Chapter 159

Sakura crossed her arms and glanced at Elysia indifferently.

"Don't be so reserved, Sakura. Even though I know you're just saying one thing but meaning another, I still get hurt."

Elysia's gaze shifted to the left and landed on Apponia.

"Hi, let me reintroduce myself. I'm Elysia, or you can just call me Elysia. You're Apponia, right? I've been waiting for you."

"Being alone in the Fire Moth must be very stressful, right? How could those guys leave such a delicate girl here?"

The "delicate girl" she referred to was probably someone who could restrain an advancing fist, making it impossible for her to break free.

A girl as fragile as Elysia.

"Don't worry, I'll take you around to see the surroundings right away."

"Elysia, she's not a guest," Sakura reminded her.

"I know, but what does it matter? Don't be so nervous. She's just an ordinary and delicate girl, and she happens to have some misunderstandings about the Fire Moth."

Elysia shrugged.

"Wouldn't it be a great opportunity to dispel our prejudices and deepen our understanding? Sakura, you'll keep this a secret for me, right?"

"..."

Sakura blinked, paused for a second, and said, "I've brought the person over. Mission complete. I need to return to the Poison Cocoon to report."

The gist of it is: do whatever you want, the rest is none of her business.

"Oh dear, why are you leaving in such a hurry? I was hoping the three of us could have a proper chat."

Elysia sighed, expressing slight regret.

She took two steps forward and walked up to Apponia.

"Hello, Apponia. I know the Fire Moth don't have a great reputation outside, but in my opinion, everyone here is just an ordinary person doing their best to keep civilization going."

"Trust me, okay? Come on, this is a friendly handshake."

Two white hands clasped tightly together, Elysia leaned forward, her clear eyes meeting Apponia's gaze.

"Let's chat about anything, Apponia."

"Miss Elysia..."

Don't be so formal, just call me Elysia.

"Aren't you... afraid of me? Do you think I'm keeping my distance because I'm afraid of being overshadowed by your beauty?"

Elysia smiled.

No, I like beautiful girls the most.

"Miss Elysia, since you know my past, you should understand what I want to ask, right? The reason I am here is because I am a sinner about to be judged."

Apponia watched as Elysia grasped her hand, a hand already stained with countless sins.

"A sinner? But before me lies only an ordinary girl, her heart filled with sorrow."

Elysia stared into Apponia's eyes.

"Regardless of how others judge you, I can see at a glance that you are fundamentally a person who does everything in your power to be kind."

Her long pink hair and white headscarf swayed gently as Elysia gripped Apponia's hand even tighter, adding a unique atmosphere to the gloomy and cold interrogation room.

Himeko Murata: "Although Elysia usually seems unreliable, she really knows how to comfort people when it matters."

The sorrow emanating from Apponia, the deathly atmosphere, almost swallowed her whole.

But the moment Elysia grasped Apponia's hand, it was as if a bird had swept across a branch, awakening the quiet forest.

Elysia: "Don't praise me like that, it makes me shy. As one of the Flame-Chasers, this is my duty."

Kiana: "No, Elysia, I seriously suspect you're just trying to flirt with Apponia. Auntie Himeko, don't be fooled by her."

If it weren't for touching the Mei, Himeko would almost have believed Elysia's lies.

Apponia: "Elysia, when I was consumed by sin, she lit a candle in the darkness time and time again, finding a ray of light for me."

Elysia: "Well, actually I didn't do anything that great. It was Apponia who pulled you out of the darkness."

Apponia: "Please don't underestimate yourself, Elysia. Without you, I can't imagine what the Fire Moth would be like."

Fear, darkness, blood, filth.

Using these words to describe the Fire Moth back then is not an exaggeration at all.

The scheming and infighting for profit, the plundering and seizure of resources, the internal treachery and deceit—all the ugliness of humanity was laid bare there.

Theresa: "So, it was Elysia who helped Apponia escape punishment and avoid trial?"

Elysia: "No, didn't I just say that? It was Apponia's own achievement."

After a lengthy interrogation by the Fire Moth, Apponia was placed on the Fusion Warrior's operating table.

If one dies, those who know the truth about the incident can be erased; if one lives, one's power can be used by the Fire Moth.

Unfortunately, those guys messed things up. After fusing with the genes of [Mitra], the Fire Moth no longer had the ability to imprison Apponia.

Chapter 261 How did Griseo greet him?

Apponia: "Whether it's a trial or condemnation, nothing can cover up my past or absolve me of my sins. And I, after that trial, received the punishment I deserved."

The ability to foresee the future and to Precepts.

For Apponia, who harbored good intentions, it was not a blessing, but more like a curse.

You can see your destiny but you can't change it; interfering with other people's destiny will only bring bitter consequences.

