Faced with such a straightforward Mei.
Elysia would absolutely never let the conversation turn awkward: "Mm, just like I said earlier, in order to light the way to the end for those who come after, my most important companions have also left their Signets in the Land."
"Strictly speaking, our paths did once intersect, but you know—two straight lines that have crossed will only move farther apart from each other as they continue forward."
"Sigh… let's not bring up those helpless past events anymore."
"I have high hopes for you~ After all, compared to a traveler gazing into the distance, you feel more like someone overlooking a map."
Mei asked: "Aren't you going to tell me about the others?"
Elysia said: "Wouldn't seeing them with your own eyes be better than hearing me introduce them?"
"Don't worry, everyone is very cute. Make sure you get along well with them~ It shouldn't be difficult for you, right?"
Mei continued displaying her current straightforward nature: "That reminder of yours doesn't really sound like something a heartbroken person would say."
Elysia said: "Because I've realized my earlier worry was completely unnecessary. You'll understand later—you could never bear to miss out on me."
"…"
At this moment, Mei paid no attention to those words and didn't understand what they meant.
She was solely focused on seeking answers.
Following the path forward.
Entering a new road, an extremely familiar figure appeared before her.
"Nice to meet you, successor. My name is Hua, the Signet of Vicissitude… I will help you become familiar with it."
"…Class Monitor?"
Mei couldn't help calling out.
"Hm?" Hua looked at her in confusion.
"…"
Mei shook her head: "It's nothing. I should have realized earlier."
"Thank you for your help. We… should meet again, right?"
Hua replied: "At the very least, you need to hold on until that moment. This place is far more dangerous than you imagine. You must never let your guard down."
"Thank you."
After thanking her, Mei continued deeper.
Upon arriving at a new passage.
"Welcome to the trial, successor."
She appeared like a piece of cherry blossom landing on the shoulder.
She was already there, no longer able to resist.
Yet when one looked up, her origin could never be found no matter how hard one tried.
"My name is SAKURA. I exist here to pass on the techniques of the instantaneous moment to those who come after."
Mei greeted her as well: "Hello. My name is Raiden Mei."
SAKURA got straight to the point: "No need for introductions. A Herrscher has entered the Elysian Realm… this is information every Flame-Chaser must know immediately."
Mei said: "There's no need to be so tense, is there?"
SAKURA said: "For us, perhaps not. But for you, it may be different."
"…Never mind. I may have said too much to a first-time visitor."
"Take this Signet first. Toward you, I won't use a gradual approach."
"Since you possess Herrscher-level reaction nerves, you shouldn't end up as pitiful as ordinary people just because of this gift."
Mei looked at the Signet and said: "Thank you, but since you say it like that, I'm suddenly a little afraid to accept it."
SAKURA said: "—That is exactly the first thing I wanted to tell you. As long as you remain in this Elysian Realm, it's best not to let your guard down for even a single moment."
Mei nodded: "Understood."
Just as she had appeared, SAKURA vanished.
Mei could only step onto yet another new path.
As before, each path space had enemies specially prepared for the trial, and she defeated them all.
Another person appeared before her.
"It's you… you're here too?"
It wasn't surprising that Mei was shocked—even all the viewers watching on television were stunned.
Because the person standing there was none other than Kevin.
Kevin said: "I know. The one who brought you here was also me. But I don't want to explain it to every single person again. I am Kevin, a warrior bearing the Signet of Deliverance."
"Search for what you want here—the price it demands, I believe you are already capable of bearing."
Looking at the Signet in her hand.
Mei murmured: "Salvation…"
Those two words carried such immense weight.
Seeing this, the audience instantly grew curious.
"Salvation? Kevin's Signet is Deliverance —does it contain some deeper meaning? In the end, he was the only one trying to defeat Honkai."
"Whoa, even in the Previous Era, Kevin was carrying such a heavy Signet?"
"Elysia and the others trusted him too much, letting him bear the Signet of Deliverance."
"I noticed something—these Signets basically correspond to their personalities or lives, right?"
"No way. Flawless? Who could possibly be flawless? Do you think this Elysia really deserves that Signet?"
"Yeah, even though Kevin bears the Signet of Deliverance, didn't the civilization still get destroyed in the end? And now he's become a total nutcase."
"Nutcase is a perfect word—really describes him so well. The current Kevin is just a nutcase."
