In a secluded park, Eden and Li Mu sat on a bench under the shade of a tree.
“To be frank, Eden, I need money.
A lot of money.” Hearing Li Mu’s words, Eden casually produced a gold card and handed it to him.
“Take it and use it.
If it’s not enough, just contact me.” Looking at Eden’s smiling face, her eyes filled with undisguised affection, Li Mu chuckled.
“I may be a kidnapper, but I’m a kidnapper with principles.” After saving Eden, and with such a huge favor owed to him, Li Mu was confident that someone of Eden’s character would not be stingy with her repayment.
However, since he had a valuable bargaining chip, he still preferred to make a proper trade.
After all, a favor from Eden was far more useful than mere money.
It would be too much of a loss to cash in the debt from saving her life for something as simple as cash.
“So, I will exchange something with you.” Li Mu took out his communication terminal, added Eden as a contact, and then sent some files to her.
“This is…” Eden’s fingers scrolled through the screen, looking at what Li Mu had sent.
“Some kind of artistic works?” At first, Eden didn’t pay much mind to the items Li Mu was offering for trade.
But soon, she realized something was different.
Her expression first turned to surprise, then her brows furrowed in thought, and gradually, she became perplexed.
But in the end, she was completely captivated by the content, becoming utterly engrossed.
Her fingers flew across the screen.
At times she would hum softly, at others she would look sorrowful, and then joyful…
Li Mu wasn’t surprised by Eden’s reaction.
What he had sent her were various artistic works extracted from the memories of his past life, compiled and sent to her.
Time trickled by.
Li Mu didn’t interrupt, simply watching from the side as the sun climbed high into the sky and began its descent.
Finally, Eden came back to her senses.
“My apologies, I was too absorbed.
I mean to say, this is incredible.” Eden’s face was a mask of disbelief.
“I never imagined that musical expression could have such a style.
The plays, the paintings, the films…
all of this feels both familiar and alien at the same time, as if…” As she spoke, Eden fell into deep thought, struggling to find the right words to describe her feelings.
Finally, she landed on a description that wasn’t quite perfect.
“It’s as if it comes from another world, an artistic system that is similar to ours, yet completely different.” Li Mu smiled and asked her, “So, my dear Eden, what do you think?” Eden’s cheeks were flushed, her expression intensely excited.
“It’s wonderful.
An artistic system different from the one I know, yet it shares the same fundamental appreciation for beauty.” “It has given me a great deal of inspiration.
Right now, I feel filled with creativity, and my desire for expression has never been this strong.
Perhaps I can try to break through my own bottleneck.” Li Mu wasn’t surprised in the slightest.
For someone like Eden, who lived and breathed for art, an entire artistic system from another human civilization—even a very small part of it—was immeasurably precious.
She could likely use it as a catalyst to make new connections and discover directions she had never considered before.
But Li Mu was different.
As a worldly person, he cared more about how much money these things were worth than their artistic value.
The value of an item is different in the eyes of different people.
Just as a bottle of water has a completely different price for people in a flooded region versus those dying of thirst in a desert.
These plays, music, stories, sculptures, paintings…
these memories from his past life held little intrinsic value for Li Mu, but for Eden, it was a completely different story.
“So, my dear Eden, what do you think these things are worth?” Eden didn’t even hesitate before answering Li Mu’s question.
“To me, they are priceless.” “Then let’s use these to make a deal, Eden.” Eden smiled a little helplessly.
“Of course, if you are willing.” “However, ‘Elysia,’ I still have a question,” Eden said, her gaze sincere, her gentle tone filled with curiosity.
Li Mu had a good idea of what she wanted to ask.
“Please ask, my dear Eden.
For you, I will hold nothing back.” But I make no guarantees about the truth, Li Mu added silently in his heart.
“So, who are you, really?
And what is your relationship with the Elysia I know?” There it is.
I knew it would be this question.
Li Mu looked at Eden in silence, his pair of crimson-brown eyes seemingly filled with sorrow.
“I am not Elysia.” “The past no longer holds any meaning for me.
Just call me Faded Elf.” The grief on Li Mu’s face registered in Eden’s heart, stirring ripples within her.
She thought about the artistic works this ‘Elysia’ had given her—works that had a subtle yet fundamental difference from the artistic systems of this world, yet were undeniably real.
A theory began to form in her mind.
Art requires a specific cultural soil from which to grow.
Eden surmised that these works were definitely not born in her world.
In that case, though it sounded utterly preposterous, there was only one possibility.
“So these artistic works…
they come from another world?” Eden asked.
Hearing this, Li Mu was taken aback.
He honestly hadn’t expected Eden to guess the answer so directly.
But the surprise on Li Mu’s face only served to confirm Eden’s suspicion.
“I see, I see…
I completely understand now.” Looking at Eden, whose face was lit with dawning comprehension, Li Mu wanted to ask what exactly she thought she understood.
He had only intended to lay some groundwork for the future appearance of the Herrscher of Corruption by throwing out its persona first.
But looking at Eden now, it was highly likely she had misunderstood something.
But unlike the confusion in Li Mu’s mind, Eden was now certain of her theory.
The same name, the same appearance, but a completely different personality.
No wonder they were so similar yet so different.
The person standing before her was likely an Elysia from another time and space!
And these artistic works, so different from this world’s, must be from her original world.
That would explain everything perfectly.
Yes, I completely understand now!
Having confirmed this theory, Eden’s thoughts began to spiral, and she connected even more dots.
“Faded”…
the first image this word brought to Eden’s mind was of old photographs, yellowed and faded by time, representing precious memories that could not be relived, the regret of being unable to return to the past.
Faded Elf…
did it refer to an Elysia whose cherished things had all vanished, who could no longer even reminisce about her past?
Eden then thought about the personality this ‘Elysia’ displayed.
Compared to the one she knew, this one was so much more wicked and bewitching, but Eden could feel that her fundamental nature was still one that pursued beauty.
Perhaps…
in the very beginning, this Elysia was just as gentle as the one she knew?
If so, just how much sorrow and pain did this Elysia have to endure to become the person she was today?
Yes, this must be an Elysia from a world that was destroyed, leaving her as the sole survivor to journey to a foreign land.
It must be so.
Li Mu watched as Eden first fell into thought, then had a flash of realization, and finally, tears began to stream from her eyes.
Honestly, he was very confused.
Are all you artsy people this emotional?
But he never got the chance to ask, because he was suddenly pulled into an embrace by the weeping Eden.
“Elysia, my Elysia…
you won’t call yourself Elysia because you don’t want to take anything away from this world’s version of you, is that it?” “Even after suffering so much, you are still so gentle…” “Sob!
Waaaah!!!” —o—