"Freedom's wind, dandelions..."
"The place where this wine is brewed must have perfect weather, right?"
For someone who drank often, the difference between good wine and truly special wine was something that could be tasted immediately.
Dandelion Wine was a drink Mondstadters commonly enjoyed, and almost no one ever had anything bad to say about it.
To Eden, it was a rare and exceptional vintage.
There was elemental power within the wine, adding a unique flavor to it and making it go down incredibly smoothly.
"I like this gift very much."
Eden said this with complete satisfaction. A wine this distinctive deserved to be savored slowly.
"Oh, right, Eden, don't tell the me here about those things," Elysia reminded her.
"I know. Don't worry, future Elysia."
...
The giant eyeball, the Cocoon of Finality, was watching.
Koji was watching it too.
"Elysia, did you come from the Cocoon, or from the Tree?"
"Why are you asking something like that? I don't know either~"
Elysia shook her head. Even she only had a vague understanding of her own origins.
She had descended from the sky and been taken in by Mama Serya. She did indeed seem to have some connection to the Cocoon, but whether she was truly the Cocoon's daughter or not, she was not sure herself.
"What? Are you really that curious about my background?" Elysia asked with a smile.
"I am a little curious. Your origins really are mysterious," Koji said, nodding.
"Sadly, I don't know either, and I'm not all that interested in finding out."
Elysia had never been especially interested in her own origins. After all, she had so many friends on Earth. Whether she knew about her past or not made no real difference.
No matter what her former identity had been, all that mattered was that she was Elysia now.
"Come on, let's go have some fun at Mobius' place."
To everyone else, Mobius' lab was the most dangerous place imaginable.
But to Elysia, it felt just like home.
Mobius was not scary at all, and on top of that, she was a breathtaking beauty.
After looking at the little snake for so many years, of course she had to take a look at the big snake now.
"Elysia, did you gain weight again?"
Elysia had never expected Mobius' very first sentence to be that. She was struck like a bolt from the blue, as if she were about to turn to stone on the spot.
Mobius was not saying it just to tease her. After seeing the fuller figure of Elysia from the Elysian Realm, she had honestly voiced her confusion.
"I did not. Mobius, stop talking nonsense." Elysia rolled her eyes at her.
"I have a scale here. You can weigh yourself on the spot."
Mobius gave a disdainful laugh. She was a genius in the field of biological science; her eyes were not there for decoration.
How could she possibly fail to tell whether someone had gained weight?
This pink piggy-cat definitely ate those high-calorie little cakes all the time. It would be stranger if she had not gained weight.
"Let's... not do that."
Elysia looked a little embarrassed. A scale was just too authoritative.
"What exactly are you doing here? You really are strange. Everyone else wishes they could stay as far away from me as possible, yet you keep coming closer instead," Mobius complained.
She knew perfectly well what kind of image she had in everyone else's eyes. They all avoided her like the plague.
And she did not care. A life without people bothering her was even better.
But Elysia was like a patch of stubborn glue. Every few days, she would come running over here as if she were returning to her own home, with not the slightest fear of Mobius.
"Of course it's because I think you're too lonely, Mobius, so I came to cheer you up," Elysia said with a grin.
"I'd rather you didn't come. You've interrupted me at critical moments more times than I can count."
"Wait... your ears..."
Only then did Mobius notice. She immediately stepped forward and examined Elysia's ears, which looked just like an elf's, her eyes overflowing with curiosity and the desire to know more.
Those were not normal human ears.
"Elysia, you're not human?"
Mobius reached her conclusion. She did not think this was some sort of mutation. Cases like that were practically nonexistent. No matter how something mutated, it should not turn into this.
"Hey, that's pretty rude," Elysia said, somewhat displeased.
Koji looked at Elysia.
You really aren't human, though. You're a Herrscher with a human form.
"Let me study you. How about it?"
Mobius was suddenly very interested in Elysia. She did not know how Elysia had become like this, but as a test subject, she was more than qualified.
"Nope!"
...
"Tch. What a letdown. So, is that one over there your little boyfriend?" Mobius did not press the matter with Elysia.
First of all, she knew she was no match for Elysia. One was an unarmed researcher; the other was a powerful warrior capable of defeating Herrschers. She was not stupid enough to force the issue.
"Nope. Koji is my friend."
"As for these ears of mine, you'll find out later." Elysia smiled mysteriously.
Kevin had been the first Fusion warrior to successfully survive the surgery, and there were no visible changes to his body apart from his extremely low body temperature.
But after Elysia underwent the Fusion warrior surgery, her ears had become what they were now. Compared to the later Fusion warriors, who developed obvious Honkai Beast traits, she had actually turned out fairly well.
...
"You're unbelievable. Elysia, you know where this is, don't you? Bringing in someone who isn't from the Flame Chasers like this... aren't you worried you'll end up getting yourself into trouble?"
"Mobius, are you worried about me?" Koji asked with interest.
Mobius really was stubborn. She clearly meant well, but her face remained cold.
Elysia pressed her lips together in a smile. She knew very well that Mobius was exactly the type who was cold on the outside and warm on the inside.
"Not at all," Mobius said, still stubbornly denying it.
There was no way she would care about that annoying Elysia. It would be better if Elysia stopped coming here and bothering her.
She said one thing and meant another. That was exactly the sort of person Mobius was.
"Mobius caring about me... I'm truly overwhelmed," Elysia said with an expression so touched she looked ready to cry.
"Get out!"
"Stop affecting my work here."
Mobius' face was full of black lines as she pointed toward the door. As expected, Elysia really was the person she hated the most.
"Yes, yes, yes..."
Elysia was still all smiles. Teasing Mobius really was fun.
The little snake was already used to it, but the big snake was not yet. Just a little teasing was enough to make her react.
Mobius' ample chest rose and fell rapidly. This Elysia was truly infuriating.
But...
This Elysia felt a little strange.
She could not quite put her finger on what was strange, but Elysia's aura was correct, and that annoyingly accurate instinctive feeling was also correct.
(End of Chapter)
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