Looking at Paduo, who was only about thirteen or fourteen years old, Mei still found it hard to imagine that she was being taken care of by such a young child.
Over the past few days, she was not completely ignorant of the outside world, and she knew very well what this place was. Because of this, a little girl who was not afraid of the Herrscher or the bad guys was not a normal person.
Su Jue didn't care about her suspicion. To him, Raiden Mei was just a tool to protect Kiana. As long as she could follow Su Jue's plan, Su Jue would not interfere too much.
"Pado, I'm a little curious, what is your purpose?" Looking at the innocent and lovely Pado, Mei always had an indescribable sense of disobedience. She no longer hid her doubts and asked directly.
"Purpose? Do you mean dream?" Padu leaned on the abandoned sofa and stretched lazily. The can jumped onto her stomach and sat down cross-legged.
She looked up at the dilapidated ceiling, with some complicated emotions flowing in her eyes.
Mei Raiden noticed the change in her mood, put down the sword in her hand, and sat down next to her.
"As far as I can remember, I have lived in a poor and chaotic family. Every day was either a conflict or a quarrel. At that time, my biggest desire was to have enough food. I didn't know the reason for my parents' quarrel. It was not until later that I realized that the root of everything was poverty.
So my dream is also very simple, which is to make enough money, enough for me and Canned Food to live. If I have enough money, I will buy my own shop on Dusk Street, and I only need to sell things every day to survive. "
"But from what I understand, most of the things you bring back every day seem to be stolen?"
Padu pouted in dissatisfaction and complained, "What do you mean by stealing? This is called purchasing. I take great risks every day to buy goods from material suppliers. Besides, everything you eat and drink these days is my savings."
"Sorry, that's not what I meant." Realizing that her remarks were inappropriate, Mei quickly apologized in a gentle voice.
"It doesn't matter. Heroes have their own way of living, and mortals have their own way of living. This is the path I have chosen." Padu lay on the sofa, whispering softly, as if speaking to Meiyi, or as if speaking to herself. "Anyway, the day that door opens, everything will have an answer."
Mei remained silent as she looked at Padu who was feeling a little depressed. She thought of the day when the queen came, and her life with Kiana was the same, hope was suddenly shattered, leaving only the pain of the wound that was difficult to heal.
However, life must go on. Padu quickly calmed down and said enthusiastically, "Sister Yayi, why don't you sponsor me a little after you recover from your injury? When my store opens, you will be the largest shareholder.
At that time, I will promote my store on social networks. My ID will be called AAA Cat Man Purchasing Agent, specializing in helping people purchase goods from special channels.
I have a very discerning eye. Judging from your attire, Meiyi-san, you are not an ordinary person. You also carry a knife with you, so you must be a big shot with extremely high fighting power.
If I am unfortunately discovered one day, Meiyi sister, please come and save me. I will definitely give you 90% off, no, 20% off. "
Mei, who couldn't keep up with Padu's unconventional thinking, could only smile awkwardly and did not agree to the girl's request.
Not to mention that she still had her own things to do, so it was impossible for her to stay here. Just the fact that she had been silent for so many days must have caused a lot of changes in the outside world.
Although she did not join the Kindred organization at the beginning, after receiving help from people like [Qianjie] and [Liuli], Mei has actually gradually come to accept her identity as Kindred.
Now that Liuli's whereabouts are unknown and Qianjue's organization is completely silent, there is no way he can waste any more time.
"Is it not possible?" Having failed to attract sponsorship, Paddo drooped his ears in depression, and Fat Cat Can also lowered his voice accordingly.
Seeing the cute look of the man and the cat, Mei couldn't help but smile. She rubbed Padu's little head and comforted her, "I just don't have time now. If things are over, I will definitely invest in you. Not only the store on Dusk Street, but wherever you want to open it, I will help you. Then I can also invite many friends to patronize your store, and you can sell all the inventory to them. They will definitely not mind."
Thinking of Kiana, Bronya and the others, a faint smile appeared on Mei's face, but she quickly restrained it.
"Then let's make it this way. Mei-jie, you promised me, so don't go back on your word."
As if she remembered something, Padu suddenly stood up, and the can of food rolled off her stomach and onto the ground, meowing in dissatisfaction.
