"Mmm! The food you cook is absolutely delicious!"
Paimon's cheeks puffed out adorably as she spoke around a mouthful of pocket cake. "Especially these pocket cakes, they're sweet, savory, and packed with meat filling! I love them!"
Collei beamed with pride. "Hehe, I'm so glad you like it, Paimon."
Nothing made her happier than seeing others enjoy the food she'd prepared.
"Hmm? Is it really that good?" An unfamiliar voice suddenly chimed in from behind. "Let me try one."
Before anyone could react, a hand reached past Collei's shoulder and plucked a pocket cake right off her plate.
Collei startled, spinning around to face the newcomer. What greeted her was a face so striking it momentarily stole her breath, even more handsome than Master Tighnari's!
For just a moment, she found herself staring.
"Well, this pocket cake really is delicious." Victor gave Collei an approving thumbs-up, his grin easy and warm.
That's right, the person who'd materialized out of nowhere was our protagonist, Victor Stone. He'd rushed over the moment he'd finished... handling business with his wives. When he'd arrived and spotted Lumine and Paimon having a picnic with a beautiful girl, he'd taken a closer look.
Wait a minute. Wasn't that Collei?
"Thank you," Collei murmured, her cheeks flushing as she quickly lowered her head to hide her embarrassment.
"Victor! You're finally here!" Lumine glared at him indignantly. "I waited for you for over two hours before you finally showed up, and the first thing you do is steal someone's lunch? That's way too much!"
"That's right!" Little Paimon chimed in, her mouth still stuffed with food, her cheeks bulging like a chipmunk's. Her words came out garbled but the annoyance was clear.
Paimon was genuinely upset that Victor had kept them waiting so long.
"N-no, it's okay. I'm actually full already." Collei waved her hands quickly, speaking shyly.
Though she was only about half full, the kindhearted trainee ranger would never say such a thing out loud.
Fortunately, Victor knew how to reciprocate kindness.
"Thanks for the pocket cake. Here, let me share some of the delicious food my wives make." With a casual wave of his hand, a dazzling array of dishes appeared out of thin air before them.
"So much food!" Collei's eyes widened in amazement. She was stunned not just by the quantity, but by the magical method he'd used to produce it all.
And it smelled incredible!
"I'm not holding back!" Little Paimon had already launched herself at the spread, devouring everything in sight.
Even Lumine temporarily shelved her plans to scold Victor. After all, how could getting revenge on him compare to enjoying such amazing food?
"Collei, let's eat quickly too! If we don't hurry, Paimon will finish everything!"
"Okay, okay!"
Half an hour later, the three girls sat contentedly on the picnic mat, blissfully full and wearing satisfied smiles.
Little Paimon found lying on the mat uncomfortable, so she floated into Victor's lap instead, enjoying the gentle way he rubbed her slightly distended belly.
Collei turned to Victor. "Thank you..."
"Victor Stone. Just call me Victor."
"Thank you, Victor, for letting me taste such delicious food."
Victor waved dismissively. "No need to be polite. Fair exchange, that's all."
"By the way, you must be travelers from another country, right?" Collei blinked at them curiously.
"That's right! We're definitely travelers." Paimon, the self-proclaimed Guide of the Gods, piped up immediately.
Hearing this, Collei's expression turned wistful. "I really envy you, being able to travel freely between nations."
"If you want to, you can," Lumine said meaningfully, her eyes flicking to the Vision hanging at Collei's waist.
Possessing a Vision meant controlling elemental forces, which in turn meant having the power to protect oneself. In the dangerous continent of Teyvat, as long as a Vision holder didn't encounter a massive monster wave or accidentally stumble into a deadly domain, traveling between nations wasn't particularly difficult.
"I can't." Collei waved her hands, sadness flickering in her eyes. "I have a... condition. I can't leave Master Tighnari's side."
"A condition?" Paimon tilted her head, confused.
"Eleazar. It's a disease unique to Sumeru, caused by the pollution of forbidden knowledge."
Without waiting for Collei to explain, Victor provided the answer.
Collei looked at him in surprise. "That's right. I didn't expect you'd know about Sumeru's unique illness, Victor, even though you're a foreign traveler."
"Why does the disease only appear in Sumeru?" Paimon's curiosity was now fully piqued as she looked up at Victor.
Victor gently stroked Paimon's head. "It's related to the pollution of forbidden knowledge and the corruption that spread during the ancient cataclysm."
Paimon opened her mouth to ask what forbidden knowledge was, but Victor cut her off. "Anyway, it's a very complicated subject. I'll tell you about it later when we have more time."
"What we need to do now is head to Sumeru City as soon as possible."
Lumine nodded. "Then let's go."
"You're leaving already?" Though reluctant to see them go, Collei stood and clasped her hands together in front of her chest. "May the Grass God bless you. I hope your journey is smooth and safe."
"Thank you for your blessing."
After saying their goodbyes to Collei, Victor took Lumine and Paimon into the air, flying toward Sumeru City.
Along the way, they encountered a woman being attacked by monsters. Victor swung his sword once, a casual motion that obliterated the creatures and cleared the surrounding Withering Zone in an instant.
When the woman looked up to see who her savior was, Victor and his companions had already vanished into the distance.
Before long, they arrived above Sumeru City.
"Is this Sumeru City? What a strange place!" Lumine's attention was immediately captured by the extraordinary sight below.
Mondstadt had been built on an island in the middle of a lake. Liyue Harbor sprawled along the seaside. Inazuma City crowned the peak of a mountain.
But Sumeru City? It was built on, no, within, a tree!
A colossal tree over a thousand meters tall grew straight through the heart of the city, its branches and trunk integrated seamlessly with the architecture. Before this ancient giant, humans seemed impossibly small.
Victor expanded his spiritual sense, instantly covering the entire city in his awareness. Soon, he located a small, adorable presence in a room shrouded by a barrier. She resembled a little shuttlecock, radiating powerful Dendro elemental energy.
"Let's go rescue the little Grass God."
The moment the words left his mouth, Victor vanished and reappeared inside the room where the deity was imprisoned.
The little Grass God, who'd been projecting her consciousness elsewhere, seemed to sense these unexpected guests. She withdrew her awareness from a certain puppet, slowly opened her eyes, and gazed at Victor and his companions with curious interest.
"Is this the little Grass God? Wow! She's so cute!" Lumine was instantly smitten by Nahida's adorable appearance.
So tiny! So precious!
Those legs especially, they looked like ice cream bars. Lumine wanted to...
"Could you please pay attention to your image? You're practically drooling." Victor shot Lumine a look of disdain.
Though he also thought the little Grass God was incredibly cute, there was no need to look quite so... predatory, was there?
Still, those legs really were something special. One could admire them for a thousand years.
He was being a bit lecherous, wasn't he?
Nahida smiled warmly. "Thank you for the compliment. You're all very cute, beautiful, and handsome as well."
Despite being imprisoned within this barrier, there was no trace of suffering or resentment on the Grass God Nahida's face. Only gentle curiosity and warmth.