Chapter 6: The Polite man with an Explosive Fist

Deep within the Elysian Realm, amidst the ocean of data and memories, there was always a place that remained unsettlingly quiet.

If one could hear roars, explosions, or raging fires without having to think, then it was certain that Kalpas were present.

However, sometimes even Kalpas had rare moments of quietness.

After all, one's energy is not limitless, and Kalpas also needed some quiet time for solitude.

In this Elysian Realm, memories operated entirely based on the memories and physical habits of the living. They could generate new ideas and give birth to new memories.

Sometimes, Bronie felt that they were no different from digital life forms.

If they were willing to take that step, embrace a completely new life different from their deceased selves, and guiding successors was just an insignificant task in their endless lives, it wouldn't be a bad feeling.

Isn't there a feeling of coming alive again?

But most of the heroes accepted their own deaths, unwilling to return to the real world. They accompanied Elysia, enjoying the infinite silence in that eternal paradise.

However, Kalpas weren't the kind to like quietness. If there was no commotion, if they couldn't feel pain, if there was no burning sensation, he truly didn't have that feeling of being alive.

Therefore, in the Elysian Realm, he either fought against the honkai beasts or tested the successors, repeatedly teaching them the skills that could only be used between life and death.

The inheritance of skills could also be considered as proof of their existence.

Kalpas indeed had such thoughts.

But as Elysia said, Kalpas were quite shy and didn't speak much, so they usually only acted and didn't speak.

A pink elf entered this silent yet explosive area, and the man who kept burning himself immediately noticed the visitor.

"What's the matter? Is there a new successor? Or does that poor little crow want to experience the feeling of being torn apart by me again?"

"Oh my, don't be so angry. A particularly interesting guest has come to the Elysian Realm, and she has brought a very interesting gift."

"Oh? An indestructible puppet?"

"It's not such an unromantic thing! It's a game! Have you heard of it? It's a game based on computers, but it's a childhood memory for many children! It's just that after the subsequent eruptions in our time, no one had the mood to create new games anymore."

"Not interested."

"Come on, it's very interesting! Anyway, you have nothing to do now. If that cute little guest sees you refuse to play this game, she might sadly cry."

Kalpas fell silent, looking at the computer that appeared in front of him, pondering Elysia's words.

A little guest? Cute?

"Why doesn't the newcomer dare to face me?"

Almost all the successors would receive a warm welcome from Mr. Kalpas, but this time it was Elysia who took the initiative, as if she was a protecting someone.

"Because she's just a child. Although I believe you won't harm a child, your usual aura is likely to scare children, isn't it?"

"So you're protecting her? Are you going to bear my attacks for her?"

"It's not like that! It's this! It's a game! Don't talk about unromantic things in front of a beautiful girl, okay?"

It seemed that today's Kalpas didn't really want to fight.

The computer was placed on the Kalpas' lap and surprisingly wasn't destroyed by the flames around his body!

Elysia saw the opportunity and smiled.

"Please, give it a try!"

"Fine, fine, fine!"

"I look forward to your review!"

Indeed, Kalpas was an easily shy person. Upon hearing that it was a game made by a child, he didn't seem to have such a big temper.

Although Bronie had many mysteries, Miss Pink Elf's intuition was probably not wrong. She was indeed a good child.

After bidding farewell to Kalpas, Elysia intended to come to Bronie's side again. However, when she secretly arrived behind Bronie, she saw countless panels around her.

"Hey! What are you doing!"

This startled Bronie.

She quickly closed the panels and looked slightly guilty at Elysia.

"It's nothing, just a little interested in the deeds of the MANTIS Soldiers."

"But sometimes, after meeting them, getting along well, you can feel their true selves more intuitively. It's just that through text alone, you can't feel the weight of their experiences."

Elysia knew that Bronie probably peeked at some data from the Elysian Realm.

Although she didn't know how Bronie managed it, merely reading text couldn't evoke such a vivid sensation.

Bronie's choice of aliases for everyone was actually quite amusing afterall.

"Well... I'll just observe from a distance. I'd prefer to avoid direct interaction."

"Why is that?"

Bronie surprisingly declined to engage with these people, despite presumably gaining substantial insights from the textual information. One would expect Bronie to be more curious. Or daring to go further dive into the mystery of this place

What could prompt this reluctance to interact?

"Because I'm just a hacker, someone who appropriates information to satisfy my own curiosity, not a successor, nor do I possess the zealous drive to resist Honkai."

As members of the World Serpent, they all possessed some degree of sentiment to Honkai, but as someone who emerged from a World Bubble bereft of Honkai, it's uncertain whether Bronie shared that sentiment.

"In truth, everyone comes here seeking transformation, either by spiritual or physical, not necessarily to confront Honkai. Our memories serve as the experiences for our predecessors, offering guidance. Let's view this as a form of exploration, culminating in a delightful encounter, alright?"

"Not for now. Maybe in the future, if circumstances permit."

Bronie didn't outright refuse, but she also didn't commit.

Following Bronie's gaze, Elysia noticed Miss Crow still in the lounge. At Elysia's request, Miss Raven removed her hood.

It seemed she intended to guard her little secret.

"Then it's settled!"

"Perhaps I could install some modules in the Elysian Realm, such as expanding memory, increasing operating threads, and adding networking capabilities? Would you be interested?"

"No!"

Klein promptly interjected, her reaction to Bronie's actions appearing quite strong.

"Um, constructing a live platform or data transmission lines, is that also off-limits?"

Slightly taken aback, but Bronie felt there should be room for negotiation, right?

