As it turns out—
Werewolves always go for the seer first.
Elysia's playful comment ended up correctly predicting part of the story.
Though for now, she still thought it was just a joke.
She chatted with Eden for a bit, then tapped the screen again to continue the plot.
Speaking of which, Mei had just lost track of that strange Honkai Beast.
At that moment, Pardofelis came chasing from behind.
"Mei-nee… let me… catch my breath… Was that thing really so amazing? You've been chasing it for half a block."
"I can't be sure either, it's just… a strange feeling. Pardofelis, have you ever seen an enemy like that?"
Pardofelis scratched her head, her expression turning into >.<.
"Uh… to be honest, you were running too fast, Mei. I didn't even get a good look at that thing. And with how weird everything was in our era, it's not surprising you've never seen it before."
"Anyway, let's not worry about that—come look at the treasure I found!"
She then pulled out a card printed with Vill-V's image and handed it to Mei.
But of course, the cat wasn't satisfied with just that after arriving in this brand-new map called the [Elysian Realm].
No thief leaves empty-handed… cough, cough, thorough looting is the mark of a true adventurer.
So she urged Mei to explore the [Elysian Realm] with her.
Since Mei was curious about the place anyway, she didn't decline Pardofelis's invitation.
And just like that, the "Pa-Mei" Elysian Realm Exploration Team was officially formed.
To this, the players reacted with...
[Even though you can tell the cat's got schemes, it's nice to have someone exploring alongside us.]
[With an adorable cat at your side, what more could you ask for?]
[Wandering the Elysian Realm alone does feel kinda lonely.]
"Elysia really did end up neglecting Mei a bit," Elysia said aloud. "But thankfully, Felis is here."
"Thank you, Felis."
She fully immersed herself in the story, thanking Pardofelis, and then continued the plot.
Mei and Pardofelis returned to the starting point—the garden maze—and began a meticulous search.
And it really was meticulous.
To the point of becoming a bit of a nuisance for Mei.
"Since earlier, you've entered this area from three different directions. No matter how many times you come back, this path isn't going to suddenly spawn a treasure chest."
Pardofelis looked a little embarrassed at Mei's comment and quickly came up with an excuse.
"I just don't want to miss anything important! It's my first time here, so of course I've got to comb every inch before leaving."
"I'm determined to loot every single chest in this place!"
Great ambition!
Unfortunately… she didn't quite achieve that dream.
"Ah, right! Mei-nee, you're not wrong. If only we could just vault over these walls. But if I use the universal key Vill-V gave me, I probably can! Mei-nee, come with me and let's grab the key!"
[Looks like the cat and Vill-V have a good relationship.]
[According to the MANTIS relationship web, they do seem close.]
[You mean Vill-V's her supplier, and the cat's a potential viewer? Honestly, it's kind of a weird dynamic.]
[But they're both Flame-Chasers. When you think about it that way, it kinda makes sense.]
[Y'all are treating the Flame-Chasers like something else entirely! (doge emoji)]
Elysia glanced at the barrage of comments but said nothing, simply guiding Mei forward as instructed.
But after a few steps—another battle triggered.
She was annoyed.
"Ughhh, why do we always have to fight~~ It's such a beautiful new map. Wouldn't it be better to enjoy the story and the scenery together?"
"Also, Mei in power-saving mode has such low damage—it takes forever to beat enemies."
[Honestly I thought you'd mind more about Mei not having horns in power-saving mode than her damage output.]
"D-don't say what I'm thinking out loud…"
Elysia swallowed the words she almost said. "Ahem, horns or whatever, I don't care about that—I just don't want to keep fighting all the time."
And perhaps MiHoYo had predicted some players would feel the same way.
So a new combat system was introduced just in time—
[Armed Cards]
That card Pardofelis had handed Mei earlier, the one with Vill-V's face on it.
It unleashed the power of the Flame-Chaser Signets.
For example, [Persona Card – Magician of Celestial Wisdom]—
A card beautifully illustrated with a closed-eyed Vill-V (perfectly capturing Su's characteristics), showcasing the power of the Celestial Wisdom Signet.
In-game, this meant…
Armed Cards came with powerful active skills that players could trigger during combat, significantly reducing the difficulty.
[Wait, we can name our card decks?]
[Deck name: Pink Puff Bunny (serious).]
[Island Blaster Raven!]
[Green Wiggly Snake!]
[???]*2
With this new battle system—
Elysia definitely felt her battles became much easier.
Controlling Mei and accompanied by Pardofelis, she hacked and slashed through Honkai Beasts like a blender, and finally located the so-called [Universal Key].
Except...
"You sure this thing's a key? The only thing it has in common with a key is that it's made of metal."
"Don't underestimate it! It's way more useful than regular keys. We call it the Universal Procurement Tool."
Mei looked down at the "key" that resembled a crowbar.
She understood—on some level—it really could unlock most locks in the world. Although… its method of unlocking might be a bit different from what she imagined.
More… direct.
Mei didn't argue further about whether this was really a "key."
Instead, she pointed to the robot placed beside it.
"What's with that robot?"
"Oh, I found it by the roadside. Felt like it might be useful, but I couldn't fix it, so I just left it here."
Mei didn't think much of it.
But in later side quests, Mei would come to experience a story involving that robot.
Inside the robot was Vill-V's "Lecturer" persona. Vill-V had previously concentrated the effect of her "Edict" onto the Lecturer and made her disappear, thus escaping the Edict's influence.
In the Elysian Realm, the "Lecturer" was revived under the influence of some unknown force and reappeared before Mei in the form of a card-playing robot.
In the end, after passing on all knowledge of Armed Cards and entrusting her with them, she ran out of power and "died."
Players would look back, stunned.
The Elysian Realm… from the Thirteen Flame-Chasers to the card-playing robot and Miss Elf herself—none were spared.
...
Back to the main story.
After retrieving the [Universal Key], Pardofelis urged Mei to keep treasure hunting.
"Come on, Mei-nee, I can already hear those treasure chests calling our names!"
The game returned to free control mode.
A prompt appeared on screen—Jump down from here.
Elysia saw the prompt and didn't question it. Would a game prompt ever lie to the player?
She immediately had Mei leap.
And then… the screen went black.
"?"
When the screen recovered—
Pardofelis's complaining voice echoed from the game: "Mei-nee, next time you're gonna do something that dangerous, can you give me a heads-up first? My heart can't take this much stress…"
Elysia: "..."
She had simply followed the prompt and jumped.
How was she supposed to know there was a trap ahead?
Actually, the prompt wasn't wrong.
Players really did have to jump down to reach the next platform.
But thanks to the devs' deliberate design, the platform was narrow. If players misjudged the jump, they'd fall into the void—and trigger Pardofelis's cliff-fall voice line.
Why design it that way?
To make sure players heard the cliff-fall line.
So that later, when the line disappears due to story progression—
Players would experience emotional damage a second time… and feel something deeper.
[Accidentally fell, and the cat actually has a voice line for it?]
[Cat-Cat is so thoughtful.]
[Thank you for keeping me company, Cat-Cat. Thank you, Pardofelis.]
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