Chapter 110

Many years have passed, and the Previous Era Elysian Realm Shop hasn't encountered a fat sheep like Raiden Mei in just as many years.

"Yes, these are all very useful things after all. Thank you, Pardo."

"It's nothing, it's nothing. I should be the one thanking you."

Pardofelis played with the silver coins in her hand, the two clattering together and making a crisp, melodious sound.

"Oh, seeing shiny silver coins always makes me happy! That feeling has never changed, whether now or back when I was hanging out on the streets."

"It sounds like you have an unusual past."

In Raiden Mei's memory, living on the streets was roughly equivalent to being homeless.

"There's nothing unusual about it. I grew up on the streets. I learned how to gather intelligence and supplies there."

Pardofelis waved her hand, and noticing the strange look in Raiden Mei's eyes, she quickly confirmed it.

"Or is it that in Sister Mei's memory, I had a very hard life as a homeless person on the streets?"

"My companions and I have both experienced days when we had no shelter from the rain. That kind of life can hardly be called comfortable," Raiden Mei said after recalling for a while.

"Hmm, maybe Sister Mei hasn't quite grasped the technique yet, or... is it because I've lived like this since I was little, so I'm used to it?"

Pardofelis suddenly realized what was happening, and a look of confusion appeared on her face.

Kiana: "Pardo, how optimistic were you before?"

Kiana also experienced the life of a wanderer. Her bastard father abandoned her and then disappeared without a trace, leading to a long period of homelessness.

Even with the Kaslana Family's superhuman strength, Kiana's life was far from comfortable.

Pardofelis: "Uh, even you guys think so? I don't think it matters. Or rather, back then, I was probably living one of the most comfortable and satisfying lives I've ever had."

Raiden Mei: "Pardo, what kind of hell did you live in before?"

Pardofelis: "Sister Mei, think about it, you can wake up in the middle of the night and go scavenging for goods, pet stray cats when you have nothing to do, and sunbathe while you take a nap at noon. Even though you don't have a place to live, you still live a carefree and comfortable life."

Chapter 182 Using Eden's money to pay Pardo's salary

Most of the people living on Dusk Street weren't doing very well, but for Pardofelis, that kind of life was more than enough.

Unfortunately, after that damned Honkai occurred, her peaceful and ordinary little home was also shattered by the disaster that everyone had to face.

[In the scene, it is difficult to communicate between people's joys and sorrows. Raiden Mei stands there, unable to understand Pardofelis's optimism.]

Pardo also put her hands behind her head, looking like she was perfectly fine with it.

"All in all, I was doing fairly well back then. I wasn't rich, but I could at least fill my stomach."

I would stroll around and buy goods during the day, take a nice nap at noon, and sneak into an empty hotel to take a shower at night. I lived like this every day and was quite happy.

I suddenly have some respect for your mindset.

Raiden Mei, rubbing her forehead.

Even though things were so terrible, Pardofelis was still so optimistic; she certainly couldn't have been carefree and happy in those kinds of situations.

"No, no, Sister Mei, what you said makes me a little embarrassed."

"How did someone as carefree as you become a member of the Fire Moth?" Raiden Mei asked.

Pardo is clearly not the type of combatant, and her life is quite comfortable; logically, she shouldn't be involved with an organization like the Fire Moth.

Pardofelis: "Life back then was bleak, but it was absolutely carefree. After joining the Fire Moth, I took on logistics work, and I rarely took care of the stray cats in Dusk Street anymore."

Think about it carefully. After the Honkai outbreak, even people couldn't get enough to eat and needed resources to survive, let alone those stray cats that no one cared for or loved.

After she left, those stray cats who followed Pardo and went hungry nine times out of three days will only get worse and worse.

Raiden Mei: "Pardo, are you really going back to work overtime with this kind of determination?"

Elysia: "For Pardofelis, all the stray cats on Dusk Street are her closest friends."

Theresa: "Waaaaah, Pardo, you're so amazing! I've made up my mind! This headmistress will reduce the cost of the Humo dolls and stock up on a bag of cat food for you every month, so we can feed those stray cats together!"

Pardofelis: "Uh... thank you."

