A luxury yacht sped across the vast surface of the sea.
The oncoming sea breeze ruffled Lierre's golden hair.
"Boss, did you need something from me?"
Pardofelis came onto the deck alone and hurried up when she saw Lierre.
Lierre turned around and beckoned Pardofelis closer, saying, "Little Pardo, you're aware of the relationship between me and your Sister Snake."
"Bo-Boss, regarding you and Sister Snake, I promise that even if it rots in my stomach, I'll never spread rumors!"
"Don't be afraid; I didn't call you here to make you keep a secret. On the contrary, I need you to promote it more."
"...I don't quite understand."
Lierre explained patiently, "Think about it. Such a celebratory event should be shared with friends, shouldn't it?!"
Pardofelis nodded, seemingly understanding. "That makes sense. But who can I share it with? In this era, I don't know many people besides Sister Snake."
As for people she could call friends, there were basically none.
"You don't need to worry about that." Lierre handed a set of coordinates to Pardofelis. "It just so happens that I need you to go to the Elysian Realm to retrieve the Signet of 'Ego' for me. While synchronizing your memories, you can share this good news with the other memory sims!"
"Boss, are you preparing to summon Sister Ellie?!"
Pardofelis's eyes lit up as she looked at the coordinates on the note, then she nodded solemnly in agreement. "This mission isn't hard, and I can certainly share the news with everyone, but... if the Sister Snake inside the Elysian Realm finds out, she'll kill me!"
Pardofelis shrunk her neck, the cat ears on her head drooping flat in a cowardly manner.
Even as a memory sim, Mobius was a very dangerous existence, and she didn't dare provoke her.
"Just tell her the news last. Then, let Sister Ellie and the others protect you; Mobius will only be able to watch from the sidelines." Lierre continued to entice her.
She was very vengeful. Since the real-world Mobius was temporarily hard to persecute, the Mobius in the Elysian Realm happened to be the perfect target.
Pardofelis wavered.
True, everyone would definitely be on her side. Since this was a fact Sister Snake had admitted herself, no matter how much the Sister Snake in the Elysian Realm flew into a rage out of humiliation, she couldn't change it!
"Now I'm completely at ease. Boss, don't worry; I guarantee the mission will be completed!" Pardofelis felt she had nothing left to fear and directly input the coordinates into Cosmic Juggernaut.
A spatial portal opened. Just as Pardofelis stepped in, she heard Lierre's final instruction: "Since you're going anyway, don't just take one signet. Remember to bring back more for me—ideally, collect all the signets of the Thirteen Flame-Chasers!"
"No problem, Boss!"
Carrying the longing to reunite with her former comrades, Pardofelis passed through the portal and arrived near the World Serpent altar.
"Are you... Pardo?"
"Hmm?"
Pardofelis looked toward the sound and soon discovered the small Klein doll.
Klein wore an eyepatch over her right eye, and the other eye had very obvious dark circles.
She was constantly rubbing her eyes with her sleeves, thinking that her body's sensors were malfunctioning and producing hallucinations from maintaining the Elysian Realm without rest.
Heavens, not only did she see a living Pardofelis, but she also saw Cosmic Juggernaut, which should have been in Su's hands!
She must have developed some illness from staying up late.
"Long time no see, Klein!"
Pardofelis familiarized herself by squatting down and patting Klein's small head.
Sister Snake's assistant looked "overworked" as always; it truly made one's heart ache.
"Nngh..."
Klein stared straight at the cat-eared girl before her. Feeling the warmth on top of her head, she finally confirmed that the person in front of her was real.
"By the way, I need to go into the Elysian Realm. Same old rules; I'll leave the rest to you." Pardofelis stood back up, not forgetting her business.
Klein nodded slightly and pointed in a direction. "...Miss Pardo is the same as always. The method to enter the Elysian Realm hasn't changed. Please walk directly into the passage ahead; I will assist you in completing the memory synchronization afterward."
"Got it! I came in a bit of a rush this time. Next time, I'll bring Sister Snake to see you!"
Pardofelis spoke and then quickly ran toward the passage not far away.
