Chapter 18: Returning to the Elysian Realm

After completing the game, Bronie suddenly remembered that she hadn't registered her account online.

She had initially refrained from creating an author account because she knew that entering the Elysian Realm as a hacker would surely attract attention.

However, things were different now. Hydra was still lurking within the World Serpent, and it seemed to have some effect, so she could still help conceal her identity to some extent.

As long as she took proper precautions, she could present herself online as just an ordinary game developer.

In her capacity as the Undertale game developer, she released a teaser for her next game.

It wasn't another pixelated mosaic game, but a brand new 2D hand-drawn game titled "Spiritfarer".

From the title alone, it was clear that the author intended to explore the topic of death. Since the dawn of human thought, people have endlessly pondered the afterlife, the meaning of death, and the purpose of life. A one-minute teaser video quickly spread across the internet, sparking discussions about the so-called Spiritfarer under the veil of Undertale. When pre-orders opened and the countdown entered its final week, sales of Spiritfarer instantly surpassed ten thousand copies!

Farming, traveling, encountering, adventuring, and then bidding farewell—this kind of game theme was relatively rare in the current market. "Natasha, I'm planning to visit the Elysian Realm again to deliver the game. Is there anything you want to convey to the sims?"

"Not really, but will they buy into your game?"

Who knows? If one game isn't enough, then make another. Someday, they will step out of that Elysian Realm and embrace a new life. Although the Elysian Realm seems vast, after five thousand years, there has been almost no change. It could become tiresome to look at.

"Some things, you only know the outcome after you've done them. If you do nothing, nothing will change in the end."

"How long will you be gone?"

"Hard to say. If I accomplish my goal, I'll bring the Flame Chasers out. If not, I'll only bring back the signets."

After having visited the Elysian Realm once, the second time was a familiar journey. After bidding farewell to Cioara and sending an early message to Elysia, Elysia was waiting at the entrance to the Elysian Realm for Bronie's arrival.

"Hi~ Missed me?"

Miss Pink Elf's eyes lit up at the sight of the giant rabbit hood. The reason Bronie was called a "Haxxor Bunny" was primarily because of the rabbit ear-like objects on the hood.

These were used to control drones, making it a powerful tool for nearly instantaneous response.

Luckily, it was just a costume. If she had undergone Metamorph surgery and ended up with ears like Sakura, she would surely be on Elysia's mind.

"After I leave the Elysian Realm, won't we still be in contact? So what's there to miss?"

Of course, she missed her, but she couldn't say it directly. Otherwise, Elysia would lead her by the nose again, and she would unknowingly complete the trials within the Elysian Realm.

Remember your goal.

Don't let a beauty blind you!

"Oh my, you've been staring at my face without looking away. Let's be completely honest with each other, shall we?"

"It depends on your attitude. If you continue speaking in riddles, I can keep playing along until everything is completely resolved, even until the end of time."

Although Elysia was genuinely sincere, when it came to asking questions, she was always vague, and there were countless trials awaiting.

Bronie still vaguely remembered the pain of pushing the main storyline forward after retiring from the game and returning due to Elysia's influence.

It was either riddles or trials. So Bronie wasn't in a hurry.

"Don't be impatient! If you're impatient, you'll miss out on a lot of fun. Besides, don't you want to encounter many answers from others in the Elysian Realm?"

"That's because I seek them out myself. For example— the Elysian Realm Typewriter?"

She even knew about that?

Bronie's behavior raised Elysia's evaluation of her even higher.

As a hacker, being able to quietly find such things without leaving a trace was almost equivalent to mastering the entire Elysian Realm.

But even though she had reached this level, she never took any action, which also indicated that Bronie truly had no malicious intent.

"So... have you used it?"

"No."

Elysia breathed a sigh of relief.

"If she knew all the truth too soon, Bronie would never come back again. That would be a shame! It's a good thing. It looks like I need to find a way to hide that thing, don't I?"

"Never mind about the typewriter for now. I brought a new game this time. It's no longer a pixel game. I made everything from the art, music, to the text, and I hired someone else for the rest."

"Wow! How long has it been since you left? After you left, I tried to learn about the game production process. Making a game is actually very tiring, isn't it?"

Elysia had actually learned about the game production process after Bronie left?

"If you're serious about doing something you love, you won't feel tired."

"I understand, I understand. I used to go shopping and think about dressing up to look more beautiful, only to realize that I had been walking around all day."

"That's actually quite similar..."

But let's spare ourselves from shopping... Changing clothes and trying them on each time was exhausting. Especially when shopping with a girlfriend or a mom.

"So, what's this new game about? I'm really looking forward to it!"

"Soul Ferryman."

"I know about that! Even in the previous era, there were stories of the afterlife. Although later denied by major scientists, the romantic notion of souls drifting across the river after death, guided by a ferryman, still existed."

"Yes, but in this world, there are many different beliefs about the afterlife, but they all have one common element: the ferryman or bridge, and the game's theme revolves around such a world."

The afterlife.

"It's very similar to the Elysian Realm, isn't it?"

"Yes, it's very similar to the Elysian Realm."

Bronie affirmed Elysia's question, and Elysia also sensed Bronie's intentions. This game was made for the Flame Chasers of the Elysian Realm, as Bronie had stated from the beginning. To give the Flame Chasers of the Elysian Realm a new life, no longer confined to this underground, unchanged paradise.

[Miss Pink Elf: Everyone, come and take a look! Little Haxxor Bunny has brought us a new game, and this time I heard the game is no longer pixelated!

Lazy Tree Lover: ಠ_ಠ

Green Snake: Has she arrived?

Napping Cat: Hooray! Another new game!

Shining Melody: I'm very excited.]

