"Ta-da~ A beautiful girl, as dazzling as a blooming flower, makes her grand entrance!"
A sweet, energetic, and pleasant girlish voice broke the stuffy air. The pink-haired girl, like a fairy, stood with one hand on her hip, a brilliant smile like a blossoming flower on her face.
"I heard it, you mentioned my name, right?"
"…"
Kevin, silent for a moment, crossed his arms and said indifferently:
"You guys chat."
After saying that, he left directly—judging by his back, his steps were unusually swift, as if there were some terrifying beast chasing him from behind.
"Eh, why did he leave just like that?!"
Looking at Kevin's back, Elysia of Elysium felt a bit helpless and regretful. She still wanted to see if she could take this opportunity to tease Kevin, but it was a pity.
However, it didn't matter much.
"Hmm~" The girl's gaze shifted to Jiang Qiao, revealing a beaming smile. She took a few steps closer, examining the original Jiang Qiao from top to bottom, her beautiful blue eyes, adorned with a hint of pink, full of curiosity.
"From the outside, there's no difference. That being said, the feeling is completely different from my own body~"
"After all, she isn't the master of this body, and can't fully accept parts of the body like I can."
Jiang Qiao propped up her cheek, smiling faintly.
Some people believe the body is most important, others believe consciousness is most important.
As for him, Jiang Qiao believed both were equally important. The body's consciousness would subtly influence the body, and whether the consciousness matched or not also determined whether that person could properly control the body.
Elysia, using [Jiang Qiao's] body, never thought about how to explore this body. She just subconsciously treated this body as a 'container' for holding and moving.
Clumsily trying to act as 'Jiang Qiao', but her true nature was completely unconcealed—making her appear full of flaws and neither fish nor fowl.
"Is that so?"
Elysia of Elysium clearly couldn't understand the meaning, after all, she was just a memory, an echo of the past.
Of course, for things she couldn't understand, Miss Elysia would often choose to put them aside for the time being. After all, in that journey around the world, there were already too many things that the young Elysia of that time couldn't understand.
—They would find the answers in the future.
"Forget it. But I heard everything, you're preparing a gift for Kevin, right? A gift that can make even that always cold Kevin feel 'surprised'. Oh my… I'm a bit curious." Elysia smiled, then moved closer to Jiang Qiao excitedly, not hiding the interest in her eyes, trying to get the answer in a sweet and coquettish voice:
"Do you mind satisfying my curiosity? Don't worry, don't worry~ I definitely won't tell Kevin! You know that!"
In these fifty thousand years in the Elysian Realm, Miss Elysia of Elysium's greatest amusement was how to tease and prank Kevin. For this, she would even often go to Hua to borrow the Edge of Taixuan. But even so, Elysia rarely succeeded.
Therefore, Miss Pink Elf of Elysium was extremely interested in the so-called gift that could make even Kevin feel incredibly 'surprised' that Jiang Qiao mentioned—she really wanted to see Kevin's wonderful expression!
To this, Jiang Qiao didn't respond, just smiled.
—No way~ The so-called 'surprise', was called a surprise precisely because it was unknown until the moment it was truly revealed.
If she knew it in advance, wouldn't it greatly diminish the effect?
Seeing the meaning in her smile, Miss Elysia of Elysium's cheeks quickly puffed up, and she said with dissatisfaction:
"What does it matter! I'm just a memory! A memory, okay! I can't possibly leak information to the Kevin outside… you're even hiding it from a 'memory' like me?!"
Judging by her angry little eyes, it was as if she was saying—Are you even human?
For the Flame-Chasers of the Elysian Realm, the term 'memory', which described their own state, was closer in meaning to the usual sense of 'deceased'.
I'm already dead, and you're still hiding it from me, don't you know the saying "respect the dead"?
Miss Elysia of Elysium was extremely angry—but the next moment, seeing Jiang Qiao's smiling face, she paused.
…This guy, could it be that she did this on purpose, just to see her exasperated look?
No—it definitely was!
Miss Pink Elf immediately affirmed her thoughts and revealed a somewhat annoyed and helpless expression:
"That's very mean~ To treat such a cute and beautiful girl like this!"
"Even I will get angry!"
"Here."
Elysia of Elysium looked down and saw a… lighter in Jiang Qiao's outstretched hand.
Her eyes widened—Elysia was angry, and she handed her a lighter, was she implying that her fire wasn't big enough?!
Alright, alright, if you play dirty, don't blame Elysia for doing the same.
An idea popped into Elysia of Elysium's mind, and her anger subsided, returning to her usual smiling appearance.
"Jiang Qiao, can you come closer to me?"
"A little closer~ Yes, right here, Elysia will show you something nice." Holding Jiang Qiao's hand, Elysia of Elysium pulled her 'gently'—to this, although Jiang Qiao was puzzled, she was also happy to see what this Miss Pink Elf of Elysium was up to.
"Jiang Qiao, what's the surprise you prepared for Kevin? Can you really not tell me?" Suddenly, Elysia of Elysium asked this question.
To this, Jiang Qiao still smiled.
