At the end of the day, Ye Feng was still a man with a sense of propriety. He didn't just carry Elysia off to meet the Herrschers in that state.
"We should probably take a bath first," he said.
"Eh?"
Elysia looked at Ye Feng in surprise, not believing he could be so kind.
But then again, the thing she wanted to do most right now was indeed to have a nice bath and clean her body.
Even just watching from the side, she could feel the sticky, thick residue on her own NPC's body.
Especially her once-silky hair; some parts of it looked like they were about to mat together...
Since the day she was born, Elysia had never been so... disheveled.
And yet, she had no reason to be angry.
Because this wasn't her "body."
...Even though it was identical to the body she had when she was alive.
What surprised Elysia, however, was that Ye Feng actually brought them to a bathhouse.
It was less of a bathhouse and more of a palace.
The ceiling was dozens of meters high, supported by neatly arranged, colossal chalk-white pillars.
Pink flower petals occasionally drifted down through the air, landing on the surface of the water that occupied two-thirds of the entire hall and rippling with the waves.
With a powerful toss, Ye Feng flung Elysia's body into the water. Splash! A white wave erupted, and the disturbed petals washed over the steps with the overflowing water.
"Oh my, can't you be a little gentler with a girl? If you're this rough, no girl will ever like you," Elysia said with a pained expression, gently wiping the warm water that had splashed onto her face.
"Alright, next time for sure."
Ye Feng smiled and looked at the pool.
Elysia's body floated like a piece of driftwood, face down in the water. Only her fair back was exposed. The graceful groove of her spine was smooth and perfect, collecting a line of clear water that looked deep enough to house tiny fish.
"Look, Ely. Your figure is truly perfect. That spinal groove is the one feature that best embodies a woman's gentle beauty."
"That's right. So when you're faced with a girl as cute as me, you have to treat me gently, Mr. Ye Feng."
"Eden" stood with her hands on her hips, a playful expression that didn't quite match her own magnificent temperament.
"Mmm..."
Ye Feng turned his head to look at the figure on the shore. He couldn't help but ask, "Is your mental state always this stable?"
"One can't live in the past forever. You always have to look forward. Besides, I'm just a memory simulation."
"Ehh~~ We really are alike, Ely. My mental state is very stable too."
"Ugh... Please, I beg you, let me deny that point. I really don't want to have anything in common with you, Mr. Ye Feng."
"Don't be like that. We both love humans the most."
Elysia looked away as Ye Feng began to undress for his bath.
She also felt a slight sense of relief in her heart. The command to "watch closely" had been lifted.
She said, "You just like pretty girls, don't you?"
"Aren't pretty girls human?"
"Err..."
She really couldn't deny that.
"In my eyes, whether they're Herrschers, Valkyries, or even Deathservants, they're all lovely humans."
Ye Feng stood in the center of the pool, bare-chested.
The lines of his muscles were smooth and well-proportioned, a pleasing sight more perfect than any ancient Greek sculpture.
Ye Feng looked at the brilliant figure with her head turned aside and invited, "You can look at me more openly, you know. After all, I've been looking at you this whole time. Come, shall we get to know each other more deeply?"
"Eden... doesn't need a bath. Her body is very clean and has a nice fragrance."
"As expected of you, Ely. That statement, in certain situations, would definitely be considered harassment."
"Uh-huh? But if a cute girl says it, then it's okay."
"That's the privilege of a beautiful girl, especially one with a good personality like you, Ely."
Elysia still kept her head turned away, not looking at Ye Feng.
"At this point, even if you praise me, it won't make me happy."
Ye Feng smiled and walked over to Elysia's NPC, flipping her over. "Ely, are you really not coming down? Unless a specific event is triggered, the NPC won't bathe on its own. Or could it be~~"
Ye Feng's fingers danced like a master dough-kneader. "That you want me to help you wash, Ely?"
"...?"
Ye Feng cackled with a wicked 'jiejiejie'. "Don't worry, my technique is excellent. I guarantee I'll get every inch of your skin, every last nook and cranny all~ nice~ and~ clean~ for you."
"Mr. Ye Feng, you really are a bad person. Just before, you said the NPCs here all belonged to you, and now you're saying 'my body.' You just say whatever is most convenient for you, don't you?"
Ye Feng washed Elysia's pink hair in the water and said, "That's not it, Ely. A girl as sharp as you should be able to understand the concept of 'priority.' For example... you."
"Me?"
"Mhm. You are Elysia first, and a Herrscher second, aren't you?"
"Eh?"
Elysia's eyes glazed over for a moment. "To think a guy like you would say something like that. Ahhh, what a shame. Such moving words... if only my dearest friends had said them to me. It's not that I don't know how they feel, but I still wanted to hear it with my own ears."
A look of disappointment crossed Elysia's face. She truly felt it was a pity.
"You don't have to be so regretful, Ely."
"Why?"
"Because you and I still have many, many 'firsts' to experience together in the future."
"You... Ugh, I'm so angry!"
Elysia puffed up her cheeks.
Seeing Elysia's frustrated look, Ye Feng's mood brightened considerably, and he laughed.
"Alright, let's talk about something happy. I often talk about you with the other girls. The content... I bet you're dying to know what it is~"
"Hmph. I don't want to know."
"Do you really not want to know? Girls are always saying the opposite of what they mean. The prettier the girl, the more true this is."
"Wait, that's not right. Hold on."
Elysia suddenly reacted. "How do you know so much about me?"
"Oh, I almost forgot. I only gave you a simple introduction to this world. I haven't told you about my origins yet."
"Your... origins?"
Elysia finally turned her head and stared at Ye Feng.
In her eyes, he was no longer simply a "man," but an unknown.
"That's right, my origins. My good Ely, want to take a guess? There's a prize if you're right."
Faced with Ye Feng's enticement, Elysia didn't fall into his rhythm. The pink... no, the now-brilliant elf maiden, smiled.
"I think, if I just make a cute face and say 'pleeease tell me,' you'll just tell me anyway."