[In the Video]
After listening to Aponia's words, Raiden Mei abruptly clenched her right hand, her gaze sharp as she said,
"What did you say?! Can I take this as a declaration of war?"
Facing Raiden Mei's questioning, Aponia still had that same look of sorrow and compassion.
"Ah... I, too, don't wish to believe it, that the fate intertwined between you and me would end in such a way.
But that is a story that had long been written, and also... our predetermined ending."
"Absurd. Someone once told me that the weak rely on fate, while the strong change fate. So the ending you speak of will never come true!"
"Mhm, Mei, if you believe so firmly, then so be it." Aponia gently raised her hand, the glow from the shackles reflecting her tranquil face.
"But please, understand this, 'there is only one kind of fate; no one can escape it.'"
Darkness descended, swallowing everything.
"I'm sorry to have brought you such news, Mei." Aponia's voice grew faint and distant. "But I still believe... you have the right to know your own fate."
———
"Hey! Wake up! Mei, wake up..."
Raven's voice sounded like it was coming from underwater, muffled and distant.
Raiden Mei's eyes snapped open. She found herself half-kneeling on the floor of the Elysian Hall, her palms drenched in cold sweat.
"You're finally awake..." Raven frowned. "It was her again, wasn't it? What did she say this time? Still those incomprehensible words?"
Raiden Mei slowly stood up, her eyes heavy with resolve as she stared into the distance.
"No... this time, I understood very clearly."
"She told me... that in ten days, I will die by her hand."
Faced with Aponia's prophecy of inevitable death, Raiden Mei decided to take the initiative.
Just then, Pardofelis, who had left earlier, suddenly appeared in front of her.
"Sister Mei~ Come on, come on! I just got some good stuff in! Absolute treasures!"
Pardofelis excitedly beckoned Raiden Mei to sit down in front of her little shop.
But because of Aponia's prophecy, Raiden Mei's mood was visibly low.
Seeing this, Pardofelis flashed a mysterious smile, "Canned Food, quick, bring out something strong for Boss Mei!"
After a round of rummaging, Canned Food pulled a rolled-up sheet of paper from the storage box in Pardofelis's shop.
The spot where the red wax seal had been was clearly broken, and its old-fashioned design looked completely out of place here.
Raiden Mei unrolled the paper, and its contents looked rather strange.
"The greatest magic show of the century, opening in the depths... Veliona?"
Pardofelis seized the opportunity to slip in her words, "Sister Mei, haven't you always wanted to visit that place? With Sister Veliona's invitation, this won't be a problem at all!"
"This is really rare, you know, even I haven't gotten many of these! If it were someone else, I'd have to knock... knock them for a good price!"
———
[Classic Pardofelis!]
[Wow, Elysian merchant, not even bothering to pretend anymore, huh?]
[What if Raiden Mei returns to the real world and immediately finds a massive invoice from the Elysian Realm?]
———
Seeing Raiden Mei's interest spark again, Pardofelis revealed her true intention.
"Sister Mei, you know the Elysian Realm is a bit chaotic now, right? So, for Sister Mei's safety, I have to once again introduce you to a smart and experienced guide, she knows every corner, and... her prices are fair!"
Looking at Pardofelis's eager expression, Raiden Mei said helplessly, "Alright, no need to do another self-introduction. I see now... so all that buildup was just because you're eyeing my wallet."
Busted, Pardofelis blushed slightly, but quickly regained her composure and said seriously, "How can you say that, Sister Mei! I... everyone says I'm someone who 'makes money with righteousness'!"
"I think they meant to say 'generously gives away money'... but they're right." Raiden Mei covered her face with one hand.
"Fine, I do need a guide. As for payment..."
"No worries, no worries! Just like before, I've already prepared everything!"
After making sure no one was around, Pardofelis picked up her cat from the ground, then deftly pulled a promissory note out of her backpack.
This was clearly "premeditated."
But Raiden Mei didn't care about such details.
As long as Pardofelis could lead her to the deepest place, everything else could be negotiated.
———
[In the Archives Deep Within the Elysian Realm]
The clattering sound of a typewriter echoed without pause, sheets of paper spilling out like snowflakes, covering most of the floor.
"Ah~" A crisp voice suddenly rang out, tinged with slight annoyance. "I only rested for a moment, and so many files piled up already~"
From behind the bookshelf stepped a petite figure.
She had the same long pink hair as Elysia, wore a miniature version of the Flame-Chaser uniform, and a pair of pink fairy wings fluttered lightly behind her.
"Even though sorting files is my job..." The Fairy Administrator pouted as she tiptoed to reach the top stack of documents, "isn't this just too much?"
She hugged an unstable pile of documents but almost tripped.
"Wah!"
After steadying herself, she sighed, "Mature-me is really something, always leaving me with so much work. But oh well~ after all, this is the 'surprise' she requested~"
However, just as she buried herself in the paperwork, the typewriter suddenly spat out a file that looked completely different from the others.
Unlike the rest, this one was covered in twisted code and black smudges, with only a few scattered words still legible.
"[an ■■■■■, death risk ■■■]
[■■■ heading toward the Elysian Realm, ■■■■■■]
[Farewell, ■■■■■■■]
As time passed, even those few legible words began to distort, until the corrupted text and smudges completely consumed the page.
"Phew~ finally caught up~"
When she finally finished sorting the files, wiping away imaginary sweat, she was about to leave when her peripheral vision caught sight of one last document left in the corner.
She picked it up and found it was a blank sheet of paper.
"How strange..." She flipped the page over, inspecting it. "Could the typewriter be malfunctioning?"
"Do I need to use the staff-repair spell to check the typewriter again?"
"Forget it, better take a break first~"
Shaking her head, the Fairy Administrator stuffed the "blank" file into the pile as well.
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