"You want to go to The Deepest Reaches?"
It wasn't a huge shock, but it was the first time Elysia had heard a request from Lin. The last time he asked for a favor, he had offered everything he owned, so it was clear he was reluctant to ask others for help.
And to go to "The Deepest Reaches" of all places.
The official announcement from the Fifth Branch could be viewed by anyone with Captain clearance, so Elysia had also seen the vague notice, which explicitly mentioned The Deepest Reaches but didn't explain what kind of place it was.
A prison? That seemed too superficial.
But judging by Lin's tone, he didn't seem to care what the place was, only that he wanted to go there.
Elysia recalled, "I remember the announcement said the perpetrator had already been executed. The Moth of the Fire Chasers wouldn't transport a corpse to The Deepest Reaches."
Of course, the announcement's explanation felt more like saying, "We originally intended to do this, at least we had this attitude," which sounded extremely hollow.
"I need to verify something."
Verify? Until he saw the body, Lin would never believe the killer was dead. No matter where or what The Deepest Reaches was, as long as it wasn't recorded in the data, it was an excellent safe haven.
"Lin, will you be taking a weapon with you?"
"I'm always carrying one."
"You know I don't mean that."
"You also know that's exactly what I mean."
Lin wouldn't judge humanity. The words he once said to Seele applied to all of humanity—he wasn't there to make choices for mankind.
Imposing one's personal will upon a collective would cause humanity to lose its inherent characteristics, and judging human life based on personal ideas would be equating oneself to a god. That's why Lin mostly acted as a soldier, without passing any judgment on the goodness or badness of others.
This time was no different. Even if he saw a truth he didn't want to see in The Deepest Reaches, he wouldn't do anything out of line. He would only allow humanity to judge the sinners themselves.
"Alright, I just hope you don't scare my other friend, or get scared by her." Elysia smoothed her long hair over her shoulder, her eyes darting over Lin's body.
Lin shivered, seeing her all-too-familiar look, and asked, "What is it?"
"Lin, I'm helping you with such a big favor. Shouldn't you show some appreciation?" Elysia covered her mouth and chuckled softly. "Even when Mobius helped you attach an arm, you put up all your worldly possessions. That made me quite envious for a long time~"
So that was it—she wanted a reward?
Lin thought for a moment, realizing he didn't have much to offer. He asked, "What do you want?"
But Lin didn't understand a principle: when someone asks for a reward, never ask what they want, as that hands the upper limit of the reward over to the other party. Especially a clever person like Elysia. When she heard that, her eyes were already crinkled in a smile.
"Hmm... Shopping with me? Cooking me a feast? Telling a shocking, cheesy joke? All are great." Elysia's gaze scrutinized him from head to toe, finally settling on that one spot. "But truly, this is the most attractive thing."
"..."
The spot she was looking at was his helmet.
"Okay, it's decided!"
Elysia took a step closer, coming within twenty centimeters of Lin, and licked her lips alluringly with a smile: "My dearest Lin, now please take off your helmet. Oh, wait, I'd be tricked if you're also covering your face underneath, so please just reveal your face to me~"
Having said that, she looked at Lin with full anticipation.
"Why are you so interested in my appearance? I don't understand."
Since their first meeting, Elysia had tried to find out multiple times, but there were several occasions when she could have lifted his helmet while he was unconscious, yet she hadn't done so directly.
Elysia smiled brilliantly: "Hehe, the more mysterious something is, the more it sparks people's curiosity."
"...There's nothing good to see. I'll tell you a corny joke instead."
"No way, Lin, are you going back on your word? Oh dear, I don't know if my moody friend would allow me to quietly take someone to The Deepest Reaches~"
Lin clenched his fist, then slowly relaxed it, sighing. Under Elysia's expectant gaze, he unlatched the neck buckle of his helmet and placed his hands on both sides of the helmet.
Slowly, he lifted the helmet.
Semi-long black hair was the first to emerge from the helmet, followed by Lin's entire face.
"..." Elysia's smile first froze on her face. Then, she rubbed her eyes in disbelief. She wiped them clear and scrutinized the face just inches away from her.
Finally, after confirming it wasn't an illusion, she gaped, pointing at Lin, unable to utter a word.
"I told you, there's nothing good to see."
Lin's voice, without the obstruction of the helmet, had a more human quality.
And Elysia, hearing this familiar voice paired with the unfamiliar face, looked utterly astonished, suspecting that the timeline had shifted when he took off his helmet and that the person standing in front of her was no longer Lin.
"Lin." It took a long time for Elysia to recover from the shock of seeing Lin's true face. She patted her chest, swallowed, and averted her gaze. "I think I understand why you cover your face. Not covering it would indeed cause quite a commotion."
After briefly exposing his face to normal air, Lin put the helmet back on: "This is not by my will."
"What should I say? I've seen the real Lin, but..."
Elysia was slightly conflicted. She should have been happy to see Lin's face, but she hadn't been mentally prepared. As a result, the shock of Lin's appearance far outweighed the event itself, leaving her unable to feel happy at all.
However, she was Elysia. She could think of a hundred ways to cheer herself up in a second.
After a brief thought, Elysia smiled: "Lin, have you shown Mobius?"
"No, but it's part of my agreement with her."
Mobius was different from Elysia. Her interest in Lin as a person far exceeded her curiosity about the true face under his helmet, so Lin had promised to show her, but she hadn't asked him to yet.
Of course, it was also possible that she had simply forgotten, like cooking.
"Good, Lin. Now you have to promise me not to show your face to anyone else except me."
"Why?"
"Can't I just keep it to myself for a while?"
It didn't seem like a big deal. Lin nodded in agreement.
"Hmm, excellent. In that case, let's not delay. I'll let you meet Vil-V first."