Chat Group: Starting by Swapping Bodies with Elysia?

The pink-haired girl, like a fairy, now back in her midriff-baring Flame-Chaser outfit specially designed by Eden, gently rested a hand on her slender waist, her sweet smile filled with approval as she looked at the 'kitten' who had swiped her crystal flower ornament.

Truly beautiful.

No matter how many times she looked, she always reached the same conclusion.

However—

Pardofelis, at this moment, wasn't captivated by that beauty, nor was she delighted by the praise. All she felt was… a suffocating sensation, like being constricted by a python.

"Y-y-you…"

Although she had made up her mind to return the crystal flower to its owner, before she could act, the owner had come to her.

At this moment, Pardofelis's soul was practically running ahead of her body, she was so scared she nearly jumped out of her skin.

She's been found!

As a petty thief, the cat's instinct in this situation was to run.

But when she came here, it seemed she hadn't paid much attention to the route, having chosen a dead end with limited escape routes, and Jiang someone, the owner of the flower, happened to be blocking the alley entrance.

Pardofelis was trapped, with nowhere to go, and only two words filled her mind—I'm screwed!

"I-I'm sorry… p-please spare me! I-I-I really won't do it again! This is your crystal flower, I didn't damage it at all… Here you go… Please spare me… I'm just an ordinary thief…"

As the girl slowly approached, Pardofelis subconsciously pressed herself against the wall, even ignoring how the other party knew her name, immediately dropping to her knees, kowtowing, her face pale and covered in sweat as she held up the crystal flower and pleaded incessantly.

Sweating bullets here, guys!

Then, no response came.

Oh no, I'm really done for.

Is she going to hand me over to the cops?

The cat, with her head lowered, dared not look up, wailing inwardly.

Because she often robbed the rich to help the poor, the bounty on her head from the wealthy in Twilight Street was quite high, at least by Pardofelis's standards.

Then, what she imagined didn't happen.

With her eyes tightly shut, the cat didn't feel the familiar – and now somewhat rare – chasing, scolding, or beating. She only felt a warm, gentle touch on her head.

Carefully summoning her courage, she looked up. The pink-haired girl was squatting close by, gently stroking her head with her delicate hand.

…It actually feels quite nice.

Feeling this rare sensation, although Pardofelis's heart was still filled with fear, she subconsciously narrowed her eyes, her expression like a cat being petted.

For some reason, she felt a sense of comfort throughout her body.

Having spent years in a place like Twilight Street, although her movements were increasingly agile, she inevitably had many scars on her body—of course, Pardofelis had long been accustomed to enduring pain.

But now, she felt the pain that usually made her wince seemed to be gradually disappearing.

"Mm~ Alright."

"A girl's face is very important. Leaving scars on your face wouldn't look good."

Her cheek was cupped, and the fairy-like girl examined her, a satisfied expression appearing on her face before she smiled and said, "Get up, the ground is dirty."

"..."

Pardofelis was pulled up, still stunned.

"Now, let's start with introductions."

"Elysia – as you can see, I'm a beautiful girl, as radiant as a falling flower. Of course, you can also call me Jiang Qiao, either is fine, just call me whatever you like." Supporting her slender waist, the pink-haired girl casually introduced herself.

Hearing that sweet voice and finally learning the crystal flower owner's name, Pardofelis came back to her senses, somewhat surprised:

"…Aren't you going to hit or scold me?"

"Hmm~ Do I look like the mean type?"

"I stole your things."

"Mm~ That's indeed not commendable behavior, but it's okay, I forgive you."

"As for this crystal flower… Do you like it very much?"

"..."

Pardofelis looked at the crystal flower in her hand, unsure how to describe her feelings at the moment.

She really liked this thing.

If it weren't for her circumstances, the cat would probably prefer to keep it as a 'treasure'.

Seeing the girl's reluctance, [Elysia] smiled:

"In that case, I'll give it to you."

"Eh!?"

"Really?"

Pardofelis's eyes widened, feeling both surprised and incredulous.

This crystal flower looked very valuable, didn't it?

Even without appraising the material, she knew it definitely wasn't made of glass.

Was the other party really giving it to her just like that?

"Of course."

"But then you have to work for me."

Jiang Qiao immediately revealed her true intentions.

Hearing this, the cat instantly reacted—Your true motive was so obvious! You were after me all along!

Hmph, if that's the case, then you're going to be disappointed.

