Genshin Impact's Sweet and Hard Free People

“Amber and I saw a burst of fire and a pillar of flame shooting into the sky. I don’t know if it was obscured by mist, but the sky was very dark there. Even though we couldn’t see clearly, it was still breathtaking.” Yura’s usually cold face showed a hint of hesitation before she told the truth.

"Are you sure it's the direction of the Sea of ​​Ashes?" Diluc, the red-haired man in a black and gold suit, asked thoughtfully after hearing Yura's answer.

“That’s right. Before, when I looked at it, it was just dark red, dying embers, but now it’s become more active again.” Yura said with a serious expression and a very solemn confirmation.

As the captain of the Knights of Favonius guerrilla squad, she couldn't possibly have misremembered something so simple. Her short blue hair trembled, and at that moment, the sky darkened and a strong wind picked up.

This seems to further confirm Yura's statement, as the wind that originally flowed through the Wind Dragon Ruins now seems to be surging in a direction toward the other side of the hillside.

"Why don't we rest here for the night and make plans tomorrow?" At this moment, Kaiya suggested to Captain Jean as the sky darkened.

Kaeya has dark skin, short indigo hair streaked with silver, a long lock of hair hanging down the left side of his head, and two tufts of hair of different lengths on top of his head. His gray-blue, four-pointed star-shaped pupils make his eyes appear exceptionally deep. He wears a pirate eyepatch over his right eye and a blue teardrop-shaped pendant hanging from his left ear. He wears a white shirt that exposes his chest and a blue outer garment, with a long-collared blue and white cloak with white fur trim. The Eye of God hangs from his brown belt, and he wears black trousers and boots. Both hands are adorned with conical bracelets and black fingerless gloves.

He may look like an unconventional, charismatic man, but at this moment, his suggestion is the most suitable for the team.

The group had been walking for almost a day. Although they possessed the Eye of God and their bodies were different from ordinary people, they had already exhausted a lot of their strength. If they forced themselves to continue climbing the mountain, something unexpected might happen.

Especially at night, some dangers are unexpected.

"Everyone, let's rest here for a bit, find a sheltered spot, and stay for the night. We'll continue our journey tomorrow morning," said Commander Qin, who had clearly already made her decision.

After Keqing nodded in agreement and the others had no objections, Captain Qin then spoke to Yura.

"You can let Amber come down now."

Then the older sister named Yura made a gesture to Amber on the hillside. After understanding her meaning, Amber jumped down. However, unlike Yura's nimble descent, Amber used Wind Wings to descend, which was safer for her.

It is said that Amber is skilled in using the Wind Wings, flying flawlessly and winning the Mondstadt "Flying Champion" title for three consecutive years. Furthermore, Amber possesses an exceptionally keen sense of smell, able to detect and memorize subtle scents in the air that are imperceptible to most. Amber also boasts outstanding athletic abilities, consistently ranking first in sports-related competitions within Mondstadt.

It is precisely because of these characteristics that she becomes a qualified reconnaissance knight.

"Oh dear, the situation there is really terrible." Amber joked as she landed back on the ground, laughing heartily, completely unlike someone who had witnessed the scene Yura described.

"Is it very dangerous?" Hu Tao couldn't contain her curiosity at this moment. Clearly, Hu Tao's personality should be able to get along with Amber.

"It's not that it's particularly dangerous, although... I do have that feeling to some extent..." Amber stammered, seemingly unsure how to describe it. "In general, besides the danger, it's more spectacular. I can take you up to see it later."

"Very well! This master isn't even afraid of ghosts..."

"..."

In just a few words, Hu Tao's attention was completely captured, which made Xin Hui feel that people with similar personalities communicated so quickly.

Meanwhile, Kaeya and Diluc were also preparing to start a fire. Kaeya gathered some dry branches, and Diluc used the fire elemental power emanating from his Eye of Vulcan to ignite the fire.

"Hey, why do I have to gather firewood? Can't I do other things?" Kaeya complained to Diluc with a twitching expression.

"No." Diluc uttered two words softly, rejecting his idea.

Then he asked Kaiya to gather some more dry branches, otherwise the fire that had just been lit would go out again.

Upon hearing his excessive and slightly insulting words, Kaeya was so angry that she laughed instead of getting angry. "Yes, after all, our Lord Diluc is so down on his luck that he can only use his Eye of Vulcan to start a fire."

