While getting beaten up, Cirrus gave hints. Stelle and Bertnis searched the illusion for a few minutes and soon found Huohuo, who was also trapped here.
Ah, and Tail beside her.
Cirrus was truly bad. Even under the double siege of milk tea and the mask, it didn't forget to control Stelle's vocal cords to roast Huohuo a bit.
The little girl was already scared, and now, she was directly made to cry.
"Haiya, truly satisfying. Human emotions are like a table of delicious food. Hehe, tasting tears of sadness is like drinking a jar of fine wine~"
"You guy, even Phantylia wasn't as beastly as you!" Stelle regained control of her vocal cords and cursed.
"Don't say that about me, sister. I was almost beaten to death by that milk tea. Isn't this... I really had no choice but to come up with such an ability to extend my life. You will forgive me... right?"
"Is it interesting?"
"If I asked you while you were eating, '[Is it interesting to eat a pile of protein and carbohydrates?]', what would you think?" Cirrus asked back.
"For a Heliobus who likes to stimulate human emotions, this is extremely interesting."
Stelle ignored it and turned to comfort Huohuo again.
"Although I understand that a kind person like Stelle wouldn't say such mean words and must have been possessed by that evil spirit to speak without restraint... but, but I can't refute a single word that guy said."
"Since I was young, I've been timid and thin-skinned... Ever since being possessed by Tail, this life has been like falling into a nightmare..."
Seeing Huohuo say this, Stelle felt a trace of pity. Mr. Tail must protect her well!
"At school, people always asked me '[Why is your tail lit on fire?]'... Walking in a crowd, I stand out like I'm under a spotlight."
"Yo, blaming me? If you had obediently let this great master eat you back then, would you need to worry like this?"
Huohuo's grievance that had just subsided returned, "Woo woo, later... later when I entered the Ten-Lords Commission, everyone was weird. I thought I found where I belonged."
"But the work of the Ten-Lords Commission... is really too dangerous! Have to fight all kinds of monsters, ghosts, and unforgivable villains all day long..."
"I... I really am not suitable for this job. If I can go back alive, I'd better submit my resignation to the Ten-Lords Commission."
"Asking someone afraid of Heliobi to use a Heliobus to subdue Heliobi, it doesn't feel right no matter how you think about it... I'm really sorry, I can't help."
"You've already done very well, Huohuo."
"...R-really? It's great that I can help you."
Tail followed up with comfort: "Hear that? Stop crying. You are useful, very useful."
"Sigh~ Can't stand it! If I can regain my freedom, the first thing this great master will do is swallow that scum Cirrus, then swallow you, a little coward who cries all day, in one bite."
Tail glanced at Cirrus but was ridiculed by the latter:
"Pity~ Mr. Tail isn't what he used to be."
"If we still possessed the power of the past, let alone breaking through this [Ghost Hitting the Wall] illusion maze... even swallowing the [Ignarous] that created it in one bite would be a piece of cake."
"Power of the past?" Huohuo hadn't heard Tail mention it.
"Ho yo~ Mr. Tail, she knows nothing about your origins... Little sister, Heliobi are supposed to seek places where humans gather to entrench themselves. Now we are gathering in this desolate Fyxestroll Garden. Do you know why?"
"...Team building?"
Cirrus: ?
"Uh..." One sentence confused Cirrus. This Foxian Judge is truly innocent!
Bertnis turned his head, "Miss, does this count as a natural airhead countering a schemer?"
"Don't know, feel like I met my match."
No choice. Cirrus could only explain the reason to Huohuo in detail.
"Because more than a thousand years ago, this Fyxestroll Garden was the battlefield where the Great Heliobus [Ignamar] fought fiercely with a certain General of the Luofu!"
"The furnace shattered, and the Heliobus escaped. The Heliobus fragments that once constituted [Ignamar] all returned for the long-cherished wish of fighting the General again."
"Speaking of that great battle back then, it can be described as earth-shaking and ghost-weeping! Ignamar transformed endlessly, flooding with water and burning with fire, mountains collapsing and thunder striking, fighting that General to a standstill, a fifty-fifty split!"
Cirrus introduced with exaggeration, only to find that the three people weren't listening at all, and instantly bristled.
"No, where is the basic respect between people? Can't be prejudiced just because I'm a Heliobus, right?"
"Don't interrupt. Where were we?" Bertnis slapped Cirrus away. "Miss Huohuo, want to consider coming to work for the Church?"
"Heard you had thoughts of opening a snack stall. Coincidentally, a shop in the food street next to the Church became vacant... wonder what you think?"
Bertnis started with a sales combo, completely unavoidable.
"Working hours are flexible every day; opening the shop one day a week is enough! Even if you don't open the shop, you can communicate with residents coming and going every day, which helps exercise Miss Huohuo's psychological ability!"
The Church of Eternity integrates diversity. You can even see the puppet of [Genius Society] #83 Madam Herta... at the church entrance.
Hearing Bertnis's sales pitch, Stelle was dumbfounded. Didn't he say before that he looked down most on those shop managers who slacked off and neglected their duties? How can he change his face like this?
"As for salary... there's even less need to worry, because the Church simply doesn't have any, haha."
"Eh?"
Huohuo's heart had just been ignited by Bertnis, a ball of new flame rising, and then it was extinguished by his sentence.
No salary... then why go!
She realized that this [Church of Eternity] was a black-hearted organization!
Wow... the Interastral Peace Corporation should deal with such black-hearted enterprises.
"Yes, there is no such thing as wages." Bertnis admitted openly.
Stelle couldn't help but complain: "Isn't that a losing business!"
"Yes, a losing business."
This sincerity, even Stelle, known as the fairest [Galactic Reviewer] in the universe, couldn't say anything.
Almost forgot, these guys in the Church have the protection of [Eternity]; death simply won't happen! Even if they are in debt for billions of credits and can't afford to eat, they won't starve to death.
Crucially... this isn't just for [Eternity] Pathstriders or Emanators. As long as you join the Church, you can obtain this longevity.
Ordinary people can't bear the price of [Longevity]. It's just that the faith of those people in the Church is incomparably pure, forever yearning for and firmly believing that the [Eternity] Aeon will bring new life to the dead universe.
As for their mental state... Heaven knows if these guys are crazy. Anyway, the ones Stelle met didn't have much problem. At most, Freesna is a bit chunibyo.
If talking about the most normal one in the Church... Mmh, should be Screwlloyd who serves as Deacon.
Have to say, Screwlloyd is one of the few existences that can keep up with Stelle's brain circuitry. Or should we say, being an Intellitron, mechanical parts just run fast.
Ah, just that Screwlloyd himself is still drifting in space. Stelle doesn't understand, but respects it.
Maybe this is his way of returning to the Church. Abandoning traditional spaceship travel, not relying on any means of transport, testing himself! Improving constantly!
"Ouch ouch!" Cirrus suddenly cried out in pain. "Sister, the attack desire of this milk tea seems to have become stronger. Do you have any clues?"