Klein reached out to stop her but then slowly lowered her hand, trying her best to digest the shocking information.
She never expected to see a living Pardofelis again, let alone hear news of Dr. Mobius from her mouth.
The "resurrection" of the two gave Klein a massive psychological shock.
"Something incredible must have happened in the outside world. If Dr. Mobius has also gained a new life because of it, how will she respond to such a sudden change?"
With this worry, Klein began to operate the Elysian Realm System to perform preliminary identity verification for Pardofelis.
[Identity authentication in progress...]
[Authentication passed!]
[Pardofelis, Signet of 'Empty,' starting memory synchronization!]
As expected, it went incredibly smoothly.
Deepest part of the Elysian Realm.
Aponia, who had merged herself into the Elysian Realm, sensed the change instantly.
Beneath the Divine Statues, Aponia, who had been praying with closed eyes, suddenly opened them. Her originally tranquil eyes flashed with an inexplicable light.
She quickly turned to look in a certain direction and whispered in disbelief, "Pardo...?"
But how was this possible...
...
The yacht sat still on the sea.
"Where did Pardo go?" Mobius found Lierre.
Pardofelis had suddenly vanished from the yacht. Without even thinking, it had to be Lierre's doing.
"I sent her to the Elysian Realm. By this time, she should have successfully reached her destination." Lierre lifted her fishing rod; the feel was very light. No fish again this time.
"Why didn't you let me go?"
Mobius frowned slightly, her tone dissatisfied.
"We've been together for so long, and I haven't seen you put any effort in that direction. Don't think I don't know you've been secretly maintaining contact with World Serpent cadres." Lierre cast her line into the sea again.
After Gray Serpent used hacking techniques beyond this era in an attempt to hack Schicksal headquarters to probe for information about her...
Mobius had used the supercomputer in the Apocalypse Research Institute and managed to capture a sliver of a clue.
After all, the techniques Gray Serpent used were far too familiar, as obvious as a lighthouse in the dark. It only took a bit of deduction to determine exactly whose man Gray Serpent was.
The Elysian Realm had always been a place of initiation for World Serpent cadres. If Mobius ordered Gray Serpent to retrieve Elysia's signet, Gray Serpent couldn't possibly refuse.
After the initial impulse, a restored and calm Mobius began to waver.
She indeed wanted to let Elysia live another life, but she was worried that Lierre's absolute control over them would result in a fate worse than death.
Before finding a way to escape that control, Mobius naturally stalled as much as possible.
"Since you knew from the start, why didn't you expose it then, but instead bring it up now?"
Mobius didn't show the slightest panic. She leaned against the railing, her eyes sparkling as she stared at Lierre. "You want to use this opportunity to knock me down a peg so I'll be obedient in the future, right?"
Then she put on a very obedient look, chuckled a few times, and added, "If you don't like me doing little things behind your back, I can be like Pardo and listen to you obediently."
Lierre glanced at her and snorted. "Regarding that, I can tell you clearly: you don't need to flatter me. If I had only wanted a 100% obedient puppet from the start, do you think you'd still be this 'free'?"
"...True. Aside from forcing me to stay by your side, you have indeed given me the maximum amount of freedom. Does that mean I can continue doing other things behind your back in the future?"
Mobius decided to do one final bit of probing.
"As you like. But correspondingly, I will also do some small pranks on you behind your back."
"Pranks? Hehehe, that truly fits your current appearance. But childish pranks won't be enough to get to me."
"Is that a declaration of war?"
I hope the you in the Elysian Realm can remain this calm.
Lierre shot Mobius a meaningful look.
This inexplicable look made Mobius feel strangely uneasy for some reason.
"The time is about right. It's time to prepare an unforgettable adventure for Kiana and the others."
She had originally intended to just fish Chiyou out directly, but since Kiana and the group were coming, she had to prepare a little surprise for them to give them a memorable adventure!
Lierre bent down and took a feather-shaped lure from the box at her feet. After attaching it, she cast it out with force.
The moment the Feathers entered the water, a faint light lit up on the surface, and it sped toward the further and deeper waters. The fishing line seemed infinitely long as it was pulled out continuously.
