Genshin Impact, I'm Slime

The morning sun in Liyue is warm and comforting, and the sea breeze carries a hint of saltiness.

Famas, the Traveler, and Paimon, who had just regained consciousness, left Whitehorse Inn and joined the morning torrent of Liyue Harbor.

It was the busiest time of the morning market, with vendors lining both sides of the street, and steam rising from the steamers, carrying the rich aroma of steamed buns, shumai, and fried dough sticks.

The shouts of vendors, the crisp sound of iron spoons striking the edge of pots, the laughter of diners, and the clatter of bowls and plates all blend together to create a lively morning symphony.

Although the nine million Mora that the traveler had previously obtained from the Nightlight Ticket incident had been almost entirely consumed by Paimon’s astonishing appetite and Famas’ spending, it was still more than enough to pay for a hearty breakfast.

As soon as Paimon stepped into this ocean of delicious food, his previous limp state vanished instantly.

"Traveler, hurry, hurry! The shrimp dumplings are fresh out of the pot, and there's also hot soy milk and fried dough sticks!"

Wow, that pancake looks so crispy!

The little guy, like a vibrant little spinning top, excitedly darted between the stalls, pointing and gesturing. Travelers followed behind, skillfully taking out money and food packaging, their hands soon filled with oil paper packages and food boxes.

Famas, with his hands tucked in his sleeves, strolled leisurely behind them, his gaze casually sweeping over the dazzling array of breakfast stalls. Occasionally, when he saw something particularly tempting, he would gently nudge the traveler with his shoulder and nod his chin in that direction, indicating to Yingmei that he wanted to try it.

Finally, the three of them found an empty seat at an outdoor table and chairs facing the street in front of the Wanmintang.

Paimon couldn't wait to spread out all sorts of snacks across half the table and immediately went into battle mode. His cheeks were bulging, one hand was holding a shrimp ball, and his other greasy little hand was already reaching for a pancake. His eyes were also fixed on the last few crab roe buns in the steamer. He ate with great enthusiasm and without any distractions.

The traveler was much more refined, with only a bowl of warm lean meat porridge and a small piece of crispy fried dough stick in front of him, which he was eating in small bites. Famas, on the other hand, was holding a fresh meat bun that the traveler had just bought, taking a bite, his mouth full of oil, and squinting his eyes in satisfaction.

While Paimon was focused on finishing his food, the traveler put down his bowl of porridge and looked at Famas, who was enjoying his meal across from him.

"Famas... I have something to tell you."

The girl gathered her thoughts and briefly recounted her investigation with Ke Qing at the dock yesterday, as well as the various doubts about Zhiyi.

From Uncle Tian's recommendation to Lao Sun and Lao Gao's testimonies, to the contradictions Ke Qing keenly noticed, and Zhi Yi's abruptly good and overly widespread reputation, and his actually impoverished pockets.

"...Therefore, Keqing suspects that there may be a force behind Zhiyi secretly pushing all of this, with the aim of indirectly influencing or even seizing the position of the Seven Stars of Liyue by manipulating him."

The traveler's tone was grave, conveying Keqing's deepest concern. After speaking, the girl looked up at Famas and asked earnestly, "Famas, what... do you think about this?"

Famas had just stuffed a bun into his mouth when he heard this, and listened while chewing.

Just as the traveler finished speaking, he swallowed the last bite, casually picked up the tissue the traveler handed him, and wiped the grease from his mouth, his movements as natural as if he were at home.

"Um……"

He made an unintelligible nasal sound, blinked his red eyes, glanced at the traveler's serious face, then at Paimon, who was engrossed in eating beside him, a lazy smile playing on his lips.

"That sounds like a lot of trouble."

Famas spoke casually, as if commenting on a neighbor's trivial matters.

“Although Miss Keqing is young, her intuition is quite accurate. Since she feels that something is amiss, then there is most likely a real problem.”

Famas picked up the rough pottery teacup on the table, slowly took a sip of the tea, and seemed quite satisfied with its slightly bitter taste.