After a while, Paddy returned to the sofa holding a tin cookie box. She opened the box with great effort, revealing some miscellaneous items inside.
A paintbrush stained with paint, a broken pocket watch, a wine glass that looked quite valuable...all sorts of unrelated things were stuffed into the box, and Paduo dug out a game coin from it.
There is a cat pattern engraved on the front of the game coin, and a cat's paw on the back. No one knows where she picked it up from.
However, there are all kinds of people in Dusk Street, so it is not surprising to find anything.
"As a token of our agreement, I'll give this coin to you, Mei. Don't forget that you promised to help me invest when the time comes." Paduo put the coin in Mei's hand with a serious look on her face, as if she was afraid that the investor would run away.
But compared to the coins, Mei was more interested in Padu's cookie box. She looked at the crystal flower in the box with some curiosity. The broken crystal flower still retained most of its gorgeous appearance. For some reason, Mei always felt that this crystal flower exuded a different kind of attraction.
"Pado, what is this?"
"This, I got it from a stranger." Padu took out the crystal flower and recalled the experience of getting it. "After all, you know, there are a lot of people appearing on Dusk Street every day, and there are always some special ones."
"He was just like you, Mei-jie. He was seriously injured at the time, but his was much more serious than yours. I wanted to help him pack up his belongings while he was dying."
Naturally, Padu said that touching the corpse was a matter of course. With some fear, he said, "Who knew that he was not dead and found me. I had no choice but to pretend to save him and help him treat his wounds."
"I didn't expect that he actually survived, but his injuries were too severe and he probably didn't have many days to live. He told me that he was from an organization called [Qian Jue] and said he wanted me to join them."
"Qian Jue?" Mei was shocked and asked hurriedly: "Do you still remember what he looks like? Or any special marks or something like that?"
Paduo shook her head slightly and said regretfully, "No, I thought I was just an ordinary person and there was no way I could join these strange organizations, so I refused directly. Why? Sister Mei, do you know this organization?"
"I guess so..." Without further explanation, Mei's mind turned. If a member of Kindred existed a few months ago, it meant that Kindred was far more complicated than she thought. Even the fact that she was rescued by Padu this time might have been deliberately arranged by Kindred.
"Anyway, she is a very strange person. She didn't get angry when I rejected her. Instead, she told me a story before she died." Paduo looked at the crystal flower with complicated eyes.
"He was going to die soon, but he was still smiling. He told me that many people in Kindred's organization have been searching for a place called [Eternal Paradise], and so was he. In that paradise, everything is a flawless paradise, and even the dead may meet again."
"They inherited the will of the paradise and the spirit of the people in that paradise, but over a long period of time, people had long forgotten what the paradise looked like. So he began to look for the paradise, and this crystal flower was the clue."
"Even the dead can meet again?" Mei frowned. This story of resurrection was too fake. She didn't believe it, but she suddenly remembered how Qianjie looked before his death. Even though he knew he would die, he still sacrificed himself without hesitation.
Until now, Mei still hasn't figured out the will that supports the sacrifices of Kindred members. If [Eternal Paradise] really exists...
She took out her phone. After the Pacific War, Liuli had completely disappeared, and there had been no information on the Qianjue forum since then. Mei could only rely on the messages left on the forum to find clues, and she actually found a post with the word "Eternal Paradise" in the records from a long time ago.
Unfortunately, the content of the post seemed to have been cleared, leaving only the message in the comment section. However, Mei saw the IDs of Qianjie and Liuli from it, proving that this eternal paradise may really exist.
But as Paddo said, with so many people searching for the promised land and no clues so far, the possibility of finding it by myself is slim.
"Sister Yai, have you thought of anything?" Paduo looked at her curiously.
"No." Mei pressed her forehead. She had finally gotten clues about Kindred, but still found nothing.
Suddenly, a light flashed in her mind. Before she and Liuli parted ways, Liuli once said that she would be the lightning queen of Qianjue, so theoretically her authority should be the highest. Now she can only browse through the forum, which must be because her authority has not been activated.
