"Mei, you're back."
As soon as Raiden Mei stepped into the main hall of the Elysian Realm, she saw Elysia waving at her from the sofa.
Elysia still wore that radiant, flower-like smile, as if she were incapable of expressing negative emotions. Just looking at her smile seemed to soothe Mei's nerves, which had been frayed by the recent battle.
"Yeah." Acknowledging her softly, Mei walked over to the sofa.
Only when she got closer did she realize that Eden, who had been in the Golden Courtyard earlier, was now here, leaning tipsily against Elysia's shoulder, clutching a wine bottle.
Remembering what Pardofelis had said about the two being best friends, Mei smiled knowingly. Not wanting to disturb them, she leaned against the sofa, closed her eyes, and silently regulated her breathing.
The fight with Kalpas hadn't been as easy as she might have hoped. The man's craving for battle bordered on madness, his fighting style almost entirely focused on trading injuries. A moment's carelessness could lead to severe wounds.
Even though she had experienced his combat habits long ago, Mei still had to give it her utmost concentration. Fortunately, relying on the combat skills honed over months and the powerful endurance of a Herrscher, she had secured victory.
However, this had nearly depleted her stamina. Continuing to seek Signets now would be risky. The best choice was to rest briefly and first digest the enhancements brought by the four Signets she'd obtained.
Additionally, her curiosity about the connection between The Obsidian Concord and the Elysian Realm grew stronger.
If The Obsidian Concord and the Elysian Realm were connected, the organization probably wouldn't have needed to go through so much trouble to send her here. But if there was no connection, how could she explain the presence of Pardofelis and Kalpas?
She knew there was one person who could definitely answer this question.
Opening her eyes, she saw Elysia's profile.
"How was your rest? If you're hungry, I have some snacks here."
"No, thank you." As a warrior, Mei maintained disciplined control over her weight and avoided excessive eating. She subconsciously glanced at Elysia, noticing she seemed noticeably... softer.
"Ahem, Mei, although I don't mind much, a girl's weight is a secret. It's best not to guess," Elysia caught the fleeting thought.
Mei silently retracted her gaze, focusing back on Elysia's face.
"How did the fight with Kalpas feel? He's quite a passionate person, isn't he?" Elysia smoothly changed the subject.
"Passionate?" Did 'passionate' mean wanting to kill someone immediately upon meeting them?
"Don't mind Kalpas being a bit grumpy; he's actually quite easy to understand." As she spoke, Elysia walked over to the bookshelf behind the sofa, took out a book with a mask printed on the cover, and handed it to Mei.
"What's this?"
"`100 Questions About Kalpas's Mask`. Back when Fire Moth still existed, this was practically a survival guide. Everyone had a copy."
"..."
Mei suddenly understood why Kalpas might be so irritable. Anyone with such a flighty teammate would probably find their blood pressure skyrocketing.
"Sorry, I don't think I need this right now."
Silently putting the book back, Mei picked up the fountain pen from the table and wrote a single character on a blank sheet of paper: [珏].
Taking a deep breath, Mei's gaze turned serious. "Elysia, you mentioned 'Twin Jades' before. Can you tell me more specifically what that refers to?"
The crystal flower had been given to her by The Obsidian Concord, and its owner was undoubtedly Elysia. The fact that Elysia had mentioned the term "Twin Jades" right when they first met meant she must know secrets related to The Obsidian Concord.
Faced with Mei's direct question, Elysia's smile faded slightly. She placed a finger on her chin, adopting a thoughtful pose.
"What could it be?"
Mei's eyes narrowed. Was Elysia finally going to give her the answer?
But the response she received was Elysia's playful smile. "I don't know~"
"..." For a split second, Mei felt the urge to draw her sword.
"Elysia is right. She really doesn't know." Just as Mei was about to press further, Eden's voice interjected. She looked like she had drunk quite a bit, but when it came to Elysia, there wasn't a trace of haze in her eyes.
"Why?"
"Because in our era, that character didn't exist." Eden's gaze fell upon the character [珏], a flicker of memory in her eyes. "Twin Jades... Judging by the sound, should it be pronounced 'Yù' (钰)?" [Note: 钰 (Yù) means 'rare treasure' or 'hard metal', visually distinct but with a somewhat related 'jade' component radical.]
"Nope, this character is pronounced 'Jué' (jue)." Elysia reached out to steady the swaying Eden, correcting her with a smile.
"Jué..." Eden had been the Previous Era's most outstanding singer and artist, having read countless biographies. Yet, no matter how hard she searched her memory, she couldn't recall any work related to this character.
Confirming she hadn't misremembered, Eden gave a wry smile and teased helplessly, "Ely, it seems I still don't understand you well enough."
"Don't say that, my dear Eden. It took me a very long time to understand the meaning of this character myself," Elysia consoled her, then turned her gaze back to Mei. "Sorry, Mei. I can't tell you anything related to him. Besides, I only know very, very little myself. But if you continue exploring, perhaps you can find the answer within the Elysian Realm."
Mei fell silent, realizing she wouldn't get any more information from Elysia. She had initially guessed The Obsidian Concord might be like World Serpent, an organization passed down from the Previous Era. Now, it seemed even the Previous Era hadn't heard of it?
Though countless questions swirled in her mind, no one could provide answers. In this situation, she could only temporarily suppress her curiosity about The Obsidian Concord and shift her focus back to exploring the Elysian Realm.
...
Three days passed quickly.
"Are you ready, Mei?"
Within the training grounds, Elysia's voice echoed once more. Mei looked at the portal appearing before her and took a deep breath.
After three days of continuous challenges, this scene was no longer unfamiliar.
Tidal waves of enemies, data escalating with each floor, bizarre monsters... This was the fundamental nature of the training grounds, the true way to enhance combat strength.
As for the training ground losing control, aside from that initial trial, she hadn't encountered it again.
However, Elysia still seemed uneasy, insisting on personally monitoring each trial to "confirm the program's stability," though it was clearly out of concern for Mei's safety.
Mei herself wasn't too bothered. Firstly, she knew the reason for that initial accident. Secondly, she still possessed the Signet of The Obsidian Concord.
Although she didn't know its exact purpose, based on its previous performance, it could at least save her life if things went unexpectedly wrong.
Of course, she hadn't told Elysia about the Obsidian Concord Signet.
It wasn't that she held a grudge, but The Obsidian Concord and World Serpent were essentially opposing forces. The Elysian Realm was arguably the area Kevin valued most. If Elysia found out someone from The Obsidian Concord had entered the Realm with her, Mei might be kicked out on the spot.
But now wasn't the time to dwell on that. The enemies she was about to face required her full attention.
"Let's begin."