Lin Wei mumbled a few words and rolled over to go back to sleep.
In fact, Elysia had dismissed him quite abruptly. Before Yuno could react, they were the only two left in the vast hall—one chattering non-stop, the other silent.
"Hee hee, then~ from now until Lin Wei crawls out of bed yawning, it's a wonderful time for girls to be alone together♪"
Elysia said with a giggle, a hint of mischievous triumph in her slightly curved eyes.
"..."
Seeing her like this, Yuno couldn't help but take half a step back. Elysia's sudden enthusiasm made her feel at a loss.
Seeing Yuno's subconscious action, Elysia didn't feel the slightest disappointment or frustration. Instead, her eyes lit up,
"Oh my, I knew it, you must be as impatient as I am, right?"
Yuno: "?"
"In that case, let's not waste any more time here. Let's find a place to sit and chat, okay?"
Elysia grabbed Yuno's slender wrist with a smile, leading her in the direction she had just subtly retreated from, asking with both excitement and curiosity,
"By the way, how did you know the lounge was in this direction? Did Lin Wei tell you about the layout here in advance?"
She made it sound as if Yuno's subtle retreat was an invitation to the lounge.
"..."
Yuno was about to struggle free when she heard Elysia's words. She was stunned for a moment, then quickly explained,
"No!"
This was the first time she had spoken in the Elysian Realm, still concise and to the point.
The corners of Elysia's lips curled slightly. She was very satisfied with this result, but her tone was slightly reproachful,
"Really, as a senior, how could Lin Wei not explain such an important thing to you?"
"Uh..."
Before Yuno could speak, she suddenly realized that she had been smoothly led to the entrance of the lounge.
Elysia pushed open the door to the lounge and turned to Yuno with a serious expression,
"But it's okay. That didn't count. Now, please allow me to reintroduce myself. Listen carefully~"
"My name is Elysia. As you can see, I'm a beautiful girl whose name suits her♪. As for my identity~"
Elysia paused dramatically, then smiled,
"Just like Lin Wei said, I'm one of the thirteen Flame-Chasers of this Elysian Realm, and of course, his friend—and also your guide in the Elysian Realm!"
Yuno: "?"
What's a guide? Are you really adding so much to your role?
"Before Lin Wei wakes up, let me give you a brief tour of this place~ Don't be nervous, relax. Just think of this place as the sofa in your living room, or the soft bed in your bedroom~"
…
Elysia was very enthusiastic and proactive, but Yuno felt very uncomfortable, even a little distracted, and couldn't help but think of Anna.
Back then, Anna was also very enthusiastic and proactive towards her, not minding her strangeness or the rumors, visiting her almost every day at the Immortal Blades' station to chat...
But enthusiasm and enthusiasm, proactivity and proactivity, were different.
Anna's enthusiasm and proactivity were, in general, a kind of pure desire to share, to share her life and happiness with her new friend. Yuno quickly felt a long-lost happiness from her and began to try sharing her own life with Anna.
So they quickly became good friends…
But Elysia's enthusiasm and proactivity felt completely different—she was extremely assertive, like she had found a favorite doll and was excitedly holding it, playing with it lovingly. Or rather, like she was playing a game with great interest.
And she, Yuno, was the object of her play...
"Yuno, what's wrong? You seem distracted."
Elysia interrupted her thoughts at just the right moment.
"...Nothing, I thought of a friend."
Yuno came back to her senses, and thinking of reality, couldn't help but feel melancholy and worried.
I wonder how Anna is doing now? she thought silently.
"Thinking of another girl in front of a cute girl like you, you're going to make me sad~"
Elysia said with a regretful expression, then smiled brightly,
"Forget it, I forgive you♪~ She must be a good friend of yours, right?"
Elysia, experienced in flirting, had already figured out Yuno's personality, knowing that she was rather sensitive. It was better to keep the jokes to a minimum before gaining her trust.
Although "sincerity is a trump card," besides sincerity, Elysia was also a master of manipulation. The combination of the two made her almost invincible—except for her slow progress with Lin Wei.
The reason wasn't surprising. Lin Wei also understood sincerity + manipulation, so he simply didn't take the bait!
"..."
Facing this seemingly fickle girl, Yuno wanted to avoid answering. But looking at Elysia's sincere eyes, she couldn't bring herself to refuse. After a moment of hesitation, she nodded slightly,
"Yes."
"Really? I knew it!"
Elysia became happy,
"Would you like to tell me about your story?"
The Elysian Realm wasn't completely isolated from the outside world. For example, Mobius had learned about Fu Hua and the Herrscher of Sentience from Raven and was very interested in it.
But generally, to avoid causing trouble for each other, the memory spaces in the Elysian Realm usually wouldn't actively ask visitors about information from the outside world, and Elysia was no exception.
Of course, sometimes, she didn't mind making an exception—for example, now, she felt that this was an effective way to gradually open the other person's heart.
She naturally didn't need to do this for ordinary visitors.
After all, successors from World Serpent usually held great respect for them, Flame-Chasers of the Previous Era, so communication was quite smooth.
And as a guide, she could easily build trust while assisting them in exploring the Elysian Realm, and then naturally deepen their understanding of each other through repeated explorations.
But Yuno was different. She had no concept of this place. She, a Flame-Chaser of the "Previous Era," was no different from an ordinary person in Yuno's eyes. Since she didn't understand, naturally, there was no respect.
Of course, Elysia would never admit that this only made her even more interested.
And the other method—guiding and assisting in Elysian Realm exploration—wasn't appropriate right now.
