Chapter 51 The storm is coming.

It was clearly noon, but the sky seemed a little dim, as if it was the prelude to an impending storm. Sora and Paimon left the Jade Pavilion and planned to go to the Fatui camp mentioned on the map.

"Are we really going...will it be dangerous?" Paimon was a little worried and asked panickedly while floating on Sora's shoulder.

"Since we are investigating the conspiracy of the Fatui, it is normal to be in danger. But you still don't believe me? I am a good fighter."

Kong said confidently.

"Yes, I encountered a lot of dangers when I went on adventures with you. I believe in your ability!"

Paimon relaxed a little.

"But we'd better be as careful as possible. Who knows if those bad guys will come up with some insidious tricks that are hard to guard against!"

Thinking of the sneak attack by the executive officer [Madam] in Mondstadt and the information given by Ning Guangming that the Fatui were secretly studying the Talisman of No Taboos, Paimon had a bad feeling.

"I'll be careful."

Sora responded.

…

Near the Fatui camp, Sora was walking slowly towards the circle drawn on the map. A vague sound came from far away. Sora stopped immediately and squatted down in a corner.

"Leave it to me... break the seal..."

It seems that some fools are really planning something here... Sora and Paimon looked at each other, Paimon nodded, turned around and dived into the void, to avoid being too conspicuous if he stayed outside and accidentally exposed something, which would leave a mark on Sora's actions.

Kong frowned, leaned against the wall, and slowly poked his head out. The distance was obviously far enough, but the orange hair was unusually conspicuous. Kong guessed: Is it the young master? Why is he here... Who is he talking to?

The person who was talking to the young master on the opposite side seemed to know that there was a peeping Tom here, and he just stuck his position, and was completely shielded by Tartaglia's back.

Only a little bit of her clothes and white hair were exposed.

This can be completely covered up...the other person is at least not an adult.

Sora was wondering whether to move closer or change his perspective.

But then, the floating mist containing terrifying power surrounded Tartaglia, and finally seemed to converge into something placed in front of him.

Kong blinked. Although he couldn't see clearly, he guessed from the familiar aura that what Dadalia was holding in his hand was probably the Talisman of No Taboos, and its power seemed to have been transformed in some way.

And the person who helps him may be on the opposite side of Dardalia.

Although the mist was gathered at the first moment, its misty and elegant texture inexplicably reminded Kong of Yiran. If it weren't for the obvious difference in height, Kong would even suspect that Yiran was also present.

The noise in the distance gradually calmed down, and the farewell voices of the young master and the hidden person could be heard faintly: "Goodbye...partner..."

Kong was a little anxious. He looked towards the bushes not far to his side and was about to leave his spot to change to a closer angle to observe the situation more comprehensively. Suddenly, seven or eight little sparrows landed on the wall behind him, chirping a few times. One of them even landed directly on Kong's head and pecked at his aho-hair.

Immediately, the Fatui soldiers who were waiting in the corner in the distance for the two executive officers to talk looked over. Sora's body froze, and his head that had been sticking out was instantly retracted behind the wall. His original plan to move his hiding place was completely interrupted, and he was forced to stop where he was.

Ten or so seconds later, when Kong carefully looked towards the center of the camp again, he found that only the young master was left. He was standing with his hands on his hips, staring at the ruined table, and it was unknown what he was thinking about.

…

"Who is that person across from me? Why is he blocking me so strictly and not letting me see (angry)"

"Based on my terrifying observation ability (screenshot and enlargement), it is most likely hiding an autonomous character."

"White hair too? I wonder if this tuft of hair is highlighted or something."

"White-haired boy!? I can do it!"

"…What does this bird mean? It affects the performance of the master."

"Is it a coincidence?"

"Those fools are the same! They stare at a few birds for a long time!"

"The level of distraction at this station is just like me when I'm slacking off in class."

“Hmm… I think it’s been a while since the frosted chocolate slime that Paimon insisted on giving to Ningguang was made.”

"Although I put a lot of effort into adding chocolate cookie crumbs to the dessert, it's not like they would fall on my head. How could there be so many of them?"

"It's not impossible. What if Paimeng steals some food... and then accidentally falls on my head..."

"You can't be mistaking Sora's aho-ge for wheat in the field."

"These birds came at such a perfect time, is it really a coincidence?"

While the barrage was still questioning the rationality of Tuanque, Yiran had already left here through the teleportation anchor. His eyes swept to the side, and the forum system was constantly posting various complaints.

There is no way. With the help of these players, it is extremely easy to know Sora's movements and whereabouts.

But it's not yet time to let the players and Sora see this vest.

…

It seems that Kong does not want to have a direct conflict with a large number of Fatui soldiers and Tartaglia, but chooses to observe secretly to confirm the fact that the Fatui are researching and copying the Talisman of No Taboos.

