The snowy village was silent.
The Herrscher of the Void stared at them, speechless, her body frozen stiff like a stone statue in the wind.
Ye Feng stopped in his tracks. He glanced silently at the Herrscher of the Void, then, as if he hadn't seen a thing, turned to Elysia beside him. "It seems we've come at an inconvenient time."
"Mmm..."
Elysia blinked her big, bewildered eyes, as if to say: Could she really be the Herrscher of the Void?
What happened to the proud queen?
What happened to the one born from hatred and pain, who would never again hold any hope for humanity?
The Herrscher of the Void, still on all fours with her head raised in a near-daze, instantly understood the meaning in Elysia's eyes.
She flushed red-hot with shame and anger.
Her neck and face flushed a visible red, the color spreading to the roots of her ears like a fiery cloud.
She scrambled to her feet, not forgetting to carefully catch little Bella, who had been sent flying by her sudden movement. After placing the girl to the side, she finally spoke, a vein throbbing on her forehead as she explained, "She... is not human."
The Bella here was, indeed, not human.
She was just a piece of data existing in the "simulated world."
She was specially "tailor-made" by Ye Feng for the Herrscher of the Void. Because of this, little Bella didn't even react to the arrival of Ye Feng and Elysia.
The Herrscher of the Void's brilliant golden eyes flickered, and she clenched her fists so hard her knuckles turned white. "This is just me entertaining myself. It's like how you humans play games, right? Do you feel ashamed when someone sees you playing a game?"
However, little Bella stood to the side, tugging on the corner of the Herrscher of the Void's clothes and looking up at her, her big eyes filled with a little dissatisfaction.
"Xiao Kong, it hasn't been three minutes yet. Why did you get up? If you lose a bet, you have to accept the loss. When I lost before, I even gave you my mo~~st favorite strawberry cake. If you cheat, I'm not going to play with you anymore, hmph."
With that, the little loli crossed her arms and turned away, pouting.
But the loli's resolve wasn't very strong; she was still sneaking peeks at the Herrscher of the Void out of the corner of her eye.
"..."
"..."
The Herrscher of the Void noticed her glance and her expression wavered slightly. But having just put on a tough act, she couldn't possibly do something that would make her lose face now.
Even though she had already lost all face before Ye Feng long ago...
"Wow, what a cute little girl. I want to take her home."
At that moment, Elysia suddenly spoke.
Her voice was like a warm spring breeze, melting the icy atmosphere.
The Herrscher of the Void immediately narrowed her eyes, her gaze as sharp as a sword as it stabbed towards Elysia.
Elysia, however, simply returned a gentle smile. "Hi, hello there. I'm Elysia. I'm so happy to see you looking so energetic."
"Tsk."
The Herrscher of the Void clicked her tongue in annoyance, an expression on her face that clearly said, "Who is this woman?"
Ye Feng said, "Alright, you two can play your horse-riding game first. We'll wait for you in the room."
"Hmph."
The Herrscher of the Void snorted coldly, but she didn't dare to disobey Ye Feng's words.
Otherwise, he might just unleash his beastly nature on the spot and pin her down in front of little Bella... It wasn't as if similar things hadn't happened before.
He was a man who did as he pleased.
This time, he might even make little Bella count for him.
The Herrscher of the Void's gaze darted about uncertainly as Ye Feng and Elysia went into the house first.
They were received by Cecilia Schariac.
Sirin lived with her; this was their home.
The beautiful madam was gentle and moving, her long white hair tied into a single braid that hung down over her left breast.
After skillfully welcoming Ye Feng into the living room, she went to the pantry to brew some fresh tea.
Today, the madam wore a pale blue silk dress that enveloped her bountiful, womanly figure. Seen from the side, her rounded curves flowed from her chest all the way to her hips.
Time had left no trace on her. Even after childbirth, her figure had not lost its shape in the slightest. The dress clung to her full, birthing-hip curves, instead accentuating a gentle and graceful elegance that could only be manifested through the passage of time.
The madam was well aware of Ye Feng's preferences. First, she brewed freshly roasted green tea with boiling water, then she brought out three plates of strawberry cake. After that, she quietly went to the bedroom, leaving the door slightly ajar.
The entire process was as smooth as flowing clouds and running water, as if it had been done many times before.
Elysia sat on the sofa, silently observing her surroundings.
The feeling here was different from when she had first arrived.
"This is a simulated world. You can just think of it as a data space, similar to the [Elysian Realm]. That should make it easier to understand."
"A simulated world, huh."
"Mhm. Whenever anyone from the [Elysian Realm] comes here, I bring them to this place. You, of course, are no exception, Ely."
"Everyone from the [Elysian Realm]? Are you referring to... Mebius, Mr. Ye Feng? Are there others?"
Ye Feng smiled faintly. "They didn't tell you? It seems your relationships with the other Flame-Chasers aren't as good as I imagined, Ely."
Elysia did not rise to the bait. With a smile as bright as a flower, she said:
"That's not it. No matter who you're talking about, Mr. Ye Feng, their reason for not telling me was definitely not to hide something with the intention of 'guiding things in a bad direction.'
"Besides, there's a natural distance between people. Everyone has their own little secrets. That's perfectly normal."
Ye Feng took a sip of the tea the madam had brewed. It was sweet and refreshing, with a hint of bitterness. He couldn't help but lick his lips.
"So that's what you think. You truly are a pure and flawless elf maiden.
"But, you know, maybe subconsciously they also want to see the pure Ely be defiled by me, to be crushed into the dust. Desecrating the holy, staining the pure white... it always holds such a temptation."
Elysia sat up straight with dignity and grace, her gaze lowered slightly as she stopped responding to Ye Feng's words.
She looked at the coffee table, upon which sat three strawberry cakes.
The placement of the strawberries on the three cakes was different: one had a strawberry standing tall on the cream, one had a strawberry embedded within the cream—both of these were quite large—and the last one had a small, cute strawberry.
"Do you like cake too, Mr. Ye Feng?"
"Mhm, I like it a lot. Which one do you want?" Ye Feng asked.
Elysia subconsciously wanted to refuse, but then she felt that the "omnipotent" Ye Feng probably wouldn't need to stoop to tampering with the food.
"I like the beautiful pink one, the strawberry cake with the strawberry standing up tall."
"Can't you have the one next to it? The way the strawberry is embedded has its own charm."
Elysia tilted her head. "Do you really think the embedded look is good? It must be so inconvenient to eat."
"What I mean is, I like them all. I'm not a picky eater like you, Ely."
"Ehh~~ So you were just looking for an opportunity to tease me, Mr. Ye Feng. But isn't it rare to see a cake with the strawberry embedded in the cream?"
"Is it rare for you, Ely? Then I'll have to show you more of them in the future."
"There's no need to trouble yourself, Mr. Ye Feng. Speaking of which, will the Herrscher of the Void really come over?"
The Pink Elf picked up a strawberry, gently placed it in her mouth, and looked towards the door.