Mobius: Elysia, I'm Far Ahead of You

The next day.

[Ping~ The daily mission has refreshed. Please check it, Host.]

[Daily Mission: Shake hands with any Valkyrie/Flame-Chaser for more than five minutes in a single instance.]

Xu Ziling stared at the floating panel that had appeared with hardly any fanfare and fell into deep thought.

This mission... wasn't too difficult. In fact, it was practically effortless. He could complete it right now by simply telling Elysia.

But just like yesterday's daily mission, "Have physical contact with any Valkyrie for more than three minutes," these easy missions always gave Xu Ziling a strange feeling, as if the system was intentionally—or unintentionally—guiding him in some odd direction.

After thinking for a moment, Xu Ziling asked inwardly:

System, this mission of yours... is it really proper?

[Ping~ System updating. Current progress: 78%...]

?

[Ping~ The mission system is an independent module that refreshes at a fixed time every day. System updates do not affect the release of daily missions.]

??

Then how did you say that sentence to me?

[Ah, this... You didn't hear anything just now... You heard nothing...]

"..."

There were few people in this world who could leave Xu Ziling speechless. The system was one of them.

After giving his head a slight shake, Xu Ziling decided not to pursue the matter any further. It wouldn't do him any good. Beneath his dazzling golden hair, his emerald eyes shifted slightly, and his attention turned to the pink figure who had gotten up early, finished washing, and slipped into the little building's kitchen to busy herself.

As for expressing his feelings, saying it once was enough. If he said it too often, he would only add even more charm to his already devastatingly beautiful feminine body.

Thus, Xu Ziling planned to see whether there was anything he could do to help Elysia and provide her with a little convenience. That way, when he later made the strange request of shaking hands for five minutes, things would at least be a little easier.

Meanwhile, elsewhere...

The research institute's lounge.

Mobius, who had been angered unconscious by Elysia, slowly woke up. After rubbing her still-drowsy aquamarine eyes, the first thing she noticed was Blanca beside her bed.

"Doctor, you're awake."

Seeing that Mobius had woken up, Blanca prepared to hand over the resignation letter she had already written. But at that moment, she noticed the fatigue on Mobius's face. After freezing for a moment, she changed what she was about to say.

"Doctor, are you feeling uncomfortable anywhere else?"

Remembering that Blanca had been caring for her while she was unconscious, Mobius felt a warm stir in her heart. But when she recalled the "Pink Demon" who had caused her to pass out, she couldn't feel happy at all. She waved a hand at Blanca and said:

"Forget about me for now... Blanca, has Elysia left? Go call Little Mouse over. I need to tell him a few things. Under no circumstances can he come into contact with that Pink Demon, or he'll absolutely be eaten clean by her."

"Uh..."

Seeing Blanca's slightly awkward expression, Mobius's face changed. She then asked tentatively:

"Elysia has left... right?"

"Uh..."

"Little Mouse isn't with her right now... right?"

"Uh..."

"...Little Mouse has already been taken away by her?"

"Yes..."

"..."

"Ely!!! Sia!!!"

After Mobius stormed over with Blanca in tow, she immediately saw the tightly shut door of the little building and the windows completely covered by thick curtains.

The room had been arranged so that not a sliver of light could enter. Mobius frowned slightly, then saw the two figures chatting and laughing in the kitchen. As if she had understood something, she began trembling with rage.

Yet when her anger reached its absolute peak, Mobius instead began to laugh coldly.

No matter what, charging in and physically interrupting Elysia would be far too unlike her. Being outmaneuvered by Elysia yesterday and made to look awkward had been enough. Mobius would never fall into the same trap twice.

The cold smile on Mobius's face made Blanca shudder behind her. The crumpled resignation letter in her arms seemed to lose what little courage it had left to be handed over.

I'll wait a little longer... There will always be a chance later. The Doctor doesn't seem able to leave me just yet...

Thinking this, Blanca folded the resignation letter neatly again and stuffed it into the pocket of her underwear.

Mobius, meanwhile, had thought of something as well. With a cold smile, she took her phone from the pocket of her lab coat, opened the surveillance footage, and screenshotted a certain scene from the previous day. Then she narrowed her eyes and looked toward the kitchen, separated from them by only one wall.

Heh... I really have to thank Little Mouse for being disoriented when he first woke up. Now, with only this photograph, Little Mouse is destined to become experimental data belonging solely to me, Mobius... Hehe, Elysia, I'm far ahead of you.

Elysia, once you see this picture of Little Mouse and me, the expression on your face will be absolutely wonderful, won't it? Hahaha~ Just thinking about it is already amusing.

This time... This Serpent will definitely make you understand what the word "difference" means!

Thinking this, Mobius failed to notice that although Xu Ziling in the little building's kitchen was chatting enthusiastically with Elysia, he had never once voluntarily stepped within half a step of her.

He could become good friends with Elysia.

But they could only become good friends.

That was Xu Ziling's true inner thought after being touched by her purity.

Of course, if possible, who wouldn't want to turn such an immaculate girl into his wife alone? Anyone who had served as captain of Hyperion and met Elysia would probably have the same thought.

But shouting "wife" every day and joking around was one thing. When it came to truly defiling that purity, putting aside whether Elysia herself was willing, even he might not have the heart to do it.

