Starting from the Collapse World, I became the behind-the-scenes boss

Durandal thought for a moment and then said, "As for Kiana, I haven't received any bad news when I entered Paradise."

"That's good."

Hearing this, Mei breathed a sigh of relief, but her expression turned cold again the next second.

“Otto, [Walter White]... As expected, those two are birds of a feather.”

These guys are always talking about destroying the world. Do they have any respect for the world at all?

Although, in terms of the outcome, Kevin didn't fare much better.

Durandal's lips parted unconsciously at Mei's undisguised disdain, but she ultimately couldn't utter a word in defense of [Walter White].

After all, in terms of outward appearance, Otto's plan does have many similarities with [Walter White], only the two differ greatly in their time scale.

Moreover, even she secretly considered Walter White as someone who had to be defeated.

On the other hand, she also harbored a certain expectation for the man who always loomed over everyone in this world like a demon king, hoping that he could become the power for humanity to defeat the Honkai.

So for a moment, the atmosphere between the two girls became awkward.

"Mei, Durandal!"

What a coincidence! Are you here to visit the night market too?

A surprised voice suddenly rang out, drawing their attention back to this illusory reality.

"Alicia?"

Upon seeing the pink fairy approaching, Mei raised an eyebrow. "It's quite rare that you would appear with more than two heroes at the same time."

As she spoke, Mei's gaze swept over the wise blonde nun next to Alicia and a certain equally generous and dazzling star. Surprised, she subconsciously straightened her chest and raised her head, revealing a stubborn refusal to admit defeat on her face.

"In that case, it seems we rarely see you appearing with so many heroes."

Upon hearing Mei's words, Durandal nodded thoughtfully.

Moreover, when appearing with other heroes, Alicia usually shows that they have a good relationship.

"Perhaps it's because the triangular structure is very unstable."

Looking at the two girls in front of her, whose faces still showed some stiffness, Alicia blinked and said, a hint of teasing in her eyes.

Mei: "Hmm?"

She sensed that the other person was implying something.

"But mathematically speaking, isn't the triangle the most structurally stable graphic symbol?"

The golden, goofy goose asked with utter candor, "Hehe~"

Alicia simply chuckled softly, offering no further explanation. "Aili~"

Eden glanced at his friends with a hint of helplessness and sighed as he continued, "I'm sorry, Miss Mei, Miss Durandal, Ellie was just trying to joke with you both."

"No need to be so polite, Eden."

Having known this girl for so long, I've gotten somewhat used to her way of speaking.

Mei shook her head.

Although she could vaguely sense that Alicia was making her guess again, she wasn't about to get angry over something like that.

"That's right, Eden. I told you Mei wouldn't hold a grudge over something like this."

Alicia chimed in with a beaming smile. Mei:

She suddenly felt like arguing.

Forcing herself to look away from the pink fairy, Mei looked at Eden and the other two with a hint of surprise: "You guys... are you really shopping?"

Well, at this moment, not only was Alicia holding a large bucket of fried snacks, but Eden was also holding a drink that looked like milk tea.

Even Aponia, who is known for her ascetic lifestyle, never refuses to be fed by the fairy next to her.

"What's wrong with that?"

Eden asked, puzzled, his slow tone revealing a natural air of composure.

"It's nothing, I just find it unusual."

Mei shook her head gently, a hint of surprise still lingering in her eyes. "I thought you would prefer to sit in the garden and have afternoon tea."

Leaving aside the fact that Alicia's personality is difficult to fathom, but given Eden's...

Before seeing it with her own eyes, she really couldn't imagine that the other person would actually go to a night market.

"Mei, stereotypes aren't true~"

Upon hearing this, Alicia immediately raised a finger and shook it in rebuttal, "Even Eden is essentially a cute girl, so it's understandable that she likes to go shopping with her friends."

Upon hearing this, Mei couldn't help but glance at the pink fairy.

Are you sure the friend you're referring to isn't just yourself?

“A friend once told me that the significance of the Pure Land of the Past lies in the fact that it preserves a segment of the past and at the same time gives you and us a new possibility.”

Eden added with a smile.

“That’s quite a novel way of putting it,” Mei nodded.

"So, Mei, do you want to come along? There are lots of delicious and fun things to do on this street, things I carefully selected from my memories!"

Seeing that Mei's attitude had softened, Alicia immediately smiled and extended an invitation.

"Hmm..."

Looking at the fairy's radiant smile, Mei couldn't help but wonder if there was some kind of trickery or trap hidden within.

"Um, I suddenly remembered I have something to do..."

Not used to such a relaxed and enjoyable atmosphere, Durandal instinctively wanted to resist.

"Okay! It's decided then. We'll keep walking around here until we're tired."

Without giving the two a chance to refuse, Alicia stuffed a bunch of snacks into each of their hands without hesitation.

Mei couldn't help but raise an eyebrow slightly as she watched the fairy lady once again make decisions for others on her own.

