Hua, after a moment's hesitation, reached out to shake hands but subtly moved her gaze upward, thinking, Are those cat ears real?
Ignoring her own frustration, Mei approached and asked, "Hua, were you… daydreaming here? That's pretty unusual for you."
Hua shifted her gaze away from the cat ears, nodded, and marveled at the scenery, "Yes… I was actually spacing out for a moment. I didn't expect that the depths of the Elysian Realm would conceal such a place."
----------------------------------
Mei was surprised and said, "You don't know about the existence of the Eternal Paradise? Didn't Elysia tell the other Flame-Chasers what lies beyond the Depths?"
Hua shook her head and silently explained, "Maybe it's just because we didn't interact much. After becoming a memory, Elysia always locked herself away in the Depths."
"But she's not someone who would deliberately deceive everyone. Since it's a secret that Elysia is determined to protect, it must hold great significance."
Fu Lin quietly observed from the side, amused by Mei's curiosity. He was well aware of the secrets of the Eternal Paradise. Should he just tell Mei directly?
Oh right, he almost forgot that there was still an Herrscher of Corruption lurking in the shadows. Where could they be?
Thinking of the Herrscher of Corruption, Fu Lin glanced around, hoping to spot some trace of their presence in a hidden corner.
Mei noticed Fu Lin scanning the surroundings with a serious expression. She drew her sword and vigilantly looked around before asking Fu Lin, "What's wrong? Is there an enemy nearby?"
Fu Lin quickly waved his hands, laughing, "Haha, nothing, I'm just curious about my surroundings. How's your chat with Hua going?"
Mei pondered for a moment and said, "I didn't gather any useful information, but Hua suggested I try talking to everyone. Let's keep going."
"Wait a minute, Mei... Hua, look at the camera. One, two, three, cheese!" Fu Lin pulled out a blue camera, identical to March 7th's, from his system space, stood next to Hua, and smiled.
Click.
Fu Lin looked at the photo of her and Hua in the camera, nodding in satisfaction. "Not bad, seems like I have quite the talent for photography..."
But his face quickly changed as he stared at himself in the photo, hesitating to speak. A tingling sensation from when he had passed out resurfaced in his mind, 'Why did these cat ears follow me here too? No wonder they kept glancing at the top of my head. That means... Elysia must have—Damn that pink fat woman!'
Elysia, Achoo~~
Hua looked at the suddenly silent Fu Lin in confusion. "What's wrong with you...?"
Fu Lin tucked the camera into his pocket. He was already used to these cat ears; he could just have Kiana remove them later. No rush.
Then, he spread his hands nonchalantly and said, "Nothing, I just got too excited and didn't know what to say. After all, taking a photo with a fusion warrior of the previous civilization was something I never even dared to imagine."
Next up was taking photos with every Flame-Chaser. Just thinking about it made him a little excited.
Wait a minute, did I forget to take a photo with Kevin?!
Oh well, there will be another chance later.
Hua, "Hmm..."
"See you later, Hua." Fu Lin waved before following Mei up the path. If he remembered correctly, the next one was Kosma.
"Fu Lin, neither I nor Elysia have ever mentioned fusion warriors in front of you, have we? Where did you hear about them?"
"And why are you in the Eternal Paradise?" Mei turned to stare at Fu Lin, her eyes filled with doubt.
Fu Lin had died back at Chiba Academy. Now, he had mysteriously reappeared in the Eternal Paradise, a place even the Flame-Chasers barely understood. Everything seemed suspicious.
Fu Lin broke into a cold sweat, his mind racing. He suddenly remembered that, in Mei's impression, he was already dead. He quickly came up with a reasonable yet unreasonable lie, "…I don't know why I appeared in the Eternal Paradise either. But as for the other question, I might have an explanation."
As he spoke, Fu Lin took Mei's hand, looking at her sincerely.
"The truth is, ever since you entered the Elysian Realm, I inexplicably appeared by your side, silently watching over you from behind."
"But at the time, I seemed somewhat like a ghost, only able to follow you around and listen to your conversations with the Flame-Chasers. So whatever you know, I know too."
Perfect, absolutely perfect.
Fu Lin couldn't help but mentally applaud himself. Whether Mei believed it or not was no longer his concern.
Mei was momentarily stunned.
"Is that so…" It seemed Fu Lin still wasn't willing to tell me about his past… Oh well, I should just be grateful that I get to see him again.
Fu Lin wrapped Mei's small hands in his own. "Mm, trust me."
"Hmm… then, when I was taking a bath, you…"
Mei took a deep breath, shyly looking at Fu Lin. The thought of him being by her side all this time made her face gradually flush, and her heart pounded like a startled fawn.
"Of course, I was also… No! I was wandering outside the door, I didn't see anything!"
Fu Lin instinctively blurted out, then immediately realized what Mei was implying and stopped himself from continuing.
Hearing his response, Mei snapped out of her wild imagination, her blush fading. She puffed her cheeks, shot an annoyed glance at Fu Lin, and said flatly,
"Oh, let's keep moving." As expected, he's still the same. Even when given a chance, he doesn't take it.
"..." Why is she glaring at me? Did I say something wrong?
And why did I hear a hint of disappointment from that single "oh"? Does she want me to say I watched her bathe?
Fu Lin blinked, then quickly dismissed the absurd thought. No way, he was definitely overthinking. It was just a misconception…
Mei looked at the figure standing on the platform ahead and said slowly, "That person in front… is it Kosma?"
Fu Lin licked his lips and said, "Then let's hurry over."