Collapse, but Stand users

As the off-road vehicle drove away from Providensk, the dust kicked up by its tires coincided perfectly with the last notes wafting from the concert hall.

Ellie leaned against the car window, watching the manor's silhouette shrink in the rearview mirror, and suddenly remembered the sheet music Eden had given her—next to the final chapter of "The Traveler and the Flower," there was a line of small words written in pencil: "The wind will carry the music to catch up with you."

Toulong's hands gripped the steering wheel firmly. This dark green SUV had been specially modified by Ivan, with a raised chassis, wide tires, and the gauges on the dashboard moving smoothly with the roar of the engine.

"The boundary marker for Oasis City is just ahead."

Ellie pointed to the map, her fingertip tracing the blue area marked "Mirror Lake," and said, "Mr. Ivan said that the lake here was formed by a volcanic eruption, and the water is as blue as a gemstone!"

Qianjie was wiping the bone blade in the back seat, the light reflected from the blade flashing across the birch forest outside the window.

He snorted in response—since leaving the manor, he remained a man of few words, only taking the initiative to keep watch on his surroundings when Toulong was inspecting vehicles, like a silent but reliable snow leopard.

As the car drove past the stone archway inscribed with "Oasis City," the setting sun was turning the lake surface into molten gold.

The city is indeed as lush as its name suggests, with coconut trees and pine trees growing intertwined along the lakeside road. White resort hotels stretch along the shoreline, their glass curtain walls reflecting the shimmering water like a string of scattered crystals.

Following the address Ivan provided, Toulong parked his car in front of a seaside building—the "Mirror Lake Hotel," owned by the Reinhardt family, with floor-to-ceiling windows in the penthouse suites facing the center of the lake.

"Welcome, Mr. Gray, Mr. Snow, Miss Alice."

The front desk manager respectfully handed over the room key, the gold card engraved with the hotel's emblem. "Mr. Ivan has already made arrangements to reserve the 'Stargazing Suite' on the top floor for you, and has also arranged a guide and boat for your convenience in watching the bioluminescent fish."

The suite's luxury far exceeded expectations. The round coffee table in the center of the living room was made from a single piece of obsidian, reflecting the lake view outside the window; the bedroom ceiling was inlaid with a starry sky ceiling, which would light up a simulated Milky Way when a switch was pressed; the most thoughtful feature was the bathroom, with a huge floor-to-ceiling window facing the lake, allowing you to take in the shimmering waves while taking a bath.

Ellie stepped barefoot onto the wool carpet, then suddenly cheered and rushed to the balcony, her pink skirt sweeping across the sofa and creating a gust of wind.

"Look, Toulong! The lake water really is glowing!"

Toulong walked to the balcony and saw that the lake surface in the twilight was shimmering with a faint blue light, like a layer of broken ice.

Qianjie leaned against the railing, gazing at the distant cruise ships, her silvery-white hair being tossed about by the evening breeze.

“There are fluorescent algae underwater that glow when stimulated by moonlight,” Toulong explained.

"Is this all the Reinhardt family's property?" Ellie exclaimed, pointing to a page in the hotel's brochure. "They even have a private dock and diving equipment! Eden was right, her father is truly amazing!"

The manual details the lake's hydrological data and the activity cycle of the bioluminescent fish—a species known as the "lake ray"—that emerges from the water around the time of the full moon each month, emitting a blue-green fluorescence. This year, the best viewing period is just ten days from now.

"Let's rest for two days."

Toulong sorted and stored the supplies in the storage room. The silicon-based sensor automatically scanned the environment and marked the fire exits and emergency exits. "I'll go buy supplies tomorrow and familiarize myself with the environment."

......

Tou Long was driving an off-road vehicle, with the car radio playing upbeat folk songs.

Ellie rolled down the car window, and the lake breeze, carrying moist air and the scent of algae mixed with sunlight, rushed in, ruffling her pink hair.

"Look, Toulong! There are flower garlands for sale by the lake!"

Toulong smoothly turned the steering wheel and parked the car in the designated parking area on the side of the road.

"I'll go buy a map, you guys stay in the car."

"I want to go too!" Ellie unbuckled her seatbelt, her eyes shining like stars. "Eden said they sell seashell wind chimes in the old town, and they sound like ocean waves!"

Qianjie had already pushed open the car door and was leaning against the side of the car wiping his bone blade.

His silver-white hair gleamed coldly in the sunlight. His gaze swept over several suspicious figures at the street corner—these were the informants of the Moth Chaser, who had been seen everywhere since the Self-Disciplined Incident, always maintaining a safe distance from the crowd.

"Together." He replied succinctly to the two of them.