Although I really want to say that it's unnecessary, one bag of cat food a month is probably not even enough to fill the teeth of such a large number of cats.

But it was, after all, a token of Theresa's affection.

Wait a minute, does Theresa really think there weren't many stray cats she used to hang out with?

Thinking of the terrifying number of stray cats she had brought from Dusk Street, most of them skin and bones from hunger, and having to fend for themselves, Pardofelis made up her mind once again.

Pardofelis: "Waaah, Sister Eden, you can see how pitiful I am! I don't know where my next meal is coming from! You have to give me a raise, otherwise I won't even be able to support stray cats."

Eden: "..."

Speechless, headache.

Pardo, you're a high-ranking member of Fire Moth now. Putting aside any talk of integrity, you wield so much power, and yet you come to her complaining about your unpaid wages?

Elysia: "Poor Pardo, don't worry. If you finish all your shifts today, we'll definitely give you a raise. We won't treat Pardo unfairly."

Pardofelis: "Sister Elysia, you're definitely the best!"

Pardofelis felt energized after her hard work finally paid off. She took a bite of her Irresistible Cat Food and hurried off to work.

Only Eden raised an eyebrow.

Elysia said she'd get a raise, but it was paid with her own money, right?

In the scene, Raiden Mei stands in front of Pardofelis and asks the question that has been bothering her.

"I'm still very curious, how did you join the Fire Moth?"

"Hmm... alright! Consider it a reward from Sister Mei for taking care of my shop, a special episode of Pardofelis."

Pardofelis hesitated for a moment before speaking.

"Let me think, it must have been after the Tenth Herrscher. Anyway, the whole world was in chaos, and even I could feel the lack of trust on the street."

"I'm afraid everyone is wondering if the person next to them is Herrscher."

Raiden Mei nodded.

In the Previous Era, the Herrscher was a pure bomb; every explosion meant massive casualties and countless deaths.

If a Herrscher appears beside someone who is still an ordinary person and not Flame-Chasers, then unfortunately, regardless of whether the Herrscher can be defeated or not, the game is basically over for him.

"I don't know the specifics, but I vaguely sensed a hint of opportunity."

Pardo said, tapping her chin.

"One day, while I was buying goods in the suburbs, I found a document about Fire Moth at a disaster site. At that moment, I realized I had stumbled upon a huge business opportunity."

The Fire Moth were notorious in Previous Era, but that did not prevent people from knowing that it was a huge organization.

It is precisely for this reason that Pardo was able to sense an opportunity from the phrase "Fire Moth".

"On a whim, I changed into some nice clothes, took the document, and boldly slipped into the Fire Moth. I just wanted to seize the opportunity to increase my stall's stock, but who knew I'd be caught the moment I stepped inside."

"..."

Raiden Mei paused for a moment.

If she understood correctly, Pardofelis had already established her supply chain with the Fire Moth before even becoming Fusion Warrior?

"Then the man said something like, 'Where have you been? Why are you only arriving now?' and then led me into a small room."

"I was terrified! I thought I was going to be interrogated under torture. How could I possibly withstand that!"

Pardofelis adopted a frightened and weak expression and continued speaking.

"But all that happened was that person made me lie on the operating table and said I was some kind of volunteer. When I woke up, I had two extra ears on my head."

"I only found out about all of this later; that's when they discovered I was impersonating someone else."

However, the surgery on Pardofelis was still successful, and after much consideration, the Fire Moth decided to keep Pardofelis.

After all, the previous volunteers had already been transported directly for cremation, and the morgue was already overflowing.

"But doesn't that mean you're going to the battlefield?" Raiden Mei asked.

"Oh, it didn't take long for everyone to realize that I was super weak, so I was assigned to easy logistical work."

"... I think I understand what you mean by 'good luck' now."

Raiden Mei sighed, utterly speechless at Pardo's relentless self-destructive antics.

The video ends here.

Chapter 183 Who is the habitual thief the expert mentioned?

Kiana: "So that's how it is. I was wondering why a coward like Pardo would become Fusion Warrior. Now I understand... understand my foot! The success rate of the Hypermutation Surgery has been completely ignored!"

Himeko had heard Fu Hua say more than once how dangerous the Hypermutation Surgery was, and that even if you wanted to become stronger, you should never take that path.

