Genshin Impact, I'm Slime

The ferrywoman's figure disappeared into the shadows of the porch, and the hall of the Hall of Rebirth returned to silence, with only the soft breathing of the crowd remaining.

The fact that such a small piece of paper could cause someone who is usually unmoved to lose their composure was truly astonishing to everyone present.

Hu Tao was anxious and was about to chase after him to stop him.

No sooner had she moved than Famas, who was leaning against the door, subtly raised his arm to block her.

“There’s no need to chase her, Master Hu,” Famas’s voice carried a hint of worldly-wise indifference and mockery. “She’ll wake up when she hits a wall.”

After all, who can wake someone who is pretending to be asleep? There are plenty of examples of people defending and exonerating liars.

Zhongli remained silent, her fingertips gently caressing the lantern ticket given to her by the ferryman.

On the smooth paper, the intricate patterns printed with ink shimmered with a barely perceptible light under the lamp.

Zhongli frowned slightly, lost in thought, as if searching for something in the patterns on the paper.

The traveler was quickly drawn to Zhongli's unusually focused posture. However, before the girl could speak, Paimon had already flown to Zhongli's side with a whoosh. Its small body hovered in mid-air, tilting its head curiously to examine the thin paper coupon from Zhongli's perspective.

"Is this the legendary Lantern Festival Ticket?" Paimon leaned closer, examining it closely. "It doesn't seem like anything special."

The little mascot rested its chin on its short hands, pretending to be deep in thought, but its body involuntarily moved closer and closer, its gaze sweeping back and forth across the glossy paper.

Zhongli remained unmoved. A few seconds later, Paimon's feigned patience finally ran out, and intense curiosity took over.

"Zhongli, let me touch it too!"

Before he finished speaking, Paimon pounced on his prey like a hungry tiger, reaching out his little hand to grab the thin paper voucher in Zhongli's hand, as if touching its precious texture would grant him some benefit.

Zhongli didn't even lift his eyelids. He naturally twisted his wrist slightly, the movement so small as to be almost imperceptible, and the paper coupon slid inward as lightly as if it were alive, perfectly avoiding Paimon's outstretched fingers.

The whole process was smooth and effortless, as if it were just an accidental brushing away of a non-existent fallen flower.

"oops!"

Paimon missed his target, his small body swaying forward in the air due to inertia. He immediately pouted and glared angrily at Zhongli, who had dodged his sneak attack.

"Hey, Zhongli, you're being too stingy!"

Paimon waved her little fists in protest, her voice clear yet filled with obvious grievance, "Just let me touch it! It won't break!"

Zhongli's gaze fell on the small, ruffled floating object, and a faint smile seemed to flicker in his deep eyes.

He did not immediately respond to Paimon's rant, but instead calmly turned his gaze back to the paper coupon in his hand.

Zhongli's fingers once again calmly landed on the unusually intricate patterns on the vase surface, which shimmered with a strange, cold light under the lamp.

"Please be patient, young friend."

Zhong Li spoke softly, her gaze slowly sweeping over the travelers watching this little farce.

“Traveler, and Paimon, why don’t you two take a closer look at the veins and patterns of this design… Does it evoke any familiar impressions?”

As Zhongli finished speaking, all eyes in the hall were fixed on the small pattern, and even Hu Tao, who was arguing with Famas, curiously peeked over.

Only Wendy seemed uninterested, as if she wasn't very interested in what was going to happen next.

The traveler stepped forward as instructed, his gaze fixed intently on the intricate, complex lines that resembled some kind of mysterious incantation.

A strong sense of familiarity, like ink dripping into water, suddenly spread through my heart.

"Wait... what is this...?!"

The traveler frowned, his mind racing, when an image flashed through the fog of memory like lightning: On the luxurious fabric, a subtle yet ubiquitous dark pattern, carrying the chilling style unique to late winter!
“Pantalogie!” The traveler’s voice held a hint of shock and understanding. “It’s him! It’s definitely the pattern on his clothes!”

The iconic pattern on that exquisite cloak now found a mirror image on this strangely shaped lantern ticket.

Zhongli was not surprised at all; he simply nodded slightly, his calm nod like a stamp of confirmation.

