Genshin Impact, I'm Slime

The wooden door shut out the soft noises and airflow from the backyard drying area.

The room fell silent instantly, with only the faint, almost inaudible breathing of the old man on the sickbed, and the heavy smell of medicine in the air, mixed with a faint scent of blood and decay.

The traveler and Paimon belatedly realized the shift in space.

Paimon instinctively shrank closer to the traveler, her little hands gripping the traveler's arm tightly.

The traveler straightened his back slightly, his gaze sweeping warily across the quiet interior.

Ye Lan slowly turned around, and the relaxed look on her face that she had maintained in front of Hui Xin, which carried a sense of reassurance, vanished instantly, as if a thin veil had been lifted. The lines between her brows became clear and focused, and the depths of her eyes were no longer lazy pools, but rather like polished ice.

The traveler's gaze swept precisely across the tense face of the other, Paimon's round face, filled with confusion and a hint of unease, before finally settling firmly on Famas.

Famas remained standing near the bed, his posture upright, his eyes calmly meeting Yelan's gaze.

"Alright, now it's quiet."

Ye Lan spoke, her voice not loud, yet exceptionally clear in the silence, exuding a sense of unwavering control. She took half a step forward, her gaze fixed on the traveler.

"You gentlemen are so eager to see Uncle Tian, ​​there must be a more pressing reason behind it besides your concern, right?"

She tilted her head slightly, scrutinizing the unconscious exchange of glances between the Traveler and Paimon, a very faint smile curving her lips: "Let me guess... is it the election for the next Tian Shu Star that's making you restless?"

There was no question in Ye Lan's tone; it was more like stating a fact that had already been confirmed. A faint smile played on her lips as she awaited the other person's reaction.

"Huh?! Ye Lan, how do you even know this?"

Paimon cried out in surprise, his small body bobbing forward slightly, his big eyes filled with disbelief.

Night Orchid did not respond to Paimon's exclamation, but simply shifted her gaze away from her and returned it to the traveler's face.

The traveler took a deep breath, his chest rising and falling slightly.

Without hesitation, she spoke steadily yet with urgency, clearly outlining to Ye Lan the clues she and Ke Qing had gathered from the previous night until now, the undeniable suspicious points in Zhi Yi's behavior, from the excessive planning document to his subtle attitude towards his competitors, and Ke Qing's concerns about the logical contradictions behind that "perfection."

As she spoke, Yingmei's amber eyes remained fixed on Yelan, as if trying to read the answer from her expression.

Ye Lan listened quietly, her expression unchanged, her fingers unconsciously sliding along the edge of the dark blue die at her waist.

Everything the traveler said matched the puzzle in her mind perfectly.

Upon learning the devastating news of Uncle Tian's death, and considering the characteristics of this deadly poison, the names of the Fools and Zhiyi immediately came to mind for Yelan.

Ye Lan even personally sneaked back to the scene of Tian Shu's murder, carefully touching every inch of the suspicious floor and cups with her fingertips, trying to capture any residual elemental fluctuations in the air in an attempt to find irrefutable evidence.

However, the scene was so clean it was despairing; the killer was clearly an extremely cautious veteran.

With Uncle Tian still recovering from his serious injuries and undercurrents swirling in Liyue Harbor, throwing Uncle Tian's most prized disciple, Zhiyi, into prison based solely on speculation is not only inhumane and could potentially trigger even greater chaos, but it is also far from the recklessness permitted by Yelan's code of conduct.

But Yelan never sits idly by and waits for her fate.

Her right hand slid naturally to her waist and precisely untied a small pouch attached to the exquisite leather belt.

The woman deftly unfastened the metal clasp and took out a nautical compass made entirely of matte brass.

The compass surface is covered with a thick patina of age, and several deep impact dents are clearly visible on the edges, as if it had experienced a fierce battle. The glass cover in the center of the compass reflects a cold, faint light under the indoor light.

At the center of the complex dial is not an ordinary pointer, but a crystal floating beneath the transparent glass, emitting a faint yellow glow. At this moment, the crystal pointer is rotating extremely slowly at a rate that is almost imperceptible to the naked eye.

The traveler and Paimon were immediately drawn to the strange object.

Paimon curiously floated a little closer, tilting his head to examine it closely.

This time, Ye Lan made no attempt to conceal it, holding the compass steadily in her palm, revealing it completely to the group. The instant the compass was exposed to the light, Famas's gaze also focused precisely on the brass compass in Ye Lan's hand, a slight ripple appearing in his pupils. But that ripple vanished in an instant, so quickly that even Ye Lan, who was standing right next to him, did not notice it.

He remained standing silently, as if the subtle change just moments before was merely the flickering light and shadow cast by candlelight on the wall.

Do you remember the fight inside the Golden House?

“Miss Irina, the secretary behind the ninth executive officer of the Fools, Pantalone.”

Night Orchid's voice broke the silence, her gaze falling on Paimon's face.

"I remember, I remember!"

Paimon nodded immediately, a nervous look appearing on his little face. "She was chasing you, her eyes were so scary, and she moved so fast, it terrified me! Luckily, Yelan, you're amazing..."

She couldn't help but pat her chest, as if she was still shaken. The traveler nodded vigorously, his eyes serious.

"Ah."

Ye Lan responded, her fingers gently brushing across the cool surface of the compass, her fingertips lingering above the spinning pointer.

"A few days ago, I retrieved some things from her that she shouldn't have taken, and as a result... naturally, this secretary provided me with thunderous after-sales service."

Ye Lan let out a barely audible hum, her tone as flat as if she were describing the weather.

"But she's quiet for now. I set a trap and successfully captured her."

"This compass was confiscated from her person."

Yelan pushed the compass forward again. Hearing what the other person said, Paimon floated even closer to the compass, almost touching the glass surface, and wrinkled his little nose to examine it carefully:
"This? It looks like an old nautical compass."

"The pointer looks a bit odd, doesn't it? And the direction it's pointing seems wrong, it doesn't look south..."

Night Orchid seemed quite pleased with Paimon's confused expression. She gently shook the compass, and the pointer inside swayed slightly.

A distinct smile played on Youke's lips, his tone carrying a hint of knowing something:
"Of course, although it is a compass, the needle does not point south."

"In fact, it was only after these days of repeated testing and deliberation that I discovered the secret."

"This compass can sense the holder's deepest desires and guide them in the right direction."

After speaking, Night Orchid's gaze fell once more on the Traveler and Paimon's faces. She remained silent, simply watching and waiting for their reaction.

Paimon tilted his head, his brows furrowed, clearly still trying to process the meaning of those words.

What do you yearn for most in your heart? What direction do you want to take?

The traveler's amber eyes suddenly lit up, like dry tinder thrown into a fire, instantly igniting with a flash of understanding. She abruptly looked up, her gaze fixed intently on Ye Lan:

"Miss Yelan... do you intend to use this compass to find the murderer, to find the person who poisoned Uncle Tian?"

"what!"

Paimon then slapped his head and exclaimed in surprise, his big eyes widening instantly.

Ye Lan stopped beating around the bush, nodded decisively, and her hand holding the compass stopped steadily in mid-air.

"That's right! Now that we have such a useful tool, why not take it out and use it?"

Famas remained silent, observing everything as if he were an outsider.

Only he himself knew where that compass, which had so captivated everyone's thoughts, had come from. (End of Chapter)