"During this retelling, we seem to get sidetracked a lot!", Jeht commented a minute or so later, sounding a little surprised, before there was a short pause, "Sure, I am glad to hear more about father (so now I can tell him how much I love him and how much I will miss him if he's gone) and also all that information about the past (even the more lighthearted one, like Lord Rhadames apparently seducing people!) is very interesting, but...", she admitted, before there was a 3 second pause, "...I also promised to help with the retelling and it feels like I am breaking my promise."
"...Well, it's not like there's a lot to retell about our "journey" to the Eternal Oasis.", Paimon added moments later, sounding a little bored, "Paimon and the rest mostly walked around, fought monsters and crazy guys and killer robots, solved puzzles, gathered pieces of the crazy racist bottle and by the end got into a beautiful frozen oasis.", she admitted, before there was a short pause, "Oh, piloting that huge Ruin Golem was actually pretty neat!"
"...It's a good thing that you piloted it only for the sake of traversal during your quest. Otherwise, I might not have been able to protect you from getting punished by the rules of the organization.", Cyno's voice was soon heard, sounding very serious, "..."Samir", how are you feeling right now...? What is the probability of your power going out of control again...?"
He soon asked in some thoughtfulness, as well as clear worry...
"...The probability is very low, almost nonexistent.", Samir admitted moments later, sounding very reassuring, "I already had a huge shock recently, one that could stay with me for years."
"...This is good news, yes.", the other answered, almost in a mumble, "...Everyone kept arguing about what we should do next, so this is a relief."
...
-Does it have something to do with the Temple of Silence rules...? -Venti couldn't help but ask soon enough, remembering what Cyno shared about them and Frederica's words from before. -...Considering what the organization is all about and taking into account who Samir is...
"I apologize for troubling you in this way, Cyno.", Samir interrupted him, sounding quite apologetic and thoughtful, before there was a short pause, "...I am not going to destroy Sumeru, not even accidentally. So you and the other Temple of Silence members can rest easily."
"Samir is really doing a lot better now.", the Traveler added, sounding a little amused, "Just a few minutes ago, he kept talking about how handsome he is."
"And he also kept flexing himself and making that embarrassing face...!", Paimon added, sounding a little annoyed again, "First he made his shirt disappear and started showing off those tan muscles of his and then...!"
"Sounds like this particular "quirk" of his didn't change.", Cyno interrupted her, sounding thoughtful, before there was a short silence, "...Since everything seems to be alright here, it would be best to return to the retelling. Whose turn it is now...?"
...
"I can, General Mahamatra.", Jebrael was the first to say, sounding very serious, "After the Traveler freed Jinni Liloupar, she soon formed a contract of servitude with them, making them her new master. All the while she was insulting Jeht and myself...", he added in some annoyance, "...She can insult me all she wants. I know that through my life, I have done many things I regret now. But to insult my daughter, who is working hard on her training and...!"
"Father, it's alright. I know that I am still quite immature and have a lot to learn.", Jeht interrupted him, before there was a short pause, "...Besides, you also don't deserve to be insulted like that, father. Wherever happened in the past, you are the best father I could ever wish for!"
...
"...I...I am glad you think like that, Jeht.", Jebrael said moments later, sounding quite embarrassed, before there was a short pause, "A-apologized for the..."
"Just hug already. We can continue with the retelling afterwards.", Samir interrupted him, sounding both serious and slightly amused, before there were a few seconds of silence, "...I said that you can hug each other now. What are you two waiting for, an official order...?"
Apparently, after hearing Samir's "order",
Jeht and Jebrael soon hugged one another...
...
Or at least that's what the Traveler told him happened...
*Venti felt disappointed that he couldn't see the hug himself,
Especially after he heard Paimon say how cute it looked...
...
...
It's been a few minutes since then...
"W-we should resume the retelling now.", Jebrael was the first to say, sounding a little embarrassed, "...Soon after the Jinni Liloupar formed a contract of servitude with the Traveler, we had a small discussing with her regarding our goal in reaching the Eternal Oasis. She agreed to show us the way, admitting to doing it since it's the will of the Traveler. This is also when she made a lot of unnecessary remarks about my daughter and myself...", he recalled, getting a little mad by the end there, before a deep sigh was heard, "And so, guided by Lord Rhadames' wisdom and the Jinni's power, we soon proceeded..."
"Speaking of "Lord Rhadames' wisdom", by which I suppose you mean the "instruction papers", Samir, I have a question for you. What did we need Liloupar for exactly...?" , the Traveler interrupted, sounding a little annoyed, "...Not only do you know the location as well (if not more) as her, but you could have made the sandstorms disappear with your power, right...? Based on how it went out of control recently...It was also Jinn power, no...? Besides, that "P.S." you wrote in the notes, about how you can write Ferigees a letter, so she would let us pass. Which she did...! And don't even get me started on the "upgrades" for the Scarlet Sand Slate, which you needed for "Special clearance" through different ruins...", they explained, before an annoyed sigh was heard, "...So like, what was even the use of getting Liloupar out and collecting all her soul fragments (both of those withering the areas where we found them), if you could have helped us yourself, at least until we could activate the elevator...? You can teleport, after all."