Diluc closed his eyes: "It's better than someone using the Eye of Ice to freeze the sea."

"..."

The two men's mutual mockery made Director Qin feel embarrassed and troubled. She apologized to Xinhui and the others, saying, "I'm sorry to have made you laugh. Those two still don't know how to change their personalities. They're still like this in front of the guests."

"No, no, I actually feel that they have a pretty good relationship. They're the kind of friends who tease each other but are also very close," Xin Hui said repeatedly, realizing that Diluc and Kaeya actually have a relationship where they fight together and face enemies side by side in times of danger.

"Yeah, I'm actually quite envious of their relationship." For Gan Yu, who often acts alone, the friendship between those two is exactly what she wants, isn't it?

When the troupe leader heard them say that, she simply smiled wryly. She was well aware of these things, but she just hoped that the two of them could change their way of expressing "friendliness".

Seeing the sudden silence from the crowd, Paimon, floating in his tiny body, began to cheerfully liven things up, "How about we start listening to the story? That way it won't be so boring."

Ying: "What story do you have? You don't even have a clear memory of your own."

Paimon, hearing her say that, became somewhat unconvinced. "Then I'll tell you my story after I met you. Anyway, we've known each other for so long. If there are no problems, I'll begin."

"It all started a few months ago, when I first met Ying..."

Chapter 80 A Good Boy Who Can Tell Stories

"So, you are also a traveler from another world, and you are now traveling in Teyvat to find your lost brother?" After hearing Paimon's story, Xin Hui couldn't help but be a little surprised.

In this world, there are other travelers from another world living with the same identity as myself, although their goals are somewhat different...

"Although we're looking for her brother, Ying still hasn't heard from him. Maybe it's just fate playing tricks on her..." Paimon said, a look of disappointment flashing in his eyes.

It seems she was also considering Ying's feelings, and even used the phrase "fate plays tricks on people" to comfort her.

"It's alright, Paimon. Now, with you by my side, I don't feel lonely at all on this journey." The girl with short blonde hair gently stroked Paimon's head, her expression tender. "Once you regain your memories, and once I find my brother, we can continue our journey together..."

What a heartwarming scene! However, Xin Hui, who had learned of Paimon's mysterious origins, slowly changed his gaze from laughter to contemplation as he looked at Paimon.

I can't see through her... it's like there's a layer of mist obscuring her.

"Don't try to figure out that little one; she's not as simple as she seems." Just as Xin Hui was about to narrow his eyes and try to get a better look at Paimon, a soft voice suddenly echoed in his mind.

It's Yi Meng's voice!

This surprised Xin Hui. It turned out that [Yi Meng]'s consciousness really existed in the Pearl of Life, and could even be connected to his own consciousness.

Xin Hui suddenly had many questions for her: Why not erase Hu Tao's memories...? What kind of being is [Yi Meng] now...?

There are countless problems like these.

However, the appearance of [Yimeng] in his mind now seems to be merely a reminder to Xinhui not to investigate Paimon.

"You can't see through that little guy, not even the old you. Even Barbatos and Morax, when they concentrated their divine power into their eyes, couldn't see what that little guy was." [Yi Meng]'s words seemed to be advising Xin Hui not to waste his energy.

"Aren't you going to explain?"

"...It's not the right time yet, you'll understand in time..." The light voice had become hesitant.

"Is it because of the power of the laws?" Xin Hui suddenly realized something and called out to [Yi Meng] in his mind.

Because something that even he and the other seven gods couldn't see clearly must be related to the power of laws.

"..."

Yi Meng didn't answer at this point, which seemed to confirm Xin Hui's guess.

"...I can't appear too often, otherwise I might be noticed. Good luck to you, and try not to perish so soon..." After saying this, [Yi Meng] fell silent.

This troubled Xin Hui. Was this a reminder or a curse? What did it mean to "try not to fall so early"? Wasn't this a sign of pessimism about his own performance?

However, Xin Hui didn't have time to think about this anymore, because Ke Qing and the others were already calling her name softly.

"Xinhui, Xinhui..." Keqing called Xinhui's name several times before the latter finally responded, which relieved her. "Phew~ I thought something was wrong with you. You didn't respond no matter how I called you. If you were asleep, you should be closer to the fire."