Acting cute was useless—today, Jiang Qiao definitely wouldn't say…
Just as Jiang Qiao firmly held onto her principle of secrecy, the pink figure pounced directly. Then, she felt a darkness before her eyes, her body felt heavy, and she tilted backwards, falling heavily with a 'thump'—but just as she was about to hit the ground, a layer of invisible crystal flowers bloomed.
"Ugh…"
A warm, slippery, strange sensation—a bit forceful, as if exploring, wanting to seize something.
In fact, it was indeed so.
"To actually use this method, you're really something."
Feeling the 55kg weight pressing on her, Jiang Qiao, lying on the crystal flowers, looked up at the pink girl riding on top of her, somewhat helpless.
"Hmm~ For uncooperative bad guys, of course, we need to take some 'extreme' measures." Her cheeks slightly flushed, embarrassed, yet also mixed with a bit of excitement, Elysia of Elysium licked her lips, revealing a somewhat smug expression.
"I already know~"
Trying to keep secrets from Elysia, huh? If so, don't blame Elysia for playing rough and taking it herself!
As a memory, the quickest and most efficient way to obtain information was naturally to directly engage in 'spiritual communion', through mental contact—the things she thought about were impossible to hide from 'Elysia', who was a memory herself.
Of course, for Elysia of Elysium, who was neither the original body nor a mental perception-type fusion warrior, the reason she could achieve this method was mainly due to the previous spiritual communion when Jiang Qiao was 'Elysia', and the remaining 'essence' that had integrated and become a part of Elysia of Elysium.
Using this part, Elysia of Elysium was able to bypass [Jiang Qiao's] mental defenses without any other help, and then through 'bold' means, make Jiang Qiao wide open, further lowering her guard, thus achieving the goal of 'spiritual communion' to obtain information.
Of course—Elysia of Elysium could have taken an easier approach, such as grabbing Jiang Qiao by the collar and making her obediently cooperate.
She knew the latter would definitely not refuse.
But if she did that, wouldn't it be like she was showing weakness?
To retaliate against Jiang Qiao for keeping secrets and teasing her, Miss Elysia of Elysium chose to 'ambush'! To forcibly take it!!!
After all, stolen goods were sweeter, right?
"Hmm~ So that's how it is…"
Licking her lips, Elysia of Elysium savored the stolen fruit, revealing a somewhat surprised, astonished, and excited expression.
"Can you look at this somewhere else… it's a bit…"
Sensing the dangerous words Jiang Qiao was about to utter, Miss Pink Elf smiled, but a hint of murderous intent flickered in her narrowed eyes:
"Hmm?"
"Nothing, nothing…"
Looking at Miss Pink Elf riding on top of her, with the posture of—If you dare to say that word, Elysia won't leave, Jiang Qiao chose to yield.
Even so, the angry Miss Elysia of Elysium didn't reluctantly move her butt until she finished reading through the 'stolen harvest'.
"I didn't expect there would be such a thing… hmph."
Recalling that memory, Elysia of Elysium couldn't help but click her tongue, then glared at Jiang Qiao with her beautiful eyes—such an interesting thing, and you actually kept it from Elysia!
However—
"If that's the case, then…"
As if she had thought of something interesting, Elysia of Elysium stared at Jiang Qiao with shining eyes, making a gesture like a cat.
"Alright, alright, I understand."
Guessing the 'mischievous thoughts' of the Pink Elf in front of her at a glance, Jiang Qiao, getting up from the ground, sighed and nodded helplessly.
And this made Elysia of Elysium instantly beam with joy, grabbing the former's arm:
"Hmm~ I knew you definitely had a way!"
For some reason, Kevin, who had left, felt a chill down his spine.
"How are Mei and the others doing recently?"
Remembering a certain 'purple-haired passerby' who was still in Elysium, Jiang Qiao couldn't help but feel curious about the recent situation of the others in Elysium.
"Being hugged by such a cute girl like me, and asking about other girls—that's very mean, you know? Even I will get angry!" Elysia of Elysium, crossing her arms, showed a slightly angry look, but the next moment, she instantly resumed her smile:
"—Hmm, just kidding."
"Really?"
"Do I look like the kind of girl who doesn't mean what she says?"
No—Jiang Qiao silently ignored Miss Pink Elf's slightly puffed-up cheeks.
"Mei has been under Sakura's care, I don't know the details… but it should be going well, right?"
Elysia of Elysium wasn't sure, then looked in a certain direction—
"Look, they are over there."
They had already entered Sakura's domain.
Under a giant Sakura tree, Raiden Mei could be seen wearing Eastern-style training clothes—the kind with a white shirt on top and a black skirt on the bottom. She held a wooden sword, a white headband signifying 'perseverance' tied around her forehead.
"Ha! Ha! Ha!"
"Louder! With such a weak voice, do you even want to protect the people you want to protect?!" Sakura, dressed as usual, scolded in her cold voice.
"Ha—! Ha—! Ha—!"
"Good, very energetic!"
"Uh… it seems… very passionate?" Elysia, approaching, looked at this scene and commented.
Jiang Qiao was somewhat silent.
Sakura, noticing their approach, relaxed her expression.
"Sakura, how's the progress?"
