Chapter 361: Firefly’s Emotion

The setting sun cast long shadows, dyeing the streets of Orario in a warm, dusky red. Everyone returned fully loaded, wearing contented smiles. The shopping bags of various sizes in their hands were the best proof of their happy day.

As the last rays of sunlight vanished behind the towering western walls, they reached the intersection where they would part ways.

"Then, let's call it a day here," Aiden said to Ais and the others with a smile. "Thanks for keeping us company today. We had a great time."

"Us too!" Tiona waved energetically.

Lefiya and Ais also smiled and bid them farewell.

In the afterglow of the sunset, Aiden led Firefly and Jeanne d'Arc—both wearing their new clothes and skipping with joy—as they parted ways with the girls of the Loki Familia, each returning to the respective Familia headquarters they called home.

Nightfall. The spacious dining room of the Palais Mermonia was brightly lit. The long dining table was filled with a rich and delicious dinner carefully prepared by Tifa.

However, Firefly noticed with some surprise that the meal in front of her seemed different from everyone else's. It was a thick soup served in an exquisite white porcelain bowl. The broth was clear, with a few emerald-green, faintly glowing leaves floating inside. Several pieces of tenderly stewed meat and diced root vegetables garnished it, emitting a sweet, soothing herbal aroma.

"This is..." Firefly looked curiously at Tifa and Hyacine beside her.

"Try it. Tifa and I made this specially for you," Hyacine said with a grin, her pink twin-tails swaying gently as she spoke.

Firefly took a sip. A warm current instantly spread from her stomach to her limbs and bones. That wasn't the feeling of fullness brought by ordinary food, but a deeper sense of abundance, like parched earth nourished by sweet rain.

"Darling Firefly," Hyacine's voice turned gentle and serious. "I've been thinking of a way to deal with your Entropy Loss Syndrome."

[T/Note: Entropy Loss Syndrome (ELS) is an irreversible, fictional genetic disease from Honkai: Star Rail affecting the character Firefly. It causes the patient's physical body and consciousness to slowly dissociate from reality until they become completely immobile, eventually leading to premature death.]

Hearing that word, Firefly's grip on her spoon tightened slightly. After coming to this world, her Entropy Loss Syndrome had manifested in an extremely cruel form—her Endurance stat slipped away like sand through a cracked hourglass—slowly, but constantly. To fill this hole, she had to work harder than anyone else to acquire excelia. Otherwise, if her Endurance hit zero, true death awaited her.

"This symptom has become your skill. With my current abilities, I can't cure it at its root," Hyacine said with a hint of apology, but her tone quickly brightened. "However, I did find a way to just replenish your daily loss of Endurance. It's this—the Vitality Recovery Cuisine." Hyacine pointed at the thick soup in front of Firefly, puffing out her small chest proudly.

"After repeated experiments by Tifa and me, as long as you eat the restorative food we specially developed for you for all three meals a day, it can completely balance out your daily Endurance drain. In other words, as long as you aren't engaging in high-intensity combat, you won't have to worry about your Entropy Loss Syndrome in your everyday life anymore."

Firefly froze. Surprise washed over her like a tide, instantly overwhelming her. She looked at Tifa, then at Hyacine, her voice trembling slightly. "I... I..." She knew Tifa and Hyacine had been busy in the kitchen and pharmacy lately, but she hadn't expected them to be working so hard for her sake.

"If you want to thank someone, thank Aiden," Hyacine said, blinking mischievously and shaking her head, her pink twin-tails bouncing. "I couldn't have developed this food all by myself. Several of the key ingredients were only obtained because Aiden went to ask for help from the Battlefield Saint of the Dian Cecht Familia and Lord Miach."

Firefly whipped her head around to look at Aiden, who was sitting at the head of the table, watching her with a smile.

"Thank you," she said, her voice soft and thick with emotion. That one simple phrase contained a thousand words of gratitude.

Aiden smiled gently. He stood up, walked over to her, and reached out a warm hand to gently ruffle her smooth, silver-white hair.

"I'm the Captain. Of course, I have to take responsibility for every member of the Familia. Your business is my business, and everyone else's business," he said, his voice steady and reassuring. "So, there's no need to be so polite."

"Yeah, I understand." Firefly nodded vigorously. She picked up her spoon and began to drink the soup that was filled with everyone's goodwill, taking small, incredibly precious sips.

----

Dungeon, 30th Floor, Dense Forest Canyon.

The damp air was thick with the scent of decaying earth and blood. Massive, glowing fungi replaced the sunlight, illuminating the vast canyon like a ghost realm.

Roar! A muffled bellow, as if from the depths of the earth, made the entire space buzz.

In the center of the battlefield, a behemoth over five meters tall, with bulging muscles and a body like a mountain, was swinging its massive fists. Every strike left a spiderweb of cracks on the hard rocky ground.

It was a monster several times larger than a normal Blazing Axe Mitachurl—a Stonehide Lawachurl.

It wore a grayish-white, rocky minotaur mask covered in complex, dark-gold patterns and ferocious spikes. Ghostly yellow light shone from its eyes, and an ancient Geo symbol was carved directly into its forehead. Its body was covered in thick, grayish-black stone armor, with protruding rocks on its shoulders, chest, and back. Between the cracks of the rocks flowed an orange-yellow light that resembled molten lava. With every frenzied movement, fine stone debris peeled off its body.

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