[In the scene, Elysia continues to comfort her, releasing Apponia's hand and watching her wavering expression.]

But I brought disaster.

Apponia lowered her head. "If I hadn't taken in those children Honkai Disease, perhaps none of this would have happened."

That's not your fault.

Elysia said.

"Even if you didn't contain them, the Honkai would have broken out elsewhere. You just did what you thought was right."

"Was it the right thing to do? They believed in me too, and then became a source of infection that everyone feared, facing destruction in fear."

"Miss Elysia, have you ever seen children's sleeping faces?"

Apponia recalled.

"Small, innocent, and completely defenseless, presented before you—if you saw this scene many nights in a row, perhaps you would understand how I feel right now."

"Lu'er, Ankshiel, Lu... a total of seventy-three names. Just a day ago they were gathered around me, begging me to tell them stories."

But now... everything has been reduced to ashes.

Apponia's voice was filled with sorrow; her invisible tears transformed into sharp blades, piercing her heart.

"I remember every single one of their faces; that is my sin."

"Apponia, may I hear my thoughts?"

Elysia grabbed Apponia's hand again.

"I can't persuade you to let go of that tragedy, because for you, it might mean betrayal. But I want you to know that you didn't bring about this disaster."

"It just happened to happen around you, so don't get trapped in the cage of the past, because those children still need someone to remember their names."

"Elysia..."

Apponia stared at the other person's face, speechless for a moment.

"That's right, that's exactly it. You'll not only remember many names from the past, but you'll also encounter new names, so stop making that face."

"Such beautiful eyes, it's such a waste not to smile."

"Come on, smile."

Apponia lowered her head and remained silent for a long time before finally revealing a perfunctory smile.

The video ends here.

Theresa: "Apponia's counseling room? This is clearly Elysia's counseling room!"

Elysia: "You've got it all wrong. Helping people with their emotional needs and relieve stress is really Apponia's job. She's a nun, you know."

Theresa: "What you're saying actually makes some sense."

Nuns are responsible for guiding lost sheep and leading them to the right path.

But Theresa wouldn't do that.

She could use Judah to help the devout lamb go to his great Lord.

Elysia: "Yeah, I was just passing by and met a lovely girl who seemed sad, so I offered her some comfort."

Apponia: "Amidst the Honkai of Honkai, everyone living in the world suffers in their own way."

Griseo: "Mama Apponia... don't cry."

Theresa: "?! Apponia, are you crying?"

Apponia: "..."

Griseo: "The color... is the color of sadness."

Little Griseo is good in every way, well-behaved and obedient, but she likes to say some strange things that leave the others in the Chat Group completely baffled.

Elysia: "Let me explain. Griseo's Hypermutation Surgery infused her paintbrush with power, allowing her to capture [color] in her paintings."

Elysia: "That description isn't quite accurate. How would you describe it better?"

Kiana: "I understand. It's like that pen; it can materialize the monsters you draw, right?"

Elysia: "More or less."

Griseo's abilities are hard to describe; she has the ability to absorb other people's colors and the ability to paint. Only by careful observation can one truly understand them.

Griseo: "My Little Sister Elysia... drawing."

Elysia: "??"

Griseo down her brush, staring blankly at the scene on the canvas, then took it down and handed it to Elysia.

This painting is very different.

The canvas was more than three times larger than the Griseo had used before, but it contained no special scenes, no Honkai Beast, and no vast starry sky.

It's just an ordinary family photo.

Elysia searched carefully for a while, and found her, Kevin, Cosmo... even Mobius.

But among them, only where Cosmo stood, in front of the canvas beside him, was Griseo's figure missing.

Elysia: "Little Griseo, why didn't you draw yourself in?"

Griseo: "The sky is lonely, I only have my own color, the color of loneliness."

The painter took out his brush and painted a picture of his long-standing loneliness.

She used her own colors to outline the likenesses of others, and used paint to depict their smiling faces, but she could not find the colors to etch herself onto the canvas.

Cosmo: "Griseo... I'm sorry."

Griseo: "Cosmo, why are you apologizing?"

Cosmo: "... Thank you, Griseo."

The complex yet brief dialogue makes one wonder if the two of them were even having a normal conversation.

Elysia: "Hmm... this painting exudes a sad atmosphere, it's not really suitable for display. Little Griseo, may I put it away?"

Griseo: "Okay, I don't like this painting. I'll give it to Little Sister Elysia."

Elysia: "Yes, thank you, Griseo."

Elysia rolled the painting into a tube with her hands, hesitated for a moment, but ultimately did not throw it at Chakravartin's place.

Well, it's Little Griseo's painting after all, so it's fine to keep it as a souvenir.