Saying he would give Mobius a fitness calendar was one thing—and he was quite sure she would accept it—but Silas still felt it might be a little too cruel. After all, she hadn't even come along for the vacation, she couldn't eat instant noodles, and now he wanted her to exercise on top of that… it was pushing her luck a bit.
According to Elysia, Mobius actually had a girlish side—more so than Mei, at least. She cared about how she dressed and presented herself.
So… perhaps he should add a bracelet as well.
Silas chose an emerald-studded bracelet and had the clerk wrap it up.
The name "emerald" might sound a little unfriendly to Mobius, but its symbolic meaning—eternity—fit well with her pursuit of infinity. At the same time, emeralds were known as the "king of green gemstones," a rare and precious jewel. Money wasn't the issue; the important thing was that Mobius would see his sincerity—that he wasn't just trying to torment her. If she understood that, getting her to keep up with her training in the future would be much easier.
"Silas, is this the extra gift you picked out for Mobius?" Elysia's voice chimed suddenly beside him.
Silas paid the bill, took the little box from the clerk, and glanced at her. "Mm. After all, from what Klein's observed these past few days, Mobius has at least been keeping up with her workouts. So… I should at least acknowledge that."
Elysia tilted her head thoughtfully, then pouted with mock grievance. "Speaking of which, Silas, in either this life or the last, you've never given me a gift!"
Silas narrowed his eyes at her. "If I remember right, when I was still on your squad, I did. Even after I left to form the Fallen Angels, I still made sure you got something for your birthday every year, didn't I?"
True, after he formed the Fallen Angels, he usually had someone else deliver the gifts—he was too busy chasing down Honkai outbreaks everywhere to deliver them himself.
Elysia puffed up even more. "But were those really things you picked yourself? And you never once came in person after you left my team."
The gifts Silas had sent her were all undeniably cute, but none had been chosen by him. Lilith had picked them. They were thoughtful, yes, and they represented his heart… but what she really wanted was something Silas had chosen with his own hands, and given to her himself.
Could something not chosen and not delivered by him truly count as "a gift from Silas"?
And Kevin and the others always got gifts he picked out himself—why was she the exception?
Every one of Silas's birthdays, she had carefully prepared something for him. She had never been able to attend in person, but she had still put her heart into it. When Silas had been on her team, he had never celebrated his birthday at all. After he left, the Fallen Angels celebrated privately, somewhere she was never told about.
Her own birthday? Silas never came. Somehow, every year, he always had a mission at that exact time.
Silas was silent.
The truth was, he had always known Elysia liked cute things—but he had no confidence in his own taste. He wanted to give her the best possible gift, yet never trusted his own judgment. So when he was still on her team, he had simply gone along with whatever the others gave. After meeting Lilith, he handed all responsibility to the ever-capable Lilith.
As for Elysia's birthday… after his confession had gone unanswered, he hadn't had the courage to face her at all. How could he possibly attend her birthday parties?
It took him a long while before he finally said:
"Because… I wanted to give you something truly fitting, but I had no confidence in my own sense of style. I understand now. On your next birthday, I'll choose myself. And I'll give it to you with my own hands."
Only after that promise did Elysia's expression soften into a radiant smile.
With Mobius's gift decided, it was time to think about Vill-V. And that was a problem. All eight personalities had helped him one way or another—should he get something for each of them? "Pure Evil" had probably done the most, and Lilith had even joked once that Pure Evil Vill-V was basically an honorary Fallen Angel already.
Headache. Maybe he'd better start with gifts for Griseo and Ato first.
To Silas, gifts were something that deserved careful thought—whether they were souvenirs from a trip or birthday presents, each one had to be chosen seriously.
"By the way, Silas," Elysia asked again, "did you keep all the gifts I've given you?"
"Of course," Silas replied while picking out souvenirs for Vill-V. "You've always been someone very special to me. Hmm… this pocket watch would be perfect for Vill-V's 'Original.' These gloves could go to the Magician. For the Flavorful, maybe I can get a local recipe book from Puglia later…"
Elysia trailed Silas the entire time, occasionally offering her own "helpful" opinions.
