"Eden, you are the most brilliant 'gemstone' in this world."
These words held no falsehood, only pure sincerity. It was precisely this that caused Eden to fall into a daze.
As a renowned singer and artist, she was accustomed to all sorts of praise. Thus, mere compliments, especially pretty words like these that might even seem somewhat 'corny,' would normally elicit only a polite smile and a courteous 'thank you.'
However, while Eden could fend off those who praised her with various ulterior motives, she had little resistance to 'sincerity.'
Gently swirling the expensive wine glass, the half-finished liquid within seemed to mirror the rippling emotions in her heart. She took a light sip of the sweet liquor.
"Qiao... Saying such things, I could easily misunderstand, you know." Her somewhat helpless tone couldn't conceal her joy.
The incredibly mature Eden wouldn't interpret this as a 'confession'—because she knew Jiang Qiao said such things simply because, at that moment, he wanted to say them, because that was how he truly felt.
"How could that be? Eden has always understood my heart, haven't you?"
Eden certainly understood. And precisely because of this, she liked him so much.
But... she should be able to understand, shouldn't she? She should be happy about this, shouldn't she...?
Normally, her style dictated such a response. Yet, for some reason, a thread of 'bitterness' arose in her chest. And seeing his completely uninhibited manner also made her feel somewhat strange.
Though it was just a tiny flame, the moment she noticed it, Eden tried to extinguish this aberrant spark with the sweet wine flowing down her throat.
However, just as alcohol cannot douse flames but instead acts as fuel... this subtle feeling seemed to follow suit.
"Of course..." Her lazy, heavenly voice held a hint of inexplicable emotion as she agreed with the man before her, then drank deeply of the exotic wine from the mahogany glass.
Mondstadt's wine had a long, sweet aftertaste; Fontaine's wine was incredibly pure; and those from the Honkai: Star Rail universe each had their unique flavors.
Immersed in the tasting, but seeing her flushed cheeks, Jiang Qiao felt something was clearly amiss. He subtly nudged, reminding her in a careful tone, "Eden... perhaps we should stop here? You seem a little... drunk..."
"How could that be, Qiao?" The singer, radiant as gold, clearly disagreed. She maintained her usual demeanor, though her lazy words were tinged with intoxication. This confirmed Jiang Qiao's suspicion: Eden was definitely drunk. And quite drunk at that.
Unlike her usual self-controlled sipping, where the body might be tipsy but the mind remained clear, Eden now seemed... drunk in both body and mind.
This was distinctly out of character for her.
After all, Jiang Qiao knew Eden generally disapproved of alcohol—her fondness for wine wasn't about using alcohol to numb herself, but purely about savoring the sweet nuances it offered.
Therefore, Eden rarely got truly drunk. Even when she appeared heavily intoxicated, she was usually quite sober underneath.
"While I understand you want to sample wines from other worlds, excessive drinking isn't advisable."
"..."
"Then, play a piece for me~ Just like before. I miss it somewhat..." The tipsy Eden sounded like a willful child... hmm, or perhaps more like a willful adult?
Jiang Qiao, of course, had no objections. In fact, remembering something, he smiled. "Certainly~ In that regard, I've actually gained new insights and made progress."
A lightly raised index finger, like tapping the water's surface, created ripples. Then, a piece of music began. A piece that drew Eden deep into its intoxicating melody.
This was no longer the 'art' Jiang Qiao had absorbed from ER Elysia and Eden's fifty thousand years of companionship, played during their previous time together. It was something new.
A symphony of Harmony.
After [Xipe] lent the power of Harmony to Jiang Qiao, he had simultaneously stepped onto the Path of Harmony. The essence of music, and indeed art, lay in shared understanding, a consensus on something—which was precisely 'Harmony.'
Possessing the power of Harmony, purely in the artistic realm cherished by Eden, Jiang Qiao, having harmoniously integrated his previous gains, had now surpassed Eden as a singer and artist.
"Indeed... quite a significant gain." Immersed in this melody connecting heart to heart, Eden's tipsy, beautiful eyes showed surprise and a trance-like state. She sighed with appreciation—Mr. Jiang, however, completely missed the hidden relief beneath it.
Towards Jiang Qiao, the golden singer clearly held complex feelings.
Initially, she thought she had met the best confidant of her life—though not romantically inclined towards women, and with normal sexual orientation, she hadn't intended for the relationship to deepen further.
After all, a confidant, a good friend, from a certain perspective, already transcended the connections of conventional intimate relationships.
However, Eden never expected that this confidant of hers wasn't the same-sex friend she perceived... but a man.
While not necessarily bad news for her—the golden singer's affections were never bound by gender—it did undeniably make her feel somewhat strange. After all, there were differences between women and men, weren't there?
Of course, in a sense... this change might even be for the better. Eden hadn't thought much about it before. Until meeting the genuine Elysia. With Eden's insight, how could she not see the latter's feelings for someone, and the subtle relationship between the two?
From initial complexity, to the rapidly growing closeness with Elysia—though the initial complexity remained—Eden, now considering Elysia a good friend, a best sister, made the correct choice. Let those subtle feelings remain in the past. Even without taking things further, they were still confidants.
Since that was the case, developing strange feelings for someone would clearly be 'impolite' towards Elysia.
But... though that was the original intention... upon meeting someone again and sharing this drink, the suppressed feeling, initially just a small spark, reignited with the pouring of alcohol.
