The sun was beating down on Aaru Village like it was trying to roast us into desert jerky.
It wasn't just hot — it was the kind of heat that makes you feel like your brain is a fried egg left on a pan someone forgot to take off the stove. I swear I could hear my thoughts sizzling. Somewhere out there, my last three brain cells were holding a tiny umbrella and screaming for shade.
I stood outside the chief's house, squinting at the group.
"So… man, what should we do now?" I asked, scratching the back of my head. "I mean, I still haven't thought of anything yet. You guys have any suggestions? Or should we all just lie down and let the sun claim us?"
Paimon perked up immediately, floating a little higher. "Let's get some food in us, and then we'll—"
She stopped mid-sentence, her eyes going wide. "Whoa!"
I followed her gaze and grinned. "Well, well, look who it is. The biceps scholar himself. Out here aura farming again, Alhaitham? What's next, collecting sunlight like a photosynthesizing philosopher?"
Lumine's eyes darted toward me with that don't start look, the one that's about 70% warning and 30% tired resignation. Too late.
Paimon zipped closer. "Where did you come from?"
Alhaitham glanced up from his seat, flipping a page in his book like our existence was just background noise. "As you can see, I am merely sitting here and reviewing what we have deduced thus far."
"You were gone for ages, and now you're suddenly sitting here musing to yourself?" Paimon pressed. "Where have you been, anyway?"
He said nothing. Just stared at her like she was an odd riddle.
Paimon flailed her arms. "Hey, what's with the silence!"
"You never think things through before asking questions," Alhaitham replied smoothly. "I'm giving you some time to make up for that."
I snorted. "Wow. Scholar with built-in loading screen."
"Argh!" Paimon groaned. "Paimon's so mad! Paimon's gonna give you an ugly nickname!"
Alhaitham didn't even blink. "Go ahead. I won't stop you."
Paimon froze, mouth opening and closing. "Uh… um… Never mind. Paimon's got nothing…"
I raised an eyebrow. "That's it? Not even 'Book Biceps'? 'Silent Shoulder Muscle'? You're slacking, Paimon."
She crossed her arms. "There's just nothing super obvious to pick on with this guy. It's annoying."
Nilou giggled behind her hand. "He's a hard one to tease, isn't he?"
Greg flicked his tail in agreement. I crouched down to him. "You're right, buddy. Let's cause more chaos."
Nilou tilted her head toward Lumine. "How does he understand Greg?"
Lumine sighed. "Idiots with the same feathers… or in this case, scales."
Paimon nodded like it made perfect sense.
I could've sworn Greg smirked at that. He had that yeah, we're smarter than they think look in his tiny lizard eyes. Or maybe he was just constipated. Hard to tell with reptiles.
Alhaitham closed his book with a soft thump. "While you were investigating, I had my own work to do, which I've now finished."
"Really?" Paimon narrowed her eyes. "Paimon doesn't believe you."
"To be honest, we aren't really a team," he continued, "so I have no obligation to inform you of my whereabouts."
"That's cold," I muttered. "Almost as cold as Greg's belly after he's been sitting in the shade. Which is really cold, by the way."
Greg flicked his tail at me like, focus, idiot.
Nilou tilted her head, smiling softly. "Maybe he just works better alone?"
"Yeah," I said. "And maybe I work better if someone constantly hands me snacks. But here we are, snackless and suspicious."
Alhaitham carried on. "Going separate ways allowed me to find some important information that you all had missed."
Paimon blinked. "Right here in the village?"
"Correct."
Cyno finally stepped forward, looking like a man who had just realized he'd been standing in the wrong line for an hour. "What did you learn?"
"I'm going to take you to someone," Alhaitham said. "But before that, you need to understand where she's coming from."
He launched into one of his full-blown lectures, the kind where his voice turns into this calm, steady drone. He explained that villagers hiding the truth were not necessarily liars, and that they had daily struggles — fixing roofs, feeding families, shooing goats out of their gardens — that outweighed debates over which god was in charge.
At first, I tried to keep up, nodding like I totally understood. About halfway through though, my brain took a detour and started wondering if sand could feel pain, and if so, whether we were committing some kind of desert-wide atrocity just by walking on it.
Nilou was nodding politely, Lumine was actually following along, and Paimon had the exact same face she wears when she's pretending to like a vegetable. Greg, meanwhile, was staring at Alhaitham like he was watching a cooking show where the chef refuses to add seasoning.
I crossed my arms. "Hmmm… interesting. I don't get it, though."
Lumine facepalmed so hard I swear it echoed.
Paimon sighed. "Why am I not surprised?"
Nilou chuckled awkwardly. "It's… kind of charming?"
"Idiot," Alhaitham muttered under his breath.
Greg slapped him across the wrist with his tiny lizard paw.
That was the moment I knew Greg was truly my ride-or-die.