She picked up the phone and closed her eyes. A weak electric current gathered from her hand and slowly flowed into the phone. Strangely, the phone, which was supposed to be an electronic product, was actually absorbing her energy, like some kind of product of collapse, gradually becoming saturated.
"Sure enough, this thing incorporates the technology of Honkai."
The phone that absorbed the energy of the Herrscher of Thunder indeed unlocked new content (of course, this was actually a new function that Su Jue had added in front of her). After the permissions were unlocked, some hidden content finally surfaced.
"Liuli, died while delivering information to Qian Jue. Now, she is in the hands of the World Serpent Kevin, and her consciousness is sleeping in the paradise of the afterlife."
"Liuli is dead?"
No, the data shows that the consciousness is asleep, but what is this paradise in the afterlife? How is it different from the paradise in the eternal world?
Countless doubts lingered in Mei's mind, and arcs of electricity spread along her hair, scaring Cantou so much that his hair almost exploded.
"Sister Mei!"
It was Pado's voice that woke her up from her thoughts. Looking at the sofa with black marks on it, Mei smiled apologetically.
In any case, he must first find this paradise in the past life. If he can bring Liuli back, he should be able to find answers to many questions. However, the paradise is in the World Snake, and it is not so easy to join the World Snake.
Thinking back to Kevin who once created a blizzard with ease, Mei felt a little uneasy.
Chapter 298 Dusk
Su Jue saw the uneasiness in her heart, but he was not surprised. After all, a few months ago, she was just an ordinary, weak girl.
In the original storyline, even after experiencing Sinner's Elegy, Mei's attitude and will only became stronger, but she is essentially still the little girl who has not been able to get out of the shadow of her middle school days.
Her determination was just a disguise of her feelings for Kiana, so after becoming the Herrscher of Lightning, she was often fettered by various emotions, and could never wait for her own highlight moment, nor could she see her own growth.
However, with Su Jue's intervention, Mei's feelings for Kiana are not as persistent as before, but her personal growth is richer than the original world line. Whether it is Su Jue's deliberate attack from the beginning, reminding her that [she can't do anything], or arranging her to contact various [Qian Jue] members later, it really changes her thinking.
Because of this, she was able to ignore the interference of the Herrscher of Thunder's consciousness and complete the awakening of the Herrscher of Thunder by conquering the gem.
Kevin's power is too strong, even Su Jue would feel fearful and uneasy.
However, she did not have much time to adapt. There were too many secrets hidden in the paradise of the past, and Su Jue had to participate in it anyway. As the lightning queen of Qian Jue, Mei had to serve as an anchor and enter the vision of the world snake first.
But Mei is not a fool. She would not put herself in danger so easily, and she would not rashly contact the World Snake just because of the information provided by Paduo.
"Sister Mei, you are not also Qian Jue's man, right? Does the eternal paradise really exist?" With a curious look, Paduo looked Mei up and down.
"I'm sorry Paddo, I can't tell you."
Raiden Mei did not reveal anything about Kindred, not because she did not trust Paddo, but because she felt that Paddo was a good girl, so she tried to avoid any connection with Paddo. After all, as a Herrscher, even if Mei did nothing, the storm would naturally find her.
"Hey, it's okay. I've heard the saying that curiosity kills the cat. As long as Sister Mei can promise to invest in me in the future, I'll be thankful." With a naive smile, Paduo quickly changed the subject and did not ask any more questions about the paradise in the past.
Anyway, the message that Su Jue wanted to convey was already there, so it was up to Meiyi to decide what to do.
Seeing that Padu didn't ask any more questions, Meiyi was relieved. She decided to thank him when she left tomorrow. Over the years, Meiyi had saved a lot of money, and she didn't mind investing her savings as a reward for Padu's rescue.
the next day.
Mei's injuries have fully recovered. She got up early, but she still didn't hear Pado open the door.
After spending so many days with Padu, Mei also knew that this girl always went out at night [to purchase goods] and would not return home until the next morning. During the days when Mei was injured, Padu had always taken care of her, so much so that she was almost used to the creaking sound when the door opened.
Looking out the window, the sun was already shining on the earth, but the door still didn't open...
Mei looked at the closed door and felt inexplicably uneasy.