The Emperor said no more, turned around and walked steadily toward the counter, took out the cloak from the Snow Country that the traveler had brought that morning, shook it slightly and then unfolded it.

An irresistible fragrance instantly filled the air.

At first, there is a deep and lingering sandalwood scent, but what follows is an even more domineering, biting chill, as if it comes from the frozen plains of winter.

The dark cloak shimmered under the lamplight, revealing its subtle luster. On the brocade, the equally intricate and beautiful patterns were clearly visible, with gold and silver threads outlining noble and mysterious designs in the dim light.

The crowd's eyes darted back and forth between the two patterns, and in a short while, the conclusion was clear.

The intricate ink patterns on the lantern ticket are exactly the same as the dark patterns on the Pantaloni cloak.

"It really was that scoundrel Pantalone's idea!" Paimon's little fists clenched excitedly in the air, as if he had already seized a handle. "Now the evidence is irrefutable, let's see how he denies it now!"

Paimon's sense of justice was burning brightly at this moment, and he couldn't wait to grab Zhongli's clothes.

"Let's quickly give these things to Ningguang, and then let the Thousand Rock Army catch that bad guy!"

No matter how hard Paimon kicked, Zhongli remained motionless, not even adding a single wrinkle to the hem of his clothes.

Zhongli didn't look at the little Paimon struggling to pull itself away. His deep, unwavering gaze calmly settled on the slightly furrowed brow of the traveler, his tone slow and meaningful:
“Traveler, if I remember correctly… this cloak was given to you by Pantalone?”

"Yes, he gave it to me..."

The traveler nodded in response instinctively, but as soon as the words left his mouth, his keen intuition caught the thread in Zhongli's words that pointed to a certain possibility, and his thoughts were instantly pulled in a direction he had never thought about deeply.

“Wait, Mr. Zhongli, you mean…” The traveler’s voice carried a hint of surprise, “Pantaronie giving me the clothes was part of the plan? It was to expose the connection between the Lantern Ticket and the Fools?”

This thought puzzled the traveler, causing him to furrow his brow even more.

When issuing the Lantern Tickets, the Fools went to great lengths, using unknown adventurers, auctions, and the Flying Cloud Merchant Guild as smokescreens to hide behind the scenes. But why, at this very moment, did they choose to reveal their identities to them, or rather, to Zhongli, in such a blatant way?

Amidst this perplexing mystery, FAMAS's deep, slightly playful voice, like a pebble thrown into a still lake, echoed softly:
"Cutting flesh to turn into gold, tailoring clothes to make vouchers."

The brief eight characters instantly captured everyone's attention in the hall, and everyone's eyes turned to Famas, who was leaning against the door with an inscrutable expression.

The traveler, Paimon, and even D'Artagnan, who had remained silent until now, all eagerly awaited the boy's next words.

Famas's lips curled into an almost pleased smile. He looked around at everyone, his interest growing stronger: "You've all been in Liyue for so long, you should have heard this story before."

"In ancient times, Morax, the Geo god who held sway over contracts and wealth, made a grand vow: He was willing to cut off his own flesh and blood, transforming it into gold that traversed Teyvat, serving as the unquestionable foundation and guarantee for all transactions and contracts in this world. Thus, 'Mora' became a universally recognized hard currency across the continent."

At this point, Famas paused for a moment, his sharp gaze sweeping across Zhongli's seemingly calm face, before slowly continuing:

“Look at the present, Pantarone cuts off a piece of clothing that symbolizes her status and transforms it into lanterns that circulate in the market... Isn’t this an arrogant imitation of the god who created Mora, trying to set a new standard for trade in Liyue with these lanterns?”

Famas took a step forward, his gaze finally settling on Zhongli, who had remained silent throughout, and uttered his final conclusion, word by word:

"This is not a simple commercial fraud, but a blatant provocation by an ordinary person against the entity that sets the rules of the mainland economy."

"Did you understand? Pantalone is provoking you, Morax."

Famas's last half-sentence was almost silent, but the schadenfreude in his words was undiminished, as if he were eagerly anticipating Zhongli's next reaction. (End of Chapter)