"It is because of Cipher."
Anaxa sighed, sounding helpless. "You remember her ability, right? While in a state of confinement, it mutated into an unconscious influence on the cognition of those around her. I spent over thirty years in the simulated universe trying to 'convince' her... Although I succeeded and she returned to normal and left, but..."
He shrugged, a weary expression on his face: "But that 'cognitive influence' ability of hers seems to have left a bit of a...'sequela' on me. I find myself uncontrollably... well, performing actions that align with some of her'strange beliefs.' Like just now..."
His mouth twitched; he clearly did not want to recall his own ridiculous posture.
Cyrene suddenly realized, then couldn't help but let out a "pfft" of laughter, quickly covering her mouth, her eyes curving into crescents: "S-so that's it! Miss Cipher's ability... is truly impressive."
She imagined the "psychological trauma" left on Anaxa after being nagged by Cipher for over thirty years, and suddenly felt that the person before her, who was always serious and wise, and now trying to maintain composure while physically trembling, was actually a bit... cute?
"No laughing!"
Anaxa stiffened his face, but the embarrassment in his eyes robbed him of any intimidation.
He tried to stand straight, assuming a serious Scholar posture, "Alright, aren't we going to see those 'Flame-Chasers'? Lead the way quickly. Also, about this matter... do not tell anyone else!"
Especially Tribbie and Black Herta!
He added in his heart.
"Mm-hmm! I promise!"
Cyrene nodded vigorously, a smile still unable to be hidden from the corners of her mouth. She turned to lead the way, took two steps, then looked back at Anaxa's back as he tried hard to control his gait and avoid walking in a strange rhythm, feeling warm inside.
(Although Anaxa has become a bit strange... it's nice to be able to talk so easily. Moreover, Miss Cipher and Miss Tribbie are both free... Everything is really getting better, slowly.)
The hall of the Elysian Realm had undergone a certain degree of "renovation," mixing some out-of-place... "vacation-style" elements into its originally solemn and classical style.
For example, a tall palm tree with rustling leaves had been added to the corner, and the background music had been changed to soothing light music with the sound effects of waves crashing on the shore.
And at this moment, the few people sitting on the brand-new curved sofa in the center of the hall pushed this atmosphere of an "unserious meeting" to its peak.
Anaxa crossed his arms and leaned back slightly, trying to look as composed as possible, but the uncontrollable, subtle twitching of his mouth betrayed his subtle inner feelings.
His dark green eyes scrutinized the three "Flame-Chaser representatives" sitting side-by-side on the opposite sofa.
The one on the left had long, smooth pink hair draped down, and wore a pair of exaggerated pink pentagram-shaped sunglasses on her face, the temples of which were adorned with small sequins, shining with an undeniable brilliance even indoors.
A flawless smile hung on her lips—Elysia.
The one in the middle had silver hair, a cold expression, and was wearing a similar pair of pentagram sunglasses, though the color was a deep-sea blue.
He sat with his arms crossed like an iceberg, but those sunglasses added a strange touch to his cold, hard temperament...
A sense of dissonance like "returning from vacation and being forced to attend a company team-building event"—Kevin.
The one on the right was expressive, wearing the same style of brown-green pentagram sunglasses, holding her arms in a pose she thought was very cool, chin slightly raised, as if participating in some fashion magazine shoot—Vill-V.
(...Is this some kind of special etiquette from another world?)
Anaxa hesitated inwardly.
He had seen the etiquette of many city-states, but this "everyone wearing beach sunglasses" meeting posture was truly a first.
He couldn't help but glance at the slightly awkward Cyrene beside him.
Cyrene was widening her azure eyes, looking at one, then the other, her small face filled with the confusion of "Who am I, where am I, and what are they doing?"
She clearly didn't understand the purpose of these sunglasses either.
Cyrene looked for help toward Eden, who was drinking alone at the bar not far away.
The wine-red haired singer raised her glass to her, returning a gentle and tolerant smile (Cyrene interpreted it as "Don't worry, I'm here," but in reality, the amusement in Eden's eyes was more of a helpless "Elysia is at it again, there's nothing I can do").
Anaxa cleared his throat, deciding to ignore these distractions and get to the point.
Before coming, Cyrene had briefly introduced the origins and names of these "Flame-Chasers." Although he still needed to digest concepts like "data entities" and "Previous Era warriors," he had a basic understanding.
He noticed that the one named Kevin had features that were indeed somewhat similar to that student in his memory.
And Elysia, at first glance, was similar to Cyrene... looking closely... well, he admitted that the two were a bit too similar.
However, these were not the main point.
"Nice to meet you,"
Anaxa began, his voice steady, "I am Anaxa, you may also call me Anaxagoras. I come from Amphoreus, and currently... I am considered a temporary assistant to Black Herta, responsible for communication matters with some of the Golden Descendants."
His self-introduction was concise, neither humble nor arrogant, pointing out his identity while implying that he was not completely subordinate.
"Oh my~ What a formal introduction!"
Elysia immediately replied, her voice sweet and light. Her expression behind the pink sunglasses was unclear, but one could imagine her eyes curving into crescents, "I am Elysia, as you can see, a beautiful girl loved by everyone~♪ This one who looks a bit cold but is actually a good person is Kevin, and the one beside him is the talented Vill-V! Today, the three of us will act as representatives to have a good chat with this gentleman~"
She spoke quickly, carrying an unquestionable aura of "this is how it's going to be."
(Representatives?)
Anaxa glanced at Vill-V (still acting cool) and Kevin (motionless), then looked at Eden, who was smiling silently not far away, and understood.
It was probably "representation rights" that this pink-haired girl had "actively fought for."
But it didn't matter; as long as they could communicate, it was fine.
However, after the introductions ended, the air suddenly went quiet.
Vill-V was immersed in her role as a "cool representative," remaining silent, only slightly adjusting the angle of her sunglasses.
Kevin... Kevin had no intention of speaking at all, his gaze behind the sunglasses seemingly unfocused.
Anaxa himself was not the type good at livening up the atmosphere, so he crossed his arms and waited for the other party to get to the point.
Cyrene looked left and right, feeling the silence was a bit suffocating, and just as she wanted to muster the courage to say something to ease the tension—
"Oh my my~"
Elysia suddenly clapped her hands, breaking the silence, "The atmosphere seems a bit too serious! Such a formal scene, it even makes Elysia a little nervous~ How about we chat about some light and interesting topics to warm up first?"
Cyrene's heart skipped a beat, and a sense of foreboding arose.
(Interesting topics? What Miss Elysia calls 'interesting'...)
Anaxa raised an eyebrow slightly, signaling her to continue.
Elysia leaned forward, her pink sunglasses seemingly flashing with the light of gossip, aimed at Anaxa, and asked in a sweet and curious tone: "That~ Ana... uh..."
She paused, clearly Anaxa's full name was a bit of a mouthful for her.
"You can call me Anaxa."
Anaxa added understandingly.
"Okay! Mr. Anaxa!"
Elysia readily accepted, her smile becoming even brighter, "In your eyes, among the Golden Descendants you know, which girl has the highest beauty? Elysia is very curious! After all, they are all very impressive companions with stories, your aesthetic perspective must be very unique, right? ♪"
Cyrene: "..."
(As expected!)
She quietly covered her forehead, feeling her cheeks burning.
What kind of question is this!
How could Master Anaxa possibly answer this... this kind of unserious question.
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