After Tartaglia collected the items and left the research base with the Fatui in advance, Kong stepped forward and casually used the elemental power of wind and rock to chop down the three or five soldiers who were responsible for cleaning up the mess, then searched for and investigated any suspicious items at the scene.

"Look here! There's a crumpled talisman thrown on the ground!" Paimon said, waving his hand.

Sora stepped forward, picked up the paper and thought.

"There's something here too... a research diary?" Sora saw something and picked up the notebook he found under the table, flipping through it.

"Let me see. Copy... study... sea beasts... the Old Ones?"

Paimon was startled and shrank back: "Ah! What are they planning to do?"

Kong looked solemn and turned another page.

"Once the research is completed, the plan will be implemented immediately in the Golden House."

???

Sora suddenly remembered something, closed the diary quickly, looked at Paimon, and said seriously:

"…Paimon, I'm afraid it's too late for us to go to Dihua Island and reunite with Zhongli."

"ah?"

"We must go to the Golden House as soon as possible."

Emperor Qing Pavilion.

Dadalia knocked on the door and prepared to come in to look for someone.

Not long ago, Xiangling and Xingqiu were sitting at the table in the house, watching Finn prepare the spicy osmanthus slime pudding Xiangling had just made as a food tasting partner.

Xingqiu sat a little further away, looking helplessly at Xiangling who was looking extremely expectant, then looked at Fenlicker who looked serious and seemed to have not noticed anything unusual, and sighed quietly.

Although Chongyun was able to control his pure yang body, he found that he still couldn't eat spicy food. Even if he didn't lose control of his physical condition, he would easily get angry because of the pain in his mouth.

In order not to disappoint Xiangling, he didn't come over when he heard that today's menu would be spicy.

But even he... as soon as he heard the name of this Osmanthus Spicy Slime Pudding, he could immediately react that this was definitely a dark dish that Xiangling came up with on a whim, out of a burst of creative inspiration.

But Fincher didn't seem to be able to do it. This new friend had almost no reaction and even quickly agreed to Xiangling's request to taste the food.

Watching the spoon slowly being put into Fenrie's mouth, Xingqiu moved his chair back again, fearing that the boy would suddenly attack and hurt someone.

But unexpectedly, the other party didn't even spit it out. Finnick still had no expression on his face. He just said calmly and seriously: "It's delicious."

"..." Xingqiu was speechless and just looked at the boy with admiration.

Xiangling became even more excited: "Really? Really?"

Xingqiu froze for a moment. He was in Xiangling's blind spot and stared at Fenrike, blinking hard, as if trying his best to hint at something.

But Xiangling can't really think it's delicious! ! Even if this kind of food is popular, as long as Xiangling is inspired by innovation, he and Chongyun will definitely not be able to escape it.

Fincher: ...?

He looked at the two people opposite him, paused, and said:

"It's delicious, but I prefer the sweeter slime pudding."

"Really..."

Xiangling had no regrets and thought seriously: "Indeed, this kind of cold taste is more suitable for sweetness. Using chili to suppress the sweet taste of pudding and osmanthus may be a bit of a waste of time..."

Xingqiu patted his chest and looked at Fenrir with gratitude.

The brown-haired boy curled his lips slightly. Based on the five books on human psychology and micro-expressions he had read, he knew that this was what the other party meant in this case.

An appropriate personality should not cause humans to reject others...

Although he did think the spicy osmanthus slime pudding tasted novel, it was actually quite good, after all, he had almost never tasted food with this texture before.

All in all, it was really fun to get along with humans. He probably didn't reveal anything and cause trouble for Bai.

On the other hand, Xingqiu was secretly relieved. Although he didn't know the reason, the strange feeling Chongyun had when he met Fenrir seemed to have only appeared when they met for the first time.

After this period of contact, he has been able to confirm that the other party seems to be just a boy who looks cold on the outside, but is actually very interested in many things.

Although he speaks very little, it can be seen from those few conversations that Finn has read a lot of books, covering various aspects. However, he still shows some ignorance occasionally, and cooperates seriously with everything he is told... He even reveals a hint of obedience and caution when mentioning Mr. Ran.

There was a knock on the door at the right time and Fincher stood up.

Dadalia walked in and greeted everyone: "There are so many people here. It seems that Mr. Ran's shop is becoming more and more famous."

Finn: "Mr. Tartaglia, I have something to tell you."

"Huh?" Didn't they just parted not long ago?

Xingqiu also stood up. He took Xiangling's hand and said goodbye, "Since Fenrie is busy, we won't disturb her for now."

The boy nodded: "Well, come again next time."

Xiangling waved her hand: "Okay... Then we'll leave first. I'll bring you a sweeter pudding next time!"

After the door closed, Tartaglia raised her eyebrows and said, "You have a new friend? It seems like you get along well."