"I really wonder how the current Kevin turned out like this. This Kevin in the Elysian Realm seems pretty normal."
"Just keep watching. I feel like this Elysian Realm is here to reveal things about the Previous Era. My favorite SAKURA even showed up."
"…"
Meanwhile, in the drama.
When Mei came back to her senses.
Kevin had already disappeared.
Holding the Signet, Mei continued deeper.
This time it was different from before—no person appeared, but rather a shop.
On the low table of the shop were all kinds of bottles and jars, along with some shiny crystals and metal products.
But what was clearly more eye-catching was the notice pressed beneath all those items—
[Welcome to Pardo's Shop! If you're seeing this paper, it means I'm doing something very important and will be gone for a long time nya~]
[But all the prices are already marked! If you want something, just throw the money into the jar next to it and take the item yourself.]
[If you don't pay… uh, I'm running out of space to write nya!]
"…"
Mei put the notice down speechlessly: "A shop… why would there be a shop in a place like this?"
"And who is this Pardo…"
Mei looked around.
After finding nothing, she continued deeper.
It didn't take much time—this exploration ended as well.
The moment she left the Elysian Realm.
Elysia's voice rang in her ear: "You did very well. No—you've already far exceeded my expectations!"
Back in reality, Elysia was already waiting nearby.
"I'm very happy to see you gradually getting used to this place, gradually drawing closer to the journey we once took."
"Look—because of your choices, the flowing memories are slowly taking shape."
Mei looked at the Signet: "This Signet is… Fire Moth?"
Elysia nodded: "That's right. The Fire Moth badge. Every member has one, each unique."
"It reminds me of the day the MANTIS first assembled—me, SAKURA, Kevin, and Mobius. I miss those times. All the stories began on that day."
"I heard there was even a golden commemorative version for staying in the organization for 25 years. We made a bet back then, but unfortunately no one got it. Fire Moth didn't last that long."
"Here, this is for you. Because of it, I met the most important companions of my life. I hope the luck of those companions will bless you too."
Mei took the silver badge, feeling the weight of memory.
This thing… probably couldn't be brought outside.
She thought she might as well find a place to store it for now.
She had already carefully investigated the other rooms in the hall anyway—might as well look around.
She glanced around and finally walked to the intelligence room.
As soon as she pushed open the door, that familiar splash of pink appeared: "Barging into someone else's room without permission is a little rude, you know."
Mei immediately turned back to look at the hall.
Hadn't Elysia just been over there? How had she appeared here without anyone noticing?
She looked at the door again: "Sorry, I didn't know this was your room… it says 'intelligence room' on it."
Elysia said with a smile: "Just kidding. Even if it were my room, it wouldn't matter. Do we need to be so formal between us? Come on, let me give you a tour."
She carefully showed Mei around the entire intelligence room—from the mech section to information on Honkai beasts…
"How is it? Does it help with your exploration?"
Mei said: "Somewhat. But I'm curious—only this place has a completely different style from the surroundings. It feels out of place. Is there some special purpose for that?"
Elysia said: "Not really. It's just… a small issue with project integration?"
"At the time, I thought it was too much trouble, so I didn't pay much attention to the decoration of this section."
"Looking back now, sigh… I can only say my aesthetics differed from the lady in charge."
"Kevin was supposed to review it, but you know his personality. So tiring. The moment I looked away, it turned into this. And he was supposed to be the first one."
"Sometimes I feel the Flame-Chasers' way of doing things is too rational. Everyone focuses so much on results that they overlook the importance of the process itself."
Mei asked curiously: "First one? I didn't know there was a ranking order among the Flame-Chasers."
Elysia said: "Did I really never mention it? Maybe because we hit it off right away, I subconsciously assumed you already knew."
"But don't worry too much about it. It's just a number."
"When a group of people gathers, you have to establish some order. Otherwise things would get chaotic, don't you think?"
Mei asked: "Then what about you? What position are you, Elysia?"
"Mm~ Me, huh…"
She seemed to think for a moment, a hint of amusement appearing in her eyes.
"I'm the second of the thirteen Flame-Chasers—in other words, the deputy leader in the usual sense."
Mei was curious: "Second?"
Elysia said: "That's right. I'm the second-in-command under Kevin, the other leader of the MANTIS."
"But don't be too nervous. The Flame-Chasers were originally my whimsical idea, and this so-called ranking was basically decided by me."
"Of course, I made sure to get everyone's consent properly."