The old town of Oasis City is like a sponge soaked in lake water, exuding a warm and gentle atmosphere everywhere.

The bluestone path was polished to a shine by footsteps, and the low buildings on both sides were painted in bright yellow and light blue, with succulents and dried lotus pods displayed on the windowsills.

Ellie skipped ahead, her fingers brushing against the shop curtain adorned with seashells, the wind chimes tinkling and resonating with the crystal shards in her hair.

“This!” She stopped in front of a handicraft stall and pointed to a bracelet made of lake ray scales.

The scales were polished to be as thin as cicada wings, shimmering with a blue-green iridescent light in the sunlight, and their edges were inlaid with tiny silver beads.

The stall owner, a bearded man, smiled and introduced, "These are made from the scales of last year's Lake Ray. In ten days, when the new fish come up, we'll be able to harvest the new scales."

Toulong looked at the scales, his fingertips twitching slightly—the silicon-based sensor captured the faint energy fluctuations remaining on the scales, which were homologous to the fluorescent algae in Mirror Lake.

"I'll take a bunch." He pulled out the identification card and wallet Ivan had given him, the movements as natural as if he had done them a thousand times.

Qianjie stopped in front of the weapon shop next door.

The shop window displays a variety of knives, the most eye-catching of which is a hunting knife made of shark bone with a handle wrapped in dark blue rope.

The shop owner, an elderly man with white hair, noticed the young man's focused gaze and took out a knife, handing it to him: "Young man, you have good taste. This knife can easily cut through the shells of Honkai Beasts."

Qianjie took the knife, weighed it in his hand, and then put it back in the display case—he trusted his weathered bone blade more, and he trusted his own fists even more.

The three wandered through the market in the old town, and Ellie's canvas bag was soon filled with her spoils: an ocarina made of lake mud, a handkerchief printed with a glowing fish pattern, and a small bag of lake bottom pebbles that were said to "bring good luck".

Tou Long then went to a map shop to get a detailed map of the southern terrain. The shop owner, a lame old soldier, pointed to the "Red Canyon" marked on the map and said, "It's been quite unsettled there lately. I heard there's been a big guy there."

"Thanks for the reminder." Toulong folded the map and stuffed it into the side pocket of his backpack. His gaze swept over the old photos hanging on the shop wall—it was what Oasis City looked like when it was first established. There were only a few wooden houses by the lake, and fishermen were rowing rafts to haul in their nets.

The midday sun made the road surface scorching hot, so the three of them went into a lakeside restaurant.

The wooden dining table is right next to the floor-to-ceiling window, outside which is the shimmering Mirror Lake, where several white boats are slowly passing by, leaving silvery water trails.

Ellie ordered the "Lake Ray Steak". When it was served, the steak was drizzled with lime sauce and decorated with small fish carved from carrots, which complemented the scale bracelet in her hair.

“Everyone here seems to know Mr. Ivan,” Ellie mumbled, biting into a fish fillet. “The uncle who sold me the bracelet asked if I was a friend of the Reinhardt family and gave me a bag of fish food, saying I could go to the lake to feed the fish tomorrow.”

Toulong took a sip of chilled lake-brewed beer, foam clinging to the corner of his lips: "The Reinhardt family has been operating in the south for generations and has extensive connections."

He looked out the window and saw a yacht bearing the family crest slowly approaching the shore, with waiters on deck carrying supplies—clearly a convenience arranged by Ivan beforehand.

The afternoon was as languid as a cat's. Toulong leaned against a willow tree by the lake, flipping through a map and circling the silicon mines along the way with a red pen; Qianjie sat on a bench, eyes closed, resting, his bone blade resting on his lap, his fingertips unconsciously rubbing the blade; Ai Li had taken off her shoes and was playing barefoot in the shallows, her skirt splashed wet by the lake water, clinging to her calves like a layer of silver scales.

"Look, Toulong!" She suddenly ran over, holding up a seashell. The inside of the shell shimmered with a mother-of-pearl-like luster. "There's light inside!"

Toulong took the shell and turned it in the sunlight—sure enough, the inner wall was covered with a very thin layer of fluorescent algae, a trace left by the lake ray during its activity.

“These are their ‘footprints’.” He handed the seashell to Ellie and watched her run back to the mudflats with joy. Suddenly, he felt that the so-called “eternal paradise” might be hidden in such small moments.

On the evening of the third day, when the three returned to the hotel carrying the local specialties they had purchased, Toulong noticed something unusual at the front desk.

A woman in a white coat was bending over to sign a document, her long hair falling onto the paper, its bluish-green color standing out under the light.

Her fingers were slender yet had distinct knuckles, and the way she held the pen was with an almost obsessive precision, as if she were signing some kind of experimental agreement.

