Genshin Impact, I'm Slime

The traveler, looking at the tightly closed gates of Yiyan Palace and wondering how to enter, saw three secretaries gathered in a corner in front of the palace. So he waved to the little mascot.

"Paimon, let's go take a look."

The traveler gestured softly and quietly led Paimon to that corner.

The girl's gait, honed by years of trekking and adventure, moved like a cat. The cobblestones beneath her feet made no sound, and the floating Paimon seemed to have a built-in silencing effect. The two of them quietly blended into the morning light and silently approached the three secretaries from behind.

They were so close they could almost smell the faint scent of ink emanating from their robes.

"Ahem, good morning, all three of you!"

"What are you talking about? You seem so engrossed. Would you mind sharing?"

The traveler's voice, tinged with a hint of doubt, rang out at just the right moment, as if whispering in the ears of the three secretaries.

"Wow--!"

"Well!"

"Who?!"

The sudden, almost ear-to-ear sound was like a thunderclap, terrifying the three secretaries to the point of utter panic.

Bai Shi, the most lively of them all and responsible for Ning Guang's daily needs, was so startled that he jumped up on the spot, almost dropping the notebook he was holding.

"That scared me to death!"

She clutched her chest, her face deathly pale.

The one who reacted the fastest was Baiwen, who was in charge of intelligence. Almost the instant the sound rang out, she turned towards the source of the sound at lightning speed, her body tensed instantly, and her right hand instinctively pressed tightly against the part of her waist that was covered by the hem of her clothes.

His posture clearly indicated he was gripping the handle of some kind of portable weapon, and his sharp gaze shot towards the approaching figure like a quenched arrow.

But as soon as he focused his gaze and saw who it was, Baiwen's tense shoulders instantly relaxed, he let out a long sigh, and his hand that was on his waist quietly fell down.

"Phew... So it's the Traveler and Paimon." She rubbed her forehead with a hint of helplessness. "Your ability to walk so silently is getting more and more amazing."

Bai Xiao, who was in charge of document coordination and had a relatively calm personality, also calmed down and nodded slightly to the two of them as a greeting.

"I'm so sorry I startled you..."

The traveler spoke with a hint of apology, his gaze sweeping over the three secretaries' still shaken faces before his tone became curious:
"But you all looked so serious when you gathered here just now... Did something unusual happen at Yiyan Palace or with Miss Ningguang? Is she inside right now?"

The three secretaries exchanged worried, hesitant glances.

After a brief silence, Bai Xiao, who was standing in the middle and dressed in an impeccable uniform, took a small half-step forward.

As the most composed and responsible for overall coordination among the three, she sighed softly, lowering her voice even further, as if afraid of disturbing those inside the hall:
"Miss Traveler, your arrival at this moment may truly be a matter of perfect timing and fate."

Bai Xiao's voice carried a sense of solemnity.

"This morning, something extremely unusual, even bizarre, happened."

She gathered her thoughts briefly and explained clearly:
"At the time, I was processing the daily business documents of the General Affairs Department when a Thousand Rocks soldier, who had just been rotated off the front line of the Layered Rock Abyss for rest, delivered an urgent package that was listed as the highest priority."

Bai Xiao stretched out his hands, gesturing to the shape of a square object about the size of his palm. "It was a very inconspicuous little box made of fragrant wood. The wood itself was nothing special, with only a few ancient cloud patterns carved on the surface. There were no markings or gold stamping marks. It was almost too plain."

Bai Xiao frowned slightly as she recalled the scene.

"But the soldier who was escorting it, I recognized him. He was the adjutant of the elite Rock Squad. He looked extremely tense and his face was pale. He repeatedly emphasized to us that this item was of great importance and had to be delivered to Lord Ningguang as quickly as possible and without any mishaps."

"More importantly, the box was securely tied and also contained a very brief, sealed letter with sealing wax, which contained only one sentence."

Bai Xiao repeated it word by word, as if one could still see the neat handwriting: "Confidential, please have Ning Guang open and read it personally."

The seal of the garrison of the Layered Rock Abyss and the personal seal of Keqing, the Celestial Star of Liyue, are clearly affixed at the bottom.

"After receiving it, Lady Ningguang first carefully examined the seal before opening the letter that came with the box..."

Bai Xiao's voice became hesitant and confused at this point. She paused for a moment, as if considering her words.

"But the moment she finished reading those few words, the adult's expression suddenly became... extremely solemn. In fact, I could say I had never seen such a strong wavering on her usually composed face."

She took a deep breath and continued:

"Lord Ningguang immediately pushed aside the mountain of urgent documents on the table, which concerned the rectification of the commercial port and maritime trade, and even gave us an unquestionable order, which was unusual for her."

"He ordered me, Bai Shi, Bai Wen, and I to leave the main hall without any explanation."

A hint of worry flashed in Bai Xiao's eyes: "Just as I was leaving, through the gap in the door that was not yet fully closed, I glimpsed that Lady Ningguang did not go to her desk... She sat back down alone in the large sandalwood chair in the center of the hall."

"The light inside the hall was dim, with only the morning light shining through the window onto her fingers... Lady Ningguang lit her pipe."

Under the faint red glow of the slowly burning tobacco, Ningguang's figure appeared unusually lonely in the empty hall. Her profile seemed frozen in some unspeakable worry, and even the wisps of smoke that drifted out seemed to be stagnant.

While Bai Xiao was still preoccupied with worry about Ning Guang, Bai Shi, who was standing to the side, finally couldn't help but anxiously move closer to the Traveler and Paimon, her hands unconsciously twisting the hem of her cheongsam, her voice filled with an unusual panic:
"Yes! Traveler! This is really unusual! In the past, even when we encountered the most troublesome things, such as envoys from neighboring countries making things difficult, or large monsters attacking our trade routes, the most the adults would do was to have us wait quietly in the side hall, or assign us new tasks!"

"It's never like this before. It's like they're afraid we'll get in their way, they just kicked us all out! And then one of them was sitting there smoking in silence? This... this feeling... it's like the sky is about to fall! What kind of earth-shattering bad news is written in that broken box, and on that piece of paper?!"

Bai Wen, whose face had been tense all along, now frowned deeply and added in a low voice:
“What’s even more unsettling is the unknown. We speculated repeatedly outside the door, from the abyss’s anomalies to border conflicts, to important merchant ships being in danger… we exhausted almost every possibility, but we still couldn’t find a solution.”

"What could be so terrifying that it could make Lady Ningguang, who is used to seeing all kinds of storms and has a mind as meticulous as the sea, reveal such a look that is almost..."

Baiwen seemed unable to find the right words to describe the radiant expression he had never seen before.

"...almost a heavy sense of powerlessness?"

After Baiwen finished speaking, Baixiao's gaze finally fell earnestly on the traveler and Paimon, his worry and desire for the truth intertwined:
"Traveler, Miss Paimon."

Her voice carried a sincere plea.

"Lady Ningguang has always relied on you, regarding you as close friends and allies to whom she can entrust important tasks. You have also turned the tide in many crises."

"Could you two please come in and greet her on her behalf? We are truly worried about her current state. If we could find out the reason for this, or even just stay with her for a moment, it would be good to let her know that she is not alone in facing this unknown pressure."

The three secretaries' gazes were now fixed on the Traveler and Paimon, their eyes filled with deep worry and pleading, almost like tangible ropes binding them, awaiting their nod in agreement. (End of Chapter)