"Hmm↑?"
Elysia circled Lin Wei, her face full of curiosity, as if searching for something.
"Hmm↓!"
She tapped her chin with one hand, the other on her hip, nodding sagely as if she had discovered something remarkable.
"Elysia, what are you up to?" Lin Wei felt his entire body stiffen, his expression frozen, his voice strained.
He was exhausted, too tired to play Elysia's mind games.
He had officially checked out.
Even after exiting the memory terminal, he still couldn't control his body properly. From his nerves to his limbs, every cell was tense.
He recalled his ordeal today: balancing a stack of bricks on his head, six or seven heavy bricks wobbling precariously, while enduring SAKURA's emotionless counting as he swung his sword a thousand times.
Can't cry, the bricks will fall.
It was a nightmare. He barely dared to breathe.
Speaking up for Kalpas… had he lost his mind? Trying to act like a hero?
"Because you look like a robot right now! I couldn't resist taking a closer look!" Elysia poked Lin Wei's arm, the stiff muscles feeling like dough under her fingers. She poked his other arm, then reached for his face, but he leaned back, dodging…
Unsuccessfully.
"Aw~ That's disappointing. I thought you might have snuck off to Dr. Mobius for some secret upgrades while I was gone." Elysia retracted her hand, a smug glint in her eyes, clearly pleased with herself.
"Yeah, right. With my physique, I'd never survive Mobius's operating table!" Lin Wei rolled his eyes, feeling the stiffness in his body gradually easing.
The success rate of Mobius's surgeries was about as high as getting a five-star character in a gacha game without pity.
The kind with no safety net. You'd need protagonist-level luck to gamble on that.
Lin Wei wisely chose to abstain.
"Oh? You seem to know quite a lot about Dr. Mobius. I don't recall mentioning her before." Elysia feigned casual curiosity.
"Did you forget? I know the real Kevin and Hua," Lin Wei replied, offering a simple explanation.
I'm just tired, not stupid. I know what you're trying to do.
"Oh, right! How could I forget? Silly me~" As if Kevin and Hua would tell you that!
Since Lin Wei wasn't willing to elaborate, Elysia decided not to press the issue.
It's alright, there was plenty of time. She would uncover his secrets eventually.
"You look exhausted. You should rest. It's a date then, see you tomorrow!" Elysia waved goodbye cheerfully as Lin Wei walked into the lounge, her mind already plotting.
Should I borrow the Feather of Dust from Hua? Would that be helpful?
Hmm, Lin Wei wouldn't be happy about that.
Never mind, I'll think of something else!
...
"One thousand nine hundred forty-seven, one thousand nine hundred forty-eight, one thousand nine hundred… Wow, I didn't realize I made so much! Shiny silver coins! It's been so, so long since I've earned this much… Can, bring me the piggy bank!"
"Meow…" A large orange cat reluctantly carried a container in its mouth, then jumped gracefully and sat beside Pardo.
"Thanks, Can!"
The catgirl, lying in her own merchandise stall, had her eyes gleaming as she counted her earnings. In contrast to her excited owner, her long tail swayed lazily, as if they didn't share the same brain.
Sensing Can's movement, Pardo reached out without looking back, taking the object from the cat. The moment her fingers touched it, she jumped up, yelling, "Can! Why did you bring Eden's…"
Her shout abruptly cut off. She clapped a hand over her mouth, looking around furtively, making sure Eden wasn't nearby.
She breathed a sigh of relief, lowering her voice to scold the cat. "I asked for the piggy bank, why did you bring me this goblet? I still need to sell it!"
"Sell Eden's goblet? To whom?"
"Waaaaah!" Hearing the sudden voice behind her, Pardo jumped again, even higher this time.
Startled, Can jumped too. "Meow…" The orange cat glared at its owner disapprovingly.
Lin Wei, watching from the side, was amused. So that's what a cat looks like when it's startled.
Rather cute.
"Oh, it's Boss Lin Wei… Geez, you scared me! I thought it was Eden or Elysia. My fur stood on end!" Recognizing him, Pardo relaxed, patting her chest as if to calm her racing heart.
"And you, Boss, you should at least say hello when you visit my little shop. What's that saying again… uh… common… courtesy?"
Lin Wei chuckled at her attempt at polite speech. Her vocabulary was even worse than Kiana's.
"I just heard something about Eden's goblet. You have a lost and found service now?" Lin Wei started his teasing.
"Huh? Uh… well… ahahaha…" Pardo laughed awkwardly, scratching her head, then cleared her throat and said defensively, "You misheard, Boss Lin Wei! This is a goblet I'm planning to sell to Eden. Look at its elegant design, the beautiful golden color, the sparkling gems…"
"So you… 'acquired' it?" Lin Wei continued his teasing.
"Boss Lin Wei, how can you accuse me like that?!" Pardo protested indignantly. "Eden gave it to me!"
"Then why were you so nervous just now?" Now Lin Wei was confused. If it was a legitimate gift, why the guilty conscience?
"That's right! Eden gave it to me! Why was I so nervous?" Pardo looked enlightened, a sense of vindication washing over her. She lifted her chin, ready to gloat.
