Sapphire City, located in the far east region (Tl: See End chapter Note), was a very prosperous city. Although not an international metropolis like Nagazora City, its coastal location and scenic landscape made its tourism industry flourish. Consequently, Eden had naturally visited before—not for a concert, of course, merely for vacation.
Seeing the bustling crowds flowing through the streets, she sighed, "It's just like the last time I came, nothing's changed."
"However... did a Honkai disaster truly occur here, as the reports claimed?" Looking at the cheerful scene on the streets, Eden cast a skeptical glance at Elysia.
The latter checked her mobile terminal and scratched her head. "Yeah, that's right..."
"Three system hours ago, headquarters detected an abnormally large-scale Honkai Energy reaction in the Far East. Squad 5 was dispatched to investigate, and then..."
"Lost all contact." Elysia finished, gesturing with the terminal in her hand, the transparent screen clearly visible.
"But looking around, it doesn't seem like any disaster happened here, does it?"
"Could it be that you guys made a mistake?"
"...Er? Maybe?" Faced with Eden's doubt, Elysia also felt uncertain. Honestly, Sapphire City didn't look like it had suffered any disaster at all. Looking at the pedestrians, while the pink-haired girl was happy they hadn't encountered misfortune, she also felt a pang of disappointment. After all, she had been planning to show off her skills in front of Eden to prove Elysia's worth.
But if there were no enemies... how was she supposed to prove anything?
Slightly unwilling to give up, she suggested, "...Let's walk around first. Maybe we'll find something unexpected."
Eden certainly had no objection and nodded.
They explored the city but found no signs of disaster. Even when they asked pedestrians if anything unusual, like a catastrophe, had happened, the locals would laugh scornfully, "Our Sapphire City is peaceful and prosperous, singing and dancing everywhere! What disaster are you talking about! You look more like a disaster yourself!"
Receiving such an evaluation undoubtedly infuriated Miss Elysia. She complained indignantly to Eden, "So rude! I just asked a simple question, and they actually called me a disaster! How could an adorable beauty like me possibly be a disaster?"
Of course, from a certain perspective, the pedestrian's words had accidentally hit the mark. Herrschers were often called humanoid disasters, and while the pink-haired miss was a harmless turncoat big sister type, her identity alone technically made the pedestrian correct.
"But overall, it seems like there's no problem here," Elysia concluded, despite her irritation.
Eden remained silent, pondering for a moment before asking, "...Can you contact Squad 5?"
"Headquarters couldn't reach them, how could we possibly get through..."
"Beep beep~"
"Hold on, let me get this..."
"Eh?" Looking at the characters on the communicator, Elysia was surprised. "This is... Himeko's communication number."
"Hello~" She answered the call, and Himeko's voice came from the other end. "It's me, Himeko. This is Squad 5."
"Er... Didn't you lose contact with headquarters?"
"Oh, that. Sorry... one of the rookies under me was a bit clumsy and caused a malfunction in the communication device. It took some time to repair," Himeko explained with a hint of resignation. Then she asked, "Elysia, did headquarters send you to Sapphire City?"
"Yeah, because we didn't hear from you... The entire Squad 5 going silent, doesn't that sound a bit too scary? MEI looked really tense back then."
"Knowing Dr. MEI's personality, it's hard to imagine that expression on her face."
"Oh my, the atmosphere! The atmosphere! Besides, MEI only seems a bit impersonal; she actually cares a lot about everyone."
"Anyway, so nothing happened here in Sapphire City?"
"Mm, but just talking probably won't dispel your doubts. Come to Sapphire Amusement Park."
"Sapphire Amusement Park...?"
"I'll explain the specifics when we meet face-to-face."
"Okay, see you then."
Ending the call, Elysia shrugged at Eden. "See, that's how it is."
"...Could there be a problem?"
"Probably not, right?"
