and Aponia with a smile. "Why don't we sit down and talk?"

Sakura glanced at Elysia, wanting to say something, but Elysia shook her head at her, clearly not intending to change her mind.

Given this, Sakura could only compromise and choose to follow Elysia's arrangement—after all, officially, Elysia was the leader of this mission.

Thus, the four of them sat down. However, since there were only rows of long benches in the church facing the main hall, the two parties could only sit on adjacent benches, making them look like spies meeting up.

"Speaking of which, we haven't introduced ourselves yet," Elysia said first. "My name is Elysia, and as you can see, I'm a cute, beautiful girl~"

"Sakura." Compared to Elysia, who struck a cute pose, Sakura was much more aloof, not even taking off her hood. "Just call me Sakura."

"Sakura is a bit shy," Elysia didn't push it, instead placing a hand to her mouth as if sharing a secret. "But she's actually a very kind person."

"...Let's get to business first," Sakura coughed lightly, changing the subject. "How did you know our identities?"

"I happened to hear some rumors about Moth to Fire. It's hard not to know when you two came to Twilight Street so openly," Ai Yue shrugged. "Of course, the main reason is that I saw your case."

"So you did steal the tactical case!"

Sakura suddenly stood up, only to be held down by Elysia. "Sakura, let's not be impatient. It's not too late to see what Mr. Ai Yue has to say next."

"Stealing the tactical case was actually a coincidence, but I doubt you'd believe me if I explained, so I suggest we talk about something else first," Ai Yue bypassed the question instead of answering directly. "Miss Elysia, what kind of mission did Moth to Fire send you here to carry out?"

"Hmm, this isn't something that can be easily told to outsiders," Elysia shook her head slightly. "Mr. Ai Yue, while I personally am very willing to trust you, we're not at a point where we can confide in each other yet."

Clearly, even though Elysia was kind and willing to treat everyone with the utmost goodwill, she wasn't so foolish as to say anything to a stranger she had just met.

"Alright, then I'll try a different approach," Ai Yue changed his strategy and pointed to Aponia, who was sitting beside him. "As you can see, Ms. Aponia is well-respected locally in Twilight Street and is quite well-informed. If you want to know about Twilight Street, she's the most convenient person to ask."

Since Moth to Fire sent someone like Elysia on a mission, it definitely wouldn't be a simple matter of hunting down or eliminating ordinary people infected by the Honkai, as such tasks were considered dirty work and could be handled by the Poison Pupa.

Having Elysia show up meant it had to be something that required someone with a good image and communication skills to resolve. The main content of such missions usually had nothing to do with violence, which was why Ai Yue was so relaxed.

Of course, considering Sakura was also present, it meant the mission likely had a less savory backup plan, but Ai Yue believed Elysia would do her best to avoid that situation.

If it truly came down to the use of force, then he would have to unleash Kalpas.

"Then, Ms. Aponia," Elysia didn't hesitate this time. "May I ask if you know why the Honkai Energy concentration in this sanatorium is so high?"

As she spoke, she took out a detector. The warning light on it was a light red, indicating "Honkai Energy concentration that can cause harm to the human body."

Aponia glanced at Ai Yue, then nodded. "I do."

She then stood up and walked towards the main entrance. "It's a bit complicated to explain, so please follow me. However, please be quiet, everyone is already asleep."

Sakura and Elysia exchanged glances, their expressions becoming serious.

The other party's reaction, along with the mention of "sanatorium" earlier, hinted at the truth behind it all.

The four of them quietly walked through the corridor, inspecting each room. Aponia held a lantern, occasionally having brief conversations with patients who were woken from their sleep, calming them down to help them fall back asleep.

It wasn't until they exited the last patient room and entered the backyard that Sakura finally couldn't help but ask, "Are they all...?"

"Yes, all of them," Aponia replied calmly. "Every single one is a homeless patient with Honkai Sickness."

Sakura fell silent.

She wanted to ask Aponia if she knew the consequences of gathering so many patients infected with Honkai Energy, but the words wouldn't come out.

Because she understood the feeling of being unable to abandon someone to die. If it were her, could she really just turn away?

Of course, compared to concentrated treatment that would lead to huge future problems, there was also a most stable, and most cruel, method...

"It must be hard taking care of so many patients," Elysia focused on another matter. "Miss Aponia, you've had a tough time."

"It's alright. With everyone's help and donations, we can still manage," Aponia said calmly. "But Miss Elysia, you're not here to talk about that, are you?"

Not only Aponia, but even Ai Yue noticed that Elysia had been watching the Honkai Energy Absorbers he had given to the patients since she first saw them.

"Oh, you noticed," Elysia said, showing no embarrassment. "By the way, can I call you by your name directly?"

Aponia paused for a moment, then nodded.

"Then, Aponia," Elysia said slowly, "do you understand the consequences of doing this?"

"A large number of Honkai Sickness patients gathered together will lead to a more severe outbreak, is that right?" Aponia nodded. "I didn't know before, but I found out later."

"Let me guess, a kind person told you?" Elysia took something out of her pocket. "For example, the person who made this?"

In her hand was a Honkai Energy Absorber, one for each patient.

Aponia almost instinctively looked towards Ai Yue, but she managed to control her movement.

However, that momentary reaction was enough for Elysia to make a judgment, and the pink-haired beauty shifted her gaze to Ai Yue. "Could it be that Ai Yue, you know the person who made this? Or... is it actually you?"

She naturally dropped the "Mister" she had used when addressing Ai Yue.

"If I say it was me," Ai Yue sighed, then asked, "what will Moth to Fire do?"

