Chapter 45: Chapter of Water and Sky (Part 5)

Brother Da had paused the story progression to dive into extensive analysis and explanations, but Axue ignored all that and continued pushing forward with the quest.

After a moment of silence, Astrea suddenly spoke up. "Big Sister, Paimon, let's go eat. I'm feeling a bit hungry."

Paimon's eyes lit up immediately. "Yes, yes! Let's go eat!"

Lumine gave Paimon a helpless look, realizing that Astrea was trying to change the subject.

"But since Astrea doesn't want to talk about it, let's not press her."

So, the group headed to Wanmin Restaurant for a meal.

After eating, the quest moved to the next stage.

Adjust the in-game time to after 7:00 AM the next day to start the next quest.

"We're still a bit concerned about what happened yesterday. Let's go check on Rea again."

Returning to Wangsheng Funeral Parlor, this time they saw Hu Tao and... Themis?

And Zhongli was there too.

Axue grew curious and quickly approached to trigger the next cutscene.

Hu Tao: "You're saying you're not Astrea? You're Themis?"

Themis: "Yes."

Zhongli: "Indeed, there are significant differences from Astrea."

Hu Tao: "So, does that mean I can charge double for your funeral? Don't worry, though—Wangsheng Parlor is currently running a promotion: Buy One, Get One Free. If you book now, you'll only pay for one service."

Zhongli: "Director Hu, even though there are two individuals, since they share one body, the funeral service should only charge once."

Hu Tao: "But we'd need two gravestones, right? So we should charge twice and hold two funerals. Otherwise, it'd be cutting corners, which goes against Wangsheng Parlor's service standards."

Themis: "..."

Lumine and Paimon approached.

Paimon: "What's going on here?"

Zhongli: "Ah, it's you. It's been a while."

Zhongli: "You've arrived at the right time. Astrea seems... off today. I also feel something's not right."

Zhongli: "She claims to be Themis, Astrea's sister. Do you know anything about this?"

Paimon: "Oh, that... Actually, yesterday..."

[Paimon recounts everything that happened the previous day to Zhongli and Hu Tao.]

Zhongli: "I see. It seems quite complicated."

Hu Tao: "Regardless, whether it's a case of split personality or not, she's still a consultant at Wangsheng Parlor."

Hu Tao: "In that case, she needs to fulfill her duties."

Hu Tao: "Here, take these flyers. Hand them out like you did yesterday."

Hu Tao: "I believe in you. Do well, and I'll give you a bonus."

Zhongli: "Director Hu, I have a complaint. Why have I never heard of this 'bonus' before?"

Hu Tao: "If you stop sending bills to the parlor, I'll give you a bonus too. Any more complaints?"

Zhongli: "None."

Hu Tao: "Will you still send bills?"

Zhongli: "Yes."

Hu Tao: ".....I really want to fire you."

The dialogue ends here.

The new quest: Talk to Themis.

Axue clicked on the spot, triggering another conversation.

This time, Hu Tao and Zhongli were no longer part of the scene.

Paimon spoke up directly. "Themis, let us help you."

Themis glanced at her, said nothing, and simply walked away.

Paimon and Lumine exchanged confused looks.

"This is really bothering me."

Lumine nodded in agreement with Paimon.

A dialogue option appeared on the screen.

『Follow her.』

『I'm concerned about Rea's situation.』

The two options didn't seem too different, so Axue quickly selected the second one.

She quickly navigated to the harbor and triggered the next cutscene.

The screen went black, and a line of text appeared.

[You quietly watch as Themis finishes handing out the flyers. Several times, you try to initiate a conversation, but Themis remains silent.]

The black screen faded, and the dialogue resumed.

By now, Themis no longer held any flyers.

Finally, she turned her gaze to Lumine.

"Do you want to talk?"

"My dear sister, you're finally willing to talk to me!"

Axue shouted excitedly.

"I miss the sweet Rea who called me Big Sister!"

With that, she clicked the only available option.

『I have many questions for you.』

"Then come with me."

Themis nodded slightly, then spread her wings and flew into the sky, heading into the distance.

Quest: Catch up to Astrea.

(During this quest, teleport waypoints will be unavailable.)

Lumine: 『???????』

Axue: "???????"

Countless players: "????????????????????????"