Alhaitham explained that the so-called 'Village Keepers' actually protected Aaru Village at night, and the girl we were about to see had been awake during that time. Apparently she'd lied out of self-preservation.
Paimon tilted her head. "Then why would she lie?"
Alhaitham crossed his arms. "By getting involved with outsiders, she risks drawing unwanted attention to herself. As for why she might be wary… maybe you should ask her."
Cyno shook his head. "I'll pass on this one. You said she's afraid of me. If so, it's best if I stay out of this."
I grinned. "Alright! Time to do something stupid and probably get arrested!"
Lumine groaned. "Why do you sound happy about that?"
"Because," I said, "it's easier to commit crimes when you're smiling. People don't suspect the cheerful ones."
Greg hopped onto my shoulder like he was volunteering as my accomplice. Nilou gave me the please don't smile.
And just like that, our day had a new mission.
***
Alright, let me set the scene. The day was as hot as a Fatui agent's temper when you steal their lunch. We were marching through the desert, sand sticking to every exposed surface of my skin, following none other than Mr. Muscular Brainiac himself — Alhaitham. Why? Because apparently, we had to go see Shani again. The plan? Well, according to me, it should've been interrogation time. According to Alhaitham? "Just talking." Boring.
"So," I asked, trying to liven things up, "how should we interrogate her? Candace style? Or maybe Cyno style — you know, with the ominous pauses and bad jokes? Speaking of which, where is that midget?"
Greg, perched on my shoulder, gave me a slow blink. I'm pretty sure that was lizard-speak for don't drag me into this.
Alhaitham didn't even break stride, just gave me the deadest deadpan ever. "We're not interrogating her, dumbass. We're just going to talk."
I opened my mouth for a witty comeback, but before I could drop my genius, Lumine smacked me in the head. "Stop suggesting. You're not helping."
I staggered dramatically. "Ow! Abuse! In broad daylight! Greg, you saw that!"
Greg tilted his head at me like, you probably deserved it.
Nilou, bless her heart, put a gentle hand on Lumine's shoulder. "Let's not get violent now. Let's just hope Shani can help us."
Paimon nodded eagerly. "Yeah, let's just… not make things worse."
Lumine let out a sigh, then smiled — which was somehow more terrifying than her glare. "Fine. I'll let the idiot live for now."
I blinked. "For now?"
"Yes," she said, looking me dead in the eyes. "For now."
Alhaitham coughed. "Less chatting, more walking."
I saluted him. "Alright, muscular Einstein."
By the time we reached Shani's place, I was ready to collapse. Greg was sprawled across my shoulder like a limp scarf, his tail occasionally flicking against my cheek like he was reminding me of my poor life choices.
I knocked on the door, then stepped aside because, hey, I'm polite like that.
Alhaitham took the lead. "Miss Shani, as we discussed earlier, I've brought someone with me."
Shani looked at him, then at us. "Mr. Alhaitham, I'm aware of where you stand, but… how can I make sure that your friends think the same as you?"
Paimon tilted her head. "Huh? What do you mean? Do we need to clarify our stance or something?"
Alhaitham gestured towards us. "Go ahead and talk to her. You'll get the answers you want. Go on, earn her trust."
Paimon blinked. "Is it really that simple…?"
Shani hesitated. "Um, may I call you 'Travelers'?"
Lumine smiled politely. "Sure thing. Hi, Miss Shani."
I jumped in before she could say more. "And you can call me the Fabulous Amazing Genius Shigeru! Also handsome. Don't forget the handsome."
Greg gave me a slow blink again, which I chose to interpret as agreement.
Lumine smacked me again. "Stop embarrassing us!"
I rubbed my head. "At this rate, I'm going to develop Lumine-induced brain damage."
Nilou stepped in quickly, resting a hand on Lumine's arm. "Let's keep calm."
"He's forcing me to be violent!" Lumine exclaimed.
Alhaitham coughed again. "Focus."
Shani turned back to Lumine. "Hi, Traveler. I want to ask you something. Do you think the resurrection of King Deshret can truly change Sumeru for the better?"
Lumine's face was calm but firm. "…No."
"Why's that?"
"Because it'll only result in conflict."
Shani nodded slowly. "That's very similar to what Miss Candace says. I know you two are friends. That's why I'm willing to talk to you, even though I do have some reservations. Before, I wouldn't even have the courage to ask something like this. Traveler, do you believe our lives will get better?"
Lumine hesitated. "…I can't promise anything. But I'll do the best I can."
"And me too!" I piped up, pointing at Nilou. "And her too!"
Shani's eyes flicked between me and Nilou. She looked skeptical at me, but her gaze softened when it landed on Nilou. Figures.
Paimon crossed her arms. "Yeah! We came here from another nation, so it isn't wrong of you to be wary. But we've met lots of people from different places, and we've always fought for what we believed in. We have friends in Sumeru, and we want to help them… That's why we decided to stay here for a while."
