Genshin Impact, I'm Slime

Yelan's troops retreated swiftly like the receding tide, the clanging of armor echoing between the stone walls as they faded into the distance.

Famas simply stood still, watching them disappear into the shadows of the passage, without offering any attempt to stop them.

He and Ye Lan simply had different stances; it was far from a life-or-death struggle.

But Paimon and the traveler, who were left behind, were experiencing completely different emotions.

The searing pain of being betrayed by their companions prevented them from making the same calm and measured decisions as Ye Lan.

"FAMAS!"

Paimon's scream almost pierced the air, her small body trembling violently with extreme anger and disappointment, causing even her suspended halo to flicker.

"Why...why did you help that scoundrel Zhiyi? He almost killed Uncle Tian!"

Paimon clenched her little fists tightly. Even if she was naive, she understood now that Famas's posture and casual stance were clearly Zhiyi's greatest protection at this moment.

But Famas is clearly their partner, their reliance in fighting alongside them on the continent of Teyvat. As an ally of justice, how could he... how could he stand on the side of the murderer?
"help?"

Famas finally turned his gaze away from the direction Yelan had retreated and landed on Paimon's little face, which was flushed with excitement.

His voice was completely flat, as if he were discussing what to have for dinner.

"I'm just standing here, breathing this air, is that considered helping him?"

The boy even tilted his head slightly, as if he was genuinely puzzled by Paimon's logic.

"But...you clearly..."

Paimon stamped her feet in frustration, trying to stammer a rebuttal, but just then, a cold yet incredibly strong hand suddenly gripped her arm, the force so great that she cried out in pain.

The traveler had stepped forward unnoticed, his amber eyes fixed on Famas's face, his other hand, which wasn't holding a sword, gripping Paimon tightly.

The girl didn't speak. Her lips were pressed into a thin, bloodless line, her jawline was taut, and her amber eyes, which always held gentleness and determination, were now like a bottomless, icy pool, churning with shock, confusion, the pain of being deceived, and a kind of alienation that Paimon had never seen before.

It is an obvious fact that FAMAS is Zhiyi's backer.

Travelers see things more clearly than anyone else.

But in that instant, countless images exploded uncontrollably in her mind.

Amidst the smoke and flames of war that filled the sky above Liyue Harbor, Famas's figure appeared and disappeared in the chaos; on the cold floor of the Golden House, Famas stood side by side with the wealthy Fatui Executor, Pantarone, chatting and laughing; the brief and illusory radiance of the Salt Demon Lord Heuria's resurrection, and the chilling indifference in Famas's eyes as he crushed her hopes with his own hands... Finally, the image froze before our eyes.

The boy stood beside Zhiyi, the murderer who poisoned Uncle Tian, ​​with a relaxed posture, as if he were watching a farce.

Each memory is like a dull knife, scraping away a piece of flesh from the image of FAMAS, the trustworthy person in the traveler's memory, leaving behind only an increasingly heavy, increasingly unfathomable sense of unfamiliarity and coldness.

In Mondstadt, they were such close comrades-in-arms, but everything changed after they came to Liyue.

Is it really as Pantalone said, that gods are capricious, leave at will, and are not worthy of human trust?

But those experiences I had with FAMAS before...

The traveler could not find the answer. A strong, aching sensation suddenly rushed into the traveler's nostrils, his eyes instantly burned, and his vision blurred.

The girl bit her lower lip hard, tasting a faint metallic flavor. She used all her strength to suppress the tears that were about to well up, which eventually solidified into a stubborn defiance.

The traveler no longer tried to find any explanation or trace of the past on Famas's face. She suddenly grabbed Paimon's wrist with such force that the unsuspecting Paimon staggered in mid-air and let out a short cry of surprise.

The girl didn't glance at Famas again, as if she regarded him as a cold stone. She turned and strode quickly toward the passage where Yelan had disappeared, her steps fast and hurried, as if she were fleeing.

"Hey! Traveler, wait! I haven't asked clearly yet! Famas, he..."

Paimon was dragged erratically in the air, waving his little hands in vain. His remaining words were completely swallowed up by the hurried footsteps of the travelers and the echoes from the stone walls, leaving only a trace of unwillingness drifting away in the emptiness.

As the footsteps of the last Thousand Rock Army soldier disappeared at the end of the passage, a heavy silence fell like a tangible force, filling the entire vast stone hall, with only dust particles slowly floating in the dim light.

Of course, there was also Zhiyi, with his head down, his body slightly hunched, seemingly lost in thought.

Famas stood a few steps away, his expression calm and unwavering, his gaze fixed on the entrance to the passage where the traveler had disappeared, or perhaps simply piercing through the void.

The last bit of noise outside the passage completely disappeared, and Zhiyi's tense shoulders finally collapsed, a long and heavy sigh rolling out of his chest.

The young man dragged his feet and slowly walked back to the lonely bench in the center of the stone hall. He sat down slowly, as if all his strength had been drained away in an instant. His back bent even deeper, and he looked up at Famas while hunching over.

"Thanks to you this time, Your Excellency Famas."

Zhiyi's voice was hoarse from the shock of surviving a disaster, and his breathing was a little unsteady. He paused for a moment, seemingly enduring the burning pain from the poisoned wine in his abdomen, but his eyes were still carefully observing Famas's reaction.

Actually, when Yelan was leaving, Zhiyi should have stopped her and asked Famas to stop everyone. That way, they might have caught Liyue Qixing off guard and bought them time to deal with the aftermath of Tian Shu Xing's affairs.

But Zhiyi was not Ninglan after all. He knew better than anyone that FAMAS was his only lifeline and his only remaining glimmer of hope.

Any presumptuous suggestion or attempt to command this being is tantamount to suicide.

All Zhiyi could do was remain silent and accept whatever decision FAMAS made.

"It seems that because of this matter of mine, you, Miss Yelan, and that traveler... have parted ways."

Zhiyi slightly raised his chin, pointing in the direction the traveler had left, the meaning of which was self-evident.

Famas withdrew his gaze, turned to Zhiyi, his eyebrows twitched almost imperceptibly, and his tone revealed neither joy nor anger: "All good things must come to an end."

"Ah……"

Zhiyi gave a short laugh, tinged with an indescribable weariness and understanding.

"Yeah yeah……"

He murmured to himself, his gaze involuntarily drifting towards the ground.

Yusupov's stiff body lay on the cold stone bricks, his bluish-gray skin starkly contrasting in the dim light, frozen with the terror and resentment of the moment death came.

Zhiyi's gaze lingered on the lifeless body for a few seconds, his Adam's apple bobbing before finally rising and fixing firmly on Famas's face. (End of Chapter)