Elysia was speechless. Mobius's smile only grew wider.
"Have a seat."
The snake lifted her hand and gestured to the side, where a glass of rich milk sat on the table.
Elysia froze for a moment. Seeing the thick milk, still steaming hot, she instinctively covered her mouth and made a sound like she was about to have a bout of morning sickness.
"Oh my, it seems you really did have your fill."
"..."
"Don't worry, you'll get used to it. His... is not just composed of ordinary protein, water, and fructose. It has many wonderful uses, you know."
"Besides bullying me, what other uses could it possibly have?"
Elysia puffed out her cheeks, disgruntled.
She was getting a little angry now.
"As expected of Miss Pink Elf, you're so cute even when you're angry. No wonder Father 'dotes' on you so."
The World-Serpent, Mobius, pondered for a moment before saying, "Elysia, you should know that I've been searching for a suitable body, planning to leave the Elysian Realm to see the outside world."
"Eh?"
Was that a thing?
This was the first time she had heard of it.
"Oh, Father didn't tell you."
A delighted smile appeared on Mobius's face. "Well, it doesn't matter. But now, I'm no longer seeking a suitable body. I have a new idea. Elysia, care to guess what it is?"
Elysia stared blankly at the steaming glass of rich milk before her. "...You're not going to tell me that this stuff..."
"That's right." Mobius licked her soft pink lips, making her moist, cherry-like mouth seem all the more crystalline and alluring. "It can~ deep~en the 'bond' between Father and me."
"E-eh? A bond?... Mobius, you're a lady too, please stop saying such... explicit things."
Elysia's face turned red.
Her words only deepened the amusement in Mobius's eyes. "Explicit? Elysia, what did you think I meant by 'bond'?"
"Ngh..."
Seeing the smile in the snake's eyes, Elysia knew she had been played.
Using such a seductive expression and such ambiguous words, only to mean something completely serious?
Mobius laughed happily.
Ever since entering Ye Feng's world, she seemed to always have the upper hand in her "confrontations" with Elysia.
"That's right. Although it's minuscule, if I wake up drinking milk every time, the 'Authority' he has bestowed will gradually deepen, to the point where it can even encroach upon this reality. Look, just like this."
Mobius raised her slender, pale hand.
Her hand, from the wrist down, became blurry, squirming like a mosaic before returning to its complete form.
At first, Elysia didn't know what Mobius was trying to do, but when she understood the key point, her pupils couldn't help but tremble.
"...A physical form?"
"You're not so stupid after all, Elysia, figuring it out so quickly. That's right. Although I can only manifest a small part of my body for now, achieving a 'complete conversion' is only a matter of time."
"..."
Elysia stared blankly at Mobius's palm. "...It can actually interfere with this reality?"
"Hehe, are you a little too surprised? For example, the... 'marks' on your body. Aren't they also an interference with this reality?"
"Wh-what?"
Elysia subconsciously clamped her thighs together and looked down at them.
She was wearing jeans; Mobius shouldn't be able to see anything.
"Heehee."
Mobius spoke seductively, "One 'Stigma' can sense another, you know."
"You have one too?"
"Hehe, what do you mean, 'me too'? You didn't think you were the only one special to Father, did you?"
"Er... no. Besides, what's with that proud look on your face, Mobius? Do you like Mr. Ye Feng that much?"
"Hah?"
Mobius, who had been perfectly relaxed just a moment ago, instantly frowned, her face twisting into an expression of disgust. "Like him? Elysia, I think you'd do well on stage as a comedian. You're quite good at telling jokes."
"Ooh~~~"
Seeing Mobius's sudden flare of temper, Elysia narrowed her eyes meaningfully but decided not to press the issue further.
"Mobius, can I ask something? The... marks on my body, what effect do they have?"
Since they had already been discovered, there was no point in hiding them anymore.
They were now "friends of a shared origin," in a manner of speaking.
Mobius smiled. "Who knows? Maybe it's an aphrodisiac, maybe it increases sensitivity, maybe it's body modification, maybe it's..."
"Mobius."
Elysia cut her off. If she let her keep talking, things that weren't real might just become so.
"Hmm?"
Mobius smiled charmingly. "Elysia, are you scared?"
Elysia looked into the snake's eyes, then her lips suddenly curved into a smile. "Mobius, the reason I came looking for you was to confirm a few things. Now that I see you're even more... cheerful than before, I can rest easy."
Mobius, who had been in a good mood, suddenly felt a wave of irritation.
"Elysia."
"Yes?"
Mobius said, "Let's have afternoon tea together there next time."
---o---
Fu Xuan woke up as well.
As usual, she awoke slumped over a desk piled high with documents.
Her pink hair slid over her fragrant shoulders as she blinked her drowsy eyes, looking around the room in a daze before her gaze finally sharpened.
"Qing~ Que~!"
The Grand Diviner shot to her feet, grinding her teeth.
Last night, in that "other world," she had been strung up and whipped by Qingque. It was only thanks to the help of a kind person that she managed to escape that nightmarish predicament.
But after a long chase, she had failed to catch that slippery little Qingque.
Shame and anger burned in Fu Xuan's eyes. She lifted the hem of her dress and stormed towards Qingque's office.
Slam— She pushed open the wooden door, only to see Qingque staring up at the "Great Matrix," stroking her chin as if she were deeply contemplating something.
Seeing this, Fu Xuan's steps couldn't help but falter.
A moment ago, she had been blinded by rage, but now that she thought about it carefully, how could she possibly hold Qingque accountable?
Setting aside the question of whether "that Qingque" was the same one standing before her...
The things "that Qingque" had done simply could not be known by the Divination Commission... no, by anyone on the Xianzhou.
Qingque turned her head. Upon seeing the Grand Diviner, she immediately put on her usual, impeccable professional smile.
"Good morning, Lady Fu Xuan. I didn't expect you to be at the Divination Commission so early. Your dedication is truly admirable."
Fu Xuan sized Qingque up and down. Seeing that she showed not a hint of fear or avoidance, Fu Xuan couldn't help but doubt herself: Was the person last night really her?
"Is something wrong, Lady Fu Xuan? You're staring at me. I haven't been slacking off, you know. I was busy all night."