In a quiet park with hardly anyone around, Eden and Li Mu sat together on a bench beneath the shade of a tree.
"To be honest, Eden, I need money. A lot of money," Li Mu said plainly.
Eden casually took out a gold card and handed it to him.
"Use this. If it's not enough, contact me again."
Seeing the smile on her face, the affection in her eyes completely undisguised, Li Mu chuckled.
"I may be a bandit, but I'm a bandit with principles."
After saving Eden, and with such a massive favor owed, Li Mu knew very well that with Eden's personality she would never be stingy in repaying him.
But when he had enough bargaining chips, he preferred a proper deal.
After all, Eden's goodwill was far more valuable than money. Having finally saved her once, trading that favor directly for cash would be a terrible bargain.
"So," Li Mu continued, "I want to trade something with you."
He took out his communicator, added Eden's contact, and sent her a batch of files.
"This is…" Eden scrolled through what he sent, "…artistic works?"
At first, she did not think much of what Li Mu called his bargaining chips.
But soon, something felt off.
Surprise flashed across her face, then confusion, then a slight frown.
In the end, she was completely drawn in, utterly immersed.
Her fingers moved across the screen as she hummed softly at times, fell into melancholy at others, then smiled in delight…
Li Mu was not surprised by her reaction. What he sent her were various artistic works extracted from memories of his previous life, compiled and delivered to her.
Time passed quietly. Li Mu did not interrupt, simply watching as the sun climbed high and then slowly dipped.
Finally, Eden snapped out of it.
"Sorry, I got too absorbed. I mean… this is incredible."
Her expression was filled with disbelief.
"I never imagined music could be expressed in such styles. Theater, painting, film… all of it feels both familiar and unfamiliar, like…"
She trailed off, thinking hard about how to describe the sensation.
In the end, she settled on an imperfect phrase.
"Like an artistic system from another world, similar to ours, yet completely different."
Li Mu smiled. "So, my Eden, how do you feel about it?"
Her cheeks were flushed, her expression brimming with excitement.
"It's wonderful. An artistic system different from the one I know, yet sharing the same understanding of beauty."
"It's incredibly inspiring to me. Right now, I feel overflowing with ideas, an urge to express myself stronger than ever. I might finally be able to break past my bottleneck."
"
Li Mu was not surprised.
For someone like Eden, born for art, an entire artistic system from another human civilization, even a fragment of it, was priceless.
She might use it as a bridge, opening paths she had never considered before.
But Li Mu was different. As a thoroughly practical man, he cared less about art and more about how much money it was worth.
The value of an item varied wildly depending on who judged it.
Just like a bottle of water: cheap in a flood zone, priceless to someone dying of thirst in the desert.
These plays, music, novels, sculptures, paintings… memories from his previous life had little value to Li Mu, but to Eden, they were something else entirely.
"So, my Eden," Li Mu asked, "how much do you think these are worth?"
Eden answered without the slightest hesitation.
"To me? They're priceless."
"Then let's use them to make a deal," Li Mu said. "Eden."
Eden smiled helplessly. "Of course, if you wish."
"But 'Elysia,'" she added softly, curiosity lacing her gentle tone, "I still have a question."
Li Mu already knew what she wanted to ask.
"Go ahead, my dear Eden. For you, I'll answer anything."
Whether it was true or not was another matter, he added silently.
"Then… who are you, really? And what is your relationship with the Elysia I know?"
There it was. Just as expected.
Li Mu looked at Eden and fell silent, his reddish-brown eyes filled with sorrow.
"I am not Elysia."
"The past holds no meaning for me anymore. Just call me the Faded Fairy."
The sorrow on his face rippled through Eden's heart.
She thought of those artworks he had shared, subtly different from this world's artistic system, yet undeniably real. A guess formed in her mind.
Art could only be born from specific soil. She suspected these works were not born in her world.
As absurd as it sounded, there was only one possibility.
"So… these works come from another world?" Eden said.
Li Mu was startled. He had not expected her to guess so directly.
But the surprise on his face only confirmed her conclusion.
"I see. I see… I understand everything now."
Watching Eden's sudden realization, Li Mu almost wanted to ask what exactly she thought she had understood.
He had only meant to lay groundwork for the Herrscher of Corruption that would appear later, tossing out a bit of backstory in advance. Judging by Eden's reaction, she had probably misunderstood everything.
But while Li Mu was confused, Eden was already convinced.
Same name. Same appearance. Completely different personality.
No wonder she felt so similar yet so different. The one before her must be an Elysia from another timeline.
And those artworks, so utterly unlike anything in this world, were creations from that other world. Everything fit perfectly.
Yes. I understand everything now.
Once she accepted that idea, her thoughts raced further.
"Faded." The word made her think of old photographs yellowed by time, precious memories that could no longer be recalled, regrets that could never be revisited.
Faded Fairy. An Elysia whose cherished things had all vanished, who could no longer even look back at the past?
She thought again of this "Elysia's" personality. Compared to the one she knew, she was far more sinister, yet Eden could feel that deep down, she still chased beauty.
Perhaps… in the beginning, she had been just as gentle as the Elysia Eden knew?
If so, how much sorrow and pain had she endured to become like this?
"Yes… this must be an Elysia from a world that was destroyed, the sole survivor wandering into another world. It has to be."
Li Mu watched Eden go from deep thought, to sudden realization, to tears welling up in her eyes.
Honestly, he was baffled. Were artists all this emotionally intense?
He did not get the chance to say anything, because Eden had already pulled him into an embrace, tears streaming down her face.
"Elysia, my Elysia… you refuse to call yourself Elysia because you don't want to steal what belongs to this world, is that it?"
"After suffering so much, you're still this gentle…"
She broke down into sobs.
…
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