Chat Group: Starting by Swapping Bodies with Elysia?

Unlike Jiang Qiao, who could zip to New Zealand on the back of a… thing, Elysia and Kiana had to travel by boat. They couldn't even rely on Schicksal or Anti-Entropy for help.

Rita, as an S-rank Valkyrie, could technically pull strings to requisition a transport ship. But involving Schicksal came with risks—risks they couldn't afford.

For one, Rita was essentially Otto's informant. Jiang Qiao's efforts had mostly turned her, stopping her from actively reporting their movements. Still, Otto wasn't a fool. He would notice something was off. Mobilizing Schicksal resources would raise alarms, and the Bishop would be alerted immediately.

That wouldn't just put [K423] under scrutiny. It would also send the Oceania branch into high alert, possibly tipping off both Cocolia and the World Serpent.

The same logic applied to Anti-Entropy.

Alerting either side would be a disaster. Given Cocolia and Gray Serpent's cunning, they might escape, but if cornered, they were unpredictable. Cocolia had already demonstrated her ruthlessness by planting Honkai reactors throughout Nagazora, ready to detonate them.

They had to travel to New Zealand as discreetly as possible.

"Mmm, delicious~ So good~"

While their vessel wasn't a luxury cruise liner, the company Raven had contacted, one that dared to operate the Japan to New Zealand route despite the extreme weather, was clearly competent.

At least the food was excellent. Kiana, holding a chicken leg in one hand and a crab in the other, was thoroughly enjoying herself.

Her unrestrained eating habits, however, drew stares and murmurs from the other passengers. Such a handsome young man, but he eats like a starving ghost…

Even [Kiana]'s—Elysia's—reputation suffered. Being together, Kiana's ravenous behavior was interpreted as Elysia "abusing" her.

Elysia, experiencing this kind of judgment for the first time, fumed silently. She glared at [Jiang Qiao], who was happily demolishing her reputation. While there was a tinge of satisfaction at getting back at the jerk, it was mostly annoyance.

She had wanted to ruin his reputation herself! Her previous attempts hadn't been very effective.

Why… why is yours so effective?!

Besides frustration, there was also indignation. This idiot wasn't just ruining Jiang Qiao's reputation, but hers too!

This is infuriating! I'm losing my appetite!

Watching Kiana devour her food with gusto, Elysia felt her own appetite dwindle. She took a large bite of the fries Rita offered.

Mmm… tasty.

Rita, enjoying the feeding play, beamed at the white-haired girl, a sense of satisfaction welling up inside her. Just like Lady Durandal's younger sister, so cute even when eating.

She wouldn't be able to do this with Durandal. Sigh… if only Lady Durandal were this compliant…

The secretly sadistic maid indulged in her fantasies, imagining Durandal in various… compromising positions. But before that, maybe I should try those positions with Kiana…

Sensing the predatory gaze, Elysia, who had been blissfully accepting the fries, suddenly felt a chill, though she couldn't pinpoint the source. Subconsciously, she shifted slightly away from Rita and asked a question that had been on her mind.

"How long until we reach New Zealand?"

Rita, brought back to the present, pondered. As a Valkyrie, she usually traveled by transport ship or plane. She wasn't familiar with sea travel.

"About a week."

Bronya's emotionless, yet certain, voice answered. While she, too, was accustomed to air travel, as Cocolia's daughter, she paid more attention to such things.

"This cruise ship is relatively advanced. Under normal circumstances, the journey from Nagazora to New Zealand would take three or four days. However, the recent sea conditions aren't ideal, so it will take longer."

She pushed a tablet across the table, displaying a route map. The ship would depart from the Japan, travel down along Shenzhou's coast, refuel in Singapore, and then head towards Oceania. That last leg would be the most challenging.

"...A week, huh?" Elysia propped her chin on her hand, her gaze following the route on the map. She briefly glanced over a particular area in the Liangguang region of Shenzhou before quickly moving on.

…I wonder what that jerk, Jiang Qiao, is doing now?

…

Dark alleys always breed malice and violence, a universal truth, it seemed. New Zealand was no exception. In some ways, its proximity to Mu Continent made its security situation even worse.

While it couldn't compare to the infamous Dusk Street, it certainly had its share of… freedom.

For example, right now—

A group of thugs had cornered a young boy in an alley, brandishing various weapons.

"Heh, you like playing hero, huh?" The leader, a scarred, brutish man, sneered at the boy, who wore a half-mask and a cape.

Honestly, targeting a kid like this was pointless. They wouldn't get much out of it. But this boy was a nuisance. He'd been interfering with their "business," helping people in the alleys, and he was surprisingly skilled. One or two thugs weren't enough to handle him.

Today, they finally had him cornered.

"Wearing a crappy mask and cape, thinking you're a hero. Sticking your nose where it doesn't belong."

"Hero, my ass!" The leader spat on the ground. "Now, will your 'hero' come to save you?"

The boy lowered his head.

But the next moment, a sweet, cheerful voice echoed through the alley—

"No heroes here, but there is a fairy~♪"