So this is what it feels like to have a chill run down your spine...
Since they were still some distance from the place he mentioned, Childe, who was walking ahead, felt a chill run down his back.
Even though Kaito was right there, he worried that Miss Kiana could send him away without Kaito or even himself noticing at all. Coupled with the fact that Kiana hadn't said a word and was just standing silently behind Kaito, this made Childe's imagination run wild with all sorts of theories.
No...
I have to take the initiative!
After thinking it over, Childe felt he had to make the first move. Otherwise, if he kept walking forward in silence, there was no telling what might happen.
But no matter what, he had to be cautious, extremely cautious. With this thought in mind, Childe started glancing back from time to time.
"What's wrong, Childe?" Kaito asked, seemingly noticing his strange behavior.
"Haha, it's nothing. I was just checking to see if you guys had fallen behind."
With another laugh, Childe gave an excuse that was clearly not a real reason.
"Hey, hey, hey! What kind of reason is that? What do you mean, 'fallen behind'? You're walking so slowly up there, I'm starting to worry if we'll even make it to that place you mentioned today."
Even Paimon could see through Childe's lame excuse and couldn't help but roast him. But for Paimon, the most important thing was obviously getting to their destination and eating. That was all that mattered. She didn't care why Childe kept looking back; she just wished he would walk a little faster.
"That's enough, Paimon."
Knowing what Paimon was thinking, Lumine quickly told her to be quiet. After all, he was treating them, and it was too impolite for them, as guests, to act this way.
"If I knew the way, it would take me a second... no, not even a second to get you to our destination. Right, Kai?"
Wendy, who had been quiet all this time, suddenly spoke up.
"Wrong." The one who answered wasn't Kaito, but Kiana, who was standing beside them. At least, that's how it appeared to Childe and Lumine.
"I wasn't asking you, big sister Kiana~"
Giving Kiana a seemingly displeased look, Wendy deliberately drew out her words.
And as the two bickered, Childe, who was up ahead, was ecstatic. He had finally heard Kiana speak.
Miss Kiana...
You finally spoke...
And your attention isn't on me!
Miss Wendy...
Ah, no...
Lord Anemo Archon, I mean...
You are truly a lifesaver!
Although he didn't know what Kiana was thinking, at least her attention was now on something else and not on him, which allowed him to finally breathe a sigh of relief.
Kiana...
Sister?
So Kiana is the older one...
Then the third position...
Wait!
That guy Kaito seems to have other girls...
Kiana might not even be the oldest one...
That guy!
As she thought about it, Lumine silently shot a glare at Kaito up ahead.
"Big sister Kiana? So Kiana's older than Wendy. In that case, Kiana must be a few hundred, or a thousand..."
"Ouch! Lumine, why'd you hit me?"
Before Paimon could finish her sentence, her little head received a sharp blow. Needless to say, this was definitely Lumine's doing again; she knew it without even looking.
"It wasn't me who hit you."
As Paimon looked over, a seemingly gloating Lumine threw her hands up, denying it was her.
"If it wasn't you, then who was it?"
Rubbing the spot where she was hit, Paimon clearly didn't believe Lumine's words. After all, it was always Lumine who hit her like this, so it had to be her again this time.
"That would be me, of course. Is there a problem?"
Just as Paimon was about to say something else, Kiana spoke.
"Uh..." Not expecting Kiana to be the one who hit her, Paimon, who was about to throw a fit, froze and then mumbled, "No problem..."
This Paimon...
As expected...
Seeing Paimon like this, Lumine was secretly overjoyed.
Actually, if Kiana hadn't acted so quickly, she would have been the one to land a critical hit on Paimon just now. She knew what Paimon was about to say and was planning to interrupt her with her usual method, but Kiana beat her to it.
No matter what, she couldn't let Paimon say someone was hundreds or thousands of years old. After all, if that happened, Wendy's identity as the Anemo Archon might be exposed, and that would be bad.
Keep going...
Keep going...
Please, keep going!
Hearing the group behind him gradually become livelier, Childe grew happier and happier. Because if things stayed this way, Miss Kiana probably wouldn't have time to bother with him.
He had to admit, the silence from before had truly terrified him, making him constantly worry that he would be laid to rest forever in this foreign land in the very next second.
"Sigh."
Just as Childe was breathing a sigh of relief, he suddenly heard a heavy sigh next to his ear, which made him jump and quickly turn his head.
But Childe was clearly on edge; the sound had just come from Kaito, who had walked up beside him, looking a bit helpless.
"What's wrong, my friend Kaito? You look like you have something on your mind."
After confirming it was a false alarm, Childe casually asked Kaito this question.
However, Kaito didn't answer, merely gesturing for Childe to look back, and Childe immediately understood what he meant.
"When you have a big family, situations like this are hard to avoid. And besides... it's very... lively."
As he finished, Childe got a nostalgic look on his face, as if he was remembering something.
Meanwhile, as Kaito's large group made their way to dinner, Ningguang, in the Jade Chamber, was frowning deeply, as if pondering some intractable problem.
The Jade Chamber.
Could it be...
That girl...
Is really a god too?
Recalling the devastating scene she had witnessed at Nantianmen not long ago, Ningguang couldn't help but think this.
Although she had suspected it from the beginning, she found it truly hard to believe. After all, the young man's other girlfriend was already the Anemo Archon. If the remaining one was also a god, the implications were simply unimaginable.
But with what happened this morning at Nantianmen, this astonishing guess seemed to be turning into fact, step by step.
And Azhdaha...
Could he have already been dealt with by her?
Stepping outside, Ningguang gazed down below, lost in thought.
Tomorrow is the Rite of Descension...
__
🔥 New stories are available now! 🔥
Genshin Impact: Starting by Stuffing Columbina
✅ Access up to 40 advanced chapters of ALL stories!
✅ Receive exclusive content and updates!
Help us hit our community goals:
🎯 100 Powerstones = +1 Bonus Chapter for everyone
🚀 80 MEMBERS = +5 extra chapters of ALL STORIES!
👻 P - Walnutchan