area51novel Page 73
Page 73
"What's wrong, Kiana... don't look at me like that..."
Noticing Kiana's gaze, March seemed a little uncomfortable.
"Um...it's nothing, it's just March. Next time you watch a horror movie, you can watch it with me, then you won't be scared!"
Kiana smiled gently, like a warm little sun.
"Wow! That's great! With Kiana here, I definitely won't be scared!"
Watching the interaction between the two, Walter felt both gratified and helpless. They shouldn't be focusing on these trivial things right now, should they?
It seems that only he can steer the conversation back on track.
"Next, let's start with the person who opened the Jade Gate and continue forward to see if we can gain anything."
"Okay! Let's go."
Kiana nodded in agreement, and then the three of them began to explore the area of containers together.
They hadn't gone far when they discovered soldiers from an army with celestial ships lying on the ground. These soldiers, known as the Cloud Cavalry, seemed to have been fighting something. Following the directions of the wounded Cloud Cavalryman, the three continued forward, and finally…
They discovered the Cloud Riders still engaged in battle, and behind them, a fox-woman with fox ears and a face like a peach blossom was warily watching her surroundings. Upon seeing the three approaching, she quickly waved to the three members of the train crew and said, "Come and help me!"
Almost the instant Kiana saw the fox-girl, she became wary.
She always remembered Xing's words...
"A mouth in March is like it's been blessed!"
Chapter Ninety-Five: Rejecting the "Messenger"!
Clearly, March 7th isn't the only person in the world who can "bless" others with their mouths; at least in Teyvat, there's Paimon who can do the same.
After searching for immortals in Jueyun for half a day without finding a single one, Paimon, somewhat impatient, simply muttered, "Do immortals really exist in Jueyun?" Then, the next moment, a golden deer covered in golden light, clearly displaying "immortal style," appeared before them.
The moment he opened his mouth, his voice, with its own reverberation, further confirmed his identity.
"Who are you, seeking refuge in the Cloud Realm, and what brings you here to pay homage to the immortals?"
The True Lord of Moon-Cut Sun spoke with great pressure to the three people in front of him... two and a half people.
"Hiss... That old fellow Xiaoyue is putting on such a high and mighty act again. Isn't he afraid of upsetting that young friend?"
At this moment, Li Shui Die Shan, who was observing with Liu Yun Jie Feng, frowned and was very dissatisfied with Xiao Yue Zhu Yang's arrogant appearance.
"I think you've been staying in the cave for too long. Xiaoyue's behavior so far has been just right, and she hasn't offended you too much. On the contrary, you should be careful not to be too polite later. Otherwise, you'll end up looking like just another big bird passing by instead of an immortal!"
Upon hearing this, Liu Yun rolled her eyes at the Lishui Dieshan (a type of landscape painting), and then continued looking down.
Star and Black Tower remained remarkably calm in the face of the immortals appearing before them, while Paimon was the first to panic, after all... it was she who had just uttered "There are no immortals here."
However, before Paimon could ramble on in a panic, Xing pulled her behind him, shielding her in front of him. She looked the "celestial deer" up and down several times, then said:
"I am the leader of the Seven Stars of Liyue and a special envoy of Tianquan. Today I have important business to discuss with the immortals. I wonder if this [Mount] could do me the favor of summoning your master here?"
Clearly, in Xing's mind, an immortal must first be a person. The "divine deer" in front of him, although imposing, does not even have a human form, so it must be a mount!
"Pfft!"
Upon hearing this, Liu Yun, who was hiding in the distance, couldn't help but burst out laughing. Then, he realized that something was seriously wrong.
"Oh no, this old guy Xiaoyue is about to explode after being provoked like this..."
"Then...should we go stop him now?"
"No rush, let's wait and see. If Xiaoyue really can't hold back, then it won't be too late for us to stop her."
Sure enough, upon hearing the word "mount," the deer-like face of the Moon-Cutter True Monarch instantly turned red... no, his entire deer turned red. Mount... is that such an insult to an immortal?!
But... he couldn't get angry. The person before him was a distinguished guest in the Emperor's plan; he couldn't get angry...
[Endurance]!
Seeing the baseball bat that had appeared in Xing's hand without him noticing, and sensing the faint demonic aura emanating from it, the previously somewhat annoyed True Lord of Moon-Slicing Sun decisively backed down.
He recognized the scent on that baseball bat... wasn't it Dvalin from Mondstadt next door?
Combined with the warnings left by the Emperor...
So, this guy in front of me blew the brains out of that wind dragon next door?
"Hey, [Mount] buddy, what's your decision? I really have something very important to discuss."
While gently tapping the baseball bat in his hand, Xing spoke very seriously to True Monarch Xiaoyue Zhuyang.
With each tap she made, True Lord of Moon-Cut Sun felt a tremor in his heart!
Is this what the Emperor meant by "evenly matched"...?
As expected, he exudes an aura of dominance!
So, on a whim, Xiaoyue quickly adopted a solemn expression and continued, following Xing's lead:
"Given that this is your first visit to an immortal, I will not pursue your mistakes here. I am not some mount, but one of the immortals of Jueyun Realm, my true name is True Lord Xiaoyue Zhuyang! Considering that you are a special envoy of the Seven Stars and have important matters to report, I will spare you this time. Now, quickly present what the Seven Stars have to say!"
While secretly sweating, Xiaoyue suppressed her slightly trembling voice and spoke solemnly to the [Pioneer] in front of her in a voice amplified by "immortal power".
"As expected of a deer with the style of a fairy boat, even admitting defeat is done so officially."
Black Tower, standing to the side, instantly noticed the unease in the figure of "Shaving the Moon and Building the Sun," shook his head slightly, but said nothing.
