Not long after Lynelle knocked, footsteps soon echoed from beyond the Soulium door.
Then, under the eager gazes of the two, the massive Soulium door slowly swung open, revealing the figure behind it.
"Wait, Sister Eden?"
Just from glimpsing the long, straight, and shapely legs clad in sheer black tights beneath the door, and the uniquely elegant aura of Eden that washed over her before she'd even fully come into view, Lynelle realized the person behind the door wasn't who she'd expected—not Mobius or Elysia.
"Good afternoon, dear Lynelle, and… this lovely girl."
As if guessing what Lynelle was about to ask, before she could speak, Eden smiled and opened her arms to her.
"Elysia and Mobius… seem to be tied up with some matters and haven't been able to break away to welcome you just yet… So, I'm the one waiting for you here instead. I hope it's not a disappointment."
"How could it be, Sister Eden?"
As Elysia's closest confidante, friend, and even someone whose relationship bordered on "lover," Eden naturally held a special fondness for Lynelle, whom Elysia regarded as a daughter.
In fact, aside from Elysia and Mobius, Eden was the one in the Elysian Realm who doted on Lynelle the most.
So, Lynelle instinctively threw herself into Eden's "ample" embrace, just as she usually did—though, to be fair, both Elysia and Lynelle themselves had figures that could put most girls to shame, yet Eden's softness surpassed even theirs by a noticeable margin, enough for Lynelle to completely bury her face in.
"I'm really happy you're here to welcome me too… But, about Elysia and Mobius… they aren't caught up in another one of those competitions over who I'd go to first, are they?"
Lynelle's voice came out muffled as she nuzzled against Eden's chest.
"It seems you know them all too well…" Eden couldn't help but chuckle.
"But, as much as I don't mind letting you cling to me a little longer, it wouldn't be right to neglect your adorable friend, would it?"
"!"
Only then did Lynelle remember she hadn't come alone this time.
'Oh no, my authority as an elder!'
Realizing what little dignity she had left had likely shattered in front of Seele, Lynelle jerked her head up, her face flushing as she coughed awkwardly.
"Ahem… Back to business, Sister Eden. I'm actually here on important matters this time."
"Oh?"
Eden looked at Lynelle in surprise, then noticed something off.
"Wait… Lynelle, you've come in with your own body this time?"
"Yeah… Didn't Kevin tell you?" Lynelle tilted her head, puzzled.
"Kevin almost never communicates with us. Even this time, he only informed Klein." Eden shook her head slightly. "No wonder Elysia and Mobius are so invested this time…"
"But, knowing your nature… if it's important, it must be related to this friend of yours, right?"
"Mhm." Lynelle nodded and pulled the girl beside her forward. "Sister Eden, this might come as a bit of a surprise, but… this child is the Herrscher of Death of this era."
"?"
Eden's breath hitched for a split second before returning to normal.
"I see… And her Herrscher core?"
"It's still with Kevin for now. There are some… latent issues with her body, you could say?" Lynelle scratched her head.
"To put it simply, it's like one of Vill-V's personalities being perfectly compatible with a Herrscher core, while others, like her Conductor persona, aren't as suited. And the personality that obtained the core, out of care for the primary persona, doesn't want to take over as the dominant one."
"Mhm… I understand." Eden turned her gaze to the somewhat timid girl beside Lynelle. "No wonder you brought her into the Realm… But, about Vill-V…"
"What about Sister Vill-V? She's not tied up with something urgent right now, is she?" Lynelle asked anxiously.
"Not exactly. It's just that she recently finished an experiment and is probably still catching up on sleep." Eden shrugged. "So, you might have to wait half a day to see her."
"Of course, while I'm no expert in scientific research, I do have a suggestion… Why not start by collecting some combat data from Miss Seele here to streamline the process once Vill-V wakes up? She'd definitely want to gather such data anyway."
"Hmm… Seele, what do you think?"
"Seele is fine with anything, Lynelle," Seele quickly nodded. "But… Seele isn't very good at fighting… It might be a bit…"
"Don't worry, Seele." Eden smiled gently. "For visitors of different skill levels, the Realm has a well-established trial system."
"Plus, we have specialized field enhancements that can temporarily boost a trial-taker's abilities significantly within the Realm."
"Seeing is believing, Seele. If you're curious, why not try it yourself?"
"O-okay…" Seele hurriedly hefted her weapon—a massive scythe nearly taller than herself—and followed Eden.
"Huh…"
After passing through several portals, Lynelle was surprised to find herself in a place that looked strangely familiar.
To be precise, it was almost identical to the weekly challenge arena from the game.
"This place… Why don't I remember it?"
"Because you're not a trial-taker visiting the Realm, Lynelle. Even when you train, Kalpas usually seeks you out directly." Eden casually swiped open a screen and began adjusting settings.
"Actually, this trial ground is the formal training area of the Realm… Seele, you may proceed."
"Mhm." Seele nodded, dragging her large scythe as she stepped into the arena.
Immediately, as if sensing the trial-taker's presence, several Shadow Guardians began to materialize slowly across the field.
"Uh… Why these?"
Lynelle gently tugged on Eden's sleeve.
"Sister Eden, could you switch the enemies to Honkai Beasts of a certain attribute?… Seele spent four years drifting in the Sea of Quanta, so she probably doesn't have much combat experience against these things."
"It's fine." Eden patted Lynelle's head. "I haven't activated the Realm's unique trial enhancements for her yet."
With that, Eden tapped the screen a few more times.
"For different trial-takers, the Realm provides varying field enhancements based on their physical traits, helping them face enemies they may or may not be adept against. Ideally, these enhancements can even make the trial-taker feel over ten times stronger."
"I've set the enhancement for Miss Seele to the maximum. That should let her… Wait?"
Eden stared, perplexed, at the screen she'd just pulled up.
"What's wrong, Sister Eden?"
"The Realm seems to be acting up… Hold on, let me try rebooting the system." Eden attempted to operate the screen again.
"I clearly set the enhancement to maximum, so why is the Realm's data reading… only a 10% boost for her?"
--+--
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.