Pardo's breaking point was simple: she thought the business deal she had risked so much for had suddenly fallen through at the last minute. How could she tolerate that?
Although she hadn't asked Lin Wei for actual payment, the value of a favor owed was even higher!
And calming her down was also simple. Just showing her the cylindrical pendant in his hand was enough to make the cat instantly well-behaved.
"As expected of Sister Nia, the craftsmanship of this accessory is truly top-notch~"
Pardo marveled at the item that had appeared in Lin Wei's hand, but she didn't even dare to touch it—she was still quite apprehensive about Aponia's things.
Especially now, having learned that Aponia had just "visited" here unknowingly, met with Lin Wei, and even given him an exquisite gift, while she herself was completely unaware...
"Um, Boss Lin Wei, shouldn't we... hurry up?"
Pardo, who had been stubbornly refusing to leave just moments ago, now urged him on anxiously.
"Seeing this thing, I feel like if I stay here any longer, the fur on my tail is going to stand on end!"
Lin Wei followed her words and glanced over. Pardo's tail indeed looked considerably fluffier...
---||---
After returning from the depths of the Elysian Realm to the shallower areas, Pardo, finally relieved, was eager to find her Can, who had run off somewhere again. Lin Wei, however, wanted to see Yae Sakura, so the two parted ways there.
Lin Wei leaned against a cherry blossom tree, staring fixedly at the two similar figures in the distance, their red and blue forms streaking like light, rapidly colliding, separating, and colliding again. But his mind was somewhat elsewhere.
For resolving his Stigma predicament, Mobius's biological research was a dead end. Aponia's [Discipline] was even more directly stated to be a completely wrong path.
It was the first time he had hit a wall repeatedly on the same issue, especially in the Elysian Realm, and with the "Flame-Chasers," in whom Lin Wei had always placed great hope. These successive setbacks both greatly surprised Lin Wei and brought him considerable pressure.
The time when he would have to leave the Elysian Realm again was drawing nearer. Did he still have enough time to find the other answers he needed here?
Lin Wei felt a wave of confusion.
Or perhaps, if even the most scientific Mobius and the most unscientific Aponia were powerless against his predicament, could anyone else here offer a better solution?
"Vill-V's specialty, 'consciousness splitting,' could that be a viable option?"
Lin Wei wasn't sure about this. After all, Vill-V's "multiple personalities" were actually deliberate "splittings" of her own consciousness, targeted according to her different inherent traits. Could his bizarre situation with the Stigma—mutual devouring, fusion, yet peaceful coexistence—be considered a "trait"?
Could Su, that doctor who saved lives and healed the wounded, offer him any feasible advice? Lin Wei was equally unsure about this.
Or rather, after being rebuffed twice in a row, Lin Wei's confidence in finding a direct solution to the problem within the Elysian Realm was no longer very high.
"Perhaps it's because my problem is truly special?"
Lin Wei looked at the cherry blossom petal he was twirling between his fingers. After all, Yuno's problem had been resolved quite smoothly, hadn't it?
At least this trip wasn't a complete waste of time without any gains, Lin Wei thought silently.
Since this trip to the Elysian Realm was unlikely to yield much more, Lin Wei couldn't help but shift his thoughts back to the real world.
"Next, what should I do?"
In the distance, the two streaks of red and blue light continued to collide violently in Lin Wei's line of sight, constantly stirring his thoughts.
"Should I snatch the Void Archives from Otto's hands and search for the answers I need from its vast library, or..."
Lin Wei's eyes narrowed slightly.
"Or, like Otto, should I set my sights on the 'Herrscher of Death'?"
Although the Abyss Flower, created from the core of the Previous Era's Herrscher of Death, could perform genetic-level [Destruction] and [Repair], completely separating him from Yae Sakura's Stigma was not something an inanimate Divine Key could achieve.
"In that case, could a living Herrscher of Death do it?"
Thinking of that "Sixth Herrscher," who was never truly born until the Finality descended, Lin Wei couldn't help but feel an urge to investigate...
He knew this uncontrollable thought was dangerous, indicating he was gradually beginning to cross certain unspeakable boundaries. But at this moment, Lin Wei no longer cared about those things.
If something happened to Anna, Lin Wei would undoubtedly go mad. Yae Sakura's bond with Lin Wei was even deeper; wouldn't she be the same?
Moreover, on one hand, this was just brainstorming; there was no need to impose restrictions on himself. On the other hand, compared to the lives of his companions, some so-called "morals" seemed insignificant, even comically absurd...
The problem was, leaving aside the inherent danger of a Herrscher, was it not too far-fetched to target the Sixth Herrscher when the Fourth Herrscher hadn't even been born yet?