Especially his manner, completely disregarding certain differences because they were confidants... While Eden agreed, even felt it was fine, happy that their friendship hadn't changed due to certain transformations... as a woman, she found it somewhat difficult to handle the resulting impulses.
She wanted to numb herself with alcohol, immerse herself in the beautiful music. Perhaps that way, this drinking session, which was originally incredibly happy—so happy she needed to suppress her feelings—could end correctly.
But...
"Do you want another drink?" Sensing her gaze, the helpless voice sounded beside her ear. As agreed, the music ended after one piece, didn't it?
The hand holding the expensive wine glass paused slightly. The singer, radiant as gold, seemed lost in thought, but her hazy, tipsy eyes remained fixed on the not-too-distant Jiang Qiao.
"Then, let me have just one more~ Just one..."
"I still want to taste this last fine wine I've never savored before~" Her lazy words held a hint of willfulness, making it hard for anyone who knew her to imagine this was the Eden. It was like she was acting spoiled...
"Alright then..." Though he said that, the glasses seemed empty. Jiang Qiao looked at the pile of empty bottles, shaking his head with both amusement and helplessness. "Eden, you really do love wine."
He wanted to pour Eden one last glass, but glancing at the dazzling array of bottles, he paused. Haven't all these wines been drunk already?
For tasting purposes, Eden seemed to have sampled every one of these 'delicacies' from other worlds, leaving none untouched. So, which bottle was the fine wine Eden spoke of, the one she had never savored?
He pondered. The approaching figure, however, answered with action. It was... this bottle of 'fine wine'~
A faint fragrance of wine mingled with an orchid-like scent wafted into his nostrils. Tipsy, golden eyes, brilliant as ever, narrowed slightly, yet held a 'predatory' glint entirely different from usual.
Undoubtedly... Mr. Jiang was suddenly ambushed by the famous idol. It couldn't be helped, could it? In someone's words, the most brilliant gemstone was 'Eden.'
Then, correspondingly, as she gifted this best gemstone, wanting to savor the most intoxicating 'fine wine,' should be fine too, right?
Everything, under the influence of alcohol, seemed to head in a subtle and unpredictable direction.
---||---
Meanwhile, Ms. Elysia was currently fuming in MEI's laboratory. She wore a completely different work outfit, but the unchanging, thunderous bosom remained; even the loose lab coat couldn't seem to conceal its magnificence.
Seeing the former's expression, MEI asked, puzzled and amused, "What's wrong? Who provoked our Car Killer? This look isn't common for you."
Hearing the nickname, Ms. Pink Fatty's expression soured further. Because she had destroyed too many Honkai Beasts - Chariot Type, and always encountered gangs of them, somehow... this strange nickname stuck within the troops.
Damn it... Such a weird name doesn't suit a beautiful girl at all!
"Honestly, I originally wanted to go drinking with Eden," she complained dissatisfiedly, selectively erasing Mr. Jiang's existence. Don't ask, the answer is: unhappy! Don't want to mention that bad guy!
Ms. Elysia pouted, feeling inexplicably irritable. But still adhering to the principle of putting work first, she inquired, "Did something happen, MEI?"
With the implementation of Avalon technology and the True Self Armor, the large-scale Honkai Eruptions occurring worldwide in the Previous Era had been contained to a small scale.
At least, it was no longer the case that headquarters needed to send personnel for support for every major incident.
And top combatants like Elysia should have relatively free movement unless absolutely necessary. For MEI to specifically summon her like this, it definitely wasn't a small matter.
"It's Europe. Something very bad seems to have happened there."
"...Europe? Aren't Vita and Kiana... cough cough, Su and Kevin there?" Hearing 'Europe,' Elysia felt strange, then her expression turned peculiar when mentioning the two names.
Needless to say, after the previous European incident concluded, Su, as SPACY's successor, became a member of the Fire Moth. Kevin did too. Faced with MEI's choice, he... hmm, nowadays usually referred to as 'she,' the latter naturally joined the Fire Moth without hesitation.
After all, Vita... good brother Su was fighting in such a dangerous situation, how could she, as a good sis... good brother, desert him?
Even after drinking the strange potion, Kevin's innate talent didn't disappear with the physiological change. In fact, in some ways, Kevin's talent might even be more exaggerated than before.
One week after joining the Fire Moth, she had already achieved the best results, successfully crowning Elysia with the title of perennial runner-up.
Furthermore, in terms of compatibility with the True Self Crystal, she and her good brother Su were unmatched throughout the Fire Moth.
If the True Self Crystal hadn't originated from Elysia herself, the latter might have been completely overshadowed.
Of course, regarding the title of Fire Moth's number one, Kevin had effectively already obtained it. Because Mobius, having acquired the Herrscher of Death authority, had completely perfected the MANTIS technology.
Not only did she make the technology stronger than before, but she even reduced the mortality rate to 0%.
Now, Kevin had become Mobius's undisputed, most perfect 'masterpiece.'
However, what was rather strange was that, even though theoretically, with Mobius's current level, resolving the issues of the 'Vita' and 'Kiana' victims should be simple, those two seemed unchanged. If anything, their choices regarding time seemed to have become more 'flexible.'
"That's precisely the issue I need to discuss."
"Headquarters seems to have completely lost contact with Europe... No, more accurately, not just Europe, but communication with other regions has also been interrupted." MEI spoke gravely. Under Elysia's stunned gaze, the global map inside MEI's laboratory glowed an alarming, solid red.