"Aiya, don't overthink it. That was definitely Himeko's voice; her tone and speech patterns were exactly the same. Besides, if there's any issue, we'll know once we meet her face-to-face."
"A fairy's eyes are very sharp! Bad guys can't hide from me, you know!"
"Even if there really is something, don't be afraid, Eden. I'll protect you~" Elysia said nonchalantly. Although she was kind of hoping something would happen, after the phone call, the slightly relaxed pink-haired girl didn't really think there would be any problems.
And indeed, reality seemed to confirm this. The journey was uneventful; everything seemed harmonious and straightforward. Sapphire City's amusement park was packed with people. When they reached the location Himeko mentioned, they saw the Valkyries of Squad 5, along with the red-haired woman in combat gear—Squad 5's captain, Himeko.
"Long time no see, Elysia."
"Mmm~ I missed you too~"
"Ah, right, this is Eden. You should know her, so I won't introduce her further."
"Yes, I've heard much about you... I quite like your songs," Himeko greeted Eden.
"Hello, Captain Himeko."
"No need to be so formal, just call me Himeko. I don't stand on ceremony."
"However, she must be a newcomer, right?" The red-haired woman glanced at Eden, her tone unreadable. "Elysia, bringing a newcomer out on a mission..."
"Aiya, I just wanted to let Eden see the world, experience combat early... Keep it secret! Secret!"
"Alright."
"Okay, everything is just as you see it, nothing abnormal. You shouldn't have any doubts now, right?" Himeko asked Elysia.
"Look at you talking, do I seem like the type who doesn't trust her comrades?"
"But, why are you guys in a place like this?" Elysia found it strange. Himeko, despite her bombshell figure, was a mature adult. While not overly strict, she didn't seem like the type to hang around an amusement park.
"Mm, while I'm not particularly fond of places like this, you know I have quite a few young girls under my command. Since we have the chance, as their captain, it's only right to let them relax and have some fun."
"Besides, I used to think amusement parks were just for kids, but looking at it now, it seems quite interesting."
"Want to stay and play together?"
"...Er... no, I need to go back and report to MEI," Elysia replied, though tempted, she shook her head. Amusement parks were fun, but duty came first... Well, anyway, that bad boy has set me up so many times. I can just drag bad Jiang Qiao back here to play together later.
"That doesn't sound like your style."
"I've heard recently that your mission attendance rate has shot up to first place. Is it really okay to push yourself so hard?"
"You should stay and take a proper break."
"Look, aren't they having fun?" For some reason, Himeko's voice carried a hint of allure, making Elysia feel slightly dazed as she looked at the Ferris wheel. But images flashed through her mind, and she shook her head again.
"No thanks. If I need a break, I'll just request leave specifically."
"Since you guys are fine, Eden and I will head back first."
Everything... seemed to proceed smoothly. Himeko didn't insist further. Elysia and Eden left the amusement park.
"See, I told you there was no problem, right?"
"But it really looks like fun..." Elysia gazed up at the nearby amusement park, sighing wistfully.
"Alright, let's go back."
"Although it was a false alarm, that's still a good thing," the girl said with a smile, though tinged with disappointment.
But Eden remained silent for a long moment. Then she asked a question: "Elysia, don't you think... there's something very wrong with this city?"
"Eh?" Elysia was baffled, then thought for a moment before nodding deeply in agreement. Just as Eden thought she had noticed something too, the pink-haired miss declared with conviction, "The people in this city calling an adorable beauty like me a 'disaster'—that's extremely problematic! You think so too, right, Eden!" She spoke with indignation and annoyance. Clearly, the somewhat petty Miss 55kg hadn't forgotten a single word from that rude passerby earlier!
This response made Eden, who had been full of expectation, freeze. She looked at Elysia's proud expression—*See, aren't I right!*—and was momentarily speechless. Finally, she sighed. This 'fake' Elysia is mine (my responsibility), how could I foolishly hold expectations for this idiot? Right, it's my own fault.
