After Vill-V finished unleashing the Seven Thunders of Retribution, Lynelle's life as an Elysian Realm visitor once again settled into a comfortable rhythm.
Well, maybe not entirely comfortable—after all, Mobius had suggested that since she was already here, she might as well collect the Signets from the Flame-Chasers.
So, while Seele was busy apprenticing under Vill-V at the Spiral Workshop, Lynelle found herself darting all over the place, hunting down Flame-Chasers left and right.
When it came to handing over their Signets, most of the Flame-Chasers didn't put up much resistance—not even Kevin, who Lynelle had expected might want to throw hands.
To her surprise, he gave her his Signet without any fuss—as simply as helping a short friend grab something from a high shelf.
What a shame, really.
Lynelle had already psyched herself up for a fight.
Her main character card was locked and loaded, ready to let Kevin taste a super-sized blast fused from the powers of Abundance and Destruction.
Of course, just because no one refused didn't mean the Flame-Chasers would hand over their Signets normally.
Quite a few of them tried to sneak a little something extra into their Signets—yes, I'm looking at you, Snake Lady and Vill-V.
One stuffed her Signet full of a lethal dose of Corruption Virus, while the other left behind one of her classic mysterious backdoors.
Let's set aside the effects of the Corruption Virus for now. As for Vill-V's backdoor... according to her, it was a "little gadget" with a chance to connect Lynelle to the Realm of Origin.
Lynelle didn't have much to say about that—after all, "Vill-V was the best" was pretty much common knowledge.
Just as her Elysian Realm adventures were calming down, over at the space station, Lynelle finally caught up with the long-awaited Ruan Mei.
Just like in the original story, Ruan Mei invited both Lynelle and Stelle to the station's observatory deck for a little chat.
But then...
"I've actually been here for several days already, you know?"
"Huh?"
The familiar names in the group chat instantly reminded Lynelle of the space station staff from the mission "You Already Know Me"—clearly, these were the people who would later become the station's bat-winged administrators.
Right now, the group was overflowing with complaints about Ruan Mei, mostly accusing her of hogging too many resources and being too aloof.
Guess it just goes to show—wherever there are people, gossip and rumors are inevitable.
"Wait, then... why didn't anyone tell me?" Lynelle looked utterly bewildered.
"Eh? Because I always thought you knew, Lynelle..." March 7th averted her gaze sheepishly.
Clearly, this girl—who tended to idolize Lynelle a bit too much—had fallen into the classic trap of thinking, "If Lynelle's doing it, there must be a good reason."
"It's quite alright," Ruan Mei said with a soft smile. "Given that my earlier experiments required secrecy, it's only natural that Lynelle wasn't aware of my arrival."
Then, seemingly out of nowhere, she produced an exquisite little tray.
"Since we're here now, why not have some pastries?"
"Yay!"
Stelle cheered and immediately grabbed one, popping it into her mouth. Lynelle, however, stared at the pastries with a conflicted expression.
"Is something wrong?" Ruan Mei seemed puzzled. "Does this salted plum blossom cake not suit your taste?"
"No, it's just... I'm wondering..."
"Wondering if I added anti-truth serum to the pastries?"
"!" Stelle, who had been happily munching away, widened her eyes and whipped her head around to stare at Lynelle and Ruan Mei.
"I-Is it too late to stop?!"
"Too late for you. Next." Lynelle calmly turned Stelle's head back around. "So you can keep eating."
"No way! I think I can still be saved!" Stelle clutched her head and let out a dramatic wail.
"Don't worry," Ruan Mei chuckled lightly. "Since I brought it up, that means I didn't add anything extra. It's just an innocent little cake."
"As for the anti-truth serum... I suppose Herta told you about that? She really does dote on you..." Ruan Mei sighed.
"But even before that, she had already 'educated' me on some common sense about interpersonal relationships. Though her own understanding is rather limited, I think I grasped her general meaning."
"Plus, I consulted a friend who's quite skilled in this area. His advice was... sincerity."
"So rest assured, I won't casually use something like anti-truth serum on friends from now on."
"So you're saying it's fine to use it on non-friends, huh..." Lynelle couldn't help but retort. "And this male friend of yours who's well-versed in human nature... would that be Screwllum?"
"Although he is an Intellitron, he may very well be the most human among us in the universal sense," Ruan Mei nodded.
"It's not that I have any issue with your choice of consultant, but... your sincerity is a bit too direct, don't you think?"
Lynelle pinched the cheek of Stelle, who was now unsure whether to keep eating or not. "Look, you've scared my baby here so much she doesn't dare eat."
"That's alright..." Ruan Mei thought for a moment. "My intuition tells me this has actually brought us closer... Doesn't that mean Screwllum's advice was quite effective?"
"I guess that's one way to look at it..." Lynelle's lip twitched. "So, what brings you here this time?"
"I'd like to ask for your help."
"I knew pastries this good couldn't be free..." Stelle's face was full of sorrow, but her mouth never stopped moving.
"I came to the space station this time to conduct two experiments, using Herta's facilities and Simulated Ignition of Curios."
"Unfortunately, one of the experiments has already failed. The other can't be called a failure, but the results differ significantly from what I envisioned, and they've left behind quite a mess."
"For certain reasons, I'd prefer not to involve Herta or Miss Asta in this research... So, I'd like to ask you to help me with the cleanup."
"In return for your assistance, I'm willing to grant any reward you desire afterward."
"Anything?" Stelle blinked. "R-Really? That amazing?"
"Never underestimate a genius..." Ruan Mei extended her hand. "So... will you accept my commission?"
--+--
T/N: I have a Patreon! Webnovel will get 2 Chapters Every Day, and advanced chapters will be uploaded on Patreon.
It may not seem worth it now, but maybe in the future. Who knows!
[email protected]/AspenTL
If you guys wanna check it out.