Meow~ meow~
"Hakimi—no, wait, Pardo" was teasing an adorable little kitten, imitating a cat's meows so vividly it was practically perfect.
She didn't have any grand ambitions. There weren't many things she wanted out of life—just lazing around in the sun and feeding some kitties now and then. That kind of ordinary, peaceful life was her dream.
"Pardo-chan, if you like them, why not take one home and adopt it?" Koji said, petting a kitten. It was quite well-behaved—probably because of the blessings on him.
"Hehe, nah." Pardo scratched her head. "Kitties like freedom. I'll just come by to feed them once in a while."
"Are you getting used to living here?"
Pardo nodded. "Boss Koji, it's way better here than Twilight Street. It's not nearly as chaotic."
She didn't have to be constantly on edge, and there wasn't anything that needed a regular person like her—so she was living pretty comfortably.
It was just that… sourcing goods wasn't so easy anymore. Everyone here was a stranger, and they were all fighters.
Once she made a few friends, she'd go "stock up" again. It was one of her hobbies—she wasn't going to take anything precious, just little trinkets that no one would really miss.
"Boss Koji, I haven't asked yet—what exactly are the Flame Chasers? Some kind of army?"
"The Flame Chasers are an anti-Honkai organization founded by the Human United Nations," Koji explained. "It exists to counter the civilizational crisis caused by Honkai. It's a world-class combat organization."
"That sounds dangerous…" Pardo asked timidly. "You're not gonna make me go to the battlefield, right?"
She was just an ordinary person. She didn't want to be a warrior, and she didn't want to be a hero. If she could just live out her life safely and happily, that was enough.
"We're not short one more person," Koji said with a laugh. "You can be a mascot."
Pardo rolled her eyes. He really was treating her like Hakimi.
"Luck will protect you."
Koji had already placed a blessing of great fortune on Pardo. Her luck was already very good, but with that blessing… even if she stood right in front of the Herrscher of Finality, she'd still manage to survive.
Of course, Pardo didn't notice.
Luck was the kind of thing that was mysterious and hard to pin down—like Bennett, who got absurdly unlucky after he failed to acclimate to a new place. And yet someone as weak as Pardo could still make it all the way to the final battle.
"Luck…?" Pardo muttered.
She knew she was lucky—but could luck really protect her for a whole lifetime?
…
The big sponsor, Eden, arrived at the Flame Chasers, and she was received with the highest level of ceremony.
"Well?" Elysia said with a bright smile as she introduced everything, then pulled Eden into a hug. "My dear Eden, not a bad welcome, right?"
"Ely, you know I don't like all these formalities." Eden sighed, patting Elysia's back.
The Flame Chasers' soldiers had good spirit and presence—clearly well-trained.
"You're a major shareholder. The big sponsor," Elysia said cheerfully. "Of course they have to take you seriously."
"I do have one question." Eden looked thoughtful. "The upper management didn't object?"
"No objections," Elysia whispered near Eden's ear. "Because the upper management has already been dealt with."
Keeping them around would only waste resources. Better to turn them into puppets and have them contribute to fighting Honkai.
Eden nodded. She trusted her friend. If Elysia said it like that, then the previous leadership must have been rotten to the core.
"Can I become a warrior?" Eden asked.
Elysia froze for a moment.
She hadn't expected Eden to ask that. On the road of resisting Honkai, death was as common as breathing.
"For now, no," Koji said. "But if you really want to, then once the Fusion Warrior surgery is more mature, you can choose to become a Fusion Warrior."
Eden might have money, but physically she was still just a normal human—she wouldn't be able to handle even an average Honkai beast.
"That is possible," Mobius agreed with a nod. "But Fusion Warrior surgery carries the risk of failure."
This was their future big sponsor. Even if Mobius hated pageantry, she still came out personally to take a look.
"Fusion Warrior surgery… I understand." Eden nodded. "I'll support this project."
She wanted to fight alongside Elysia.
Mobius immediately lit up with delight. She hadn't expected that question alone to secure even more funding. Her mood instantly soared—she practically wanted to start humming.
Vill-V was so jealous she could see red. Why did Mobius get even more money?
"Respected Eden-san," Vill-V cut in quickly, "if you want to become stronger, a powerful weapon is also crucial. I can tailor-make the perfect weapon for you—"
Vill-V decided a genius's dignity wasn't worth much in the face of funding. First, you had to make the sponsor happy. What was a little flattery?
Eden smiled awkwardly. Everyone was so enthusiastic. She knew they wanted financial support, but she didn't feel annoyed—instead, she found it interesting.
Sincere, in their own way.
Mei didn't act like those two. Right now, she was essentially the highest-ranking leader of the Flame Chasers. Mobius and Vill-V weren't good at management—more like they didn't have the energy for it.
Now that they'd secured funding, if they later used it on useless projects, she wouldn't hesitate to cut it.
"I'm looking forward to your weapon, Vill-V," Eden said. "If you need funds, that's fine."
Vill-V instantly got excited. She was "chasing stars" now too—and in her eyes, there was only one superstar: Eden, the rich lady.
So refreshing. She loved talking to people like this.
"Koji," Elysia leaned in close and asked softly, "in that world… what happened to Eden in the end?"
Elysia knew that with the Divine Keys, it was possible to live into the next era—but it depended on the person's choice.
"Eden didn't choose to sleep," Koji said with feeling. "Instead, on that desolate, ruined earth, she offered one final song for civilization—welcoming its end, and writing the final line of her own life."
Eden was Eden—the brightest star of the Previous Era, someone who could represent an entire age.
"So that's how it was…" Elysia's mood sank.
She could guess why. There was probably a reason connected to her.
If she were still alive—if she had chosen to go five thousand years into the future—then Eden would have lived on as well.
With Eden's talent, even five thousand years later, she would still have become a dazzling star.
"Ely, what's wrong?" Eden asked, keenly catching the slump in Elysia's emotions.
"It's nothing, Eden." Elysia shook her head lightly, putting her smile back in place. "Come on—I'll take you to see my room, okay?"
Something felt off, but Eden didn't press. She would wait for Elysia to tell her in her own words.
(End of Chapter)
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