According to Fu Hua, going on the Hypermutation Surgery is practically equivalent to death.

But Pardofelis's experience was the opposite: an unprepared idiot who had only gone in to loot was thrown onto Hypermutation Surgery table, and the surgery was a success.

The stark contrast between reality and fantasy led Kiana to the illusion that she could become Fusion Warrior and a powerful figure simply by lying on the operating table.

Bronya: "Class monitor, even Bronya thinks it's so easy. She became Fusion Warrior without even realizing it."

Fu Hua: "Kiana, you have to believe me. If you don't believe me, ask Little Senti. She should still have memories of that time."

Herrscher of Reason: "Huh? Oh, you're talking about the success rate of Fusion Warrior? Hopeless, just waiting to die. Gamblers are destined to lose."

Back then, Fu Hua was able to become Fusion Warrior because of her strong willpower and by finding out the reason why Captain Himiko had become a Herrscher of Reason, which allowed her to unleash her Hypervariable Factor in a desperate situation.

The success rate is so low, it's practically a matter of life and death, and it's frustratingly low.

Elysia: "You can refer to Pardo's case for specific examples. A complete stranger underwent Hypermutation Surgery, and in the end, not only was she not punished, but she also joined the Fire Moth."

Pardofelis: "And even though they knew I was incredibly weak, they still didn't kick me out, which shows how successful the Hypermutation Surgery is."

Himeko Murata: "Pardo, your luck is unbelievable."

He stumbled upon a volunteer document, secretly infiltrated the Fire Moth and became Fusion Warrior, only to find he didn't even have to go to the battlefield.

Among the people Teacher Himeko knows, only Kiana, who guessed all the multiple-choice questions correctly, can rival her luck.

Pardofelis: "Hehe, it's alright, it's alright. You guys have no idea, when they grabbed me and pinned me to the operating table, I was almost scared to death. My little body couldn't possibly withstand such torture."

Theresa: "Didn't you ever think about explaining things clearly back then?"

Pardofelis: "Where would I get the chance? I was knocked unconscious before I could even say a word, and when I woke up I had extra ears and a tail."

Do you know how much psychological trauma she suffered back then?

I need to be more careful when sourcing supplies in the future. I was lucky that time to join the Fire Moth and become Fusion Warrior. If I hadn't been so lucky, I'd probably be dead by now.

Durandal: "Are you Fire Moth... that desperate for volunteers?"

While the Artificial Stigmata technology developed by Schicksal is not absolutely safe, it has minimized the risks as much as possible, and the Valkyrie's physical condition and various indicators are always checked during the transplantation process.

Without going into too much detail, Durandal felt that at least something like Pardo's impersonation would definitely not happen.

Elysia: "It's not that we lack volunteers. After all, in that situation where everyone is on edge and doesn't even trust those around them, the Honkai is still escalating. As the front line against the Honkai, the more Fusion Warrior the better."

Chakravartin: "It's just using monsters to fight monsters. Fusion Warrior, Fire Moth —to ordinary people, what's the difference between them and Honkai Beast?"

Sakura: "Chakravartin, you shouldn't address your companions like that."

Chakravartin: "What, did I say something wrong? Or has so much time passed that you've forgotten the fact that you were also treated as monsters?!"

Vill-V: "I was just getting to the crucial part when I heard someone making a fuss. Now I have to start all over again. Chakravartin, you're still the same as ever."

The doors to the Spiral Workshop opened, and the expert walked out, rubbing his forehead.

Her face didn't show any reasonable emotions like anger; instead, it showed helplessness, and expressions of "I knew this would happen" and "Young people don't know how to calm down."

Pardofelis: "That tone... it's Sister Expert Vill-V! What, you actually came out of the workshop?"

Vill-V: "Don't even mention it. I was only halfway through conceiving my new piece when the inspiration vanished Without a Trace in an instant... Oh well, it's not the first or second time this has happened."

For excellent engineers, having their inspiration interrupted is a terrible thing, and experts say they need to get some fresh air.

[Q&A begins.]

[During Elysia's sweet afternoon tea, someone sneaked into Vill-V's workshop. Who is the habitual thief the expert mentioned?]