NOVEL NEXT Chapter 328: Don't Underestimate My Intel
"This world's monsters are quite diverse." After punting a skeleton warrior from some other dimension into a pile of loose bones, Raiden Mei stared thoughtfully at the remains.
"Skeletons, zombies, slimes… things you'd only see in isekai novels. I never thought I'd see so many in less than a month."
"They're not native to this world. Probably drifted over from other dimensions, like that Deadman we took out the other day. You see these monsters as fantasy creatures, but to the people of this world, Deadman are probably incomprehensible anomalies appearing in reality."
Lihua picked up two bones and clacked them together. If we follow isekai logic, shouldn't these dropped materials be craftable into items? Earth was currently researching all sorts of supernatural phenomena; maybe someday they'd actually develop enchanting or alchemy…
"But the appearance of fantasy isn't always a good thing."
Mei sighed, agreeing with Lihua. She was once an ordinary heiress, oblivious to the world's truths. Fantasy creatures and supernatural powers were just stories. But things had changed so quickly.
In the blink of an eye, she'd gone from ordinary girl to someone capable of being a final boss in one of those stories.
Sometimes, she wondered what life would have been like if she were just a normal girl, without the Honkai… But there were no ifs.
Though, if that were the case, she wouldn't have met Kiana.
Kiana… How is she doing now?
Mei looked wistfully at the sky. Was her world hidden beyond that azure expanse?
Life here was, honestly, much better than back home. No Honkai hanging over civilization like a sword of Damocles, no scheming Schicksal higher-ups, no Previous Era survivors plotting world domination…
This world's government treated her with utmost respect. All she had to do was participate in experiments when she felt like it and eliminate otherworldly monsters. Minor nuisances that were a threat to normal humans with conventional weapons, but nothing to a Herrscher like her.
Reports mentioned two powerful non-human entities appearing on this Earth recently, but the stronger one seemed benevolent, a protective force, not something Mei needed to worry about.
But humans were emotional creatures. Herrschers—at least Current Era Herrschers—were no different. Even with a better life, this Earth lacked familiar faces.
Kiana, Bronya, Fu Hua, Himeko, Theresa… where are they now? What are they doing? Are they in danger?
And will I ever see them again?
Whenever these thoughts surfaced, a deep sadness washed over Mei. It was different from her time in the Elysian Realm. Back then, though separated, she knew it was temporary, a quest for power, and she would eventually reunite with them.
Now, stranded in another world, she had no idea how to go home.
If death meant being completely cut off from loved ones, then how was her current state any different?
In that sense, Lihua had it better. At least she had Lee, Elysia, and the others to interact with, to see whenever she wanted—
"Mei, are you homesick?"
A concerned voice broke through Mei's thoughts. She turned to see the gentle face of the white-haired girl.
The moonlight-colored braids and azure eyes momentarily reminded her of someone else.
But Mei was still grounded in reality, unlike some people, and quickly recognized who she was talking to.
This wasn't Kiana, just her ancestor…
Looking at Lihua's worried expression, as if she were a concerned parent, Mei shook her head stiffly. "No, just thinking about some things."
Even Mei wouldn't confess her vulnerabilities to someone she wasn't close to…
"No need to hide it from me. You're thinking about Kiana and the others, right? Don't underestimate my intel network~" Lihua winked, patting her chest. "It's okay, I'm your elder. You can tell me anything."
"What intel network…? Isn't it all from the game?" Mei shook her head. "And you don't seem that much older than me. What elder?"
"If you insist on calculating it, I'm 500 years old, you know?"
"Normally, people don't count the time after they die towards their age."
"No worries, we can start a new trend~" Lihua grinned. "That way, we'll be trailblazers in a sense."
"You're really optimistic..." Mei, whose heart had been heavy, couldn't help but chuckle at Lihua's antics. Her airheadedness sometimes reminds me of Kiana… She knew Lihua was trying to comfort her, but how could she refuse such gentle kindness?
Such a kind person… Mei was starting to understand why those three lunatics at Schicksal revered this saint so much, resorting to any means to revive her.
If Kiana had died protecting her, perhaps she, Raiden Mei, would have become just as crazy…
"Lihua, do you miss home?" Mei finally asked, but the answer surprised her.
"No, I don't." Lihua didn't try to comfort Mei with platitudes about missing home but overcoming it. She gave a straightforward, unexpected answer. "Because I never really had a home to begin with."
"If you ask if I miss my friends, then yes, sometimes I do think about them… But when I really think about it, I never had a home. I had a house, though."