Chapter 208: It Was a Dream

"Oh? Is that so?"

Chang Ye Yue rested her chin on one hand, looking at her at leisure, "It seems Miss Du Ya has a very deep Cognition of the value of historical relics."

"Um... this, is it real? I mean, the Task objective..."

Du Ya asked cautiously, still clinging to a sliver of hope that "this is definitely a joke."

Chang Ye Yue looked at her nervous demeanor, then let out a light Pfft laugh, shook her head: "Just a joke. Not Kalian."

Du Ya: "…"

She felt the breath she had choked on just now block back into her chest, neither up nor down.

She looked at Chang Ye Yue's smiling face and, for the first time, felt an urge to press the pretty girl's head into a CoffeeCup.

(Play, play, joke?! You call that a joke?! Almost gave me a heart attack plus a failed teammate‑murder joke?!)

Du Ya's mouth twitched uncontrollably several times, ending in a long sigh of "I surrender."

"Alas..."

She leaned heavily back into the chair, raised her hand and wiped her face forcefully, feeling exhausted in body and mind.

Fine, whatever.

Whether Chang Ye Yue knows her secret or not, it no longer matters whether she goes to unleash Ni Zhang or to Mars to fight aliens...

She, Natasha Xiora, World Snake mercenary, ultimate time‑traveler, now chooses to slack off.

Do whatever you like.

Having fully appreciated Du Ya's shift from shock to Honkai to numbness, Chang Ye Yue finally restrained her joking tone and, in a slightly more serious voice, said: "The real destination is Siberia. We need to handle something there."

Her words still carried the riddler's style, but at least they sounded a bit more normal than "stealing Kalian's body."

Siberia? Du Ya felt a stir in her heart.

That place that holds special significance in Honkai history...

But now she was too lazy to investigate further.

She merely nodded weakly, "Alright, Siberia it is. When do we depart? What needs to be prepared?"

Meanwhile, A Xing finally cleaned the coffee stain off his face.

She rolled the used tissue into a ball, tossed it precisely into the trash can a few steps away, then sat up straight, regaining a Calm, unruffled demeanor, as if the one who'd just been splashed with coffee wasn't her.

Only, the bucket of Bubble Noodles in front of her showed no sign of being opened yet.

Past World Paradise, a secluded corner.

Xi Lian leaned against the cold wall, squeezing herself as much as possible into the dead corner formed by shadows and pillars.

She held her breath, her azure eyes widened from tension, fixed on the sole entrance of the corridor, even her ears perked slightly from concentration.

Her heart hammered "dong dong" wildly in her chest, the sound so loud she wondered if the entire Letu could hear it.

(Don't come... Don't come...)

She prayed silently in her heart, her slender fingers tightly covering her mouth, fearing any breath might escape.

Just now she had used the excuse "I want to see Letu's scenery alone," and barely slipped away from AiLi Xi Ya's suffocatingly enthusiastic hug and "hands‑on" advances, like a startled fawn, fleeing in panic to this spot she deemed sufficiently hidden.

Light, rhythmic footsteps, as if dancing to a pleasant beat, echoed from afar to near in the empty corridor, accompanied by a sweet, heart‑fluttering voice that now made Xi Lian's hair stand on end:

"Xi Lian~ little Xi Lian~? Where are you?"

"Why are you hiding from AiLi? Are you shy? It's okay, AiLi just wants to get to know you a bit more~?"

"Come out, okay? Let's go to the hall to find Yidian for tea, or go find Ge Lei Xiu to draw? If you stay hidden, AiLi will be sad~?"

The voice was gentle, lilting, full of concern, yet to Xi Lian's ears it was scarier than the strangest whisper in Weng Fa Luo Si.

Especially recalling just now on the sofa, AiLi Xi Ya's "accidental" hand sliding under her chest, and the breath and whisper, sweet‑scented, pressed against the top of her head...

Xi Lian's cheeks began to flush again, but more from lingering fear.

(More excessive than Heimu Lady... Heimu Lady's gaze can be scary at times, but at least she wouldn't do this... this...)

Footsteps and the calling voice lingered at the corridor entrance for a while, seeming puzzled, then gradually receded, heading in another direction.

Xi Lian's tense nerves relaxed a fraction, her hand covering her mouth lowered, and she cautiously exhaled.

That was close... almost got found.

It seems AiLi Xi Ya hasn't discovered this spot yet.

She leaned against the wall, slowly slid down to sit, hugging her knees, burying her face in her arms, trying to calm her racing heartbeat and flushed cheeks.

Letu's silence enveloped her, only a faint distant sound, perhaps from some heroic activity, reaching her.

This should be safe, right?

AiLi Xi Ya went to the other side, and won't be back for a while...

At that very Shana of her most relaxed state—

"Yo~! Found you! My dear little Xi Lian!"

A stunning face, with a flower‑like smile and flowing pink hair, suddenly, without warning, lunged from beyond the dead corner where she hid!

The distance was so close Xi Lian could clearly see her own reflection in the other's pink eyes, along with the joy of "hide‑and‑seek victory" and unabashed "interest."

"Yaa—!!!"

Xi Lian's blood seemed to freeze instantly, then explode outward!

The extreme fright made her emit a short scream, her body springing up like a coil, her back slamming "bang" into the wall without noticing, eyes wide, staring in terror at the suddenly appearing AiLi Xi Ya.

AiLi Xi Ya seemed quite pleased with her reaction, her smile growing brighter, reaching out as if to "scoop" her from the corner: "Why hide here? Makes it easy for AiLi to find~ Now that we've found you, let's..."

"No, don't!!!"

"Hoo—!!!"

Xi Lian jolted upright from the bed, her chest heaving, gasping heavily, her forehead slick with fine cold sweat, her azure eyes still holding lingering terror.

She stared blankly for a while, then looked around in confusion.

This is a small and cozy room.

The décor is simple, yet very comfortable.

A soft bed, bedding that emits a fresh scent, a small desk, and a chair.

This is the temporary residence that Eden Miss arranged for her, saying it would give her a place to rest peacefully.

She lowered her head and looked at herself.

Her clothes were neatly worn—a plain, comfortable dress prepared by Eden Miss, with no mess at all.

She held nothing in her hands, and there was no pink figure by her side.

(It was a dream…?)