Did you deliberately remind yourself because you thought you were about to fall asleep?

"No, no, I just suddenly thought of some things." Xin Hui naturally denied it. "You guys continue talking, I'll just listen from the side."

Actually, it's understandable that Xinhui wanted to slack off, since it wasn't easy for him to fit into the "storytelling" group, especially with so many girls around. However, while Xinhui wanted to slack off, the others didn't agree; little Paimon was already jumping up and down in protest.

"Don't even think about listening to Paimon tell stories for free. Since you're so lazy, you'll have to tell the next story yourself. If you don't want to, I'll give you an awful nickname!" Paimon said, crossing his arms and looking a bit fierce.

It's quite intimidating.

With no other option, Xinhui had to compromise, unable to resist the eager gazes of the crowd who wanted to see a good show.

"Alright then, I'll just talk about one, only one." Xin Hui emphasized again and again, even holding up one finger. Only when he saw that everyone agreed, and that Ke Qing and the others were looking at him expectantly, did he choose to slowly begin, inwardly complaining.

Honestly, they're making their own story sound so interesting...

The story I'm about to tell takes place in the later stages of the Demon God War.

Two thousand years ago, Morax saw Barbatos arrive in Liyue and assumed Barbatos was encountering difficulties while fulfilling his duties and needed his help. So, before Barbatos even landed in the wind, Morax was already prepared to welcome him, waiting for Barbatos to speak of his troubles. But unexpectedly, Barbatos offered Morax a bottle of wine to taste.

This was simply Barbatos's way of interacting with both men and gods, and it was inseparable from wine in any way.

Later, Barbatos continued to visit, touring Liyue Harbor and asking Morax all sorts of strange questions. From then on, the Seven Gods of that era often gathered in Liyue.

Morax also demonstrated the creation process of Mora to the Seven Gods, and persuaded them to agree to make this precious metal the hard currency of Teyvat.

In this way, Morax brought the other six gods to the bustling Liyue through several tea parties, capturing their curiosity. Also, because Morax's minting rights were in the hands of the Golden House, which belonged to Liyue, Liyue later became the center of all wealth accumulation.

Because Mora's creation used a part of Morax's body, Morax also passed down some whispers to his descendants.

"All the money circulating on the mainland is my flesh and blood."

"In this way, I am vouching for all the sweat, wisdom and future of mankind."

"This is my trust in all living beings; to betray it is to defile my blood."

……

"This is the origin of Mora as the hard currency of Teyvat. Although I didn't explain it very well, it should still be considered a secret," Xin Hui said modestly with a smile.

However, it received unanimous praise from everyone, especially from Paimon, who was extremely curious and almost applauded.

Not only that, she also said, "Since you tell stories so interestingly, I'll give you a nicer nickname. I'll call you 'The Good Storyteller'."

After saying that, Paimon smiled smugly, which amused everyone.

"Paymont's talent for coming up with nicknames is as terrible as ever," Ying couldn't help but laugh.

Everyone focused on the logic of the nickname itself. Only Xin Hui felt that describing him as a "good storyteller" was not quite enough, since as the owner of Yiyu Pavilion, he was practically omnipotent.

After that, everyone lost interest in talking and gradually quieted down.

The flames couldn't burn forever within the black-clad figure. Amber, the girl who longed to fly and kept watch from a high vantage point, could only watch as the flames slowly died out, before gazing once more at the distant sky and tranquil scenery…

Chapter 81 Monsters in a Sea of ​​Lava and Fire

The next morning. After climbing over a hillside several meters high, the group arrived at the border of the Ember Sea, which shimmered with fiery light.

The harmony between flowers and birds cannot be associated with this place. Not to mention flowers and birds, the border of the Silent Sea is devoid of even a single wild grass, with only barren mountains and black, scorched earth.

Like a land ravaged by a catastrophe, it was a desolate wasteland, devoid of any sign of life. Fire elemental power condensed, and its intense heat could be clearly felt, followed by the howling of the wind.

In the beliefs of the Mondstadt people, wherever the wind blows, even in snow-covered mountains where thousands of miles are frozen and snow falls, there will be some life. It will never be like the area around the Sea of ​​Ashes, where the scorched land is devoid of any living creature.

Therefore, at this moment, the ensemble leader silently prayed.

May the wind once again bring life to this land.