Then she saw Lin Wei's amused expression. Her face froze, and she quickly looked down, mumbling awkwardly, "It's just… a habit… hee hee…"
So, you "acquire" things quite often, huh? Lin Wei was impressed by her persistence.
Running a shop, "acquiring" merchandise… it was all meaningless in the Elysian Realm.
There were only a handful of permanent residents. What need was there for commerce or currency exchange?
Yet she still enjoyed her little merchant life, buying and selling, basking in the sun.
Living a carefree existence.
Lin Wei had always thought that most of the Elysian Realm's Flame-Chasers were trapped in the past, just like Su had said, "shadows of the past."
Only Pardo and Mobius were different.
One lived diligently in the "present," while the other continued to strive for an "infinite future."
They were truly alive!
"Pardo, there's something I've been meaning to ask you," Lin Wei said, deciding to change the subject before he pushed her too far.
"Ask away, Boss Lin Wei! I'll tell you everything I know!" Pardo readily agreed, then added slyly, "Of course, simple questions are free. Complicated ones… will cost you!"
Quite cautious, Lin Wei thought, amused.
"Don't worry, it doesn't involve the secrets of the Elysian Realm or other Flame-Chasers' information," he reassured her.
Then, imitating Elysia's earlier behavior, he put a hand on his hip, the other under his chin, and scrutinized Pardo, making her squirm. "I'm just curious, Pardo. Your bangs are so long they cover your eyes. How do you see where you're going? And doesn't it bother you when the wind blows?"
Time to tease the cat!
"?" Pardo was completely stumped. She had never considered that question.
She tilted her head, thinking. It was a valid question…
She peered through the strands of hair hanging in front of her eyes. Her bangs were rather long, reaching her nose.
Come to think of it, they did obstruct her vision a bit. How had she never noticed before?
Oh no! The wind was picking up, her hair was fluttering! Would it get in her eyes?
Pardo yelped, scooped up Can, and dashed into her shop, slamming the door shut. Closed for business.
Lin Wei, having been turned away, wasn't upset. He chuckled and walked away, pleased with his successful prank.
Another victim of the automatic-to-manual breathing switch!
"That was mean~ I saw everything!" Elysia jumped down from a high branch, landing gracefully beside Lin Wei, her hands behind her back as she "scolded" him. "Pardo is one of the Thirteen Flame-Chasers, how could you tease her like that?"
"But you don't look like you're going to defend her at all. Tell me, where's the popcorn?" Lin Wei didn't believe her for a second. Elysia was clearly enjoying this.
Taking advantage of his height, he peeked over her shoulder, spotting a camera hidden in her hands.
She had been filming.
"Oh my, how can you peek at a girl like that? A gentleman wouldn't do such a thing!" Elysia feigned indignation, her face serious. "Don't do that again! I have things to do, goodbye."
She turned and walked away without a pause.
Lin Wei watched her go, speechless.
Angry? Yeah, right!
"Eden, Eden! I found something fun! I even recorded it! Come on, let me show you!" Back in the lounge, Elysia burst through the door, excitedly waving her camera at Eden, who was sitting on the sofa, listening to vinyl records. "Hee hee, this thing I bought from Pardo is really useful~"
...
"Did you tease Pardo again?" At the start of their next training session, Hua asked, after a single glance at Lin Wei.
"Huh? How did you know?" Lin Wei was surprised. Did Pardo complain, or did Elysia snitch?
"I didn't know beforehand. It's just… your expression looks familiar," Hua shook her head, seemingly seeing through his thoughts. "Elysia sometimes makes a similar expression, usually after pulling a prank."
"Among the Flame-Chasers you've met in the Elysian Realm, only Pardo fits the bill, so the answer isn't difficult to deduce."
"..." Lin Wei was impressed. Even fifty thousand years ago, Hua may have been naive, but she was still sharp.
"It wasn't really teasing, I just thought it would be fun. Just a little cat-and-mouse game," Lin Wei explained, sharing the story with Hua.
Hua listened, her lips twitching slightly. She looked at him impassively.
How can someone be so childish?
Lin Wei felt a little awkward under her gaze. Don't look at me like that, it makes me feel like an idiot.
"It's strange… Pardo's intuition is incredibly sharp, her ability to sense danger is extraordinary. How could she not notice you approaching?" Hua recalled Lin Wei capturing Pardo with his simulated Divine Key, puzzled.
It was a good question, Lin Wei agreed. With Pardo's exceptional luck and danger-sensing abilities, how did she fall for his tricks repeatedly?
"Is it because I'm too weak for her to perceive as a threat?" Lin Wei wondered aloud, stroking his chin.
"That's a possibility," Hua nodded seriously. Lin Wei's face darkened. That was a low blow, even if unintentional.
"There's also the possibility that you genuinely had no ill intentions towards her, and your weak presence simply bypassed her senses," Hua added, inadvertently delivering another blow.
(ノへ￣,)
The real Fu Hua was much better at this! Lin Wei clutched his chest dramatically, complaining inwardly.
"Alright, enough idle chatter. Let's begin today's training. The path of martial arts is endless. There's no time for slacking!" Hua declared, her expression serious.
She pulled out a brand-new retractable baton, flicking her wrist to extend it to over a meter long, a rather intimidating sight.
Lin Wei groaned. Pardo had somehow upgraded Hua's equipment again!