"So it is the True Lord of Shaving the Moon and Building the Sun. I have long admired your name. Since that is the case, I will not waste any more words. Yesterday, during the ceremony of inviting immortals, the Emperor was assassinated. His body is still warm. In order to find the murderer of the Emperor, I have come to Jueyun to visit the immortal. I hope that the immortal can help me to seek justice for the Rock King Emperor!"
Seeing this, Xing then delivered the prepared words to the True Lord of Moon-Cut Sun before him.
As expected, upon hearing the news of the assassination attempt on the Emperor, the True Lord of the Moon-Cut Sun appeared extremely angry, his "angry voice" resounding throughout the entire Jueyun Realm, as if he was indignant about the Emperor's assassination attempt.
But in fact……
It had been holding back for a long time, and was just using the assassination attempt on the emperor as a pretext to vent its frustration and anger.
However, the results were indeed quite good.
Seeing this, Hoshi also put away his baseball bat appropriately.
Look... isn't this immortal quite sensible?
"In that case, I hope that this Immortal of Moon-Shaving and Sun-Building can inform the other immortals that I still need to continue to investigate the clues regarding the assassination of the Emperor. If any immortals arrive at Liyue Harbor to help catch the murderer, just give the call, and I, [Galaxy Baseball Man], will be there at any time."
After that, ignoring the stunned True Monarch of Moon-Slicing and Sun-Building, he led Black Tower and Paimon around and headed towards the exit of the Absolute Cloud Realm.
Wait a minute... this isn't right! According to the original procedure, shouldn't this "Pioneer" be the one visiting each of the immortals to personally inform them of the Emperor's assassination attempt? Why is he suddenly being asked to convey the message to the other immortals??
Clearly, Xing's move completely stumped True Monarch Xieyue Zhuyang. His deer mouth opened slightly, as if he was about to say something...
But then the already departing "Pioneer" immediately hoisted the little girl beside him onto his back, grabbed the flying creature, and ran away at lightning speed.
"You want me to continue being a boring messenger? No way!!!"
Having mastered the tropes of this type of story-driven game, Xing decisively chose to "reject the tedious plot" and ran away on the spot!
Anyway, she's already delivered the message, so she's not concerned with what happens next!
If the message doesn't go well, just put all the blame on this True Lord of Moon-Slicing and Sun-Building.
Let's start by rejecting internal friction in the process!
At this moment, the figure of True Monarch Xueyue Zhuyang had already disappeared into the mountain mist amidst the towering clouds...
Is this...is this right?
This is so different from what we agreed on!
At the same time, the hidden True Lord Liuyun Jiefeng and True Lord Lishui Dieshan looked at each other in surprise. Clearly, they had not expected the Pioneers to pull such a move.
After a long silence, the author of the poem, "The Water and the Mountains," slowly spoke:
"The person chosen by the Emperor... is indeed no ordinary person..."
Chapter Ninety-Six: The Meeting Will Continue
The Third Immortal Assembly
The familiar banner was hung atop Jueyun Peak once more, but the middle of the "three" had clearly been filled with a horizontal stroke. It seems even the banner's creator hadn't expected this ridiculous gathering to be held a third time...
The three immortals of Jueyun, who had already transformed into human form, sat silently by the stone table, while the guardian yaksha who had just arrived looked at the three immortals with a bewildered expression.
Didn't they just finish a meeting?
Why again?
Did the Emperor issue any decree regarding the number of meetings required per week...?
"Ah... the Great Sage Who Subdues Demons has also arrived. So, the Third Immortal Assembly shall now officially begin."
Seeing this, Xianyun gently pushed up his red-rimmed glasses with his middle finger, and then slowly turned his gaze to Xiaoyue beside him.
"That [pioneer] completely disrupted our initial plans, so we have no choice but to go straight to the point."
"So, Xiaoyue, I'll trouble you to go to Liyue Harbor first and inform that [Pioneer] so that she can complete the preparations for the Farewell Ceremony. This process was planned by the Emperor beforehand and is an important part of the Emperor's assessment of the people of Liyue, so it must be taken seriously."
"Sigh... why is it me again?"
Upon hearing this, Xiaoyue's face immediately fell, and the words "unwilling" were practically written all over her face.
"Well, what can you do? You were the first immortal the [Pioneer] encountered."
Seemingly recalling the scene where Xiaoyue had been humiliated, Xianyun and Lishui simultaneously curled their lips into a smile, which annoyed Xiaoyue.
"You... Sigh, fine, since it's the Emperor's decree, I'll risk my old face, but we'll all have to face the consequences together!"
Xiao Yue looked around at everyone with a sense of frustration. How could she let her old friend keep getting the short end of the stick? If everyone wants to eat, then they should eat together!
"Alright, alright, let's go together then, and we can also give that Tianquan Star a good chance to test his abilities."
Looking at the Moon-Slicing and Sun-Building True Lord who seemed resigned to his fate, Xianyun smiled.
Xiao, however, looked at the three immortals with a somewhat confused expression.
So... was there any reason for him to come?
……
"Ah, I really envy you, old man. You have so many people helping you, unlike me—I always have to go it alone. I suffered a lot back then when I was dealing with those [Pioneers]!"
In a restaurant in Liyue Harbor, Venti, holding a bottle of dandelion wine and completely drunk with flushed cheeks, said to Zhongli with great emotion, "Originally... when the [Pioneer] came to Liyue, I thought he would give the old man a headache."
Who would have thought... that his immortal subordinates would be so capable, actually helping the old man share so much of the burden? Now, thinking back to how he used to run around everywhere...