Venti listened to the laughter behind him, feeling his usually calm state of mind fluctuate.
Calm down, Venti, calm down. Think carefully, what does it mean for Morax and Lumine to appear here?
The wind brings stories; Rex Lapis passed away in Liyue, and yet Morax is standing right here, which means the so-called passing of Rex Lapis is just a cover-up.
Right, the Rite of Descension. This old guy must be here to prepare for the Rite of Descension. He had already seen the Noctilucous Jade, so Lumine and Paimon must have come along to accompany him.
But is it really necessary? Traveling for days just to boil some rocks? Do they have other means of transportation? For example—teleportation?
Then, who would have the ability to perform long-distance teleportation? The answer is self-evident.
"Orion!!!!!!"
.
.
.
.
"Why are you calling me?" Orion looked at Keqing.
"Huh?" Keqing shook his head: "I didn't call you?"
Orion looked at Hu Tao, and Hu Tao also waved his hands: "It wasn't me either."
Orion rubbed his chin: "Strange, why did I feel like someone called me?"
Just now, Orion had been showing off his knowledge to the two girls. It started when Hu Tao sang his Hilichurl song, and Orion took the opportunity to talk about the Hilichurl language.
This is called using one trick to master everything.
Moreover, for the curious Hu Tao and Keqing, who is full of thoughts about serving Liyue, this trick really worked, and the two girls had been listening to Orion's chatter with great interest until now.
Orion felt that this trick could still be used in Inazuma.
Then, Orion felt like he heard a sweet, lovely female voice calling him.
"Am I having auditory hallucinations?" Orion rubbed his ears, but suddenly felt a soft, delicate body press up against his back.
A pair of arms dyed in dark colors wrapped around his neck, fair thighs pressed against his back, and a rather plump chest pillowed against the back of his head. Finally, a pleasant voice whispered in his ear. The voice was sweet and gentle, and she said this:
"Are you looking for death?"
"Holy crap!"
Orion quickly pulled away and rushed out. Turning back, he saw Venti smiling at him with half her face darkened.
Orion tried to appease her: "Wait, Venti, calm down first!"
"Calm down? I've become like this, and you're telling me to calm down?!"
As everyone knows, you can't calm down something that isn't there.
Hu Tao and Keqing only realized at this moment that a person had appeared beside them. It was too eerie; the person's appearance was as natural as a breeze blowing past, without making anyone feel that anything was wrong.
Both of them immediately switched to battle mode, but Venti didn't even look at them. She just showed a smile, cupping her cheeks with both hands, and stared straight at Orion: "Don't run, Orion, how are you going to take responsibility for turning me into this state?"
Help, I'm scared to death by a yandere trap.
No, is this your character setting?! This, this wouldn't be affected by the power of the skin, right?!
Orion wanted to say something more, but Venti had already smashed over, wrapped in a storm: "Hahaha! Come on, Orion! Let's play!"
"Venti! Venti! Barbatos! Calm down!"
Orion caught Venti's elemental attack with his bare hands and even rolled up his sleeves, then was directly tackled by Venti into the depths of the forest.
Hu Tao and Keqing watched this scene blankly. Coincidentally, at this moment, Zhongli, Lumine, and Paimon rushed back. Lumine asked with concern if the two were injured, and Keqing also asked hesitantly: "Just now, did Orion say that person was Barbatos?"
Paimon fell into a panic for a moment, wanting to cover for Venti: "Ah! That, he said take off the stockings, right, Barba-take-off-stockings..."
Keqing, Hu Tao:...
Paimon lowered his head: "Well, that is the Anemo Archon Barbatos. Because he has some twisted fate with Orion, they bicker as soon as they meet. They're like frenemies."
Keqing gasped, secretly shocked: "My comrade can not only talk to immortals but also knows the Anemo Archon of Mondstadt? This, this is amazing! I've directly drawn the rarest prize!"
Hu Tao also calculated in his heart: "This consultant is really not simple. I knew my judgment wasn't wrong!"
At the same time, both of them realized one thing: Lumine and Paimon were also familiar with the Anemo Archon!
They are also not simple; everyone here is not an ordinary person.
Among the group, only Zhongli silently lowered his presence, staying out of it.
About half an hour later, Orion finally walked over, picking leaves off his body.
"Solved?" Lumine asked.