But could Yae Sakura really last until then? Lin Wei still had no certainty about this.
"If that's the case... can I create Her prematurely?"
A dark light flickered in Lin Wei's eyes, his thoughts growing increasingly dangerous.
"For example, if I snatch the Gem of Serenity from Schicksal and implant it into Seele, the perfect vessel for the Herrscher of Death, then... No, that won't work!"
In the split second before Lin Wei's moral bottom line completely collapsed, the special name "Seele" and the profound meaning behind her brought his dam of reason crashing back up.
"Seele," besides a familiar name and a distant image, meant nothing to Lin Wei. But "Bronya" did.
To this day, Lin Wei still didn't particularly care if he one day stood opposite Kiana and the others. But Bronya was different.
Yae Sakura was undoubtedly an important companion. But Bronya, who had helped him so much in the past, wasn't she also a rare friend?
If so, how could he harm the person most important to her?
After all, the risks involved in becoming a Herrscher, and the price to be paid, were far too tragic. If he personally pushed her onto such a path of no return, it would be no different from a shameful betrayal.
A betrayal of others, and of himself.
If Lin Wei really did that, not only would Bronya hate him to the bone, but even Sakura and Anna would probably despise him.
At that point, he would probably truly deserve to play mahjong alone...
Moreover, Seele was still drifting in the Sea of Quanta, her return date nowhere in sight.
Yae Sakura might not be able to wait for the Sixth Herrscher to be born naturally; could she wait until the day Seele returned to the proper world?
With such an insurmountable real-world barrier, Lin Wei's dam of reason finally managed to tame the beast that had almost run wild in his heart once more. Therefore, amidst his disappointment, he couldn't help but let out a long sigh.
"Besides that, what other methods are there?"
After suppressing that dangerous thought which could very well turn the entire world upside down, Lin Wei began to extend his line of thinking again.
"If not, should I try to find the world bubble anchored by World Serpent and ask Dr. MEI in that world bubble?"
That terrifying woman whose talent surpassed even Mobius and Vill-V, who could excel in individual fields on par with Mobius and Vill-V even while simultaneously dividing her time and energy across so many areas; if Dr. MEI also existed in the Elysian Realm, she would undoubtedly be the first person Lin Wei would visit...
Lin Wei's brainstorming continued. Idea after idea popped into his head, only to be quickly overturned or shelved. Only a very few were stopped for him to carefully consider their feasibility.
...
Time passed, minute by minute. The battle between the two women in the distance gradually came to an end. They exchanged some insights—mainly the Miko being patiently guided by the blue-armored girl who bore the same appearance as her. Then, the two walked together towards Lin Wei.
"Mr. Lin Wei seems a little down."
Elysian SAKURA had noticed Lin Wei in the distance unconsciously shaking his head earlier and asked with some concern,
"Is it related to Dr. Mobius's research?"
So far, the most troubling thing she could think of was probably Mobius's infamous scientific experiments...
"Although Mr. Lin Wei has indeed been working very hard recently, that's not enough to make him look like this."
Yae Sakura had naturally been paying attention to Lin Wei's condition. Hearing this, she gently shook her head and sighed.
"He's probably encountered some difficult problem again. After all, wherever Mr. Lin Wei goes, trouble always seems to follow, doesn't it?"
As she spoke, she chuckled a little mischievously.
Of course, what she didn't say was that she herself was probably that "trouble"—as intelligent as she was, how could she not guess?
After all, in this still generally quiet and peaceful Elysian Realm, the only ones who could make Lin Wei show such a troubled expression, besides that Yuno, were herself, right?
"Sigh..."
Yae Sakura roughly understood something but didn't show it on her face, maintaining her usual cool composure.
"If one day I'm no longer here, can she take my place?"
Yae Sakura glanced at the Flame-Chaser beside her, who was almost her twin, and couldn't help but have this somewhat absurd thought.
If Lin Wei knew what I was just thinking, he would probably be very angry, right?
Yae Sakura imagined Lin Wei's exasperated look, and a smile couldn't help but tug at her lips. Because she knew, he only cared about her, not what she looked like.
She did not fear death.
After five hundred years of hardship, she was already happy enough and cherished her current life. She would only feel regret about such an ending.
If one day, she was truly gone, having someone who could take her place and continue to accompany Lin Wei didn't seem so bad?
Although Yae Sakura was unwilling, if the outcome was truly unavoidable, then she would gladly accept such a future.
But could Lin Wei accept such an outcome?
Yae Sakura thought faintly. That extremely greedy fellow had never been one to like "substitutes"...