Ai Yue wasn't surprised that Elysia had obtained the Honkai Energy Absorbers. He wasn't just providing them to Aponia's sanatorium; many wealthy individuals were willing to pay a high price for them to avoid dying from Honkai Energy infection.

Ai Yue sold the Honkai Energy Absorbers externally, partly to earn capital for continued research and partly to attract Moth to Fire's attention early on, thereby changing the future of Twilight Street.

It was already quite slow for Moth to Fire to track down Twilight Street based on the Honkai Energy Absorbers now.

"Naturally, we'll invite you to join Moth to Fire," Elysia said with a smile, extending her hand. "So, are you interested?"

"Is this your mission?" Joining Moth to Fire was Ai Yue's goal, but he didn't take Elysia's hand. "If it's just this, you wouldn't need to make such a big fuss, would you?"

As he spoke, he glanced at Sakura, who was standing behind Elysia.

If it were just such a mission, they certainly wouldn't need both of them to come. But Elysia's mission didn't seem like one that required Sakura as a backup plan. It couldn't be a coincidence, could it?

"You really know a lot. I'm becoming more and more interested in you," Elysia smiled. "Sakura's and my missions are indeed different, but the final clues all pointed to Twilight Street, so we came together. As for Sakura's mission, you'll have to ask her."

"'That day, He fell from the sky. The people on the ground looked up, and thus saw the starry sky.'" Sakura was silent for a moment, then recited something like a poem. "Have you heard this ballad?"

Ai Yue looked at Aponia. Didn't I ask you to sing different songs to the children?

"It's a lullaby I sing to the children," Aponia said. "But I haven't sung it in a long time. Is there something wrong with this ballad?"

"I don't know," Sakura looked at Aponia with a complicated expression. "But I'm afraid you'll have to come with us, Miss Aponia."

Aponia seemed to understand something and asked slowly, "After I go back with you, can I still come back?"

Sakura didn't speak, and the atmosphere gradually became tense.

It was clear that, unlike Ai Yue, Aponia would not receive preferential treatment if she went to Moth to Fire.

"Then, please forgive me for refusing," Aponia shook her head. "The patients and children here need me."

She didn't say anything like "Can you take the patients and children with me?" because such a thing was obviously unrealistic.

Sakura remained silent, but she slightly lowered her posture, clearly preparing for something.

Perhaps out of personal feelings, she didn't want to do this, but a mission was a mission and had to be completed.

"Oh, don't make the atmosphere so tense," Elysia quickly stepped in to ease the situation. "There will surely be other solutions, right?"

"Exactly. The children are still sleeping. At least don't fight here," Ai Yue added, trying to diffuse the tension. "If there's anything..."

He stopped before he could finish his sentence because Aponia, uncharacteristically, reached out and grabbed Ai Yue's right wrist, then slowly pulled him closer to her.

"I'm sorry, Miss Elysia, but I can't let you take him away either," Aponia's tone was still calm, but a hint of determination could be heard. "Ai Yue is an indispensable presence in the sanatorium. Everyone here needs him."

"Huh?" Elysia was caught off guard by Aponia's sudden, completely different attitude. "Wait, let's talk properly. Why must you..."

"Hey, what are you guys doing?"

Just as Elysia was pondering how to ease the escalating tension, an abrupt voice cut in, making the already tense atmosphere even more strained.

A masked man stood in the shadows, and no one noticed when he appeared. However, everyone could hear the palpable irritation in his voice.

"I don't care what you want to do to that woman," the masked man, Kalpas, slowly emerged from the shadows. "But you'd better not hurt Ai Yue, or else—"

Extremely dangerous.

That was Sakura's first impression upon noticing Kalpas. He stood there, exuding an inhuman, savage cruelty.

This wasn't like a ferocious wolf or tiger, but more like an insurmountable terror—like a volcano on the verge of eruption, or a typhoon tearing through the sky.

It was something that human strength alone could not resist.

Ordinary people would tremble and lose the ability to resist when faced with such an existence, but Sakura was different. She was a seasoned swordswoman, and moreover, a transcendent being who wielded extraordinary power.

Therefore, facing Kalpas, she instinctively chose to attack.

Her oversized robe, meant to conceal her identity, became a hindrance at this moment, so Sakura simply threw it off, revealing a pair of long ears standing erect on her head.

At the same time, the long saber at her waist was revealed to everyone.

"Heh, interesting," Kalpas let out a restless sound. "You asked for this!"

However, the very next second, a small, cylindrical object rolled onto the open space between several people.

"Bang!"

With a light sound, thick, heavy smoke instantly dispersed, covering the entire backyard.

Ai Yue immediately recognized it as his improved "instant-burst smoke bomb," capable of instantly creating a smoke screen covering a ten-meter radius. But he seemed to have only given Pardofelis two of these?

Before he could figure things out, he felt another small hand grab his left arm.

"Brother Yue, we're here to save you!"

Chapter 6: The Man of Deep Sin

Pardofelis wasn't stupid.

If we were to use the terms of wuxia novels, she, having learned the ways of a cat from a young age and becoming a master thief, could be considered a martial arts prodigy.

So, when Ai Yue had only glanced at the box before rushing her to the neighboring settlement, Pardofelis had actually already sensed that Ai Yue was hiding something from her.

After all, how could she, who had grown up fending for herself from such a young age, not notice changes in others' emotions?

It was just that Pardofelis often disliked trouble and deliberately pretended not to understand.

But this time was different. This time... this time it might be trouble she herself had gotten into!