The Alchemy Commission—once a place on the Xianzhou Luofu dedicated to the pursuit and interpretation of the path of immortality—had, over time, gradually become more like a hospital. Whether minor ailments or serious conditions, the people of the Luofu would come here for treatment. In the past, it had always been a place of peace and quiet.
Because of its function, this was also one of the most tranquil environments on the Luofu. After all, only a quiet place could help patients recover as quickly as possible.
Before them stood a towering tree, its massive form winding upward like a black dragon. The trunk grew in crooked, irregular twists, as though it had developed entirely at random. Looking up toward its crown, it almost felt as if rolling thunder echoed in one's ears—but upon regaining one's senses, it became clear that it had only been an illusion.
Such a wondrous sight naturally piqued Elysia's interest.
Taking her phone out of her pocket, Elysia looked expectantly at Dan Shu.
"This place is so beautiful. Can I take some pictures?"
Dan Shu's face was filled with helplessness, but in the end, she nodded.
"You can... but be quick."
With Dan Shu's permission, Elysia beamed with delight. Before Stelle could react, she pulled her over to the side.
"Dan Shu, do you want to join us? You can stand on one side while Stelle stands on the other. And you're so pretty—you'd look great on camera."
"No need. You two hurry up."
Dan Shu seemed very resistant to taking photos. Upon hearing Elysia invite her, she quickly stepped back several paces, putting distance between them as if afraid of being dragged in by force.
Since Dan Shu didn't want to participate, Elysia didn't insist. She raised her phone and switched to selfie mode, leaning her head toward Stelle. The two of them appeared in the frame, cheek to cheek.
"Stelle, your face is really hot. Do you have a fever?" Elysia lowered the phone and looked at her. "Don't move, let me check."
As she spoke, Elysia lowered the hand holding her phone, reached out to brush aside Stelle's bangs, and pressed her forehead directly against hers.
"Elysia... y-you're too close..."
Stelle's face turned even redder the moment their foreheads touched, like a ripe apple that made one want to take a bite.
"Hmm... doesn't seem like a fever. But now that we're friends..." Elysia smiled slightly. "You don't have to be so formal. Just call me Ely. That's what all my friends call me. Go on, try it."
Hearing Elysia's words, Stelle froze for a moment before opening her mouth.
"E-Ely..."
Uttering those two syllables seemed to take all of Stelle's strength. A fine layer of sweat formed on her forehead. Though it was just a simple name, it made her heart race and her cheeks burn with excitement.
Elysia smiled faintly.
"Mm, say a little more?"
But Stelle no longer had the courage to continue. She simply turned her head away in silence. While Stelle was extremely shy, Elysia seemed to be observing something amusing, like watching an interesting little animal. Her crystal-like pink eyes shimmered faintly.
Stelle stood there, flushed and at a loss, clutching the hem of her clothes tightly. She felt that her earlier reaction had been foolish—Elysia must think she was silly.
Taking several deep breaths, Stelle tried to calm herself, but her mind was already in complete disarray. There was no way she could settle down.
She opened her mouth, wanting to say something, but the moment she looked up and met Elysia's gaze, the calm she had just regained instantly collapsed again.
"Um... Ely... Elysia—Ely, shouldn't we hurry and take the photo? Aren't we short on time...?"
Stelle awkwardly steered the topic back to their original purpose.
"Oh, right. We shouldn't keep Dan Shu waiting too long."
With that, Elysia raised her phone again and took a photo of the two of them standing beneath the towering tree. Immediately after, she posted it to Miss Pink Elf's account with the caption: Newly made friend. Cute, right?
The moment the post went up, dozens of replies appeared below it.
But most of them were asking whether the person in the video was really Elysia. There were very few comments about the photo itself, which made Elysia pout slightly.
"Seriously... Stelle is clearly so cute, yet everyone is only focused on strange things." Elysia pursed her lips. "Did someone secretly film me while I was out?"
Tilting her head, she swiped lightly across the screen and soon found the video ranked first on the Ghostly Grove trending list.
The video quality was poor, clearly filmed in a panic. The footage shook wildly. It showed a Cloud Knight rampaging through a crowd before a figure appeared and effortlessly subdued him.
Elysia immediately recognized that figure—it was herself. But she hadn't expected the video to cause such a huge stir.
"No wonder my follower count suddenly increased so much... I thought my streams had attracted new fans." Elysia sounded slightly disappointed. "I didn't expect it to be because of this."
However, she quickly adjusted her mood. As a streamer, as long as she could bring happiness to her audience, that was enough.
"Isn't that... Ely?" Stelle also noticed the video on Elysia's screen and spoke with a hint of excitement, though she still wasn't quite used to the intimate nickname. "The comments are all tagging you. Your fans seem really active."
"Mm, it happened before I met Dan Shu. I just didn't expect someone to film it and upload it to Ghostly Grove—and for it to become this popular."
Though she felt a bit helpless about her sudden rise in popularity, Elysia still left a wry smile emoji under the video.
After all, as Miss Pink Elf, she couldn't ignore her fans tagging her.
The moment her comment was posted, replies began flooding in beneath it.
Elysia looked at the video still pinned prominently at the top of Ghostly Grove's homepage. It had only been uploaded half an hour ago, yet its view count had already doubled that of the second-ranked video—which had been uploaded early in the morning and had accumulated views throughout the day.
As for Elysia's comment under the video, it had already turned into complete chaos. The replies were filled with all kinds of internet slang, making Elysia unable to hold back her laughter.
These people were quite interesting. This was exactly why Elysia enjoyed streaming online as Miss Pink Elf. They brought her joy, and she was happy to share that joy in return.
"I guess I'll have to clarify things when I get back tonight," Elysia murmured. "Even though the person in the video really is me."
Just as she was muttering to herself, a series of noisy footsteps approached. Then—a slightly lazy voice sounded out.
"How about you clarify it for me right now—why the three of you have come to the Alchemy Commission?"