"Mobius? What is this? Didn't you guarantee no one would jump the gun?!"
Looking at the man frozen in a daze on the screen, the world's top singer, the star of the era, the most elegant woman in the world, showed a cold expression for the first time.
Undeniably, she was bitter with jealousy!
To this day, she still remembered the scene on that beach, where she and Fu Li had almost kissed.
She had originally planned to offer her preserved first kiss on the day they finally recognized each other, but now, Fu Li's first kiss had been stolen!
"Eden, don't get worked up. I can explain."
Seeing Eden's emotional state, Mobius could only temporarily suppress the turmoil in her own heart and begin to placate her.
She had been the one to guarantee that no one would make a move before the final showdown, but the current situation could only be considered an accident.
One had to understand, she had spent a full half-month with Klein analyzing the psychological profiles of the other female Flame-Chasers.
Logically speaking, aside from that woman Elysia, given the others' personalities, none of them would dare to make a move.
And that was indeed the case. Pardo herself definitely wouldn't have the guts. The problem was, she had that doppelgänger, Black Pardo!
Furthermore, because Mobius had little contact with that Black Pardo, she was completely unable to fathom her psychology, which led to the present accident.
"Calm down? How do you expect me to calm down?"
Eden's full chest heaved up and down, a clear sign of her anger.
At the end of the day, before she became a Flame-Chaser, she was a star who seemed approachable but was, in reality, distant.
And the only man to have ever walked into her heart had just had his kiss stolen by another woman right before her eyes!
"Hah... Mobius, I can't tolerate this any longer. I'm sorry."
"But don't worry, I won't let him know that we are also aware of the cycles. That way, I won't be obstructing your plan, right?"
Eden took a deep breath, then rose from her chair without hesitation, making a move to walk out.
Clearly, she was no longer prepared to lurk in the shadows and watch with Mobius.
The friendship between women was just that fragile and cruel.
However, before Eden could take more than a few steps, Mobius, who was behind her, suddenly shot her hand forward and clenched it.
A large hand, coalesced from a black-green liquid, materialized before the door, blocking Eden's path.
At the same time, black thorns slowly emerged from the darkness, coiling around Eden like snakes.
The atmosphere in the room turned ice-cold in an instant.
But even faced with such a scene, Eden showed no fear. She simply unholstered the twin pistols from her back.
"Enough, Eden. You should be well aware that you're not the only one who is upset and dissatisfied. My feelings for Li are the same as yours."
Mobius's face was grim; she felt terrible as well.
As the target of Fu Li's first time, her bond with him was undoubtedly the deepest and the earliest of them all.
She knew every inch of Fu Li, inside and out, better than anyone. But precisely because of this, the pain of her longing was more intense than anyone else's.
From her ethereal soul to every single one of her cells, they were all screaming, clamoring to imprison Li by her side.
As long as we can live to the next era together, that will be enough. As long as we can just live to the next era together.
Her, Li, and Klein. Just the three of them would suffice.
With their endless lifespans, as long as they lay low for a while, they could easily live to see the next era.
Mobius had murmured these words countless times in her dreams, but after seeing Fu Li's relentless efforts, she had buried this emotion deep inside.
She was a researcher. She had to be rational. Yes, rational. Absolutely rational.
"So what, Mobius?"
Eden's slightly cold voice pulled Mobius from her deep thoughts. She lifted her head and looked at the face of her former friend.
That's right, friend. It was just a pity that this friend was now beginning to distrust her.
As expected, the anticipated words of doubt rang out.
"You've always told me to trust you, to trust what you said about not being able to be frank with Li. But you've never told me why we can't recognize him."
"I need you to give me a reason. A reason convincing enough for me to wait."
As expected...
The grimness on Mobius's face gradually faded. She looked at Eden, and understanding dawned in her heart.
Should I have expected anything less from Eden?
From her initial display of anger, to her stern turn to leave, and now, to this—the dagger revealed at the unrolling of the map.
Beneath Eden's anxiety was hidden an absolute rationality. And she was truly worthy of her title as a star, successfully deceiving even her.
From beginning to end, though Eden was anxious, her true goal was never to impulsively tear through the thin veil between them and Li. It was... the answer.
"Hah... so that was your objective."
"Right, right, Mobius is of course the villain. Take her down, nicely done—"
"I originally thought only Elysia would think that way, but to think that even you..."
Mobius let out a breath, trying hard to dispel the frustration in her heart.
Although she had always known that she and Eden would one day stand on opposite sides in the contest for Li, she hadn't expected this day to come so suddenly.
A single kiss from Black Pardo had stirred up a terrifying storm.
"Snap."
A finger snapped.
Puppet Klein ran to the central computer and began operating it rapidly.
In the next moment, a simple set of data—clearly prepared for non-scientific personnel—was retrieved.
"This is the answer you wanted."
Mobius's voice was tinged with exhaustion. She picked up the golden goblet that had fallen on the sofa and poured herself another glass of wine.
The crimson liquid swirled in the golden cup, like a burning memory.
Mobius looked at her own reflection in the cup, turned slightly to the side, and cleared a path for Eden, who was still surrounded by the black thorns.
She did not let Eden leave, but she had shown her the way.
Eden understood as well. Holstering her twin pistols, she walked past Mobius with heavy steps and came to Puppet Klein's side.
Seeing this, Puppet Klein's gaze shifted between the two of them. After some thought, she decided not to say anything and simply continued to operate the computer silently.
The emotions between humans are too complicated. Better to finish my work quickly and go find Puppet Li.
The data scrolled on the computer, and Eden got the answer she wanted.
To put it simply, with every cycle, Fu Li would establish a quantum channel with one of them through intense emotions.
Then, in the next cycle, based on the connection of this quantum channel, their memories and consciousness could be preserved.
As for the reason why they couldn't break this silence, it made Eden's expression turn even uglier.
---o---
Author's PS: Ugh, so sleepy. Finally finished slacking off!
Sometimes I really want to say to myself, "Nyarla, oh Nyarla, how can you be so lazy."
Sigh, I still have to find a way to get my updates back on track.