"Is there... something wrong with me?"
Elysian SAKURA noticed Yae Sakura's somewhat scrutinizing gaze earlier. She couldn't help but look down at her own attire and said with some embarrassment,
"If I have been impolite in any way, please forgive me."
"No, it was I who was impolite just now."
Yae Sakura said quickly, secretly hiding her earlier thoughts while asking, half-mischievously, half-sincerely,
"I was just thinking, if you and I were to swap clothes, could he tell us apart?"
If before, she still harbored some resentment towards this Flame-Chaser due to her past experiences, then after guessing that her own ending might be unavoidable, that faint repulsion had already vanished.
At this moment, Yae Sakura even seemed much more lively than before...
"Uh... I think, even if it were really as you say, it probably wouldn't be difficult for Mr. Lin Wei to tell, right?"
Elysian SAKURA didn't expect Yae Sakura to say such a thing. She was clearly stunned for a moment, then said after careful consideration,
"After all, the way Miss Yae Sakura looks at Mr. Lin Wei... I could never imitate that. What's more..."
Speaking of this, she couldn't help but sigh with emotion.
"Even if appearances are strikingly similar, the soul is ultimately unique in the world. How can it be easily replaced?"
"..."
Elysian SAKURA's unintentional sigh hit Yae Sakura hard, making her fall silent for a long while before she chuckled softly.
"You're right. I was being presumptuous."
As they spoke, the two women had already arrived not far from Lin Wei.
"Sakura, and Miss SAKURA, are you finished?"
Lin Wei stood up, smiling and greeting the two women.
The moment their sparring stopped, he had already collected all his thoughts and expressions to avoid being seen through. He hadn't expected that with Yae Sakura's understanding of him, how could he possibly hide anything?
"Mr. Lin Wei, on you..."
Elysian SAKURA was just about to greet him when she keenly smelled the unique scent of Aponia on Lin Wei and was startled. Just as she was about to ask, Lin Wei, who had reacted, stopped her with a look.
"Miss SAKURA, is there something wrong with me?"
Lin Wei interrupted Elysian SAKURA's words somewhat strangely and smiled.
"Perhaps I got some dust on me from sitting on the ground and leaning against the tree..."
He didn't dare let her reveal the matter about Aponia. What if Yae Sakura heard?
If she knew he had actually risked going to find Aponia, she would definitely be angry!
"...It's no matter. Being tinged with the scent of nature is always better than being covered in blood like myself."
Although Elysian SAKURA didn't understand why Lin Wei said that, she wasn't unobservant. She understood Lin Wei didn't want her to reveal the truth.
"If you don't mind, Mr. Lin Wei and Miss Yae Sakura can rest here for a moment. I won't disturb you further."
With that, she bowed slightly and turned to leave. Yae Sakura opened her mouth, wanting to call out to her, but didn't know how to begin.
"What's wrong?"
Lin Wei noticed her hesitant look and asked with some concern.
The future was full of complexities. He hadn't had time to come up with a new feasible plan in such a short time, so he couldn't help but feel even more guilty when facing Yae Sakura.
"...Nothing. It's just that seeing her leave in such a hurry made me feel a little ashamed."
Yae Sakura smiled faintly and brushed it off casually. Her thoughts just now had been somewhat impolite; how could she dare let Lin Wei know easily?
If she said it out loud, he would definitely be angry!
"So that's how it is..."
Lin Wei nodded and didn't ask further. He wasn't in the mood to get to the bottom of these minor matters right now. He sat back down, somewhat tired, and said softly,
"So tired, Sakura. Sit with me for a while, okay?"
"Mm."
Yae Sakura nodded, gathered her sleeves, and gently sat down beside him. After a moment's hesitation, she couldn't help but lean her head gently on his shoulder.
"If there really isn't much time left, this isn't so bad either..."
Inhaling Lin Wei's scent, Yae Sakura thought with contentment. In the past, she might not have had such courage.
"..."
Yae Sakura's long ears gently rested on Lin Wei's head, warm and comforting. A pang of sorrow hit Lin Wei's heart, but ultimately, he didn't reject her closeness.
Both harbored their own thoughts, both vaguely guessing a fraction of the other's mind, yet neither was willing to speak openly.
A gentle breeze blew, and countless petals fluttered down under the setting sun, quietly landing beside Lin Wei and Sakura, and upon them.
"If only today's sun would never set, how wonderful that would be..."
Yae Sakura thought silently.
"The sun will rise..."
Lin Wei squeezed Yae Sakura's hand tightly, thinking fiercely in his heart,
"No matter what it takes!"