Facing this look of 'dealing with an idiot, I am resignedly dead inside,' Elysia felt somewhat offended. At the same time, she felt a pang of guilt. Ah, could I have gotten it wrong? ...Probably not. Elysia frantically reviewed their journey, thinking everything seemed perfectly fine. Except for that rude passerby! Oh, and bad Jiang Qiao! Don't ask why, just being absent makes him bad!
Eden felt helpless but had no choice but to lay her cards on the table. "Don't you think the smiles on the faces of the people in this city are... abnormally excessive?"
Hearing this, Elysia looked at the pedestrians' expressions... Well, they seem fine, clearly very happy, entranced, blissful. Thinking back, many people they encountered along the way looked like this, as if they didn't have a care in the world. Elysia even wondered if she had stumbled into the 'paradise' from fairy tales.
"If it were one or two, fine, but... such expressions appearing on office workers..." Eden calmly observed the easily identifiable office workers in the crowd. Although she was an entertainer, Eden had been to the Far East and knew it was an extremely high-pressure environment.
Office workers there were more often drained and mentally checked out, like cogs in a machine, completely losing their sense of self. Seeing happiness and bliss... appearing on such a massive scale was deeply unsettling upon reflection.
"Moreover, today isn't a holiday, and it's not break time right now."
"While a scene this harmonious is nice, don't you think this reality feels a bit... too unreal?"
"Almost like... being in a dream."
The languid, gentle voice reached Elysia's ears, but combined with the expressions of the pedestrians, it felt deafening. She looked at the passersby with dawning suspicion, 'awakening' from her previous oblivious state. Yes, how could everyone be so happy, so blissful?
Their expressions were so similar... even Himeko, whom they had just met, looked the same. It was as if everyone was immersed in a collective, happy dream.
The one involved is blind, the onlooker sees clearly... Awakened by Eden's words, Elysia instantly noticed the discordance in the city—it wasn't that there wasn't a problem, the problem was huge!
Realizing this, Elysia looked back at Eden's 'subtle' gaze, and her cheeks flushed slightly. She stammered, half embarrassed, half trying to justify herself, "Ah... right, indeed. I was wondering why they all seemed so happy." She had intended to show off in front of Eden, display Elysia's prowess, but ended up being led along by Eden instead.
Feeling utterly humiliated, Miss 55kg could only try her best to act like she knew all along.
Of course, Eden didn't mind. She just stared intently at Elysia.
Elysia looked back at her. After a long pause, she asked, bewildered, "Eden, why do you keep staring at me?"
"..." Eden was silent for a moment, then said softly, "Since you know there's a problem, aren't you going to do something about it?"
"Er... Ah! Right!... What should we do?"
This response from the pink-haired miss nearly broke Eden's composure. Seriously? I'm a newcomer who just joined the organization, and you're asking me*?*
Elysia also realized her mistake, feeling awkward. She pretended to think, pondering for a long time. Combining the elements of 'city,' 'problem,' she unleashed a galaxy-brain calculation formula... After much deliberation, she tentatively suggested, "...How about we just kill our way back in?"
At that moment, any lingering hope Eden still held completely died.
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Hey everyone, We need to talk about the city name 沧海市 (Pinyin: Cānghǎi Shì).
So, you might have seen me use "Shanghai City" for this place in earlier chapters or other fics I've translated. That was my mistake! I think I got mixed up because Fu Hua is Chinese(she study there, i think she rural to urban student), or maybe just the sound of it (i think it all just miss from Shanghai city of china). Looking closer at the Honkai lore and how most people call it in English, that wasn't correct.
沧海市 is actually located in the game's "Far East" (basically, Japan area in Honkai's world). Its name literally means something like "Azure Sea City." the Canon EN name is Sapphire City.
To be accurate and line up with the common English terms, I'll be using Sapphire City for 沧海市 from this point forward.