Chapter 56: The Current Status of Gods in Various Nations
Ying was a kind person. Knowing that Aiden came from another world like herself and had not been harmed, she decided to warn him. Of course, she also had her own thoughts—if she ever had to face that unknown god again, Aiden could potentially become an ally.
For now, though, she needed to observe him further.
"Thanks for the warning. I'll be careful," Aiden nodded slightly in appreciation.
"Have you met any gods since arriving in this world?" Ying asked, looking at Aiden expectantly.
"I've heard a few things," Aiden replied with a smirk. "Apparently, the Anemo Archon is a drunkard, the Geo Archon is a wanderer, the Electro Archon is a recluse, the Dendro Archon is naive, and the Hydro Archon is a bit of a fool. As for the Cryo and Pyro Archons, I don't know much about them."
Ying stared at him blankly. "(﹁﹁)~→ Do you really expect me to believe that? These are gods we're talking about."
[ Venti: "Calling Morax a wanderer and Ei a recluse? Aiden, you're braver than I thought! You do realize the Raiden Shogun might come after you, right?"
Keqing: "Impossible! How could the Geo Archon be a wanderer? That's absurd!"
Zhongli: "Perhaps the Lord of Geo wished to understand his people by experiencing their lives firsthand."
Ganyu: "Yes! The Lord of Geo must have had his reasons for stepping away."
Ningguang: "Wait... street wanderer... the most famous one in Liyue… isn't that Zhongli?"
Aiden: "Ahem. Believe it or not, I stand by what I said!"]
"Well, those are just rumors I've heard." Aiden shrugged. "You'd have to meet the gods yourself to know the truth."
Barbara quickly interjected, "Lord Barbatos may like to drink, but he is certainly no mere drunkard! He is a truly great god!"
Ying nodded thoughtfully. Barbara must be a devoted believer—no ordinary follower would be so passionate.
"If possible, it might be better if you avoided the gods," Ying advised.
She still didn't understand why that white-haired god had stopped her from leaving. She had been in a deep slumber, doing nothing to this world. Could it be that her brother had caused trouble? Or did the gods of this world reject outsiders?
"If they come looking for me, I can't really avoid them." Aiden spread his hands. "But I am curious about them."
Then, he glanced at Paimon and smirked. "Speaking of which, this little one is quite interesting."
"Hey! What do you mean 'little one'?! I'm Paimon! I'm the Traveler's guide and companion!" Paimon stomped her feet in the air, clearly offended.
"Alright, alright. You're Paimon." Aiden chuckled, reaching out to pinch Paimon's cheek fondly.
Just as Paimon was about to protest, Aiden let go and pulled out a small cake. "Here, have this."
"Ooooh!" Paimon's annoyance vanished as she grabbed the cake eagerly, devouring it in delight.
"What's your plan from here?" Aiden asked Ying.
"We're heading to Mondstadt to look for information about Barbatos," Paimon answered between bites. "Maybe if we find the Anemo Archon, we'll learn something about the white-haired god and Ying's brother."
Aiden and Barbara exchanged glances.
Barbara sighed. "But Lord Barbatos hasn't appeared in five hundred years... even when his own companion was in distress."
"Companion? Five hundred years?" Ying's eyes sharpened with interest. "What do you mean?"
"A companion is like what Paimon is to you. Someone close to the Archon. Right now, one of Barbatos's closest companions, Dvalin, is in distress. He's been attacking Mondstadt, and if you can help stop him, the city will be grateful," Aiden explained, his voice carrying a subtle hint of suggestion. "And since Dvalin is one of Barbatos's own, he might know something about the Anemo Archon."
Paimon's eyes widened. "Wait... you want us to fight a DRAGON?! That's crazy!"
"But didn't the Traveler display incredible power just moments ago?" Aiden pointed at Ying. "Even if you're not as strong as the Archons, you should at least be on par with Dvalin, right?"
Ying hesitated. "That wasn't my power! The pure Anemo energy that flowed into me made it possible."
Barbara's eyes lit up. "Pure Anemo energy? Could it be Lord Barbatos? Maybe he's already taken notice of you!"
Ying furrowed her brows. Something about this was strange. She wasn't naive—she could tell Aiden was pushing her toward fighting the dragon. But why? He didn't seem hostile. In fact, he appeared amused and somewhat encouraging. Did he know something she didn't?
As for Barbara, her motivations were clear. She was a devout follower of the Anemo Archon, so she had no reason to deceive anyone.
Fighting a dragon was dangerous, but if she had no other leads on her brother, this might be worth investigating.
If things went south... she could always run.
To Be Continued...
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