"So Lin sent you to find me? Oh, honestly, couldn't Lin have brought you to Mobius himself?"
Whenever Elysia was needed, she always appeared at the right time in the right place, waiting for Mei's arrival with a smile.
Except this time, she complained uncharacteristically.
"...If you don't want to help, forget it." Mei made a gesture as if to leave.
Of course, Elysia's complaint was fake, and Mei's intent to leave was also fake. In a flash, Elysia stood perfectly in front of her: "Oh dear, I'm just kidding! How could I refuse sweet Mei's request?"
Mei didn't mince words. She took out the vial of shimmering green liquid Lin had given her and asked with a serious expression, "He gave me this."
"Ah, this is..." Elysia's eyes widened in surprise when she saw the liquid.
As expected, it's very important.
"This is truly astonishing! Lin actually gave this to you." Elysia pinched her chin, looking at the highly suspicious item, contemplating. "You know, no one in the Moth of the Flame dares to try this except Lin."
"Then what is it? Did Mobius make it?"
"It was indeed given to Lin by Mobius. As for what it is..." Elysia suddenly smirked mischievously and said to Mei, "Mei, you'll know if you open the lid and waft the scent."
"Won't it be dangerous?" Based on the descriptions from other Flame-Chasers in the Elysian Realm, especially Hua, Mobius was a complete mad scientist. The things she created were inherently as dangerous as Honkai energy itself.
"Dangerous? I remember tasting a little once and almost fainting, but Mei is a Herrscher, so she'll definitely be fine."
Hearing Elysia say that, Mei was even more reluctant to try.
But it seemed Elysia wouldn't continue the conversation unless she tried. So, Mei reluctantly frowned, twisted the lid open, held it far away, and gently wafted a bit of the scent toward her nose.
"——————!"
Mei's expression twitched. She quickly closed the lid again.
"Hahaha... Looks like you fell for it too, Mei."
Mei looked at the item in her hand with suspicion, then at the roaringly laughing Elysia.
"Th- This is wasabi?" Mei sniffed incredulously, but the smell had directly congregated in her nasal cavity and refused to dissipate.
Why was this item, which looked like an evil potion, wasabi? Moreover, this odor went beyond the limits of ordinary human tolerance; it wasn't just common wasabi.
Elysia laughed until she was breathless. Only after her laughter subsided and Mei's gaze turned cold did she gaspingly explain: "That is highly concentrated wasabi made by Dr. Mobius. It's about the same as regular wasabi when diluted at a one-to-one-hundred ratio with drinking water."
"Mobius gave Lin highly concentrated wasabi? Is this... because she hates him?"
"Lin is a fundamentalist, and his ideology is diametrically opposed to Mobius's, so in a way, they really don't get along." After the prank, Elysia began to answer Mei's question. "However, this wasabi is actually Dr. Mobius's gentleness toward Lin."
"...If I may ask, does the meaning of 'gentleness' in the Previous Era align with my understanding?"
"Of course it does."
"..." More incomprehensible explanations and inexplicable behavior. Mei tentatively concluded that Mobius was just a person who really liked wasabi.
"Lin gave this to you, asking you to carry it, which might make Mobius slightly restrain herself when she sees it."
"Then I should really thank him. I feel like I'm carrying a talisman to ward off demons." Mei suppressed her desire to complain, put the vial of... highly concentrated wasabi away, and instead asked for the clues she deemed crucial. "Mobius. This person is one of the Thirteen Flame-Chasers. Is she the dark side of the Moth of the Flame?"
"Actually, summarizing it as the 'dark side' of the Moth of the Flame is too broad... but essentially, yes. What else do you know, Mei?"
"MANTIS number CM-003. She was one of the initial batch of MANTISes, alongside Kevin, you, and Sakura. Furthermore, she created the MANTIS project herself."
"Wow, you've investigated that deeply."
"...Other than the number, you told me everything yourself."
"I'm happy you remember my words, Mei~" Elysia smoothly glossed over her information leak. "But saying she 'created the MANTIS project' isn't quite accurate. The technology was actually the result of many people's collaborative efforts. But you tried hard, Mei, so don't worry about that small mistake."
Mei hesitated, looking at Elysia's smiling face. She slowly stated her final conclusion: "All signs indicate that Mobius has a poor relationship with both you and Lin."
The highly concentrated wasabi she now possessed further convinced Mei of this.
"How can you say that? We all consider each other indispensable comrades. And Mei, you should avoid telling Mobius that she has a bad relationship with Lin... or even a good relationship. Just avoid mentioning their affairs entirely. It's a very subtle 'balance' that, if broken, could lead to punishment."
Mei raised her slender eyebrow: "I didn't realize that helmeted man ever got into conflicts with others. I thought he either stayed silent or walked away when faced with confrontation."
"Not Lin. Mobius is the one you need to worry about."
"...I understand your way of interacting less and less."
"It's very simple to understand. It's just that you are currently completely unaware of what happened then. Given your efforts in seeking the truth, I'll give you a special exclusive secret."
Elysia's expression turned subdued. Her voice was tinged with a blend of emotion she couldn't name as she said slowly, "There were indeed only four initial MANTISes. Kevin was the first successful case of the Super-Augmentation Surgery, so his number is CM-001."
Mei noticed Elysia's word choice: "The first 'successful'..."
"That's right. The first successful doesn't mean Kevin was the first person to undergo the Super-Augmentation Surgery." Elysia raised a finger. "The first person to undergo the Super-Augmentation Surgery was actually Lin. His MANTIS number was arbitrarily designated CM-000 because his surgery failed."
"As expected, that man isn't as simple as he claims," Mei frowned. She had suspected something before, and now it was confirmed by Elysia.
"There were even some minor complications when Lin underwent the surgery. Someone objected to performing this surgery, which had virtually zero chance of success, on him, but he insisted on being the first volunteer. Thinking back now is truly moving."
"Someone objected? Who was it? Kevin? Hua? Or you?"
Elysia lowered her head, hiding her expression behind her bangs, and whispered softly—
"It was Mobius."