Elysia: Predetermined Trajectory (Continued)

"Although I don't know how he survived, he already possessed some of the traits of other Herrscher when he was inside me. Considering the special nature of the Tenth Herrscher, I suspect that he now possesses the traits of all other Herrscher and his cognitive level exceeds that of Herrscher. He cannot be regarded as a regular Herrscher."

"Understood. Any other information?"

"Before that, I'd like to confirm whether his route includes the headquarters of the Firemoth?"

"Not here, is this also information related to the Eleventh Herrscher?"

"In the Quantum Sea, I encountered a special Herrscher." The man slid his fingers to his temples, tapped his forehead, and his unusual black-green pupils gleamed with an eerie light. "She was able to use two Herrscher Core at the same time, and even briefly possessed four Herrscher Core."

"Four?" This unexpected number startled Medu. "Including the core of the current Herrscher of Binding, right?"

"Yes, and when the four Herrscher Core existed in one Herrscher's body at the same time, there was no conflict. That Herrscher completely controlled the Herrscher Core, and its form changed. So I think he will definitely try to seize the other Herrscher of Binding's core, as well as the other Herrscher Core."

Whether this news was good or bad, Kevin, who had been standing silently behind Mei, suddenly said, "What if we use the Herrscher Core as bait to lure the Herrscher of Binding and then launch a long-range attack?"

"Like the Third Honkai War?"

Mei shook her head.

"Putting aside the fact that there are basically no weapons that can threaten the Herrscher of Binding within the barrier, Lin said that the Herrscher of Binding's cognition transcends the level of Herrscher. Setting a trap with the premise of 'being outside a very large area and not allowing the other party to obtain the Herrscher Core's could very well be used against them."

"... No, there are weapons that can threaten the Herrscher of Binding."

The man looked at Kevin and said slowly with a serious expression, "The Phoenix will change its form after it outputs power beyond the Zero Rated Power. I believe that in that form Phoenix can kill Herrscher in one blow."

"The problem now is how to restrain the Herrscher of Binding." Mei's eyes were hidden by her glasses, but she seemed to have already thought of something.

"Regarding this point, actually, what I mentioned before about the Herrscher of Reason..."

The sounds that followed were indistinct.

Elysia couldn't hear the contents of the crackling, hoarse busy tone, and this memory abruptly ended.

But that was enough for her to understand the current situation.

The Herrscher of Binding...

The truth is, Great Honkai has occurred, and it's already the eleventh one...?

So now, what about her, Lin, and Qianqi...?

Elysia opened her eyes, her head throbbing with pain. A flood of memories surged through her mind, and the disorientation of space and time gave her the illusion that there was another person inside her body. This feeling was truly unpleasant.

"The Herrscher of Binding, is this the truth...?"

It's not hard to figure out the reason for the current situation from what I just remembered.

This world is a world of consciousness, and they most likely entered it to fight against the Herrscher of Binding. But why are things happening that are beyond their plans? It's even unknown whether they are still part of the original plan.

"Forest..."

Elysia lay on the sofa in a daze, staring blankly at the ceiling.

Sure enough, there was a reason between her and Lin.

For some reason, this truth put her at ease.

But what follows is the problem that must be faced after feeling at ease.

What exactly happened? There must have been some unforeseen events that occurred before or after they entered the world of consciousness. And at that moment, Elysia remembered a dream that Tan had had before.

She and Lin were in the conference room when a gun went off.

"Right, we need to go find Lin now."

Elysia picked up the remaining blue syringe; it should contain Lin's memories, and she had to give it to Lin quickly.

Elysia rushed to the door and opened it.

She looked up at the starry sky and paused for a moment.

It's already evening?

She actually spent the whole day reminiscing?

Just then, a strong sense of unease rose in Elysia's heart. She quickly glanced back at the time, then grabbed her keys and rushed out the door, heading towards the school like an arrow released from a bow.

It's so late, there's no way Lin could still be at school, but Elysia doesn't know where Lin lives, so she can only try her luck at the school first.

She has an exceptionally good memory. When she came to school by car before, she only memorized the route briefly. This time, she relied on her memory to run to the Chienyu Academy.

As expected, the campus was deserted, like an empty mountaintop with drifting catkins. She searched anxiously around the school, but there wasn't a single ordinary student, let alone Lin.