After chatting a bit more.
Mei felt she had recovered quite a bit and went back to exploring the Elysian Realm once again.
She had never forgotten her purpose for coming here—to uncover the truth!
This exploration didn't encounter any other Flame-Chasers, but she did pick up a strange badge.
Carrying the badge, she returned to the hall.
Looking around: "How rare. She's actually not here. Did she go somewhere else?"
Mei searched through the golden palace.
Finally, she found Elysia in the lounge.
"So this is where you were."
"Hi, welcome back."
Elysia leaned against the sofa and greeted her, showing no intention of standing up.
"Want to sit for a while? Eden's sofa is really comfortable. Once you lie down, you never want to get up."
Mei said: "It's fine. I'll stand."
Elysia said: "Don't be so polite. Right now, you're the protagonist of the Elysian Realm. Everything in this hall exists for you."
"…"
Mei decisively changed the subject. She only wanted more information: "You said this used to be the Flame-Chasers' meeting hall, but I always feel like it had other uses too."
"After all, as a meeting hall… there are way too many living spaces here."
Elysia said: "That was my idea too. A few small modifications to add a little cohesion to the team… just little thoughts like that."
"Work isn't the entirety of life. Occasionally, we also need to gather together for some lighthearted and pleasant exchanges."
"In an unbound space, everyone can reveal sides of themselves they rarely show in daily life."
"Relaxing here while admiring the view isn't a bad experience at all… sigh, talking about it makes me miss those days."
"Oh, right—I think it was this wall… there should be a set of speakers hidden behind it, and an ultra-luxurious vanity table… I wonder if they still work now."
Mei said: "This sounds like someone's idea."
"Shh! Let's drop that topic for now." Elysia made a hush gesture and continued: "Anyway, for those who come later, this is also a great place to stop and rest."
"Whether you want to rest or see me, you can come here anytime."
"Oh, and there's one more thing I need to tell you."
"In the Land, you might find a strange object that looks like… burning glass stone?"
Mei took out what she had found during her earlier exploration: "You mean this, right? Actually, I wanted to ask about it too."
Elysia said: "That's the one. Like I said earlier, the Elysian Realm is a world woven from memories, but there are also some memories sealed away in each of our individual spaces."
Following Elysia's gaze, there was a row of exquisitely crafted oval vessels.
Time had left no marks on their surfaces, yet the patterns seemed to speak of the weight those souls once carried.
"Perhaps some secrets they didn't want to make public, perhaps stories that require prior context to understand, or maybe just words they wanted to leave for those who come after."
"Inject the kindling you've collected into those vessels, and you'll understand what I mean."
Mei nodded: "Got it."
Elysia reminded her: "Remember to put the first gift into the second bottle on the left—the prettiest one."
Following her instructions.
Mei walked over.
Sure enough!
That second bottle belonged to Elysia.
It was far too distinctive and eye-catching.
Before she could place the item inside.
A wild and blazing light seemed to want to drag her back into the world of memory in the Land once more.
"Hm?"
Mei also looked toward the device in the hall.
Elysia sensed it too: "Ara, looks like he's noticed you."
She walked to the center of the hall and gently stroked the heated metal. Under her touch, the fierce light gradually calmed. After a long while, only an unusual heat remained in the hall.
Mei asked: "He…? Oh, another MANTIS, right? So far, including you, I've only met four people."
Elysia said: "It's not that we're hiding or unwilling to let you meet them. Due to certain reasons, visitors tend to encounter Flame-Chasers who share similar wills with them more easily."
"To build a deeper connection, you at least need to be able to talk comfortably first, don't you think?"
Mei looked at him: "But the first person I met was you."
Elysia said: "Isn't that because our compatibility is the best?"
Mei countered: "Really?"
Elysia said: "It's true. You may not have realized it yet, but your subconscious has already made the choice. Though occasionally, the complete opposite can happen too."
"Maybe you performed too well earlier, and someone noticed your presence and is eager to meet you."
"I think, before you set off on your next journey, you might want to make some preparations."
"After all, the person you're about to meet is indeed quite… enthusiastic."
Mei didn't quite understand what she meant.
Moreover, she remained wary of everyone in the Land.
Especially Elysia—her enthusiasm made Mei suspect whether the other had some hidden agenda.
Out of curiosity toward that blazing heat, Mei chose to enter the Elysian Realm once more.