"Tap, tap…"
In the utter silence of the Deep End, the sound of heels meeting the ground was especially distinct.
"I was wondering who'd come to the Deep End at a time like this… So it's you, Vill-V."
Seemingly drawn by the footsteps, a petite, green-haired girl paused and turned, a hint of surprise in her eyes as she looked at the Ember appearing behind her.
"But for both of us to be summoned here by Aponia at the same time… That's rare. Could it be the Elysian Realm's underlying logic is having issues and needs an update or maintenance?"
"Please don't lump those unreliable notions in your head together with the great Vill-V's inventions. So long as the Herrscher of Finality for this era hasn't descended, the Elysian Realm's servers could never develop a condition requiring maintenance."
Vill-V let out a light hum. It seemed the one currently 'logged in' was the most normal Vill-V—the Conductor.
"No maintenance needed?"
Meibus snorted. "Then what does my Klein do every day…"
"Get ordered around by you, isn't it?"
"You…!"
"Now, you two."
Just as the two bickering geniuses were about to start a full-blown argument right there in the Deep End, a resigned Aponia interjected in the nick of time.
"[Please], quiet down a little. I called you both here because there is indeed an important matter to discuss."
Hearing the seriousness in Aponia's tone, Meibus and Vill-V both set aside their playful attitudes. After all, within the Elysian Realm, there weren't many things that Aponia would treat with such gravity.
"So, what exactly happened?"
"Recently, a little one has found her way into the Realm."
Aponia casually drew a rift in the air. Within the fissure, Lynelle could be seen cautiously exploring her surroundings.
"Her situation is somewhat unique, so I must treat it seriously… I asked you here to see if you might have any insights."
"Is that a… pink-haired puppy?"
Vill-V stroked her chin, somewhat puzzled. "She looks rather cute. But she seems to be a data entity too, correct? So, she invaded the Elysian Realm from the outside, but entered in the form of a data entity?"
"Clearly, that's the case."
Meibus nodded. Vill-V had already stated the preliminary analysis, so she had little to add. "However, this little pink mouse's demeanor… for some reason, she gives me a feeling of Elysia."
"Just a feeling?"
Aponia smiled faintly. "Then… let's continue watching."
--+--
Meanwhile, on the other side, completely unaware that her top-secret scouting mission had shifted from solo mode to spectator mode, the pink Lynelle continued to hop and skip through the gaps of massive data streams, occasionally nibbling on nearby decaying junk data to replenish her energy reserves.
"Mmm, whose area is this anyway? It's such a mess everywhere…"
A short while later, feeling she really needed a rest, Lynelle languidly sprawled across a large rock.
"Strange. All the way here, I haven't found any landmarks, distinctive powers, or buildings. Even the data here feels a bit odd, seems mixed with a lot of other things…"
"I took the risk earlier and ate some data that was about to dissipate. Found out the memories and data constructing this place span an absurdly long period, just like a randomly piled-up heap of old junk… Did I jump into some marginal redundant data zone again?"
Feeling mentally exhausted, Lynelle let out a sigh.
"Whatever, let's just figure out which direction to go next, then try to leave this area. At least the data fragments earlier weren't a complete waste… Seriously, why would someone store cat food in a place like this?"
Lynelle puzzledly pawed at the item she'd just extracted from a passing data stream.
She was actually quite tempted to open it and have a taste. Unfortunately, this can of cat food didn't seem to be meant for consumption, but for collection.
With her little claws, trying to open it was a bit of a challenge.
Although the data she'd consumed along the way was enough for her to briefly manifest her true form, the problem was… her current body's storage capacity was limited.
The ability to manifest her true form had now become a consumable for Lynelle.
After using it once, she'd have to risk exposure again to replenish data. So, she naturally couldn't afford to waste this chance on mere curiosity.
But… plans clearly can't keep up with changes.
Just as Lynelle was still resting and recuperating her energy, accompanied by a 'meow', a plump, round little cat suddenly popped out of thin air, making a direct pounce for the cat food can in Lynelle's embrace.
"Mimi! Mi…?"
Startled, Lynelle instinctively cried out.
However, after shaking her head clear, Lynelle realized this kitten—specifically, Pardofelis's pet, Can—hadn't just randomly teleported in. It had come with a clear target: her.
As for the reason…
Looking at the cat warily clutching the can she hadn't managed to open, Lynelle pretty much understood the situation.
Incidentally, she also figured out why most of the data fragments in this area were things with such large time spans.
…This was probably one of Pardo's storage rooms!
After all, Pardo's treasures were never arranged by value. Anything she deemed meaningful—be it a broken branch, a bottle, or even Kalpas's door plank—could be solemnly collected as a treasure.
Lynelle felt very fortunate that she hadn't tried to eat any of Pardo's collectibles earlier, sticking only to the meaningless junk data.
Otherwise, the one showing up now might not have been Can, but the cat girl herself.
Still, the current situation was plenty tricky for her.
"Mi… mimi?"
Lynelle cautiously attempted to communicate with Can.
"Meow! Hiss—"
Well, she got hissed at.
Understandable, really. An unfamiliar creature was in its home storage room, trying to open its precious collectible cat food can. If all it did was hiss instead of swiping with its claws immediately, it would have to be a truly magnanimous cat.
Lynelle was in a dilemma.
After all, if Can knew of her presence, that meant Pardo would know. And if Pardo knew…
Wouldn't the entire Elysian Realm know? [.·°՞(¯□¯)՞°·.]
Although Lynelle had only intended to scout things out from the start and was prepared for exposure, getting caught barely ten minutes in would just be pathetic.
"Mimi mimi mimi… mi—"
Lynelle carefully stretched a front paw out again, trying to communicate with Can.
But then, whether out of fear or something else, upon seeing Lynelle's movement, Can actually took a step back, opened a portal right on the spot, and—vanished.
"What? You're Can, not a Trotter!"
This time, it was Lynelle's turn to be stunned.
"No good, I have to catch up, at least make sure it doesn't expose me so quickly… Good thing I snacked on some data earlier."
Given the urgency of the situation, Lynelle could no longer afford to hoard. She immediately released the data she'd accumulated.
With a flash of light, a pink-haired girl, slightly shorter than Elysia, swiftly materialized.
"Only one minute?! This data is way too inefficient!"
Getting a quick feel for her transformation time, Lynelle hastily drew upon the scant amount of Herrscher of Corruption power within her, following the spatial trail Can had left behind.
And as the girl and the cat departed, Pardofelis's storage room fell into complete silence.
Of course, the silence also extended… to the Deep End.
After a long pause, Vill-V turned her head, casting an exceptionally peculiar gaze towards the now sweat-drenched snake girl.
"This…"
"It wasn't me, I didn't do it! I really didn't do anything!"
Even though Vill-V hadn't said anything yet, the utterly bewildered snake girl let out a sharp, strangled cry of protest.
--+--
T/N: While I am an inexperienced Translator, I have a Patreon! While it may seem empty as of now, webnovel will get 3 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.