But faced with the gentle gazes of Eden and Aponia beside her, Mei ultimately did not turn away.

"Eden, in this present paradise of the afterlife, are there any visitors other than myself and Durandal?"

Mei glanced at the pink fairy picking and choosing at the stalls on the street and quietly approached Eden to ask a question, while the image of the boy she had seen at the market not long ago flashed through her mind.

"No, I don't think so?"

Upon hearing this, Eden's delicate body tensed up slightly. "Ugh..."

As if sensing Eden's current emotions, Mei's brows furrowed as she looked at the red-haired hero.

"In most cases, the heroes' control over the paradise was not absolute."

"So, Mei, did you find something in Paradise?" At the crucial moment, Aponia came to the rescue.

"No, I must have seen it wrong."

Looking at the eternal compassion on the nun's face, Mei spoke calmly.

Although she was still somewhat concerned about that figure, she believed that if the other party was indeed a boy, he would have absolutely no reason to run away from her.

"..."

Seeing Mei give up so easily, a hint of surprise and... deep doubt flashed in Aponia's eyes.

Convinced of the boy's skillful disguise, she did not believe Mei had the ability to see through it all.

On the other hand, if Mei obtained some spiders from other heroes...

There were no clues; the other party should be confronting Alicia or the boy right now. So, how did they find out about this?

As she pondered, a sense of unease inexplicably arose in Aponia's heart, as if an unseen shadow was approaching the paradise of the afterlife.

"Mei, Durandal, if you've discovered anything strange lately, please don't hide it from me."

A serious expression appeared on Aponia's face as she spoke earnestly, "Hmm?"

Durandal, who was struggling with a fried chicken leg, suddenly cast a questioning look at the nun.

"The ones who are really hiding something are you, aren't you?" Mei didn't seem to appreciate the nun's reminder.

The fact that the other party could draw such a conclusion from her words so quickly meant that they undoubtedly knew something.

If these so-called heroes could be more honest, she wouldn't have spent so much time here.

“I don’t deny that, Mei.”

But I also hope you believe that all of this is meaningful.

Aponia shook her head, her face still bearing a compassionate expression.

"Then I also hope you understand that I don't need any meaning assigned to me by others."

Mei retorted without backing down.

For a moment, Aponia and Mei locked eyes, a sharp clash... well, only Mei's gaze was sharp; the nun's eyes remained as soft as a slime's.

"Okay, don't be angry, Mei."

Alicia placed a small cake into the girl's hand and smiled, offering words of encouragement.

"I assure you, absolutely no one here is deliberately hiding this from you."

On this journey where the destination is already determined, I hope you can enjoy the process more, rather than being bound by the result too early.

These street scenes, lights, people... I hope that when you talk about the pre-civilization in the future, you won't only think of those seemingly unbelievable technologies, or one tragedy after another caused by the Honkai.

On the contrary, these things, so ordinary that they might be insignificant in your time, were once highly valued in another era.

"Alicia..."

Once again feeling the sincerity in the fairy's words, Mei couldn't help but be moved.

"So, trust me one more time, Mei. When you are truly ready to transcend this era and move towards your own tomorrow, I will tell you everything."

With a smile, Alicia's eyes narrowed slightly, revealing a dazzling beauty like flying flowers.

Faced with the fairy-like lady in such a state, I was originally planning to ask her some more questions.

Mei had no choice but to give up and focus her attention on the scene before her.

I think...

On the other side, Durandal was about to express her opinion, but then she looked at the oversized sausage that had been stuffed into her hand. After a moment of hesitation, the Valkyrie chose to fight the food.

Although these foods retrieved from memory do not provide sustenance, their flavors are truly unique.

Should we try to recreate it sometime, so that [Walter White] can also taste the flavors of a previous civilization?

As she savored the complex aromas unfolding in her mouth, a thought popped into the girl's mind.

Eternal Paradise, a secluded pavilion bathed in moonlight.

"...Boss Kevin, what do you think of this plan?"

Looking at the white-haired youth sitting opposite him, Shihen, still in his Naraku form, smiled and asked.

"..."

Kevin stared intently at the Naraku-esque boy before him, a thoughtful look in his eyes. After a long pause, he finally spoke, "Besides me, is Alicia the only one who knows about this plan?"

"If too many people know the truth, the person being manipulated will eventually notice something is wrong, right? Your N+1 generation granddaughter may be negligible, but Mei is still very perceptive."

Shihen shrugged, somewhat helplessly.

Someone like Daiwo'e can trick someone into playing a shooting game for three days and three nights.

But if it were Mei, the other party would probably just draw their sword.

“They have the right to know,” Kevin said, shaking his head.

"..."

Startled by his words, Shihen burst into laughter: "Brother Kevin, compared to you in the real world, you in Paradise are really a bit too gentle."

If it were Kevin in the real world, he would never hesitate to use his comrades as pawns, as long as he was certain that the outcome would be good.

After all, the other party didn't even value his own life. "I am not him, so such a comparison is meaningless," Kevin said calmly.