Once the thought took root in Lin Mo's mind, it refused to leave.
What if…
What if his guess was actually correct?
Bullying little Paimon might be far, far easier than defeating the Heavenly Principles, wouldn't it?
Of course, Lin Mo couldn't bring himself to actually hit such an adorable little creature.
But finding an excuse to invite her to an arm-wrestling match shouldn't be difficult at all.
If he won, would that count as defeating the Heavenly Principles?
No—he had to try!
There was nothing to lose anyway.
What if the gods of Teyvat really did have such a bizarre, pointless quirk?
If that were the case, wouldn't the mission of this lifetime be completed ahead of schedule?
With his mind made up, Lin Mo acted immediately.
He gently set Klee down from his arm and said softly,
"Klee, can you help Dad keep watch here?"
"If you see Acting Grand Master Jean or Sister Eula coming to the plaza, try to stall them for a bit."
"…"
"Mm! Of course I can~!"
Klee blinked her big eyes.
Though confusion filled her gaze, she was obedient and sensible, asking no questions.
After Klee agreed, Lin Mo headed alone toward the statue of the Anemo Archon.
At that moment, Barbatos was chatting with Lumine.
Sensing something, Barbatos turned his head and looked over. When he saw Lin Mo, a smile immediately spread across his face.
"Oh? What brings you here?"
"The night is beautiful. I thought I'd come out for a walk."
Lin Mo replied with a smile. As he spoke, he glanced at Lumine and Paimon and added casually,
"You two look unfamiliar. Are you travelers from afar?"
"My name is Lumine. I'm a traveler."
Lumine nodded politely.
"I'm Paimon~!"
Paimon hurried to introduce herself as well.
"My name is Modé Ganyu. I'm the diplomatic envoy of the Knights of Favonius."
As Lin Mo spoke, he turned to Paimon and smiled meaningfully.
"Little one… is your name really Paimon?"
"Huh? What else would it be?"
Paimon tilted her head in confusion.
"Do you think I'd forget my own name?"
"No, no, that's not what I mean."
Lin Mo laughed and explained,
"It's just that the moment I saw you, you reminded me of a god described in an ancient book."
Barbatos: "Eh-heh?"
Paimon: "A god?!"
Lumine: "(⊙_⊙)?!"
"Yes. A god known as the Sustainer of Heavenly Principles—the most ancient of the primordial gods of Teyvat."
"Eh~? Do I really look that much like her?"
Paimon's eyes sparkled with curiosity.
"Very much so."
Lin Mo nodded seriously.
"Like what she might have looked like when she was young."
"So that's how it is~"
"Well, that god must have great taste then~"
Paimon puffed out her chest proudly, completely lacking any sense of modesty.
Lumine, however, seemed to have caught onto something. She stepped forward and asked solemnly,
"Mr. Ganyu, do you still have that ancient book describing the gods with you?"
Oh, right.
Only then did Lin Mo remember—
Lumine was traveling across Teyvat for two reasons.
One was to find her brother.
The other was to find the god who had separated them.
She wanted answers.
Why had that god stopped them… and torn the siblings apart?
"That was a book I read a very long time ago…"
Lin Mo replied apologetically.
"I've forgotten where I saw it."
"Then do you know of any other places that might have records about ancient gods?"
Lumine's expression was unwavering, as though she wouldn't stop until she uncovered something.
"If you're interested in ancient gods, you might consider visiting Liyue."
"Morax is said to be one of the oldest gods."
"The nation he founded should have records related to ancient deities."
Lin Mo said this deliberately, carefully reinforcing the main storyline.
What if his words sparked her interest in divine texts and she ended up heading to the Akademiya in Sumeru instead?
To ensure Lumine's next destination remained Liyue, he had no choice but to gently steer her path.
"Liyue…"
Lumine murmured the name.
The determination shining in her eyes made it clear—
She had already decided that her next stop would be Liyue.
At that moment, Barbatos seemed to remember something and added with a grin,
"Oh, right. The traveler I mentioned before—the one who can purify evil energy—that's her."
"Oh? So you're the hero who drove off Dvalin today?"
Lin Mo put on a look of surprise.
"What are you planning to do next? Is there anything I can help with?"
"We're going to get the Holy Lyre der Himmel~!"
Paimon answered before Lumine could.
"The Holy Lyre…"
Lin Mo nodded subtly.
In truth, this part of the story could technically be skipped.
In the original timeline, the Fatui's Electro Cicin Mage would steal the Holy Lyre later that night.
No matter what, they wouldn't be able to get it now.
Eventually, they'd still have to storm the Fatui's base to retrieve it.
Lin Mo hesitated, wondering if he should warn them.
If Lumine asked Jean for the proper documents and retrieved the lyre before midnight, they could jump straight into the next arc.
After all, in the original story, Lumine defeated Dvalin today and was awarded the title of Honorary Knight by Jean.
With that status, obtaining permission to borrow the Holy Lyre shouldn't be difficult.
While Lumine went to apply for the documents, Lin Mo could take the opportunity to tease Paimon a bit—
And maybe even get her to arm-wrestle him.
That would finally let him test whether she truly was the Heavenly Principles.
So Lin Mo casually offered a reminder,
"If I remember correctly, borrowing the Holy Lyre requires official approval from the Knights, doesn't it?"
"Huh? Really?"
Paimon asked curiously.
"Technically… yes."
Barbatos nodded with a wry smile.
"Since it's normally only used during the Windblume Festival, borrowing it at other times does require official permission."
"But we don't have any documents…"
Paimon drooped in frustration.
"Getting documents isn't that hard."
Lin Mo smiled and turned to Lumine.
"Aren't you an Honorary Knight? Just ask Acting Grand Master Jean for permission. I'm sure she'll agree."
"Honorary Knight? What Honorary Knight?"
Paimon looked utterly lost.
Lin Mo froze.
He turned to look at Lumine and Barbatos—
Both of them were wearing the same bewildered expressions.
Oh no.
In that instant, Lin Mo realized something terrifying.
Because of his presence in this world…
The plot had changed.
If he hadn't appeared, Klee should have slipped back into Mondstadt before Jean discovered her.
The time Jean was supposed to spend granting Lumine the title of Honorary Knight…
Had likely been spent searching outside the city for Klee instead.
No wonder.
Earlier, when he mentioned Lumine to Jean, she had only said she'd heard about her from Amber.
So that was it.
Jean hadn't even met Lumine yet.
And without that…
There was no way Lumine could have been made an Honorary Knight.
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T/N:
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