"Traveler, are you really not going to attend the post-war celebration? Are you in such a hurry to leave Sumeru?"
At the Zubayr Theater in the Grand Bazaar of Sumeru, Nilou looked at the Traveler and Paimon before her, a hint of reluctance in her eyes as she spoke.
"You are the hero who saved the Lesser Lord Kusanali, the one who saved Sumeru... yet you're choosing to leave just like that, disappearing without claiming any credit?"
"I'm sorry, Miss Nilou. Though I would love to celebrate with you all, you know that my journey's purpose is to find my sister—my dearest family."
Aether smiled apologetically.
"And now, in the direction of Fontaine, the Nation of Water, I've sensed a peculiar presence. It may have something to do with my family."
"Besides, it's not like I won't come back. When I have time, I'll definitely return to visit Sumeru."
"Don't forget, I can use Teleport Waypoints! Traveling back and forth is super convenient."
"It's just that since I'm going to Fontaine for the first time, I haven't unlocked the waypoints there yet. Once I do, everything will be much easier!"
"Miss Nilou, don't worry! I know the road to Fontaine very well—if not a hundred times, at least twenty or thirty times!" Kirara, standing nearby, added.
"I often travel between Fontaine and Inazuma, delivering Inazuman specialty fabrics to Miss Chiori."
"Yeah! What a coincidence that we ran into Kirara right here in Sumeru!" Paimon said with a grin.
"With someone familiar leading the way, we won't have to take as many detours, and we'll save a lot of time!"
"Alright then," Nilou said with a smile, waving her hand.
"Safe travels, Traveler, Paimon, Miss Kirara!"
But in the next moment, from Aether's perspective, everything changed—everyone around him turned gray and motionless, frozen in place as if time itself had stopped.
Aether turned his head in response to the voice and saw Nahida, a gray-white figure, looking at him.
"Nahida, it seems we've established a connection again." Aether said.
"Mm... I guess I have only myself to blame for being too impulsive. When I heard you were leaving Sumeru, I wanted to talk to you, and before I knew it, the connection was established."
"It's fine. Aside from Nilou, you're the last person I need to say goodbye to," Aether said.
"Even if you didn't reach out to me, I would've gone to the Grand Sage's Palace to find you."
"It's alright, you don't need to trouble yourself to come here just to say goodbye." Nahida replied.
"But saying goodbye in person feels more ceremonial, doesn't it? I do it for everyone."
"You really don't have to come to the Grand Sage's Palace. I've got a lot of aftermath to handle lately, and I'm quite busy. I probably won't have time, so saying goodbye here is just as good."
"Mm, alright. Since you've said so, Nahida..." Aether nodded.
"Traveler, the reason I'm reaching out to you this time is less about saying goodbye and more about giving you a reminder."
"Please, be sure to stay cautious and stay alert."
"Although with your abilities, you can handle most challenges, there are still some unforeseen situations you must watch out for."
"Even though I am the God of Wisdom, I can't answer all the questions in the world."
"This world is still full of too many unknowns and challenges."
"Okay, Nahida. Thanks for the reminder. I'll keep it in mind," Aether nodded.
Soon after, Aether bid farewell to Nahida, and with Paimon by his side, followed Kirara as they set off on their journey to Fontaine.
"Kirara... Paimon... slow down a bit..." Aether said, out of breath.
Although Aether felt that his physical condition was already beyond that of an ordinary person, he still underestimated the difficulty of the "shortcut" that Kirara had mentioned...
It was all dense thickets, small openings, and sheer cliffs—paths that no normal person could navigate.
But Kirara had her cat box form, and Paimon was small and could fly, so they had no trouble moving, but Aether was struggling...
"Traveler, just a little more!" Kirara said.
"After all, this is the shortcut. We've cut our travel time by almost half. We'll reach Fontaine by tomorrow morning!"
The next morning, Aether and Paimon, following Kirara, finally arrived at the Realm of Farakhkert, on the northeastern coast of the Hills of Barsom.
Aether looked ahead at the strange device glowing with a red light and finally broke into a smile.
Great, there's a Teleport Waypoint here!
He quickly approached and touched the still-locked Teleport Waypoint.
The Waypoint began to float and rotate, its red glow slowly transforming into a blue one...
Everything should have been normal...
However, the current Teleport Waypoint, while successfully activated, was emitting a strange combination of black and red light... and it also exuded an ominous aura...
After being in Teyvat for so long, this was the first time he had encountered a malfunctioning Teleport Waypoint...
Was it just a visual malfunction, or was it truly broken?
"Traveler, look, that's Fontaine ahead!" Kirara said, pointing toward the distance, where the buildings of Fontaine could already be faintly seen.
Then she pointed to a small dock below. "Next, we just need to take a boat from down there, and we'll reach Fontaine's Romaritime Harbor!"
"Also, Traveler, do you see that spiked tortoise next to the shore? Its scientific name is Tent Tortoise."
Kirara pointed in another direction.
"I've heard that the shell of this species is extremely hard, and no elemental power or weapon can cause it any damage..."
"Of course, that's just an exaggeration, meaning the Tent Tortoise has incredibly impressive defense."
At this point, Kirara seemed to naturally take on the role of a tour guide, sharing everything she knew with Aether.
"Hey! Kirara, I feel like you've stolen my job! I'm supposed to be the best guide for the Traveler!" Paimon crossed her arms, tilted her head, and pouted, pretending to be angry, which made everyone laugh.
But just then, an unexpected event occurred!
A Hilichurl suddenly appeared next to the Tent Tortoise, seemingly about to attack it.
The Tent Tortoise clearly noticed the Hilichurl's intent to attack and withdrew its head and limbs into its shell, entering a state of "absolute defense."
The Hilichurl wasn't holding a weapon.
It was simply using its bare fists to strike the shell...
However, just as the attack was about to land, a dark, crimson aura suddenly erupted from the Hilichurl's fists!
That supposedly indestructible Tent Tortoise shell was shattered in an instant, and the turtle inside, curled up, was immediately torn apart, its flesh flying everywhere!
The Hilichurl picked up some bloody Tent Tortoise meat, tasted it, but seemed to find it unpleasant, so it spat it out.
Then, the Hilichurl's gaze shifted toward the workers at the dock not far away...
Aether, who had witnessed the whole scene, grew serious...
What kind of power was that in the Hilichurl's fists?
It was able to shatter the Tent Tortoise's hard shell with a single punch?
It was a bit far to see clearly and feel it properly, but it almost felt like the power of the Abyss, though not exactly...
Moreover, the people at the dock seemed to be targeted by the Hilichurl.
They were in danger, and he needed to protect them!
Although Aether didn't know how the Hilichurl had done it, no matter how strong, it was still just a Hilichurl!
Could it be that he couldn't even defeat a Hilichurl?
Aether completely forgot about Nahida's warning...
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