Mei didn't have much time left, but she didn't want to leave without saying goodbye. She took her weapon, no longer hiding her identity, and took the initiative to push open the wooden door. Just like looking for a cat that ran away from home, she looked everywhere for Pado's whereabouts.
“Twilight Street is a place without sunrise, only chaos and ending.”
"So why did you choose to stay here?"
"Maybe it's because stray cats always love freedom?" Padu replied with a smile, her eyes twinkling. "Cats are the best at judging the situation. If the situation is not good, I will definitely run away immediately."
She thought back to the conversation she had with Paddo yesterday, and a feeling of uneasiness grew in her heart.
However, the thing she was most worried about finally happened.
No matter how clever a stray cat is, it will eventually make a mistake. Even Jiuzhuan’s life cannot resist the end of fate.
Amidst that sharp cry for help, the cat's freedom was ultimately restrained.
"Pado!" When Mei saw Pado again, all she saw was the dying girl.
Even the most alert stray cat cannot tell which will come first, an accident or freedom.
Just as Padu was restocking, a building suddenly exploded. This kind of thing is not uncommon in Dusk Street, but this time it happened in a densely populated area.
This was none of Paddo's business. She had ample opportunity to escape, but she stopped when the screams of the child trapped in the room reached her ears.
The burning flames quickly devoured everything, burning all the memories to ashes. Padu, who should have left safely, finally chose to return to the scene and save the girl.
But she shared her luck with others, but forgot about herself. In this dusky street, kindness is the biggest obstacle to survival, and it is obvious that Paddo has not passed the test.
"Sister Mei..." Padu's face was so pale that no blood could be seen. Blood was constantly flowing from the huge wound on her thigh. But that was not a fatal injury. The fatal injury was the broken spine when she was hit by a heavy object while saving people.
Just a few hours ago, Raiden Mei was still suspicious of Padu's unknown identity. Both Kindred and the Paradise of the Past were too coincidental. However, now, she didn't want to think about it anymore. A feeling of regret spread in her heart.
If I had told her earlier that I was leaving, would Padua not have gone out?
The Herrscher of Thunder's power continued to repair Padu's nerve transmission, but no matter how hard Mei tried, the girl's body continued to slowly turn cold. What was worse was that there was almost no so-called medical care in Dusk Street, and even though several hours had passed since the disaster, the ambulance still did not arrive.
It's too late. An injured stray cat will never run to people to wag its tail and beg for mercy. It will just quietly find an empty corner to lick its wounds quietly.
"Sister Mei, I don't want to die."
The girl's voice was so thin that Mei held her in her arms and tried her best to hear her voice. But Mei could do nothing. Even if she could unleash the power of the Herrscher of Thunder and forcibly take Padu to the hospital, she still couldn't stop the loss of life.
"The legendary paradise of eternity must have many treasures. Mei-sister, if you can, please help me find them..."
Even at the end of her life, Paduo still had the curious nature of a cat. She looked at Raiden Mei, and the light in her eyes gradually faded, and eventually she died.
"..."
Mei Raiden knelt there, holding Padu's body until the sun set and dusk fell.
There is no dawn on the dusk streets.
Volume 6: Ice, Rock and Fire
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Chapter 299: Short-handed World Snake
Only unforgettable regret can breed a reborn growth. Whether it is human or Herrscher, they are advancing step by step in the constant loss.
Although they didn't spend much time together, Paddo's death eventually touched Mei Raiden's heart. This world is not a beautiful place, and even a child like this cannot be treated gently.
What made her feel even more painful was that she realized that her suspicion of Padu from the beginning to the end was actually hurting the child...
Through the perspective of the cat can, Su Jue truly felt the pain of Raiden Mei. Seeing her holding Paduo's body and burying the body and the iron box containing Paduo's treasure in the ground in the pouring rain, and seeing the girl suffering because of her inner regret, Su Jue inexplicably felt a sense of pleasure.
But Su Jue quickly put away this emotion. He was not a happy person. He just looked at the intact Paduo beside him, thinking. Due to the memory of his previous life, Su Jue's understanding of the collapsed world stopped at the early stage of the paradise of the past life, and his understanding of the Thirteen Heroes of Chasing Fire was limited to knowing their images and names.