"Oh, isn't this Xiao Ai?"

Just as Elysia was at her wit's end, a white-haired boy suddenly appeared before her. His cheerful smile dispelled the coldness of the night, and when he saw Elysia, he happily waved and ran over.

"You... Kevin?"

The Kevin she remembered, who was even colder than Lin, was so different from the Kevin in front of her with his smile that even seemed a little silly. Before Elysia could react, her eyes lit up and she asked, "Do you know where Lin's house is?"

"Huh? You two are developing so fast?" Kevin was startled by her question, then said with a mischievous grin, "But Lin might not accept it so quickly."

"Oh no, that's not it..."

Suddenly, Elysia stopped her hurried steps.

"Hmm... what's wrong? Why are you suddenly not saying anything?"

The pink-haired girl's eyes revealed an unusual calmness as she looked at the white-haired boy in front of her and slowly took two steps back.

Why are you here?

"...I forgot something at school, so I came back to get it." Kevin looked at her with some confusion.

"No, you're not Kevin."

Elysia stared intently at the white-haired boy who had lowered his head and hidden his expression with his bangs.

"..."

"..."

"..."

"So what's the point of being so perceptive and persistent?" He raised his head, his blue eyes disappearing, replaced by a pair of extremely eerie rainbow pupils. "Last time, it was also what forced me to kill you."

"You..."

Elysia looked down at her surroundings in disbelief. Could this scene be...?

A deserted night, a sky full of stars, and a man blocking the way.

"Alright, give me what you have." His cold expression changed. "Didn't you want to know where he went? Today, he told Kevin he wanted to go find another version of himself, and then the two of them went to the hospital. How about that, are you satisfied now?"

"He will lose his memory again..."

Elysia gritted her teeth, protecting the syringe in her hand, and stared at "him".

"That's right, right there in the place where we met. To be honest, it's really unexpected that you two always meet first at the hospital. Even though Lin and Kevin are just going out to have fun, they always manage to run into you and get to know you for various reasons... Is this what they call fate? Or is it that his subconscious mind has changed his conscious world?"

He walked slowly forward, his shadow stretching out across Elysia's face.

"It doesn't matter anymore. After today, he will forget everything because he is looking for another version of himself, and then, according to the predetermined path, he will move towards the end."

The New Year's Eve Special: A Story of Only One Ox and an Endless Field to Plow (Part 1)

Every year, red lanterns and colorful decorations adorn the New Year's Eve. As people bid farewell to the old year and welcome the new, they shed the dust of the past year and embrace the prosperity of the new. Adults chat about their daily lives, while children play and frolic. It is probably the most lively time of the year.

In the north of China, even before this time of year, what's most abundant is naturally...

"Dumpling snowballs!"

"Bang!"

The dumpling-shaped ice sculpture shot out like a bullet at a terrifying speed, instantly shattering the trunk of the large tree in the courtyard that would take three people to encircle.

"Dumpling fireballs!"

The response was a dumpling that was burning fiercely.

The terrifying heat melted half of the snow in the courtyard in an instant.

"Dumpling laser!"

"Wait, wait, wait a minute! What are they doing?! They've almost destroyed Brother Lin's backyard! Hua, you have to stop them!"

The cat-eared girl was so frightened that she tucked her tail into her clothes. She hid behind the calm and collected gray-haired girl, watching the three expressionless men in the courtyard attack each other with things that had nothing to do with dumplings.

What is a "dumpling laser"? It has absolutely nothing to do with dumplings anymore.

She trembled as she watched the boy with demon horns on his head casually unleash a beam of light that neutralized the attacks of the other two. Then, he picked up the artificial hill and smashed it with a "dumpling impact." The scene before her was more like a mini version of interstellar war than a snowball fight. Three aliens who had just disembarked from their spaceship started fighting without saying a word.

"Hmm... It's alright. The three of them have been tormented by dumplings for a whole day and night. Let them vent their frustrations."

The gray-haired girl, dressed in a simple yet elegant blue and Hanfu, exuded a refined and mature aura that transcended her age. She picked up a cup of fine tea, took a sip, and caught a translucent snowflake in the vast snowy courtyard. Her expression was serene, as if she were reminiscing about the past.