Selling herself out for a crystal flower? I, Pardofelis, am not that cheap!

You should know, I, Pardofelis, belong to Twilight Street, in life and in death! I am devoted to Twilight Street, unwavering, so—

"Unwilling? That's a shame, I was planning to give you this crystal flower too…" The girl, with a regretful expression, held another crystal flower, looking disappointed.

But the next moment, a nimble, cat-like shadow flashed by, and the crystal flower was gone.

Carefully tucking both crystal flowers into her bosom, as if afraid of damaging them, the hazel-haired girl approached [Elysia], putting on a fawning expression and saying diligently:

"Hehehe, sure, sure… How could I be unwilling?"

"Big Sis Ellie, whatever you say goes, I'll follow you from now on."

At this moment, Pardofelis looked like a… well, a cat's paw!

This Big Sis Elysia clearly had a kind heart, beautiful, and generous. If she didn't latch onto such a big spender, wouldn't she be a fool?

Since the other party had extended the invitation, Pardofelis didn't mind being Big Sis Ellie's cat at all.

Perhaps this way, she could truly live her dream life – eating her fill every day and enjoying lovely naps?

And unlike those awful rich people, they were both girls, so there was no need to worry about her chastity!

…Well, hopefully, there's no need to worry, right?

— Unaware of the cat's thoughts, Jiang Qiao was in a good mood.

Her goal of coming to Twilight Street was half-accomplished.

Although the cat wasn't the one who could provide help – with the cat's current abilities, she could only do odd jobs in Fire Moth – just because she was Pardofelis, Jiang Qiao, as [Elysia], wouldn't leave her in Twilight Street.

After all, the environment here was truly terrible, and the cat was practically living on the edge. She even saw Pardofelis's wanted poster on the street.

Under the influence of the new Herrscher of Dominance, this situation would only worsen over time.

Being able to catch Pardofelis before finding Aponia was a good sign.

Jiang Qiao, with Pardofelis in tow, returned to Smylov's hardware store.

It seemed they had finished their conversation.

"Little Pardofelis?"

Smylov saw the girl with her face hidden by a cloak behind Jiang Qiao and recognized her at a glance, sighing with understanding:

"It figures, this child is the most famous pickpocket in Twilight Street."

"Young lady, could you let her off the hook?"

"Although Little Pardofelis is a pickpocket, she is a rare good child in Twilight Street."

With the nickname 'The Righteous Thief' among the lower-class residents, many people in Twilight Street who had been helped by her held a favorable impression of her. Although Smylov wasn't one of those who had received aid, as one of the few decent people in Twilight Street, he also liked this little girl.

After learning that it was Pardofelis who stole Jiang Qiao's things, he wanted to plead for her.

Pardofelis was clearly also familiar with the hardware store uncle who lived in Twilight Street, saying cheerfully:

"Aiya, Uncle Smylov, don't worry, Big Sis Ellie is very nice to me. I'm working for her now!"

"Is that so? That's wonderful."

"Twilight Street has been getting more and more chaotic recently. Leaving this place early is a good thing."

Smylov nodded with relief, then sighed: "Vill-V already told me."

"You're looking for that sanatorium, right?"

"Yes, the person I'm looking for is named 'Aponia'."

Hearing Jiang Qiao's target, the cat was a little surprised:

"Eh, so Big Sis Ellie was looking for her…"

In fact, Aponia's private sanatorium was one of the places she supported with her stolen goods. After robbing the rich and helping the poor, she would often sneak some dry rations and food into the sanatorium's storage room.

She didn't have much interaction with the caregiver, or rather, she deliberately avoided contact. Although Aponia seemed gentle, to a child like Pardofelis who grew up like a stray cat, she was quite intimidating.

If she got caught, she would definitely be lectured for a long time. Having had such experiences, the cat still had a lingering fear of Aponia.

"I don't know much about that sanatorium either, but recently, it seems to be in a difficult situation… you can try to find out the details from Little Pardofelis. Hehe, she can be considered the one with the best information network and most familiarity with this place in our Twilight Street."

"Mm-hmm, leave it to me~ I might not be good at other things, but when it comes to being familiar with Twilight Street, no one knows it better than me."

With that, the cat grinned and said:

"Aiya, Big Sis Ellie, you should have said you were looking for the sanatorium earlier. This kind of thing is my specialty."

"I'll lead the way, mm… it's best not to take the main road."

