[Along the way, Mei encountered some more monsters. She couldn't help but think of Vill-V when this happened, but something felt off - there were simply too many of these things, unlike Vill-V's usual style.
Despite all the obstacles, neither the Herrscher nor the Flame-Chasers managed to catch that individual. Mei didn't pay much attention to this though, as it was just a minor incident to her. After catching up with Mei, Pardo generously gave her the Vill-V cards from the treasure chest as thanks for saving her life. She also expressed hope to explore the Elysian Realm together with Mei to find more treasure chests. Mei said:
"Rather than treasure chests, I'm more interested in [Elysian Realm] itself. If we can conduct a detailed exploration, that would indeed be worth trying."
"Oh, so we both get what we want? Don't worry, I'll keep an eye out for those monsters too, Sis Mei."
"Then... it's settled?"
Pardo immediately began a carpet search of the area to find more treasure chests, but her search became so thorough that even Mei was left speechless. Of course, to help Mei explore better, Pardo also taught her how to use Vill-V's wonderful little tools. Then during combat, Mei also learned how to use Vill-V's cards.]
[March 7th]:"Whenever there's Pardo's storyline, it always feels so joyful."
[Stelle]:"This way of scraping the ground three feet deep for treasure chests truly makes her our role model!"
[Bronya Rand]:"...You've rummaged through Belobog's trash cans more than once already."
[Stelle]:"Bronya! You just don't understand - every time you check a trash can, you discover some surprise! The trash inside is different every time!"
[Silver Wolf]:"Alright alright, stop this smelly topic. Weren't we talking about treasure chests? How did we get to trash cans?"
[A woman walked along the lightless path. The Depths - she never liked this name, neither now nor in the past. It reminded her of the back alleys behind the theater, those corners completely opposite to the stage, filled with empty bottles left after drinking. "Sigh."
Eden sighed softly: "How long has it been since I last came here?"
"You've always enjoyed testing visitors, haven't you, Aponia?"
Soon, Eden walked out of the darkness and stood before Aponia. "You knew it was me visiting, Aponia. Then... you must also know why I came."
"We were all witnesses to that [banquet]. That night, we lost a mutual friend."
Aponia said: "Or perhaps, we witnessed a new birth."
Eden and Aponia exchanged much about Elysia's banquet and the changes brought by Mei. They both looked forward to Mei uncovering the secrets deep within the Elysian Realm and bringing her back into the light. "Eden... do you have that [key] with you?"
"Yes, of course."
Eden extended her hand, a golden crystal flower blooming quietly in her palm. "I've always kept it with me. I think... all [several] of us should be doing the same."
"When all the [keys] gather and the crystal flowers bloom once more... Eden, will you sing that song again?"
Eden nodded with a smile: "Of course. That's my wish too. When that time comes, let's invite [everyone] to listen together."
"Her favorite... that song."]
[Kiana]:"What are they talking about? Something about banquets and keys?"
[Gallagher]:"If it were that easy to understand, they wouldn't be called riddlers now, would they? Just kidding."
[Stelle]:"This right here is what happens when riddlers get too used to speaking in puzzles - they forget how to communicate normally, honestly."
[Silver Wolf]:"So that means if Mei wants all the truth to surface, she'll have to slowly collect all the crystal flowers?"
[Theresa]:"Having a clear path is better than everyone being riddlers, right? By the way, Herrscher of Sentience, do you know about this?"
[Herrscher of Sentience]:"Hah? Asking me about this? You might as well ask Hua why she knows nothing about anything!"
[Returning to Mei's perspective, after accompanying Pardo in searching for treasure chests for some time, Elysia finally returned! "Sorry to keep you waiting."
"It's fine.
By Elysian Realm standards, it wasn't that long."
"Don't worry, everything's settled now. No one will disturb us anymore. Did you meet anyone else while waiting?"
Mei also told Elysia about the other Flame-Chasers she encountered here, feeling that they were all somewhat enjoying themselves to varying degrees. Elysia knew Mei wanted to learn about the story of the 13th Herrscher, but this matter couldn't be explained in just a few words. So Elysia walked with Mei through the garden.
At this moment, Elysia began speaking about her past as if chatting with a friend: "The beginning of this story traces back to when I first joined MOTH. Come, let me take you to a good place."
Elysia brought Mei to a huge yet empty house where only the machine on the central table stood out conspicuously. "This is--?"
Elysia mysteriously introduced: "Let's call it...
[Elysian Realm Archives] for now. Quite straightforward name, isn't it?"
"Just read the documents piled around the typewriter, and clever Mei will surely understand immediately!"
Mei walked to the table and picked up a piece of paper at random.
The writing on it transformed from some unrecognizable symbols into text she was most familiar with--
[When reinforcements arrived, the 11th Herrscher had already been hung on a cross of ambiguous meaning, completely silent.]
[Even the most determined soldiers wept at this sight - they had thought they too would meet their end, buried together with all the warriors here, with their former friends...] "
"Crimson Ice"... I've read this file before. It's about a part of Kevin's past."
Mei understood what Elysia meant and knew the purpose of this device. "So... you brought me here because you want to present the following conversation in the form of [archives]?"
Elysia put her hands on her hips and nodded: "Exactly. This way it's objective and fair, isn't it?"
"After all... the story I'm about to tell might be quite long. I hope during this process, what Mei obtains will always be answers she finds convincing."]
[Kevin]:"......"
[Theresa]:"So this is Kevin's past... The 11th Herrscher..."
[Honkai Star Rail - Void Archives]:"The tragedy of Binding, little Theresa. The Judah in your hands contains the core of Binding."
[March 7th]:"Huh? This is the Elysian Realm archives. Do you think there might be information about Corruption here? Didn't Corruption come to the Elysian Realm?"
[Vill-V]:"This could indeed accomplish such a thing."
[Fu Xuan]:"It seems... if Corruption doesn't want to face the Flame-Chasers directly and wishes to conceal itself, it must destroy this typewriter to hide more deeply."