"Dr. Möbius, your suite is ready, still your usual south-facing room, and the laboratory equipment has been calibrated as required."

The manager's voice was cautiously respectful.

The woman looked up, her eyes behind her glasses sweeping across the doorway, where they unexpectedly met Toulong's gaze.

Those were deep, vertical pupils, like specimens preserved in formalin, calm yet with a hint of amusement.

Her gaze lingered on the dragon's half-stone right hand, the bone blade at Qianjie's waist, and the crystal shard on Ai Li's chest, a meaningful smile playing on her lips.

"It seems the lake breeze today has brought some interesting guests." Her voice was like the low strings of a cello, slow and magnetic.

Ellie instinctively hid behind Toulong, a wary glint in her purple eyes—the woman's aura made her uneasy, like the oppressive pressure before a storm.

Toulong silently shielded Ai Li behind him, his gray eyes flashing with a cold light as sharp as a knife: "We are just tourists."

"Tourists won't be carrying crystals that can purify Honkai energy, nor will they be driving off-road vehicles that are not registered but have excellent performance."

Möbius slowly closed the folder, the words "Fire Moth Biological Laboratory" flashing across the cover. "And there certainly won't be two highly skilled 'guards,' will there?"

Qianjie's hand quietly rested on the hilt of the bone blade, a hidden current surging beneath his silver eyelashes.

Toulong raised his hand to signal him to calm down, and looked directly at Möbius: "The people who chase the fire moth also like to come to the lake for vacation?"

"I'm more interested in 'variables' than vacations."

Mebius walked up to Ellie, his fingertips almost touching the crystal on her chest, but was brushed away by Toru.

Instead of being annoyed, she laughed even harder, "For example, the pink energy that can resonate with the core of the Herrscher, the two 'outliers' who refused invitations from wealthy families, and... the soon-to-appear Lake Ray."

Suddenly, Ellie gripped Toulong's sleeve tightly, a flash of realization crossing her purple eyes: "You've been to the ruins too?"

"Hehe, yes, thank you for taking care of the Firemoth. We suffered a lot after that."

"The lab suffered significant losses, which led to a substantial reduction in investment... After that, the entire organization suspended its tracking of you."

"Luckily, we're quite destined to meet, aren't we? We even bumped into each other while on vacation."

Mebius gave Toulong a deep look, then turned and walked toward the elevator: "Until we meet again."

......

Dinner on the terrace was as sumptuous as ever. Ivan's private chef prepared a platter of lake delicacies. The steamed manta ray was tender and juicy, with the fluorescent glow on its skin faintly visible on the plate. The dessert was chocolate made from lake mud, shaped to resemble the manta ray. When you bite into it, "fluorescent juice" made from blueberry jam will flow out.

Ellie ate with great relish, her lips smeared with sauce, looking like a little kitten stealing food.

“Mebius is the lead researcher for the Fire Moth,” Toulong suddenly said, handing a piece of fish to Ellie.

Qianjie paused in wiping his knife and fork: "Should we avoid it?"

“No need.” Toulong gazed at the lake, the moonlight turning the ripples into a silvery veil. “She has no hostility; she’s just here for a vacation.”

"She's a smart woman; she probably knows what the consequences of investigating me would be."

Suddenly, Ellie pointed to the cruise ship in the distance: "They're setting off fireworks over there! Eden said they also set off fireworks at the end of the concert, to symbolize a new beginning!"

The three looked in the direction she pointed and saw, sure enough, dazzling fireworks blooming in the night sky. The blue and green lights were reflected on the lake surface, echoing the fluorescent algae at the bottom of the water, like a grand farewell ceremony.

As night deepened, Ellie was fast asleep under the starry sky, her breathing even.

Toulong stood on the terrace, watching the lights come on in the room where Mebius was, and the shadow of a man working at his desk was cast on the green curtains.

Qianjie walked up to him and handed him a bottle of vodka: "Need to keep an eye on him?"

"No need." Toulong tilted his head back and drank the wine in one gulp, the spiciness burning his throat. "You really like this stuff, huh? You always carry a bottle with you."

Qianjie didn't speak, but the fluorescent light on the lake suddenly brightened, as if in response to his words.

Looking at the shimmering water, Toulong suddenly felt that every stop and departure on this journey was like the leap of a manta ray – a brief flash of light, but only to make it more determined to dive into the deep sea.

Suddenly, a boat on the distant lake capsized. Tou Long realized that someone had been spying on him.

No, I was probably just incidental; my real purpose was probably Dr. Möbius next door.

"You're just unlucky. Who told you to look around like that?"

As he spoke, Toulong took out the phone Ivan had given him and played the audio recording of "The Traveler and the Flower" that Eden had recorded separately.