Leaving the hardware store, Pardofelis took the lead, muttering softly:

"Why?"

"Twilight Street is even more chaotic than before recently. For some reason, some of the small-time thugs who used to be relatively quiet have started openly blocking the main road and attacking people, making everyone in Twilight Street uneasy."

"Is it related to the sanatorium?" Jiang Qiao keenly sensed something.

"It seems so. Some say it's because the sanatorium randomly takes in patients, causing the epidemic outside to spread in… Aiya, if you ask me, this must be those bad guys from the rich area causing trouble again. There's no epidemic. I often go to the sanatorium, and nothing's wrong there."

Following behind the nonchalant cat, the pink-haired girl frowned slightly.

She remembered Aponia's tendency to have good intentions but cause trouble.

Along the way to Twilight Street, Jiang Qiao had also encountered some individuals carrying Herrscher of Dominance particles, but after arriving at Twilight Street, the proportion had increased significantly.

Jiang Qiao originally thought it was because of Twilight Town's atmosphere, but given what Pardofelis said…

Putting aside her thoughts, the girl casually said:

"Speaking of which, shouldn't the side streets be more dangerous?"

"That's true, but the side streets I'm talking about are rarely known even to locals, no need to worry. I secretly explored these routes when I was stocking up on goods, and I've managed to avoid many ambushes by those bad guys."

Saying this, Pardofelis, with a smug expression, climbed up a very dilapidated ladder, "Follow me closely, Big Sis Ellie."

— Indeed, few people would know of such passages. After all, what the cat called 'side streets' were basically connected by various holes and rooftops, it was hard to consider them 'streets' in a conventional sense. It was more like a route a cat would take.

But they did have advantages, such as being well-hidden.

Jiang Qiao, following Pardofelis, felt like she was playing a stealth game.

…Hmm, it feels slower than just taking the main road.

But it was indeed a rather novel experience.

The only downside was probably… so much dust.

"Cough, cough~" The pink-haired girl coughed as she brushed off the dust, a green light flickering across the surface of the incomplete green ring on her finger, carrying the choking particles away in a gentle breeze.

Finally, after following the cat across several buildings and rooftops, Jiang Qiao finally heard good news:

"Alright, Big Sis Ellie, we're here."

Following Pardofelis's gesture, she saw their destination – Aponia's sanatorium.

Just like the rest of Twilight Street, it was dilapidated, but it looked rather simple and clean, clearly regularly cleaned.

"A lot of stray children and patients in Twilight Street are taken in by Big Sis Aponia. Although I don't really like approaching her, Big Sis Aponia is truly a good person, just a little wasteful. Food is precious in Twilight Street, but every time I come here with no loot, hoping to find some leftovers to fill my stomach, I see leftover food. Hey~ It actually tastes pretty good."

Due to the scarcity of resources and extreme poverty, the residents of Twilight Street always treasured food, to the extent that they didn't even need to wash bowls, and after checking, one might find a new chip on the edge.

In this kind of place, 'leftovers' could only be found in the garbage cans of the rich.

"Eh, what happened here?"

Pardofelis, who had jumped into the sanatorium first, looked at the disarray, as if it had experienced some kind of riot, and froze.

The inside of the sanatorium wasn't as tidy as it appeared from the outside, filled with traces of violence.

"Signs of fighting, traces of blood… this bullet hole… it's from a pistol."

[Elysia], following closely behind, approached the pillar, gently touching the bullet marks and holes, the gears of the Herrscher of Reason appearing in her eyes as she quickly captured the other traces within the sanatorium.

"It wasn't long ago… probably just a few hours."

"Pardo, is there anyone else in the sanatorium?"

"Ah… I'll check!"

Being asked, the slightly panicked cat quickly rushed into the sanatorium. Her familiarity with the place showed that she was a regular here.

Picking up a trace of remaining blood and sensing the lingering information within, the pink-haired girl frowned slightly:

"There are traces of Honkai energy in the blood… but Aponia also takes in patients with the Honkai sickness… It's difficult to determine."

"B-Big Sis Ellie, there's one more person!"

— It was a child from the sanatorium who was hiding.

Their Honkai energy resistance is quite high… Did they pass the Dominance particle judgment, like Pardo?

Sensing the trace of the Herrscher of Dominance, Jiang Qiao had a look of understanding.