"You know, picking a souvenir for Kalpas is tricky," Silas muttered with a troubled look. "No matter what I choose, it feels like he'll destroy it in a few days anyway."
"Mm… how about a swimsuit?" Elysia suggested brightly. "Next time we go to the beach for vacation, we can bring him along!"
The image of Kalpas-sensei from that one summer event immediately popped into Silas's mind. It seemed feasible enough… though whether Kalpas would torch the swimsuit was another matter entirely.
In truth, Silas had originally wanted to get him a Nuo mask—specifically a fierce Yaksha design. Unfortunately, this was the Italian Peninsula, not Shenzhou. Where was he supposed to find one here?
"Brother Silas! We've finished shopping for clothes!" Pardo's cheerful voice rang out not far away. Silas turned and saw her waving enthusiastically, already dressed in a brand-new outfit.
Since Silas had made it clear he wanted to choose souvenirs himself for Mobius and the others, Pardo and the girls had simply gone off to shop for clothes. Kevin and the rest had been dragged along too… as pack mules.
Kevin himself had decided there was nothing he really needed to bring back. At one point, he had thought of buying a dumbbell for Mei, but Su had vetoed that instantly. So Kevin gave up altogether.
As for Ato's souvenir, Kevin figured that if Griseo received something, Ato would as well. His solution? A basic children's picture book. What else could anyone realistically expect Kevin to think of?
Kosma, on the other hand, had gotten hooked on games. He wanted to buy Unforgivable Sin 1 to play the prequel, and for Ato's souvenir, he had picked up a pocket watch.
"Um… Brother Silas, this outfit… it doesn't look weird, does it?" Pardo asked shyly, noticing his gaze.
"Hmm? No, it suits you very well," Silas assured her. He had half-expected Dystopia to push her toward something elegant, but clearly he had been mistaken. Pardo looked far more at home in carefree, easygoing clothes—the kind that matched her free spirit, unbound and joyful.
Then Silas turned to Elysia. "By the way, why didn't you buy any clothes?"
Elysia tilted her head playfully. "Of course I did. How could I forget the pink dress I picked out for Mobius?"
"I meant for yourself. If the others are buying clothes, why not add to your own wardrobe? Most girls like to have as many outfits as possible, don't they?"
"Ah, that?" Elysia smiled sweetly. "Eden already bought mine. Several whole crates' worth~"
Silas: "…"
Trust Eden, the rich lady.
Pardo squinted at Elysia suspiciously. Once again, she had slipped away—everyone had agreed to shop together, and yet partway through, Elysia had mysteriously vanished.
Still… Pardo had originally thought Silas might prefer Lilith or Elysia's style of elegant clothing. Instead, Dystopia had told her to "be the best version of yourself," and chosen something more natural, something Pardo herself now wore. Maybe she still didn't fully understand Silas after all.
Sakura's shopping was perfunctory at best. She hadn't intended to buy anything for herself—everything she picked was for Rin. In the end, only Dystopia's persistence forced her to select a few outfits she thought were at least passable.
At Fire Moth's central base.
Mobius regarded the girl before her with an amused, knowing smile.
"Well, well. I didn't expect you to join Fire Moth of your own free will. And now here you are, Hua."
Hua didn't answer. Back in Canghai City, while waiting for new orders, she had seen Fire Moth soldiers and finally acted on her own conviction: she would join them. Deep down, she believed Silas had also been reborn. And if so… she had to find him.
With her past-life experience, the entrance trials were almost trivial. She passed them easily and gained access to headquarters—where she now stood, facing Mobius.
Mobius gave a little shrug. "Let me guess. You, the obedient little puppet, finally made a decision on your own—and it was to come chasing after Silas, wasn't it?"
"Only he has the potential to defeat Honkai," Hua said at last.
Mobius's eyes sharpened in an instant, her voice dropping cold as steel.
"Only him? Hua, don't be naive. You and I both know how strong the Finality is. Hope cannot rest on one person's shoulders alone. He already carries more than enough."
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