The cat-eared girl was utterly helpless. Her once incredibly close friend, the same age as her, was now as indifferent as an old woman. While she had always been somewhat rigid and inflexible, she had now completely transformed into a young woman in the body of an old nun with long hair. Is it true that all old people are the same...?

"Knock knock knock".

Suddenly, three impatient knocks on the door brought the three people's heated "snowball fight" to a halt, and everyone turned to look at the figure standing at the door.

Her long, emerald-green hair was unusually styled into a beautiful pearl-like updo, suggesting that the person who braided it was quite skilled. The golden hair accessories gave the petite girl a completely different, ancient charm. She also wore a black and green slit cheongsam, revealing her fair and rosy skin, which made her both beautiful and alluring.

But her expression was quite unfriendly, which didn't match the snowy scenery at all, but rather resembled the messy courtyard.

"How long are you going to keep this up?" Mobius's pale red lips uttered words that sounded like they were about to explode with impatience. "Who did that tree? He planted it specifically to raise animals."

The other two tacitly pointed to Kevin was still holding an ice sculpture dumpling in his hand.

"..."

"..."

Mobius and Kevin exchanged glances, and only then did he belatedly put down the ice sculpture in his hands... and the two-meter-long ice spear he had just sculpted.

"Never mind, come in and have some dumplings, they're ready."

She tucked a strand of hair, damp from her lips, behind her ear, her tone tinged with helplessness.

There's nothing he can do; these men are close friends, so he probably doesn't care about these things.

Hua nodded lightly, got up and went inside, while Pardo breathed a long sigh of relief, finally stopping.

Overall, their New Year's Eve dinner for fourteen people was quite lavish thanks to the efforts of several skilled cooks. The atmosphere at the dinner table was harmonious and joyful. There was a white-haired man who got drunk and chug straight from the bottle, eventually finishing his meal with his mouth stuck to the bottle. There was also a woman with long, wine-red hair who inexplicably punished herself by drinking ten bottles, and after finishing them, she started sprinkling money into the dishes before being escorted to the guest room to sober up.

Of course, Hua Lu also possessed excellent calligraphy and poetic talent. Fueled by alcohol, she wrote the first line of a couplet. Su Pinmei pondered for a moment, then picked up her brush and wrote the second line, which she then hung at the door.

Meanwhile, Pardo kept stuffing herself with all sorts of delicious food, Nun ate her food in small bites, her eyes showing a reserved air as if she were pondering something.

After finishing the meal and cleaning up, the black-haired man approached the thirteen people and announced expressionlessly—

"I'm going to rest."

After saying that, he turned and walked into his bedroom without looking back, and closed the door.

At this moment, the hall fell silent, and the group of people, as if they had rehearsed beforehand, strode towards the man's bedroom.

But then, a masked man moved a stool and sat down in front of the door, blocking their way.

"Chrono, what are you doing? Get out of the way." Mobius glanced at the others, her heart tightened, and she coldly reprimanded Chrono, who was sitting in front of the door.

"Heh... what am I going to do?" Chrono glanced at the eager guys and sneered, "You guys have been enough usually, haven't you? He's been busy for days and you still don't intend to let him go? Do you really think he's your New Year's gift? And don't think I don't know about your 'Lin usage rights' auction. Don't go too far."

Mobius, Aponia, Vill-V exchanged glances simultaneously.

... Well, they were all very clear about their thoughts, which were a bit sordid and ulterior, and they didn't intend to hide them.

Is there a problem with preparing a "New Year's gift" for yourself?

"Hmph, let's see who dares to step through this door today. At least let him rest for one night during the New Year, understand? If you understand, then get out of here!"

Chrono stared intently at the three most blatant individuals, showing no intention of mediating. It seemed he was determined to protect the oxen from exhaustion and prevent them from dying of exhaustion in the fields.

What's the next step?

The three walked to the other side and began to discuss. Mobius, dressed in a cheongsam, leaned against the wall covered with floral patterns, picking up a piece of paper between two fingers. "This time, the right to use him is mine. What are you going to do?"

"Of course, I wanted to perform a magic trick for him to relieve his fatigue." Vill-V, dressed in casual clothes similar to her usual attire, adjusted her top hat and smiled.

"I... just wanted to... check on... Lin's condition..."