The chat group suddenly became lively. In the past, before the advent of chat groups, if people wanted to meet and talk, they would basically do so face to face. Even when face to face, there were reservations, but with the addition of chat groups, communication became much more relaxed. There were jokes, there were serious discussions. Of course, there were also silent observers, but it also brought the Flame Chasers closer together.

But when Elysia looked at Mobius's remarks, she suddenly felt something was off. Nothing else, most of the time when Mobius became interested in someone, it was probably because she wanted to study them.

If you're interested in Bronie.

It's probably because the game affected your mood, so you wanted to vent your frustration, right?

Probably?

[Miss Pink Elf: She's visiting again! Didn't we talk about this before? She wants everyone to have the idea of leaving the Elysian Realm to do what they want, and she's also trying to overcome various problems. I think she'll get along well with Mobius!]

Mobius's intentions are well known; she wants to use her signets' power to possess others so she can leave the Elysian Realm and continue her quest for life. But can she do it?

No, precisely because it's almost impossible, Kevin in the Elysian Realm has never stopped Mobius.

And now, with the chat group, Mobius's deeds have spread even more. Elysia's unique Elysian Realm trumpet often broadcasts it.

[Little Haxxor Bunny's game made Mobius cry!]

Mobius was furious, but there was nothing she could do.

[Green Snake: She's here? Good, I'll let her feel a little bit of my sisterly love!]

"Although I'm not afraid of everyone in the Elysian Realm, isn't this kind of enthusiastic welcome a bit inappropriate?"

Bronie could naturally see the chat group. After all, it was something she created. Watching Elysia chatting happily in the chat group, Bronie glanced curiously. Who knew she had been marked as a target of hatred by Mobius?

"Little Guinea Pig~ Can you guess why I'm paying special attention to you?"

Mobius had arrived.

"Why?"

Mobius took out a screenshot of the Soulless Ending.

In the family portrait, everyone's faces were crossed out, and the protagonist was no longer the squint-eyed one, but Chara's smile.

At that time, Mobius broke down, but fortunately, no one saw her, otherwise her loss of control would probably have been broadcasted by Elysia's Elysian Realm trumpet for several days.

"Look at this picture and tell me why."

The dangerous aura gradually spread in Mobius's green vertical pupils, as if to devour oneself completely.

"Little bunnies like you are destined to be eaten by snakes!"

"Okay okay! Mobius, don't scare Bronie, okay?"

Elysia stood in front of herself.

Through Elysia's body, Bronie looked at Mobius behind her.

"It's quite normal to have a Soulless ending, isn't it? After all, you did such terrible things just because you could, and wanted to, constantly hurting them, and compensating them, isn't that hypocrisy?"

Bronie wasn't particularly afraid of Mobius. But now she was behind Elysia? Her small body and youthful appearance weren't very convenient sometimes, were they? Indeed, Now it's very convenient.

"Tsk, it's lucky you're careful with your game design. Since you have the Quantum Communicator, you could have transferred data and done these things elsewhere. So why did you come back here? Have you joined the World Serpent?"

"No, I'm just here to see everyone, and I made a deal with Elysia to get to know everyone better."

"In other words, you want to become my little guinea pig?"

Mobius always wanted to lure people onto the operating table. This was indeed a very bad habit. If someone didn't know Mobius's character, they would probably be on high alert right away.

"Being a little guinea pig and the like isn't something I'm considering at the moment, but I don't rule out the possibility of needing your help in the future."

"Oh?"

"Because if the power to resist the Honkai is not enough... then ultimately, you'll find a way to cross that human bottom line, won't you?"

That's quite a heavy topic, but Mobius just smiled and replied, "Then I'll just have to look forward to it. But before that, could you leave behind a vial of blood? I've heard that you have some kind of ability to project things. I'm really, really curious about it~"

"If it's just blood... that's fine. So before that, would you like to try out my new game? This time, I didn't rush it, so it will naturally be more thoughtful."

"So Undertale was still rushed?"

Elysia was a bit surprised. And Bronie was even more proud.

"Although there was an outline early on, the game was indeed rushed. Why, does my talent make you feel inferior?"

"Not really, I'm just curious what kind of mindset could create such a game. So is this also a promotion for the game? But now, there's no cute little crow to play your game anymore~"

"But this game is made for you guys, you know? How about it? Any excitement?"

"Absolutely none!" Mobius was ruthless.

"Hey! Mobius, don't be so heartless. Or are you afraid that, like the Flame Chasers say, you'll suddenly delete the game again?"

"If you can't use your mouth, you'd better donate it to someone in need. I won't have such meaningless worries. If I'm not interested, I'm not interested. More than the game, I'm interested in little bunnies' bodies~"

With that, Mobius licked her lips, like a ruthless snake eyeing its prey.

"Sorry to disappoint you, but I'm very satisfied with my body, and I have no plans to transfer it at the moment. But if you're interested in my body, you can always modify your own body, right?"

"Alright! Let's get back to the topic! Since it's a game made by Bronie for us, we all have to play and watch it together! I'll go to the lounge and call Eden, and I'll also ask Klein to open the live broadcast. Let's enjoy the game time together. Mobius, are you coming too?"

"No! I won't watch your live stream, and I won't touch the game again! The joy this so-called game brings is not even one-thousandth of the joy I derive from the endless pursuit of life. That thing is just wasting my time!"

With that, Mobius left the hall and headed deeper into the Elysian Realm.

"Mobius is just like that, isn't she? But it should be fine for her to stay alone for a while. So let's go find Eden first, okay?"

Elysia looked apologetically at Bronie. It seemed that Bronie wasn't unhappy about anything.

That was a bit unexpected. Bronie's tolerance was indeed surprising.

"Shall we go then?"