This had nothing to do with whether he was ruthless or weak. It was simply the normal way anyone who had experienced Elysia's purity up close would think.

There was no helping it. She was simply too beautiful and too pure—so pure that everyone who came into contact with her couldn't bear to make her their own.

Her purity, perfection, and flawlessness meant that she was destined to love every person in this world deeply, rather than just one person.

So Xu Ziling was happy to become her friend, but he absolutely wouldn't do anything that crossed the line between friends. Otherwise... he would be letting down the title of this book.

"Little Ziling, help me crack four eggs, please~"

"Mm, just a moment."

"Can Little Ziling fry eggs? Why don't you try your hand at it too? Remember, you have to use the Heart-shaped Mold over there! If there's anything you don't understand, feel free to ask me anytime~"

"Mm..."

In Xu Ziling's view, forget frying eggs—even if he were sent into the kitchen alone, he could genuinely make one or two dishes good enough to earn applause.

It was true that before transmigrating, he had been an office drone. But his boss, that dog of a man surnamed Tian, was always ridiculously idle. Whenever he wanted something done, he would send employees on private home visits, claiming it was to care about their current situation, when in reality he simply wanted to freeload food and drinks at their homes!

Which employee he would freeload from was decided by a random company-wide lottery. Judging by Xu Ziling's practiced cooking, it was obvious he had been one of those "lucky"—or rather, "unlucky"—winners more than once.

There was no helping it. If your food tasted bad and your boss was dissatisfied, he would throw you a couple of dirty looks before leaving. Then, when payday came, he would drawl, "Little Xu~" That was enough to make anyone's head ache.

Over time, Xu Ziling had actually been forced into developing decent cooking skills. His dog of a boss, surnamed Tian, had even considered having him go work as a private chef at his home.

But Xu Ziling wasn't stupid. Damn it, you already dare to exploit employees that badly at the company. If I really went to your house, wouldn't you squeeze me until not even my skin and blood were left? Has your brain been kicked by a donkey?

After transmigrating, that dog of a boss vanished without a trace, but the cooking skills he had forced out of Xu Ziling remained.

If he had been in front of other people, Xu Ziling might have decided not to show off, using the excuse that he had only just appeared and shouldn't attract too much attention. But in front of Elysia, he didn't need so many reservations.

"Mm..."

After swiftly frying the four heart-shaped eggs, Xu Ziling pondered for a moment, then looked at Elysia beside him and said:

"Miss Elysia, do you trust my cooking?"

"Hmm? Is Little Ziling planning to cook for himself?"

As if remembering something, Elysia smiled and said:

"Mm... Just as Miss Elf always trusts adorable humans, I naturally trust you too, Little Ziling. But... Little Ziling, I have to remind you that you can start with European dishes. You don't need to learn to make Eastern dishes like me...

"Shenzhou is the oldest Eastern nation in the world, and many of its eating habits are very difficult to understand. Take this 'chopsticks,' for example. Miss Elf spent half the day yesterday just learning how to use them! It's fine if Little Ziling doesn't know how either. You can start with simpler Western dishes!"

It was true. Compared with Eastern dishes, Western dishes were so simple that they seemed like cutting vegetables into chunks and tossing them with some sauce. Even the most basic Fried Dough Stick in Eastern cuisine required mastery of the oil temperature and heat. For a beginner, the odds of failure were extremely high.

But... Xu Ziling's hometown before transmigrating had been highly similar to Shenzhou.

With an amused, helpless smile, Little Ziling said to Elysia:

"It's fine, Miss Elysia. I'm proficient in a technique called 'Cooking Magic.' As long as you write the method on a slip of paper, put on a blindfold, and wait five to thirty minutes, the meal will cook itself."

"Hmm? Really?"

Elysia blinked her wide eyes, her face full of disbelief.

Xu Ziling smiled as well and said:

"If you don't believe me, Miss Elysia, you can put on the blindfold and try it first."

"Mm-hmm?~"

The truth proved that the simpler and more childlike something was, the more Elysia liked it. After Xu Ziling proposed this "Cooking Magic," she didn't find him childish at all. Instead, she seemed delighted to have encountered a kindred spirit.

Of course... the kindred spirit was only one from Elysia's perspective.

On the other side, Mobius watched Elysia put on the blindfold, and her face darkened until it was nearly black as the bottom of a pot.

As expected, Elysia, cooking was only your excuse. Seducing my Little Mouse is your real goal, isn't it?

You were cooking perfectly fine a moment ago, and now you're putting on a blindfold? What? You prepared everything so thoroughly—what new game are you planning to play? Are you going to take off your clothes in a moment too?

I'm furious!

No, she couldn't endure it any longer!

With that, Mobius darkly charged toward Elysia in the kitchen like a giant serpent that had been lying in ambush in the darkness for a long time.

"Hmm-hmm?~"

Ignoring the question of why Elysia carried a blindfold with her, she smiled and nodded at Xu Ziling, preparing to follow his instructions and witness the miraculous "Cooking Magic."

"Smack!"

However, at that moment, Elysia's wrist was seized tightly by a pair of hands clenched so hard that the knuckles had gone white.

"Hmm?"

Elysia turned around and saw Mobius's sinister, malicious smile. She also saw the extremely provocative surveillance image from the early hours of the previous night displayed on the phone held aloft in Mobius's left hand...