Genshin Impact, I'm Slime

The side room at the end of the fork in the stone hall passageway.

Zhiyi sat quietly on the stone bench, his back as straight as a pine tree.

A stone table, roughly carved from a single piece of mountain rock, stood before him, its surface rough and unpolished.

On the table, a pot of boiling water steams with wisps of white vapor, and two cups of tea are filled with a bluish-green broth, with tea leaves floating and sinking within.

Zhiyi lowered his eyelids, his fingertips unconsciously stroking the edge of the teacup again and again. His entire body was tense, like a fully drawn bowstring. His ears twitched slightly as he tried his best to capture every possible movement that might penetrate the stone wall.

coming.

From the depths of the adjacent stone hall, three muffled, loud thuds of machinery starting up suddenly erupted. The grinding of gears and the low growl of bearings turning were clearly audible. Zhiyi's fingers, which were resting on the cup, instantly tightened, his knuckles turning slightly white.

However, what followed was not the continuous roar and fierce battle that Zhiyi had expected, but three rapid and heavy impacts that were almost overlapping, like boulders falling into an abyss.

"Thump! Thump! Clang!"

Immediately, all the mechanical humming and agitation seemed to be severed by a sharp blade, and suddenly fell into dead silence.

This was clearly not the outcome he had anticipated.

Zhiyi suddenly looked up, his eyes dark and icy, almost solidified. His hand holding the teacup trembled uncontrollably, and the originally calm and clear blue tea soup in the cup was instantly shattered by the slight tremor, rippling out in circles of rapid and fine waves.

But this loss of composure was fleeting, and in the next instant, Zhiyi's chest heaved almost imperceptibly, the turbulent emotions in his eyes were forcibly suppressed, and his face returned to a cold, hard calm, almost like a rock.

"Tap, tap...tap..."

Clear footsteps approached from afar, landing on the cold, hard stone ground with a steady, unhurried rhythm. Each step seemed to precisely strike the taut nerve endings of Zhiyi.

"So you were hiding here, Zhiyi."

Famas appeared at the entrance of the stone hall.

The young man was relaxed, as if he were just attending an ordinary tea party, rather than having just glared at and killed three relic hunters.

The moment he stepped into the stone hall, Famas's gaze swept over the entire layout of the hall.

A solitary stone table and benches in the center, piles of withered straw in the corners, scattered supply boxes, black coal, and rusty iron frames... This arrangement was clearly prepared for Yusupov, the foolish contact of Zhiyi, but unfortunately, it was Famas who stepped into this place.

If Famas hadn't been a Liyue immortal or lacked strength, this cold stone hall would likely have gained another new corpse.

The boy's lips curled up slightly.

Such ruthlessness and decisiveness; Zhiyi really lived up to his expectations.

Famas strode to the stone table and naturally sat down on the stone bench opposite Zhiyi.

He didn't even bother to adopt a guarded posture, as if he was certain that the other party would not dare to make any rash moves. The young man reached out and picked up the teacup on the table that should have belonged to the guest, and without even looking at it, he tilted his head back and took a big gulp.

"puff!"

The scalding hot tea was suddenly sprayed onto the ground by FAMAS as he turned his head.

"So hot?"

The boy frowned, his tone carrying undisguised reproach.

"Is this how you treat your distinguished guests?"

Zhiyi's heart sank to the bottom, his throat tightened as if it were being choked, and he clenched his teeth in secret.

According to the plan, even if FAMAS is not defeated by these three Relic Hunters, he should fight them for a long time before coming to him exhausted.

Zhiyi deliberately boiled water, just in case the tea got cold and seemed too deliberate.

Who could have predicted that FAMAS would deal with the three Relic Hunters as easily as brushing away a speck of dust?

Before Zhiyi could reply, Famas nonchalantly picked up his teacup again, casually flicking his wrist to disperse the scalding steam. He then tilted his head back and downed the remaining boiling tea in one gulp. He smacked his lips, as if the soft hiss he had just heard was merely an illusion. After all, Famas was not only the war god of Munata, but also the fire demon who commanded flames.

Even in the lava fields, FAMAS could walk on flat ground as if it were solid ground; he would even find boiling water too cold to bathe in.

"We meet again, Lord Famas."

Zhiyi smiled and greeted him warmly.

He rose smoothly, picked up the warm purple clay teapot on the table, and wisps of steam rose from it.

"I thought you would walk slowly, so I specially prepared the water in advance."

As Zhiyi spoke, he steadily poured the steaming amber-colored tea into the empty teacup in front of Famas.

"I didn't expect you to arrive so quickly; the tea hasn't even cooled down yet."

While he spoke politely, Zhiyi's gaze did not linger on the tea for long.

As soon as he finished pouring the tea, his gaze quietly fell on Famas's waist.

A fire elemental eye, shimmering with elemental light, hangs silently there.

This Eye of God instantly brought Zhiyi's thoughts back to the time when he unexpectedly encountered Famas at the South Wharf of Liyue Harbor.

At that time, the boy was accompanied by a bard dressed in green in the style of Mondstadt.

Zhiyi clearly remembers that the other party introduced himself with a smile, calling himself "the best bard in Mondstadt" and named Wendy.

And at the waist of that young poet, there also hung a divine eye as clear as the wind.

On the continent of Teyvat, countless mortals yearn for the Eye of God every day, and among them, many have an intense desire.

However, very few of them ultimately gain recognition from these fragments of divine power and are thus included among the Primal Gods.

To encounter two Eye of God holders walking side by side on the street is no less rare than having Paimon drink cold water all day on an empty stomach.

It was precisely because of this rarity that Zhiyi subconsciously paid more attention to Famas and Wendy that day. And it was this glance that allowed him to instantly spot the unusually familiar cloak in Wendy's arms.

Those were clearly the luxurious clothes of Lord Pantaloni.

This discovery prompted Zhiyi to subtly approach Zhiyi and begin a conversation to probe her intentions.

Unexpectedly, these seemingly ordinary few words of conversation were like a pebble thrown into calm water, causing him so much trouble later on.

"is it?"

Upon hearing Zhiyi's words, Famas raised an eyebrow slightly, his fingertips tapping lightly on the rim of the scalding teacup, producing a barely audible sound. Then, the young man looked directly at Zhiyi, a cold smile curving his lips:

"I'm afraid if I had been a fraction slower, I would have been blasted into pieces by those three Relic Hunters."

Zhiyi paused almost imperceptibly in the teapot he was holding. Famas had so bluntly torn away the warm formalities; clearly, he didn't believe Zhiyi's words.

However, given Zhiyi's consistent caution, since the other party did not take the initiative to reveal the tracking, he would never be the first to touch this dangerous string.

"I see."

Zhiyi calmly placed the teapot back on the table, as if he had just heard some ordinary news. A perfectly timed look of surprise appeared on his face, accompanied by concern in his tone.

"You actually encountered those three things."

“Those three rusty steel monsters, which occupy the pass south of Qingce Village, often come out to wander and patrol, and have injured countless merchants and herb gatherers.”

Zhiyi shook his head slightly, a sigh revealing a hint of sympathy for the victims. Then, changing the subject, he faced Famas, solemnly clasped his hands in a standard Liyue salute, his voice sincere and filled with undisguised admiration:
"Your Excellency's skillful methods have wiped out this scourge in one fell swoop, truly removing a great scourge from Qingce Village and bringing blessings to the region. If the people knew this, they would surely be grateful for your kindness."

This praise was forceful and sincere, yet it subtly deflected the question of why the other party had followed him all the way here. (End of Chapter)