At this moment, Chang Yuan perfectly embodied the role of a Captain.
He just didn't know if Elysia would kick him hard once she found out the truth of the story.
"Huh? Teacher Himeko will come back? Was it a fake death?"
"Hehehe, you'll find out when the time comes."
Chang Yuan chuckled mischievously, choosing to keep it a mystery.
This made Elysia pout in frustration.
"You're so mean, big brother Chang Yuan. You're just too mean."
First, he piqued her curiosity, and then he deliberately kept her in the dark. It was just too mean.
She decided to ignore him for at least three hours—no, one hour—well, maybe just a minute.
In the end, Elysia decided to ignore him for one minute.
The two of them walked hand in hand through the forest, heading toward civilization.
Anyone who saw them would think they were siblings.
Chang Yuan thoroughly enjoyed this moment, as the future might not be so carefree.
Right now, Elysia didn't have any concept of romantic feelings between boys and girls.
So, he could hold her hand without any reservations.
But in the future, when she understood more, this innocent friendship would come to an end.
A few hours later...
"Yay, we finally see the big city! Uncle Tock's directions were correct."
Looking at the towering skyscrapers, Elysia happily bounced around.
"Let's go, big brother Chang Yuan, hurry!"
Grabbing Chang Yuan's hand, Elysia eagerly ran forward.
Entering the bustling city, everything was so new and fascinating to her.
She browsed street stalls and jewelry shops, but Elysia didn't waste money on these things.
"Hmph, this world is truly beautiful. My decision was right. I must travel the entire world and find the legendary Flawless Paradise, the Eternal Elysium."
As she walked along the street, Elysia glanced at Chang Yuan.
"Big brother Chang Yuan, do you think we can find it?"
"Of course. In fact, I've already found it."
"Huh? Big brother Chang Yuan, when did you find it? How come I didn't know?"
Hearing that Chang Yuan had already achieved her goal, Elysia was shocked.
"Yes, I've found it."
Looking at Elysia's innocent face, Chang Yuan's gentle smile remained.
Perhaps Elysia didn't realize that the Flawless Paradise and Eternal Elysium Chang Yuan spoke of was her.
For the Traveler, home was wherever their sibling was.
But for tens of thousands of Captains, wasn't home wherever the Valkyries were?
"Can you take me to see it?"
"No, everyone's Flawless Paradise and Eternal Elysium are different.
Some people think being with their parents is the happiest place, and they wish it could last forever.
Others believe being alone is the happiest place, and they wish to stay that way."
"Hmm, alright. But big brother Chang Yuan, you have to promise to stay with me until we find it. You can't leave before then."
Seeing Elysia suddenly make this promise, Chang Yuan was puzzled at first, then smiled softly. "Sure, it's a deal. Until we find it, neither of us will leave."
"Hehe~, I won't leave. But big brother Chang Yuan, you're the one most likely to leave."
Letting go of Chang Yuan's hand, Elysia ran a few steps ahead, turned around, stuck out her tongue playfully, and laughed.
Time passed, and the sky soon darkened.
"Hmm, we still haven't found a place to stay tonight. We can't waste the money Uncle Tock gave us. Where can we sleep?"
"How about over there?"
Chang Yuan spotted a subway station with benches. It would be a good place to spend the night.
"Hmm, that could work. Let's go. We'll sleep there tonight and continue our journey tomorrow."
Tapping her lips with her index finger, Elysia thought for a moment, then agreed to Chang Yuan's suggestion.
The two then made their way to the subway platform. Since it was nighttime, the benches were mostly empty.
Finding a spot by the edge, Elysia lay down on the bench, her feet dangling off the side.
"Hmm, it's a bit hard. I'm not used to it."
Lying on the bench, Elysia looked troubled.
Seeing this, Chang Yuan smiled helplessly.
He moved to where Elysia's head was resting, gently lifted it, and sat down, placing her head on his lap.
"Is it still hard now?"
"Hehe, no. But what about you, big brother Chang Yuan? How will you sleep like this?"
Resting her head on Chang Yuan's lap, Elysia looked up at him with her bright eyes.
She was comfortable now, but how could Chang Yuan possibly be comfortable?
"It's fine. I'm used to sleeping sitting up. Don't worry about me."
"Hmm, maybe we shouldn't do this, big brother Chang Yuan. I can just find something to cushion my head."
"No, I promised Uncle Tock I'd take good care of you. If I can't even let you sleep comfortably, he'd definitely beat me up."
Pressing down on Elysia's attempt to get up, Chang Yuan came up with a flimsy excuse.
Elysia could tell it was a weak reason, but she didn't say anything.
She realized it was just Chang Yuan's pride as a boy.
"Um, excuse me, can I trade some oranges for a bit of bread?"
A small girl in a tattered cloak appeared.
But she didn't actually have any oranges to trade.
Hearing this request, Elysia didn't hesitate.
She immediately took out a small bread roll from her little bag and handed it to the sneaky figure.
The moment she got the bread, the figure turned and ran.
Chang Yuan and Elysia were both stunned for a moment.
Then, realizing what had happened, Elysia turned to Chang Yuan and asked, "Big brother Chang Yuan, were we tricked?"
"...Yeah, we were. Let's chase her!"
The two quickly caught up to the figure, who was now eating the bread as she ran.
Finally, Chang Yuan caught her.
The little girl's mouth was still stuffed with bread.
After being caught, she quickly chewed and swallowed the last bite.
"What do you want? Even if you catch me, I don't have anything to give you."