Shani was quiet for a moment, then stepped outside. "I… want to trust you. My apologies for posing my questions like that. To be honest, I didn't expect you to come back for more information."
Paimon grinned. "Alhaitham told us you have your reasons. It's okay, we understand!"
Shani's voice softened. "The fact is that I'm… only one side of my family is desert folk. I don't really fit in anywhere in Sumeru. Some believe in the Dendro Archon, while others believe in King Deshret. I don't belong to either side, and neither side would want me."
Paimon tilted her head. "The Radicals mentioned that they despise traitors… Do they just think that anyone who's different from them is a traitor?"
"Yeah… Some people can be so narrow-minded when it comes to bloodline and beliefs. It makes no difference what I say or how I behave, I'll always be suspected of having ulterior motives. Slowly, I just stopped talking to people. I pretended not to hear or see anything. All I want is to live my life in peace… And then it happened. The Village Keepers who had helped me disappeared with no explanation, and I didn't dare breathe a word about it to anyone… until now."
Alhaitham glanced at us. "You can tell them. I'm sure they'll keep your secret."
Shani nodded. "Alright. I actually have a sharper sense of hearing than most. Sometimes… I hear strange crying sounds in the night."
Paimon yelped. "Eek! There are ghosts?!"
Greg froze on my shoulder, tail curling like even he was reconsidering this trip.
"Perhaps. I'm not sure. It's faint, but it's definitely the sound of crying. It comes from far away in the distance, and always carries very raw emotion. It used to be louder and more frequent, but ever since you arrived in the village, it doesn't happen as often, and when it does, it's much quieter. I have to focus really hard to make it out."
Alhaitham crossed his arms. "I confirmed this with the guards on night duty. They also have someone with a good ear, and he's heard similar sounds at night. But because we're in the middle of a desert, he would rather believe that they are the cries of beasts than ghosts."
Lumine asked, "Could you make out where the sounds were coming from?"
Shani frowned. "There's really nothing around these parts… except for an old hospital not far from the village."
Alhaitham nodded. "I think they used to use it for treating Eleazar… but it's been abandoned for years."
Paimon puffed up. "We need to check out that hospital!"
"Yeah," I muttered, "so we're going to a creepy place that's probably cursed?"
Alhaitham gave a single nod.
"With just us, grit, sheer willpower, and nothing to protect us from curses?"
Another nod.
"So you want us to go there and get ourselves—"
"Shigeru," Lumine cut in, her voice ice cold, "one more word and I'll feed you to a giant scorpion."
Greg flicked his tongue at me like listen to her.
I snapped into a salute. "Yes ma'am, shutting up now!"
And so, we set off again. Straight toward whatever nightmare awaited in that hospital. My only comfort was Greg's tail tapping against my neck, which I chose to believe meant we've survived worse… probably.
___________________
End of chapter 122
Quests Completed:
*Gather intelligence from the villagers of Aaru about the mysterious disappearances of the "Village Keepers." Discover that not all silence is deception, and that survival sometimes requires secrecy.
*Convince Shani to share her knowledge despite her reservations. Handle personal questions about belief, trust, and belonging without (completely) ruining diplomacy.
*Witness Greg stand up for you by slapping Alhaitham across the wrist, thereby establishing lizard dominance.
*Spot Alhaitham lounging in the shade, basking in sunlight like a philosopher who has achieved peak muscle-and-brain harmony.
*Learn of strange crying noises heard at night in the desert, leading to the discovery of an abandoned hospital linked to Eleazar treatment.
*esist (barely) the urge to interrogate a key witness with over-the-top tactics, and instead settle for "just talking"… under protest.
Rewards:
*+4,000 Adventure EXP
* 15,000 Mora (For Therapy after this Arc)
*Companionship EXP: +350 (Lumine, Nilou, Paimon, Greg)
*Greg's Tail Tap: (A reassuring rhythmic tap from Greg's tail. Restores 5 morale points when feeling like you've made a bad decision.)
*Sun-Baked Book Page : (A single crinkled page Alhaitham dropped in the heat. Reading it makes you feel 15% smarter… until you realize it's just a grocery list.)
*+10 Reputation Points (Aaru Village – "Mildly Trusted Outsiders")
*Nilou's Concerned Smile : (Boosts defense against Lumine's smacks by 3% for the next 24 hours.)
*Shani's Half-Trust: (Increases odds of villagers talking to you by +10%. Can be lost if you eat all their dates without asking.)
*Lumine's "For Now" Mercy: (A temporary immunity buff against total party abandonment.)
*Cyno Absence Coupon: (Redeemable for one meeting without Cyno's puns or ominous pauses.)
*Biceps Scholar Sighting: (A rare sighting of Alhaitham in his natural resting habitat. Collect five for a hidden achievement.)