"No, Lady Bailu, you must return to the Alchemy Commission at once," Dan Shu refused without hesitation. "It's too dangerous to be wandering around outside."
"But I want to help too..."
The joy on Bailu's face instantly turned into dejection, and even her tail drooped lifelessly.
"Protecting your own safety is already the greatest help. When I return to the Alchemy Commission, I'll buy you some red chili mixed beef offal," Dan Shu said.
Without giving Bailu any chance to argue, she turned and began walking into the distance. Seeing this, Elysia quickly followed after her.
"Bailu's identity isn't that simple, is it?" Elysia asked as she looked at Dan Shu's back. "Although she said she's just an apprentice at the Alchemy Commission, a Chief Alchemist wouldn't treat an apprentice with that much respect."
Faced with Elysia's question, Dan Shu did not answer immediately. Instead, she fell into a long silence, as if weighing whether she should respond.
"In truth, Bailu is no ordinary person. She is the current High Elder of the Vidyadhara—the Alchemy Commission's Healer Lady," Dan Shu finally said, as though having made up her mind. "The High Elder is not meant to travel freely, but since Bailu is still young and has a keen interest in medicine, she has been allowed to remain at the Alchemy Commission for now."
"I see." Elysia nodded thoughtfully. "I may not fully understand, but at least I get the general idea."
Dan Shu let out a soft sigh. "In short, Lady Bailu is extremely important to the entire Xianzhou. If only she wouldn't spend all her time trying to sneak out of the Alchemy Commission."
As she spoke, Dan Shu continued toward the Alchemy Commission at a brisk pace, her steps swift and unaffected by the conversation.
Though she could not see, she walked no differently from an ordinary person. And as the Chief Alchemist, she must have worked diligently day after day.
What Elysia was truly curious about, however, was why her crystal flower had suddenly shattered earlier without any warning.
Lost in thought, she glanced at Dan Shu walking ahead of her. The crystal flower had broken the moment Dan Shu approached. If Dan Shu had truly been injured because of that...
"Is there something strange on me?" Dan Shu suddenly asked.
Elysia blinked in surprise, not expecting her subtle observation to be noticed.
"When one loses their sight, the other senses become sharper," Dan Shu continued calmly. "For example, right now, I can hear several sets of footsteps rushing toward us."
As her words fell, several Cloud Knights covered in sprouting branches burst out, their weapons swinging down toward the two women without hesitation.
"Watch out! Dodge!"
A baseball bat flew out of nowhere and slammed heavily into one of the Cloud Knights.
Before anyone could react, a figure caught the spinning bat midair. She darted swiftly between the Cloud Knights, the bat crashing down again and again, knocking them unconscious.
Elysia did not hesitate either. Drawing her bow, she released her arrows. Pink crystal flowers bloomed, binding the fallen Cloud Knights to prevent them from attacking again.
In mere moments, all of the charging Cloud Knights were sealed within crystal blossoms. Only then did Elysia have the chance to properly observe the person who had rushed out to save them.
Long gray hair flowed freely in the air. Beneath a yellow-and-black jacket was a simple white T-shirt, paired with a short skirt that barely covered her knees. She gave off a casual, unrestrained aura that harmonized oddly well with her somewhat youthful face.
"Thank you for saving us. You're not hurt, are you?" Elysia put away her weapon and studied the girl with curiosity.
"I'm fine." The baseball bat spun elegantly in her hand before coming to a stop. She smiled slightly. "My name's Stelle. Just a passing Trailblazer."
Elysia smiled softly. "You're quite interesting."
She stepped forward, closing the distance between them until only a few steps remained. Elysia could even catch a faint scent from the girl.
The fragrance was somewhat peculiar. Beneath it lingered a strange undertone, like something that had been fermented.
At Elysia's sudden approach, Stelle froze. A trace of panic flickered across her face. She instinctively wanted to retreat, yet she stubbornly maintained her cool pose, one hand resting on the bat as if posing heroically.
"My name is Elysia. As for my identity... at the moment, I'm a streamer. The 'Miss Pink Elf' on Ghostly Grove—that's me."
Elysia noticed that Stelle's gaze kept drifting toward her ears. A subtle smile curved her lips. With a light sweep of her fingers through her hair, she revealed the elf-like ears that had been hidden.
"Are you curious about them? They're beautiful, aren't they? I think so too."
Stelle stared, momentarily dazed. "Yeah. They really are beautiful..."
"Would you like to touch them?" Elysia tilted her head and leaned closer. "Since you're as cute as a little raccoon, Stelle, I wouldn't mind if you touched my ears."
As Elysia drew nearer, Stelle grew increasingly flustered. Yet her eyes remained fixed on those exquisite ears, as if carved by a god—something that should exist only in fairy tales.
She slowly raised her hand toward them.
Just as she was about to make contact, Elysia suddenly stepped back two paces and giggled at her.
"On second thought, wouldn't it be a bit unfair if only you got to touch mine?" Elysia's gaze roamed over Stelle's body. "Is there anything unusual about you that I could touch as well?"
Stelle looked down at herself, then scratched her head. "Aside from the Stellaron inside my body, I don't think there's anything different about me."
"A Stellaron?" Elysia blinked. "What's that?"
Before Stelle could answer, Dan Shu's figure quietly appeared beside them. A few leaves clung to her clothing, as though she had just emerged from the bushes.
Her sudden presence startled both Elysia and Stelle.
"You two... didn't forget about me, did you...?" Dan Shu asked helplessly.
Stelle scratched her head awkwardly. Her attention had been entirely focused on Elysia just now, and she had completely forgotten that she had originally seen two people.
Elysia stepped forward and gently brushed the leaves from Dan Shu's clothing before offering an apologetic smile.
"Sorry, Dan Shu. Stelle's just too cute—it's hard not to tease her a little."