A clattering sound echoed from the kitchen.
Lumine tied on an apron and began skillfully preparing the ingredients.
She pursed her lips slightly in concentration, her golden hair swaying with her movements, her profile appearing exceptionally soft under the light streaming through the porthole.
Paimon tried her best to help but only ended up causing more trouble:
"Lumine! Does this need washing?"
"Ah, the Flour spilled! Sorry!"
"Eh? Why is this sugar and not salt?"
It was total chaos over there.
On the other side.
Dainsleif had already followed King to a quiet corner of the deck.
The sea breeze fluttered their clothes.
"Let's be honest,"
King got straight to the point, his calm gaze landing on Dain's face.
"You didn't suddenly appear just to confirm if Aether had come looking for Lumine, did you?"
Dain didn't answer immediately.
He turned, his gaze seemingly sweeping over the kitchen window—
There, Paimon was flying up and down, trying to set right the overturned seasoning jars.
After a few seconds of silence, Dain finally spoke slowly.
"I was simply curious."
"The sky of Teyvat has maintained an unchanging 'order' for far too long."
"A False Sky, a lie of stars..."
"As a powerful outsider, you should have noticed these things to some extent."
"But just a short while ago, this 'order' was broken."
He turned his head, his deep eyes looking directly at King, as if trying to discern something from his face.
"A brand-new 'moon' rose without warning."
"It does not belong to this world, yet it fits so perfectly into it, even stabilizing this world."
"Only the Four Shades of the Primordial One could achieve such a feat."
King tapped his fingers twice on the ship's railing, making a dull thud.
"And so?"
"What is your true purpose?"
Dain's eyes suddenly sharpened, and a hint of a warrior's edge pierced through his deliberately maintained deep demeanor.
"...I need a 'Bait' of sufficient weight."
He paused, his voice dropping lower, carrying the coldness of a Hunter:
"The Abyss Order."
"My compatriots, who are mired in past sins and delusions, are exceptionally sensitive to anything related to the 'Primordial'."
"If word gets out that traces of the Four Shades of the Primordial One have appeared in Fontaine..."
King instantly understood his intention.
Using information related to Asmodeus as Bait to lure out the people of the Abyss Order.
"You want to use Fontaine as Bait?"
King's voice betrayed no emotion, but the surrounding air seemed to freeze for a moment.
THUMP!!!
A heartbeat as dull as thunder exploded!
Dain's expression changed drastically!
As a powerhouse who had once fought against the power of the Abyss and wandered the hidden edges of the world, his perception of 'danger' far exceeded that of ordinary people.
At this moment, what he felt was not simple danger.
It was a near-death sense of helplessness!
It was as if a mouse had encountered a cat.
It was as if the person standing before him was not a human, but a star about to go supernova.
I'll die!
Even with an Immortal Body... I will definitely die!
This thought, like an icicle, stabbed hard into Dain's mind, triggering a wave of cold tremors.
If this man willed it, he would evaporate like a dewdrop under the sun, leaving not a single trace behind!
Thinking of this, Dain quickly spoke to explain.
His deep and mysterious posture could no longer be maintained:
"Wait! Let me explain! I'm one of the good guys!"
"I hunt the Abyss Order to prevent them from dragging more innocent people into the Abyss!"
He finished in one breath, fine cold sweat even seeping from his temples, his heart still pounding wildly.
King looked at him quietly.
The roar of the emperor engine gradually weakened and subsided, like a receding tide.
Only the wail of the sea breeze through the rigging remained on the deck, along with the faint noise from the kitchen in the distance, where Paimon was shouting, "Lumine, these eggs are going to burn!"
After a few seconds of suffocating silence.
King spoke slowly, his voice returning to its previous calm: "Don't use Fontaine as Bait."
A helpless, bitter smile appeared on Dain's face.
He spread his hands and explained: "I understand your concerns."
"But the reality is, that 'moon' rose from Fontaine. The being who released it did not deliberately hide that fact."
"With such a significant change, as long as the Abyss Order isn't blind, they'll eventually sniff their way there."
"Instead of passively waiting for them to spy in secret and attack at an unknown time, it's better to leak some information. At least we can keep the initiative in our own hands."
He paused, his voice dropping slightly, taking on the calmness of an old Hunter: "Trust me, I've dealt with them for many years."
"Leaking the news and setting up traps in advance will only benefit Fontaine."
King sighed, his gaze passing over Dain to look at the distant horizon where the sea met the sky, as if weighing the pros and cons.
A few seconds later, he withdrew his gaze and gave a faint "Mm."
He had to admit, Dain had a point.
The commotion of the moon rising to the sky couldn't be hidden.
Prevention is better than a cure; passive defense is worse than setting a trap and waiting.
Seeing this, Dain felt slightly more at ease and immediately followed up:
"In that case, I shall travel with you for a while."
"Regarding how to deal with the Abyss, I am more skilled than anyone."
King glanced at him, his tone showing no ripples:
"Suit yourself, just don't cause trouble."
"Of course."
Dain breathed a long sigh of relief, nodded, and regained his slightly cold expression.
Bang!
The kitchen door was pushed open.
A rich, steaming aroma billowed out.
"Food's—rea—dy—!"
Paimon's energetic shout rang through the cabin like a small megaphone.
Hearing this, King tilted his head slightly toward Dain: "Let's go, let's eat first."
On the deck, Aeval had already made a quick round, calling everyone who needed to be notified.
When King and Dain walked into the spacious cabin serving as a temporary dining room, it was already quite lively.
The long table was filled with various dishes—golden fried Fish, steaming Miso Soup, bright green blanched vegetables, neatly arranged Sushi Rolls, and ten large plates of glistening, fragrant roasted pork, a product of Paimon's strong insistence.
Clorinde and Lynette had already quietly taken their seats. Zhongli had somehow produced his teacup again and was nodding slightly at the Ochazuke on the table, appreciating the quality of Inazuma's rice.
Lumine was wearing her apron, with a bit of Flour still on her face.
She was placing the last plate of omelet rolls in the center of the table.
Seeing King enter, she gave him a slightly embarrassed smile.
"Come and sit, try it, I hope it's to your taste."
Raiden Ei sat quietly near the porthole.
She didn't move her chopsticks, just quietly looked at the abundant food before her, then at the busy Lumine and the floating Paimon, and then at the crowds of people on the pier outside, coming and going, receiving and distributing supplies.
On those faces that were once numb or fearful, there was now a bit more hope and busy vitality.
Her fingers, covered in fine cracks, lightly touched the warm rim of her bowl.
Then, she picked up her chopsticks.
She hadn't eaten a meal in 500 years; her movements were a bit stiff, but steady.
She picked up a piece of perfectly roasted Fish and put it into her mouth.
The next second, Raiden Ei's purple eyes, which always seemed too calm, widened slightly.
-------------------------
If you enjoy this story, you can read 70+ advanced chapters on Patreon!
Webnovel will keep getting 1 new chapter every day but Patreon readers can stay far ahead.
Maybe it's not a big deal now… maybe it will be later.
[email protected]/Greyhounds
"And If you're enjoying it, drop a Power Stone for me!"