Chenyu Vale, Sumeru, inside a cave that looked like it had been inhabited by some scholar in a state of forest-dwelling madness.
Jack and a tiny little Lansari stared at each other.
"Black Nara, why are you staring at Lansari?"
"Are you called Lansari? It's my first time seeing a pink Lansari. What are you doing here?"
"Black Nara has a familiar aura, like the King Deshret. Lansari thought it was another Lansari, so I came."
"You mean this, right?"
Jack condensed the power of the original Aralia Element Power in his hand.
Then he held the elemental orb close to Lansari.
The leaves on Lansari's head spun joyfully like a windmill.
"It's the pure power of the Great Tree, but Black Nara is Nara, not Grass God. Lansari feels a bit strange."
"Don't worry, someone with such pure Aralia Element Power can't be a bad person, right?"
"Mhm, Lansari believes you, Black Nara is not a bad person."
The pink Lansari wiggled and approached Jack's arm, then absorbed the unowned Aralia Element Power.
After absorbing it, the leaves on her head brightened a bit.
Jack also sensed a wonderful connection forming between himself and her, and gained a minuscule, almost negligible, amount of Aralia Element authority.
"Black Nara, can Lansari sit on your shoulder? You feel like the King Deshret, making Lansari feel very comfortable."
"Of course you can."
Jack lifted the Lansari and let her sit on his shoulder. Lansari then stretched out her small hands and grabbed his head, carefully, afraid of falling off.
"Lansari, do you know the way to the human gathering place in Chenyu Vale?"
"That's the place with many Naras, right? Lansari knows, Lansari will show you the way!"
The pink Lansari seemed happy that she could help others, pointing a finger like a plant stem towards a certain direction in the forest.
...
"Hoo! Please, Coriana!"
Amidst the lush green forest, a young girl ran up and down like a skilled hunter.
She threw a doll made of condensed Aralia Element Power directly into the center of a group of Fungi.
Bang, bang, bang!
The cute doll instantly exploded like a bomb, unleashing a continuous bombardment of Aralia Element Power within a certain range.
"Hehe!"
Collei put her hands on her hips, looking at her masterpiece with great interest.
Her master, Tighnari, however, covered his forehead beside her.
This girl, he didn't know where she learned her demolition concepts, but recently her Aralia Element usage was becoming more and more like Pyro Element.
How could he, a renowned scholar of the Amurta school, teach such a destructive disciple of the Sume school?
"Nara?"
Suddenly, a very faint sound came from afar.
Tighnari's pointed ears twitched slightly.
"Wait! Collei, it seems there's someone!"
"Eh?"
Collei almost threw another bomb, then stopped after hopping two steps on one foot.
The two looked into the smoke of the explosion.
A familiar yet unfamiliar figure emerged, holding a Lansari.
"Even if you want to welcome me, you don't need to hold such a grand ceremony."
The pink Lansari was still in shock, trembling in Jack's arms.
This mischievous little fellow had just jumped off Jack's shoulder and was running around everywhere.
She accidentally ran into Collei's bombing range. Fortunately, Jack's attention was always on her, so the little one wasn't actually injured.
"Traveler?!"
"Lansari?!"
The master and disciple's points of focus were completely different.
When Collei saw that it was Jack, she dropped the bomb-doll in her hand and skipped over, taking Jack's arm like a girl next door.
"It's really been a long time, Traveler! Amber sent me a letter before saying you were back in Teyvat, I didn't expect you to come to Sumeru so soon."
Jack ruffled Collei's increasingly healthy green seaweed-like hair.
"I knew Amber couldn't keep a secret. I originally planned to give you all a surprise."
"Hehe, Sister Amber just wanted to share the joy early."
Tighnari shook his head and walked over.
"Collei, don't cause trouble for the Traveler, and haven't you noticed that the little Lansari is very afraid of you?"
Collei snapped back to reality and then saw the pink Lansari with her head buried deep, only showing her little bottom.
So cute!
Collei's girlish heart instantly overflowed, but when she thought that she had almost hurt this little one just now, she started to blame herself.
"It's okay, Lansari, Collei's goal is to defeat those Fungi. It was you who accidentally ran over there; she won't hurt you."
"Mmm, really? Strange Nara really won't eat Lansari?"
Jack smiled gently.
Lansari then mustered up the courage, weakly looking at Collei, "Then... that, Lansari forgives you, green seaweed-head Nara."
"Sea... seaweed-head?!"
After the misunderstanding was cleared up.
Collei, who still retained her childlike innocence, quickly started playing with Lansari, who had a childlike personality.
Jack, meanwhile, began chatting with Tighnari.
"That child is the Grass God's familiar, a Lansari, right? I never thought I'd be able to see one up close."
"Didn't Tighnari's family used to be Grass God's familiars too? How come even you can't get close to these timid fellows?"
Tighnari shook his head and said, "According to records, Lansari are spirits living in dreams and illusions. Only those with childlike innocence and special powers can see them. They have always been quite mysterious."
"Are you saying you want to study Lansari? You're already a Forest Ranger, but you still can't forget those things from the Amurta school?"
"Hehe, not at all. It's just out of personal interest that I want to understand them more deeply. After all, when I was little, I also hoped to have a Lansari playmate."
Following Tighnari's gaze, Jack looked at the small and adorable Lansari.
Indeed.
Lansari dolls are very popular among children in Sumeru. He was already thinking about whether to bring some souvenirs for Klee and the others.
"By the way, Tighnari, is everyone in Sumeru City now?"
"Everyone? Traveler, do you mean?"
"Yes, I'm planning a banquet and want to invite everyone in Sumeru. To avoid having to search everywhere for people, I've come to ask you first, as you're the intersection point of Sumeru's social network."
As an excellent graduate of the Akademiya, Tighnari himself possessed strong qualities and a warm personality; even someone like Alhaitham held him in high regard.
So, if he wanted to gather everyone in Sumeru at once, coming to Tighnari was much simpler and more convenient than scanning the entire Sumeru region.
"I see. Let me think."
Tighnari recalled and thought for a moment.
"Alhaitham and Kaveh are both in Sumeru City recently. Cyno hasn't been reported to be on external assignments. Miss Candace should be in Aaru Village and hasn't moved. Nilou and Dehya should be with Dinazade... Aside from the unpredictable Dori, everyone else seems to be relatively concentrated."
"Do you need me to help you notify them?"
Tighnari's intention was to split into several groups and quickly notify everyone to attend the banquet.
Jack smiled and said mysteriously, "No need for such trouble. It's something that can be resolved in minutes once I plant a few anchors."
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