Lin Wei had unexpectedly brought her here, clearly with his own intentions. So, before he woke up and explained his purpose, it was better not to overstep...
Thus, under such a strange combination of circumstances, after putting aside both the burden of being a Flame-Chaser and the established procedure of "Elysian Realm guidance," Elysia unexpectedly found something interesting—she had the opportunity to interact with someone as an "ordinary person."
Just like at Moth, during the annual newcomer ball, she could temporarily put aside all "purpose" and enjoy a simple and happy time—especially when the other person was a very cute girl...
That was even more interesting, wasn't it?
"Uh..."
Elysia's request was still very abrupt to Yuno. Even though her eyes looked very sincere and innocent, she still didn't want to recall her past.
Her past was full of pain, so she especially disliked recalling it, let alone talking about it.
But Elysia's sincere, expectant eyes were hard to refuse. Yuno fidgeted uneasily, and decided to change the subject,
"Where is this place?"
Although she didn't get a direct answer, Elysia was only slightly disappointed, but didn't mind too much. After all, Yuno had started talking as expected, so she smiled and said,
"Before that, can you tell me how Lin Wei described this place to you? I'm quite curious!"
Yuno tilted her head and thought for a moment. Lin Wei and this girl named "Elysia" seemed to have a good relationship, so after a little thought, she said,
"He just said that this is a special facility left behind by the Previous Era, and that there might be something here that could help me."
Then, she continued to be silent.
Elysia waited for a while, and after confirming that there was nothing more, she asked awkwardly,
"Uh... that's it?"
Yuno thought for a moment, then added,
"He said there might be some trouble, but he would find a way."
"...That's all?"
Elysia was dumbfounded.
"...Yes."
Yuno said hesitantly,
"Mr. Lin Wei said that the Elysian Realm is a very complicated place. Some people treat it as a battlefield for training, some treat it as a treasure trove to explore the truth of past history, and some treat it as a holy land for 'paid vacation'..."
"..."
Elysia was stunned for a moment, then chuckled,
"That guy, didn't he keep saying that he hated cryptic people the most? Why has he become so strange himself?"
Then, she pressed on and asked Yuno,
"What Lin Wei said, do you understand it?"
Yuno thought for a moment, then nodded. She really didn't understand what "paid vacation" had to do with this magnificent golden hall.
"Hee hee, what he said was complicated, but the meaning isn't difficult to understand."
Elysia thoughtfully acted as a "translator,"
"He probably meant that, for different people, the Elysian Realm has completely different meanings, so before you set foot here yourself, he didn't want to instill too many preconceived notions in you."
After a pause, Elysia said seriously,
"He probably wants you to see with your own eyes, feel with your own heart, and find your own treasure."
She had to admit, Lin Wei seemed to really understand this place...
"...Is that so? I understand."
Yuno pondered for a moment, sat up, looked around, and asked,
"What should I do?"
Although Yuno usually seemed quiet, after making up her mind, she became particularly proactive and stubborn.
After going around in circles, it seemed they were back on the Elysian Realm's original track, and Elysia was back in her role as "Flame-Chaser" and "guide." But she didn't feel any regret. At least Yuno had unknowingly become accustomed to communicating with her.
"The Elysian Realm is a space woven from the memories of thirteen people. Even this golden courtyard we're in now, to a certain extent, belongs to this category. After all, no matter how sturdy a building is, it can't remain the same after 50,000 years, even if it's buried thousands of meters underground."
As the most active person in the Elysian Realm, Elysia had clearly played the role of "guide" for successors many times, and was already very familiar with explaining things.
She pointed outside the window. From this angle, they could just see a corner of the terminal in the center of the hall,
"See that doorway?"
Yuno looked in the direction she pointed and nodded.
"That's good."
Elysia smiled gently and said,
"Behind that doorway is the true main body of the Elysian Realm, a vast maze formed by intertwined memories and consciousness. Whether it's 'training' or 'exploration,' it all takes place there."
"...Is it similar to the memory training device?"
Yuno couldn't help but feel a little disappointed.
She spent almost every day in the training device at Schicksal HQ, fighting against memory spaces generated from data. She didn't find this kind of thing novel at all.
"Hmm, how should I put it? There are some differences..."
Elysia said helplessly.
She was naturally familiar with memory training devices, but this was the first time someone had compared them to the Elysian Realm.
"What's preserved here is a glimpse of the world after the apocalypse, existing in the real memories of thirteen people, not a simple simulation device."
This time, she was truly a little upset…
"Is that so? Sorry."
Yuno keenly sensed that she had said something wrong and decided to ease the awkwardness. She also pointed at the terminal in the hall and asked,
"Can I try it?"
Since the world behind that doorway was the core of the Elysian Realm, she would have to go there sooner or later. In that case, it would be good to adapt in advance.
Elysia thought for a moment, then agreed to her request.
Although she didn't intend to overstep Lin Wei's authority, except for the special case of Lin Wei back then, most visitors' first experience in the Elysian Realm was just a taste, a simple experience before exiting, like a warm-up exercise.
Since that was the case, there wouldn't be any accidents—even if there were, she would intervene in time.
"Then Miss Yuno's Elysian Realm adventure is about to officially begin. Are you ready?"
After receiving confirmation, Elysia personally sent Yuno through the doorway, then sat back on the sofa in the lounge, preparing to wait for Yuno's consciousness to return from the world behind the doorway, and then guide her step by step on how to explore the Elysian Realm—just like she had guided every beautiful girl before…
Elysia thought this time would be a similar process, but when she just sat back in the lounge and looked at Yuno in the Elysian Realm, she couldn't help but be stunned,
"Why is she fighting herself?"