"Solved. He vented his anger and turned back, then gave me an awkward 'hehe' and ran away himself." Orion sighed.
Lumine showed a subtle expression: "He did something so out of character just now, and he can still laugh?"
Orion sighed again: "He can, he can. When you've done so many fucked-up things and still have to face your acquaintances, you'll laugh awkwardly too."
Subsequently, in a subtle atmosphere, Orion sent everyone back to Liyue Harbor together.
.
.
.
.
Time moved slightly forward, just when Orion and the others had left the construction site at Guili Plains.
A group of three or four workers finished their work and were planning to go to the nearby Wangshu Inn for a drink before returning, but they encountered a little girl on the way.
The little girl was wearing a small dress of a common Liyue style. Her blue hair was styled into two buns, and her eyes kept scanning the workers, her pupils glowing with an eerie red light.
A worker saw a child standing here and walked over to ask: "Eh? Child, why are you here alone? Where are your parents? Don't they know that there are many monsters nearby and it's very dangerous?"
Other workers also gathered around: "Yeah, child, what's your name? How are you here alone? Where is your home? Uncles will take you back."
The little girl raised her head, her crimson eyes looking at them, her voice filled with bewitchment: "My name is Azhdahas Avatar, the deputy of the True King of Liyue. You all, take your tools and come with me to break the True King's seal."
Looking at those people again, they all showed a semi-dreamy, semi-awake expression.
"Yes..." they replied, and then picked up their tools and followed Azhdahas Avatar toward the mountains.
That was the direction of the Fulong Tree, illuminated by moonlight.
.
.
.
.
"Finally here!"
The moment she crossed the gate of Caravan Ribat, Jahoda wanted to lie directly on the ground, not caring about her image at all for half a day.
But she considered herself a lady, so she wouldn't do that. Summoning half her spirit, Jahoda found a restaurant; her first priority was to replenish food and water.
After ordering a table of desert-style Sumeru cuisine, Jahoda devoured it regardless of her image. This appearance attracted a dark-skinned older sister who happened to be passing by.
"Yo, little girl, did you just 'escape from death' in the desert?"
The sudden greeting almost scared the expression out of Jahoda. She raised her head from the large bowl and saw a lady dressed in cool clothing, with Wheat-colored skin tanned by the sun, standing in front of her.
Her smile was healthy and sunny, fitting people's impression of a Pyro Vision holder, but this person's attire startled Jahoda.
"Eremite?!" Jahoda retreated half a step in fear on the surface, but her hand was already on her bow.
She had encountered many Eremite attacks in the desert! These people saw she was small and kept trying to bully her and steal her money. If she hadn't had some self-preservation ability, she would have been buried in the sand long ago.
Seeing Jahoda's appearance, the older sister waved her hands awkwardly: "Eh eh! I can probably guess what you've been through, but I'm different from them. I just saw that you seemed to need help, so I came to ask you."
Subsequently, she tentatively sat down and began to communicate with Jahoda. After a long conversation, Jahoda gradually let down her guard.
"So you want to go to Liyue?"
"Yes."
"Are you going to Port Ormos? You can take a boat from there; that's basically how everyone goes from Sumeru to Liyue."
"I... don't want to take a boat anymore. Is there a land route?"
It was obvious that Jahoda was resistant to taking a boat. The older sister didn't persuade her, just told her that taking a land route was possible, but it was a bit suspicious of illegal entry. At that time, she would have to negotiate with the Millelith and say she was a survivor. With her guarantee, the other side would listen.
"But the price..."
"Simple! Just rent a Pack Yak, you pay the rent, and I'll accompany you for free! After all, I can't just ignore a survivor."
"Really! Thank you, Sister Dehya!"
That older sister—Dehya—also rubbed her nose and showed a cheerful smile: "You're welcome!"
Not long after, there were two saddles on the back of a sturdy Pack Yak. Jahoda sat in front, and Dehya held the reins behind.
"Are you sitting tight?"
"Sitting tight!"
"Okay, let's go!"
Amidst the happy laughter of the big one and the small one, the huge Pack Yak ran toward the direction of The Chasm.
Unlike the dry wind of the desert, the wind of the rainforest felt humid, warm, and soft, like applying a mask to Jahoda's dried-out face.
Jahoda faced the wind, closed her eyes, and hot tears flowed from the corners of her eyes.
"There are still many good people in the world!"
-
-
-
-