From the information the cat relayed, there was no one else in the entire sanatorium except for this child who was hiding very well.

There were only traces of ransacking, not even any bodies, which was clearly abnormal.

She glanced at Pardofelis, who, after a moment of confusion, understood what she meant, nodded, and gently asked the only survivor in the sanatorium:

"Timmy, tell me… what happened at the sanatorium, okay?"

Jiang Qiao could see the child's fear.

Although she could probably comfort him with this body, it was more appropriate for Pardo, who was more familiar with the children of the sanatorium, to do so.

And this proved to be correct. Although Pardofelis's relationship with Aponia was average, she was quite close to these children.

"Suddenly… a group of people rushed into the sanatorium and took everyone away. Only I… because I was playing hide-and-seek, I escaped."

Hide-and-seek was one of the few forms of entertainment for the children at the sanatorium.

And this remaining child, named Timmy, was the best at hide-and-seek in the sanatorium.

Even in this not-so-spacious sanatorium, he could hide remarkably well with his superb hiding skills. In this aspect, even Pardo had learned a lot from Timmy—although this hide-and-seek skill seemed to fail every time he encountered Aponia.

The seemingly gentle nun could always find Timmy in no time, and then, transforming into a strict disciplinarian, she would let the provocative Timmy experience what it meant to 'face the music'.

But today, this seemed to be an exception.

"I don't know where they took everyone from the sanatorium, but… it seems to be in that direction."

"What's in that direction, Pardo?"

Looking in the direction Timmy pointed, the pink-haired girl narrowed her eyes and immediately consulted her Twilight Street guide.

Although the cat was a little distracted by the sanatorium incident, after regaining her composure and glancing over, she quickly gave an answer.

"That way, there's a Lucky Bridge…"

— It was said that as long as you crossed the Lucky Bridge, your luck would improve, a rumor circulating in Twilight Street.

But almost no one believed it.

After all, so many people crossed the Lucky Bridge every day, and none of them seemed to have won the lottery.

Running into 'bad luck' was perhaps more frequent.

For this reason, truck drivers often avoided passing the Lucky Bridge.

One word—unlucky.

"I quite like this bridge. Although many people think it's unlucky and dilapidated, when I have nowhere to go, I can just bring a blanket and spend the night under the bridge. Big Sis Ellie, don't let its old appearance fool you, it's quite comfortable when it's warm in winter and cool in summer. Many homeless people like me call this place home."

Walking on the Lucky Bridge with [Elysia], Pardofelis touched the rusty railing and said with emotion:

"Every time I come here, I feel a sense of nostalgia. Sometimes, I wonder if I was born here?"

"Since Big Sis Aponia's sanatorium opened, many of the homeless children here have a new place to go… Although I can't stand her lectures, she is truly a very, very good person, as are everyone at the sanatorium."

"…How could anyone harm them."

The hazel-haired girl's voice was low, her mood somewhat downcast.

She liked that sanatorium – it felt like home.

Aponia's selfless acts of kindness were also a form of salvation for the lower-class residents of Twilight Street.

So, often, the wealthier residents would donate some food, and those small-time thugs wouldn't dare cause trouble for Aponia's sanatorium.

It could be said that Aponia's sanatorium was the only spark of humanity in this garbage dump of a place, Twilight Street.

The kindness of Twilight Street's residents was almost entirely 'preserved' there.

And such a place had actually been attacked. Even the cat was uncharacteristically angry.

Across the Lucky Bridge was the southern part of Twilight Street.

It was also where the rich area was located.

Compared to the dilapidated and awful northern part of Twilight Street, it was like heaven and earth.

Clean, tidy.

Everything seemed so organized.

Compared to the north, it was also much larger… making it completely impossible to search without a clue.

Even though Pardofelis often came to the rich area to rob the rich and help the poor, she wasn't familiar with this place. The security was too tight, especially after she had visited several times, the rich area had become more vigilant.

Since she was almost killed by a bullet last time, she rarely came here anymore.

"Big Sis Ellie, the rich area is so big, how are we going to find the people from the sanatorium?"

"Pardo, what's in that direction?"

Following [Elysia]'s gaze, Pardofelis thought for a moment, saying uncertainly:

"Um… I think it's a church. It's said that Big Sis Aponia used to be a nun there. Later, the church was abandoned, and it seems some unknown sect occupied it a while ago."

"What was it called again… It seems to be called…"

— The Church of Apocalypse.