Fincher thought, is this still considered a friendship?

He thanked sincerely, "Thank you very much, Mr. Dadalia, for sending the book from Sumi."

Tartaglia shook her head. "Those things are only auxiliary at best. If we put them in front of other abyss monsters, I'm afraid they would just tear the book to pieces with one claw."

He said curiously: "What really enables you to get along with human beings is not those things."

“…”

Because it is white.

Finn came back to his senses and did not satisfy Tartaglia's secret curiosity, but got back to the topic.

"Bai told me that according to the information he found out, the traveler, Kong, went to the research base of the Hundred Unrestricted Talisman after you left, and is now heading towards the Golden House. He suspects that the ancestor Fafei is hiding there."

"Golden House? Interesting... It is indeed a suitable place to hide a fairy body."

So, he already knew the purpose of the Fatui and that Liyue might be in danger, and couldn't help but use the power of his immortal body, or to confirm the existence of the Heart of God?

Well, even if his plan was discovered, so what? Wasn’t the fish still caught?

Tartaglia looked at Fenric and said, "Let's go. Since Yiran has sent you a message, you must know that there will be another long-awaited battle next."

Fincher nodded and became serious. It seemed that he was going to make friends with the blond traveler next.

…

Dihuazhou, Yiran was strolling leisurely, holding a glass lily.

On the grass, Zhong Li looked at the vast river and the abandoned houses in silence.

Yiran walked along the river bank and saw the conspicuous figure in the distance. He approached, stopped behind Zhong Li, and called out:

"Zhong Li, are you waiting for someone?"

Zhong Li turned around and said, "Ah, it's Yiran."

He nodded: "It's just that the person who is waiting may be distracted by other important things."

Yiran thought for a moment and said, "Are you talking about Kong? Maybe someone from the Qianyan Army will come to deliver a message soon. He might even ask you for help. After all, in Kong's eyes, Zhongli is at least an immortal."

"Ha, you are an immortal indeed." Zhong Li smiled, "So I still have to help you with this last favor."

Yiran also smiled and said, "I can retire soon anyway."

He handed the flowers to Zhongli: "Liuli lily, I brought it for you. It was given to me by Miss Ganyu after she met her on the road and knew that Zhongli was going to hold a ceremony to send off the immortals."

"Yes... it's the glass lily that grows here. Thank you for your hard work."

Yiran smiled and said, "I will never forget the materials needed for the farewell ceremony for the Rock God."

“But when I met Miss Ganyu, she was in a hurry to return to Liyue Harbor. Perhaps the water there was about to explode.”

Zhong Li: "With Mr. You Ran's ability to control water, maybe we can hold on for a while."

Yiran's lips curved slightly: "Of course."

"Isn't it the same for Mr. Zhongli? No matter how much anger you display, you may not be able to break the solid rock."

Zhong Li smiled deeply, his voice carrying a hint of desolation:

"Haha, but the rock that the whirlpool cannot break will also be worn away by the erosion of time. I just convinced myself that that day may not come yet."

Looking towards the other side of the river, the direction of Liyue Harbor was still shrouded in mist, and the wheels were shrouded in the gloom before a storm.

“Time will eventually take away everything around us, whether it is the people around us, animals, objects with special meaning, or a memory.

Even in the short few decades of human life, people have to endure the trance and pain brought by wear and tear, like the inadvertent cutting of a knife blade. For Zhongli's thousands of years, that must be a more sad and helpless thing. "

Zhong Li was silent for a while. After a long silence, he said, "Wear is the law of nature. It is also the natural order of Teyvat. It is a theorem and law that cannot be changed."

He looked at Yiran with a gentle expression:

"But now... in the gods of other countries, in the travelers, and in you, I may have seen the hope I have been waiting for for so long."

Yiran was not surprised at all and nodded slightly. His eyes fell to his side and focused in the void:

"Fortunately, I still have the old anchors in my body... They remind me all the time in this absolutely real world, don't get lost, don't be confused, I once belonged to another land, I still have another home."

Sora had also traveled through many worlds, but he was different.

No matter how outstanding he was in the past, he was just an ordinary person. If not, if he did not still have obsessions and promises, he might have been lost in the temptation and impact of the more intense power and memories of the new world, and chose to completely forget the repressed, boring and painful memories.

No more thinking about finding the way home.

"Anchor point..."

Zhong Li, knowing that Yiran did not come across the sea of ​​stars on his own initiative, was thoughtful:

"Maybe there are people who want to help you in that world."

After understanding the deeper meaning behind Zhong Li's words, he remained silent.

He had always suspected that perhaps his arrival in this world was not accidental or by chance. If that was the case, could this favor still be considered a help? Perhaps it was just an extra safeguard.

Zhong Li also thought silently:

Being able to do something like this, so...is the person who brought Yiran into this world really a human?