After a long time, the fishing line faded, and the lure turned into a streak of white light that entered Chiyou's body.
...
The Hyperion successfully arrived at the target sea area and stood by in mid-air.
Murata Himeko and the Kiana trio changed into diving gear, descended from the Hyperion, and slowly dove into the deep sea.
"Maintain contact at all times. Report immediately if you find anything wrong. Try not to explore unknown dangerous areas alone." Theresa's voice rang through the communicator.
"Understood. Everything is normal so far," Murata Himeko replied while swimming deeper.
"Bronya has detected a strong Honkai energy fluctuation 100 meters ahead. Based on the information provided, there is a 30% probability that the entrance to the Nine Realms is at that location."
"Should we go check it out?"
"There's nowhere else to go. In that case, what are we waiting for? We'll know if that's the entrance once we see it!"
Bronya, Raiden Mei, and Kiana looked toward Murata Himeko.
"Be careful, everyone."
Murata Himeko gave an instruction, kicked her fins, and swam toward the location Bronya provided.
Soon, a pitch-black opening came into view.
Murata Himeko didn't hesitate much. After reporting the progress to Theresa, she was the first to enter the undersea opening, with the Kiana trio following close behind.
The moment they entered the opening, the long-waiting Feathers suddenly erupted with a powerful light, swallowing everyone!
"My eyes!"
"Idiot Kiana, you're hurting Bronya!"
"What happened?"
"Watch out!"
The white light receded, and a world-shaking change had occurred inside Chiyou!
A comfortable breeze blew, and a small town full of ancient Shenzhou atmosphere with beautiful mountains and clear waters appeared before them.
At the entrance of the town, the words "Ancient Fishing Town" caught their eyes.
People came and went in the town, the noise of voices was deafening, and various stalls were set up on both sides of the road. It was a bustling scene.
"Am I dreaming again?" Kiana was completely dazed.
One second she was in the deep sea, and the next she appeared at the entrance of a small town. The difference before and after was too great, as if they had traveled through time.
"These are all ordinary people, and the buildings here are very common. Bronya hasn't found anything abnormal."
Dense data flashed in Bronya's eyes. After collecting basic data, she said in a heavy voice, "But the more normal it appears, the more abnormal it is."
This place was simply too strange.
Raiden Mei looked left and right warily, then said, "Just standing here is useless. I'll go find someone to ask around."
"Mei, I'll go with you!"
"Bronya will help too."
"Don't get too far from me, and don't spread out too much. This place is eerie enough. I'll report the situation here to the Hyperion first; don't run off blindly."
Murata Himeko followed the three while trying to establish contact with the Hyperion.
"This is Hyperion, please go ahead."
"We seem to have traveled... it's a bit complicated to explain. You should just see for yourself."
After hearing Theresa's voice, Murata Himeko breathed a sigh of relief and turned on her body camera.
On the Hyperion.
When the pleasant town was projected onto the big screen, everyone on the bridge was stunned. Some people pinched their thighs to see if they were dreaming.
The series of painful gasps served to remind everyone present that they were still living in reality.
"Is this some kind of World Bubble?" Joyce, who was well-traveled, frowned and quickly dismissed the thought.
Because a World Bubble only existed in the Sea of Quanta.
Theresa forced herself to calm down and hurriedly asked, "Himeko, can you pull back?"
"No, we haven't found a passage back. We might be unable to leave this place for the time being."
Murata Himeko's answer made everyone present's hearts sink.
This was not good news.
And the next image that came through caused Theresa to call someone directly.
Inside the town, the simple villagers, seeing outsiders had arrived, walked up enthusiastically:
"We understand. You must have received an invitation from our Mayor, Lady Lierre, to participate in this year's fishing competition!"
Everyone: "???"
Lierre's traces were even here.
"Lierre, tell me the truth. What exactly is going on with the Nine Realms!" Theresa stared at the real-time image being sent back and asked the person on the other end of the phone.
She needed to confirm if this was Lierre's doing.
Lierre admitted it decisively. "It was me. Didn't Kiana tell you I came to Shenzhou to catch a big fish?"
Theresa: "...It really is you!"
She was completely speechless.