"This requires the consent of the Flame Chasers. Most people in the Elysian Realm are deceased, and excessive contact with the outside world may lead to unforeseeable changes and memory damage."

However, if the memories were determined to change, to face the future, then alterations were not impossible.

Yet, based on current theories, an excess of complex and voluminous information would thoroughly erase the original appearance of the memories, much like the Ship of Theseus. Eventually, the memories would diverge entirely from those of the past Flame Chasers.

Take Mobius, for example. Upon hearing the words of the successor named Jackal, she initiated an experiment to transform herself into virus-like data resembling the Herrscher of Corruption.

The experiment's outcome resulted in many successors of the World Serpent disappearing completely.

The entire Elysian Realm was in a state of alarm at that time.

"So, if Bronie can establish good rapport with everyone, get acquainted, maybe she'll receive permission! Are you in? I'll be sure to introduce you to everyone~"

Elysia also chimed in, encouraging Bronie to meet everyone, as her keen intuition sensed that Bronie seemed to possess some special ability.

If it weren't for that special ability, Elysia wouldn't know how Bronie bypassed the Elysian Realm's access permit and swiftly mobilized its internal data.

Though Elysia wasn't yet aware of the nature of Bronie's power, she was confident that after spending enough time together, she'd naturally obtain an answer.

"Well... let's wait until Cioara departs the Elysian Realm."

Bronie still held firm to her purpose, to come see Cioara, leave a mark in the Elysian Realm, and even establish a contact point.

Moreover, she aimed to bring the game she developed to the Elysian Realm, allowing Cioara to play and enabling the Flame Chasers to experience it.

"But she won't be leaving anytime soon. Do you plan to keep evading her? Sometimes lies can only be concealed with more lies. When the truth eventually surfaces, the more lies, the greater the repercussions."

Elysia harbored considerable concern over Bronie's approach to interacting with Cioara, and Bronie replied resolutely, "I'll handle my relationship with her myself. I'll manage it appropriately."

Observing Bronie's demeanor, Elysia sensed she was resolute. Despite outwardly appearing gentle, Bronie possessed an inner determination.

Once she had made up her mind, she wouldn't waver.

"I understand."

Elysia recognized the need to refrain from further commentary. Perhaps that was her simply being not forthright. Perhaps she had endured a challenging upbringing.

Not speaking the truth was also a habit born out of self-preservation, which Elysia understood.

The Twilight Street similarly harbored countless children like that.

Upon realizing this, Elysia didn't rush to compel Bronie to meet everyone. However, something suddenly occurred to Elysia.

"Oh right, our memories don't require food, but you visitors do. Miss Raven has companions who deliver daily necessities, but what about you?"

Elysia was genuinely concerned about Bronie, as she might end up staying in the Elysian Realm for a while. If the lounge wasn't available, there were other places she could manage. However, maintaining the daily appearance of a cute girl was quite cumbersome, requiring a separate space and provisions for food and drink.

"I do carry some everyday items with me. As for food, I can create a machine that collects carbon dioxide from the air and converts it into starch. Traveling in the Sea of Quanta isn't always smooth sailing, so I occasionally rely on such methods. Though the resulting food lacks flavor, it's better than nothing, right?"

In Bronie's hometown of Cyber Arc City, she packed all the technology she can as it was an isolated world bubble in the Sea of Quanta, capable of self-sufficiency with a vast cyberpunk city.

The technology within was geared towards survival, even including numerous disaster response plans.

"Is there nothing else?"

"Well... I also have some canned reserves and emergency rations on me, enough to last about three days."

Watching Bronie pull out bag after bag of rations from her jacket, Elysia felt a sense of relief.

"Come on, you should have mentioned this sooner! You're still growing, and you need plenty of nutrition. If we can't find nutritious food, I'll find a solution for you!"

This statement left Bronie bewildered.

What were you just imagining?

Memory entities helping find food?

Without a medium, data could only generate other data, making it difficult to truly impact reality. Currently, everything Bronie saw, heard, and touched was based on the special signals given to visitors by the Elysian Realm, similar to the effects of the Herrscher of Sentience, enhancing the visitors' experience when interacting with memory entities.

However, falsehoods were always falsehoods, which left Bronie confused.

"Don't worry, I won't tell Miss Raven about this! The Elf has her ways, so just look forward to it!"

At this point, Bronie couldn't help but wonder if Elysia was asking Kevin from the real world to deliver takeout.

Surely not?

But with three days' worth of rations, there should be plenty of time to play Undertale.

So Bronie didn't question how Elysia conjured food, but instead found a vacant spot and projected a couch to sit on.

"Oh my! Kalpas is playing a game!"

Elysia had asked Klein to make a few adjustments to Kalpas's computer, so when Kalpas started playing the game, a second livestream automatically opened, all without Kalpas's knowledge.

While Miss Raven began her break, Kalpas, ultimately succumbing to curiosity, couldn't resist.

"I didn't expect it to be real..."

Bronie was also a little incredulous, and in the lounge, Eden, who had left Cioara to rest undisturbed, also received a notification about the livestream.

Suddenly, the chat section of the entire livestream became lively.

Kevin, Su, Eden, Apponia, even Sakura and Hua, all tuned in, along with Mebius, who claimed not to like crowds but was honestly curious.

Even Kosmo and Griseo joined in.

Kalpas, the sunny and outgoing boy, was really playing a game! For everyone in the Elysian Realm, this was quite extraordinary.

"Hehehe, I told you so! Kalpas wouldn't refuse a request from a cute girl~ When I have the chance, I'll take you over to Kalpas's place. Be sure to thank him properly~"