The boy then put down his teacup, his gaze returning to a stall not far away that was frying dough sticks. Watching the golden noodles swell and tumble in the boiling oil, his tone was as calm as if he were discussing the weather:
"But what do these things have to do with us? We're strangers in this land, and getting involved in too many conflicts related to the power struggles in Liyue isn't necessarily a good thing."

Famas turned his gaze back to the crab roe buns on the table, which the travelers had bought and which exuded an enticing aroma. His fingers naturally reached out towards them, and he casually changed the subject:
"I'm more concerned about how the steamed buns taste than that."

The boy picked up a plump and tempting crab roe bun, holding it up to the sunlight to examine the golden filling faintly visible through the translucent skin. His eyes were filled with pure interest in the food, as if the potential storm concerning the power structure of Liyue was far less real and important than this steaming bun before him. Paimon, also looking up from the pile of food, cheeks still puffed out, mumbled indistinctly:

"Hmm! I also feel like the food is getting too repetitive!"

The little mascot is diligently sucking the last bit of crab roe from the bun into its mouth, its little face as satisfied as a cat basking in the sun.

Famas slowly picked up the nearly cold golden shrimp balls from the plate with his chopsticks, shook them as if studying them, seemingly judging whether they were still worth eating. His interest in the topic of "potential crisis among the Liyue leadership" was clearly lower than his evaluation of the food on his plate.

The traveler couldn't help but smile wryly, a mixture of helplessness and amusement on his face.

Even though Keqing had given her a serious matter, these two clowns always managed to turn it into a discussion about afternoon tea snacks.

The girl shook her head and finished the last mouthful of warm porridge in her bowl.

Keqing should be busy by now.

Keqing should have reviewed most of Qianwei and Mingbo's reports, as well as Zhiyi's crucial planning document.

The traveler put down his bowl and casually looked at Famas, who had just finished eating shrimp balls and was wiping his mouth with a tissue.

"Famas, Paimon and I are going to Yujingtai to find Keqing and then investigate Zhiyi's matter."

"Do you want to come along and see what's going on?"

The traveler's eyes were bright, carrying the casual invitation of friends.

She knew that although FAMAS often put on a lazy appearance, his occasional quip or observation could often pierce through the fog and hit the nail on the head.

The boy was holding a teacup, about to take a sip, when he heard this and paused. His crimson eyes glanced at the traveler, and he raised an eyebrow, but he didn't seem to be unwilling.

"Alright, alright, I'm pretty free anyway."

Famas put down his teacup, his tone carrying a hint of helplessness at being pulled into a task by a friend, but his body betrayed him by standing up and lazily stretching, a barely perceptible hint of satisfaction flashing in his deep red eyes.

He was just figuring out how to follow up on this matter discreetly when the traveler extended an invitation. It was like a pillow being handed to someone who was sleepy – it couldn't be more perfect.

The traveler noticed the boy getting up, his eyes lit up instantly, and he blurted out:

"That's great!"

Then, as if realizing she had been too excited, the girl quickly cleared her throat, composed herself, and tried to hide the sense of security she felt from having her companion with her.

"Uh, I mean... okay, let's get ready to go."

Seeing that Paimon had finally licked the last crumbs off the plate and was now burping with his round little belly, the traveler didn't linger any longer. She grabbed Paimon's wrist and said, "Let's go, let's go. We've eaten and drunk our fill, it's time to get back to work!"

"Huh? Wait, I... I'd like another lotus cake..."

Paimon's protest was decisively ignored by the travelers.

The traveler, holding Paimon's hand with one hand, who was still somewhat reluctant to leave the food, waved his other hand naturally in the direction of Famas, beckoning him to follow. Then, with a brisk and energetic pace, he joined the flow of people in the morning market and quickly walked towards Yujingtai.

Famas watched the traveler's hurried figure and Paimon, who was being dragged along like a small kite, and a relaxed smile appeared on his lips as he followed at a leisurely pace.

The trio quickly made their way through the bustling streets and alleys, heading towards the solemn building that symbolized the administrative center of Liyue. (End of Chapter)