Chapter 214
[A while later, Mei returned to this familiar palace, but her thoughts remained in that pure white space. After sorting through her experiences of meeting Kiana and encountering the "Honkai consciousness," Mei realized in the hall that Raven had disappeared somewhere.
Regarding this, Mei first asked the known Flame-Chasers about Raven's whereabouts. From Eden, she learned that Raven had gone deep into the Elysian Realm with Elysia.
Mei couldn't help but worry about Raven's disappearance. Noticing Mei's concern, Eden comfortingly said that with Elysia accompanying her, Raven would be fine.
Having learned Raven's whereabouts, Mei immediately went to the trial area where Elysia was supposed to be, but strangely, there was no trace of Elysia there. Full of questions, Mei returned to the hall.]
[Raven]:"How considerate of you, young lady, to still remember to worry about my whereabouts."
[March 7th]:"Having Elysia with Raven should be safe, but that's only if Elysia is actually following her."
[Pardofelis]:"Who would have thought Raven would end up in big sister Aponia's territory?"
[Aponia]:"This is all fate's arrangement. The threads of destiny entwine all people, guiding them toward their predetermined future..."
[Elio]:"Did you foresee something? Something about Mei's future..."
[Stelle]:"Another real prophet appears! March 7th, hand over your prophet title now!!"
[March 7th]:"...Did the asylum patients break through?"
[When she returned to the hall, Mei saw that Elysia was already waiting there. "Hi, Mei! Back so soon? I thought you'd stay out there a bit longer."
From the sound of it, you're not welcoming my return?"
"How could that be? I just thought, since you finally got to reunite with someone important, you should spend more time with them."
"...How did you know?"
Mei's tone turned serious with shock. Seeing Mei's expression, Elysia smiled even more happily: "Know what? [Someone important]? [Reunion]? Or [spending time together]?"
"Wrong~ I don't know anything. I just know Mei looks really happy right now. It's written all over your face."
"The last time I saw you smile like this was when you were with me. Hmm... maybe even happier than back then?"
"If you want to talk about that person, I don't mind either. In fact, I'm just as curious about her as I am about you!"
"...Let's get back to business. While I was away, someone saw you with Raven."
Seeing Elysia steering the conversation toward Kiana, Mei forcefully brought the topic back.]
[Stelle]:"Poor Raven! So tragic! Only now do they remember that Raven is still missing."
[Elysia]:"Mei looks really happy~ Kiana, I'd really love to meet you. I think we'd get along very well."
[Kiana]:"Hehe, see? I'm Mei's best friend!!"
[Elysia]:"You're good friends with Mei, and I'm good friends with Mei, so of course we can be good friends too♪"
[Kiana]:"Seems... what Elysia says makes sense?"
[Raiden Mei]:"Please note, Elysia, this is just video content. In reality, we've never met."
[Silver Wolf]:"Tsk tsk tsk, as soon as Kiana is mentioned, Mei's tone immediately becomes sharp."
[Regarding Raven's whereabouts, Elysia wasn't actually clear either. In her memory, Raven disappeared right after passing Pardofelis's shop.
"Raven... she clearly wanted to [slack off] here. Why would she enter the Elysian Realm for no reason?"
While searching for Raven, Mei pondered perplexely. Mei followed the trail of arrows Raven left behind, gradually advancing deeper.
But what puzzled Mei was why, despite following Raven's path, she eventually reached a dead end. Since she couldn't find her herself, and Raven wouldn't just disappear being such a noticeable person, Mei decided to ask other Flame-Chasers for clues first.
Just as she arrived at the hall, Mei saw Elysia putting on quite a show for herself. "Testing testing, one two three, testing testing, one two three..."
"Ya! Mei, you're back! The amazing Miss Mei who beat up Mobius is back~!"
"...What are you doing? And this megaphone is..."
Witnessing this bizarre scene, Mei nearly lost control of her facial expressions. Elysia excitedly showed Mei the small megaphone in her hand: "I got this from Pardofelis! Cost me three crystal flowers."
"Durable, clear sound quality, and super sweet voice—perfect for promoting our strong, cute, and elegant self, don't you think?"
"Look, it even has a recording function. Just press here and it plays automatically—"
Elysia confidently pressed the button, and a familiar voice came through: "Ah... I really want to touch her horns... It's so distracting, so distracting!"
Mei's expression instantly changed, becoming utterly speechless!]
[Stelle]:"I really want to touch Mei's horns... It's so distracting, so distracting~"
[Griseo]:"I really want to touch Kosma's horns... It's so distracting, so distracting~♪"
[Kosma]:"? Elysia!!"
[Kiana]:"You perverts!! Why are you all staring at Mei's horns! If anyone gets to touch them, it should be me first!"
[Guinaifen]:"Did Elysia completely mess up? I can't imagine how awkward this must be for her."
[Under Mei's strange gaze, Elysia began explaining incoherently:
"Ah... this, um... ah, right! Look, it even has a recording function. Just press here and it plays automatically—"
Another unfamiliar voice sounded: "Hmm... how do you use this thing anyway, Can? Never mind, just toss it aside. Maybe someone will want it."
Sure enough, Mei's attention was drawn away from Elysia's strange words earlier: "This voice is..."
"Alright, let's get to business. Remember the friend I mentioned earlier? Her name is Pardofelis, owner of the Elysian Realm shop."
"Pardofelis isn't very good at combat, but her information gathering skills are the best among us. Although we don't know Natasha's whereabouts yet, when it comes to finding people, she'll definitely be able to help you."]
[Pardofelis]:"Yay! Our time to shine, Can!"
[Mobius]:"Hmph, so you can feel embarrassed? I thought you'd just go ahead and touch them directly."
[Elysia]:"I'm respecting Mei~"
[Bronya Rand]:"So it seems... Pardofelis is in intelligence or logistics?"
[Stelle]:"Maybe she's some hidden big shot!"
[Pardofelis]:"I'm not! Please don't apply novel trope to my situation!!"