Sakura glanced at Jiang Qiao, whose arm was being hugged by Elysia of Elysium, a hint of surprise in her eyes, but didn't pay too much attention to it. Instead, she revealed a slight smile:
"Very smooth, she has completely mastered my cooking skills."
"…Cooking skills?"
Jiang Qiao felt a bit numb—Truly a cooking mama, huh? Then it would be better to send her to a certain Eastern country.
"Cough cough… slip of the tongue, this is just a little hobby."
"Although Mei's personality is a bit soft, I can see that she has a very persistent determination for certain things. This determination can become the driving force for her efforts."
"She already has a fairly exquisite foundation in swordsmanship, but she's still a bit immature. I taught her some of my own skills and experience, and she's also practicing the Taixu Sword Qi taught by Hua." When talking about Mei's training, Sakura spoke a lot more, her face full of smiles, as if she was introducing her apprentice to outsiders.
In fact, the relationship between her and Mei was indeed tending towards being both teacher and friend.
"Jiang Qiao!"
Mei, holding the wooden sword, was a bit excited to see Jiang Qiao appear.
In fact, since entering the Elysian Realm, this was the first time she had seen Jiang Qiao.
"Are you here to see us?"
Mei, who had some thoughts about Jiang Qiao, said this—she originally wanted to say, are you here to see me? But that would be a bit too embarrassing. Mei, feeling a bit insecure, expanded the scope.
Seeing her, she was very happy. However, Miss Cooking Mama keenly noticed Jiang Qiao's current state, or rather, it was difficult not to notice—after all, Elysia of Elysium didn't hide her actions at all, openly hugging Jiang Qiao's shoulder.
Noticing Mei's gaze, the smiling Miss Pink Elf even hugged a little tighter maliciously, the force so tight that the ample bosom revealed through the open-window design of the Flame-Chaser uniform was slightly squeezed, almost like a declaration of sovereignty.
At this moment, Miss Mei felt a pang in her heart—comforting herself in her mind, it was nothing, nothing, after all—according to the story fabricated by Miss Elysia, Jiang Qiao and Elysia were old acquaintances with mutual affection.
Persuading herself like this, Miss Cooking Mama subconsciously puffed out her chest, the slight trembling making her instantly feel much more confident.
Jiang Qiao nodded.
Then she revealed to Mei that Kiana and Bronya had already left.
Returning wasn't a problem, but with the Honkai worsening, this era had also entered a rather critical turning point.
Training and such, after completing the 'Elysium small class', the main trials she needed to go through were almost over. As for the rest, she could hone herself outside.
"Kiana and the others have already left?"
Mei was a bit surprised—she thought they would tell her.
But it wasn't surprising either. After all, the reason Kiana and the others left was entirely because Jiang Qiao had privately taken their accounts.
After understanding this, Miss Cooking Mama bit her lip.
"I'll continue staying in Elysium."
She made this decision.
Not only because her training had reached a critical juncture, but also because—Kiana and the others were all taken away by you, so what would it mean if she went out by herself?
Out of a certain thought, Mei also wanted to experience the same treatment as Kiana and Bronya!
So—she planned to wait until whenever Jiang Qiao entered her body, and then take the opportunity to go out!
This way, her relationship with Jiang Qiao could instantly become closer!
Miss Cooking Mama, calculating on her abacus, planned to use this to overtake them on a curve and launch her attack.
"Alright."
Jiang Qiao nodded. She didn't plan to interfere with their choices—Jiang Qiao, completely unaware of Miss Mei's little thoughts, left after chatting about their recent situations for a while.
And Mei, who learned about Jiang Qiao's recent situation, felt somewhat sour—those two, Kiana and Bronya, had actually already switched with Jiang Qiao so many times without her knowledge.
They really knew how to play!
Fortunately, from Jiang Qiao's description—Mei judged that those two weren't a threat.
In her opinion, the most dangerous person was obviously the pink one!
Look, they were already hugging.
If they got any closer, Mei didn't dare to imagine.
Thinking of some rather bad scenes, Miss Cooking Mama felt that staying in Elysium was quite good.
At least she was close to Elysia of Elysium, and could 'supervise' to a certain extent.
For this reason, Mei felt that it was necessary for her to get closer to Elysia of Elysium!
Besides this, the last member of the Herrscher squad who entered Elysium—Miss Wendy, who had an extremely low presence—was also found by Jiang Qiao.
The latter seemed to have been assimilated, having no intention of training at all, spending her days fooling around with Pardo in Elysium, suspected of having degenerated into a salted fish without any motivation.
Regarding 'going out'.
Wendy's attitude was—
Happy here, no desire to leave.
Looking at the good-for-nothing girl who was with the Tuna, Jiang Qiao was somewhat speechless.
Such a great Herrscher, you just let her become useless?
…Forget it, useless is useless…
Jiang Qiao sighed.
At worst, she could just do it herself when needed.
With this, Jiang Qiao, having finished what she needed to do in Elysium, turned her attention to the Previous Era.
Unfortunately—
Miss Elysia currently felt that her head was very heavy.
Hmm… perhaps it was because of the bad weather?