They soon asked, sounding even more annoyed now,
Before there was eerie silence, that went on for a while...
...
"...It was to give Liloupar a last chance to repent...", Samir finally said a minute or so later, sounding a little sheepish, "...But I can understand why this whole "quest" could have felt tiring at times, mainly the "fetch quest" parts with Liloupar's "fragments" and the collection of the symbols for the Scarlet Sand Slate...", he added, before there was a short pause, "...And I can use all those devices just with my power alone, since the slate is basically my..."ID card"...? No, it's more like my "special authorization card", which can be used instead of a face or body scan...", he almost mumbled, sounding quite thoughtful, before there was a short pause again, "...Oh, right, most of you don't know what I am talking about. I forgot this is not information that can be found in Teyvat..."
"...Well, this explains why you weren't in the least bit surprised about the Dodocommunication Device.", the Traveler commented, sounding quite thoughtful.
"Well, isn't it basically a telephone...?", the other god soon answered, before there was a short pause, "...But it's always on speaker, which is a shame. I should look into how it works later and see if I can add a "video call" feature..."
-Oh, that would be really helpful. Thank you in advance! -Venti couldn't help but say soon enough, looking and sounding glad. -...It's nice to hear everyone's voice like this, but it would be even better if we could see each other when we talk!
"Oh, you can do that, Samir?", Paimon was the next to say, sounding intrigued, as well as impressed, "Knowing how to do something is one thing, but actually doing it...Paimon doesn't think Paimon could do it even if Paimon knew how!"
"...It's really not that hard if you know what you are doing.", Samir answered her, sounding a little confused, before there was a short pause, "But this "Dodocommunication Device" and the way it works...Alice is quite an interesting person. It's very unique, both in shape and materials used, as well as their..."
"Uh, sorry for interrupting your discussion, but can someone explain what you are talking about...?", Jeht said, sounding very confused, "...Lord Rhadames, what did you say the Scarlet Stone Slate was to you...? "ID card" and that other one, I mean. And also, that "Telephone" and "video call" and how can you make it so we can see each other through this device..?"
...
"Uuuuuuuuuh, is this information counts as part of "Forbidden Knowledge"...?", Paimon soon wondered, sounding a little unsure, "...Paimon can explain what all these terms are, but is it safe to do so...?"
"I don't know what this information actually specifies as, but best keep it a secret. At least for now, until we decide on what it's "Danger level" is.", Cyno answered, sounding mostly serious, as well as a little confused, before there was a short pause, "...Getting back on the topic of the retelling, who is going to go next...?"
"I will, seeing as I was interrupted last time.", Jebrael said, sounding mostly serious and also slightly confused, before there was a short pause, "...After taking a small break, we resumed our journey, proceeding towards the tunnels made from King Deshret's old canal system in the dunes. And so, we soon arrived at a canyon where the tunnels to Mt. Damavand began..."
"There were so many Wenut there and Paimon had to be very careful not to get skewered!", The Pixie added, sounding quite annoyed, "...What are the Wenut anyway...? They aren't just huge green drills, right...?"
"...The Wenut, hum...Give me a second.", Samir thoughtfully said, before there was a short pause, "...From what I gather, those must be the many offspring of the "Setekh Wenut", also known as "The Last Prince of the Sands". Quite an interesting title...", he soon admitted, sounding intrigued, "But yes, those basically look like green snakes with a drill instead of a head...", there was another short pause, "...I think they have something to do with Apep...? Though I am not sure, since she doesn't have a drill for a head."
"And you are still not going to explain who Apep is, right...?", the Traveler added, sounding quite serious, before there was a short pause, "...Continuing the retelling, while Paimon was yelling about almost getting skewered, again, Liloupar didn't sound in the least bit concerned and told Paimon to basically stop acting like a flying toddler and get a grip. Liloupar also added that since we have her with us, nothing bad is going to happen, so she doesn't get what the whole commotion is. Paimon didn't like this at all.", they explained, sounding mostly serious, as well as a little concerned, "...As we were going through the canyon, we noticed some abandoned camps along the "trail", which turned out to be Tanit camps. I am not sure what they were planning to do, but we decided to take a small break there. This is also when I showed Paimon the "P.S." text that a certain someone so sneakily added to the "instruction papers"."
"And Paimon was glad to see that "P.S." text, since Paimon didn't want to "communicate" with another Liloupar!", the Pixie soon said, sounding glad, before there was a short pause, "Oh, right, Paimon should explain what the message was. It was basically, "Since you are going to met with Ferigees later, know that she will fight you, especially when she notices Liloupar", then something about "You shall not pass!" and then "I can write Ferigees a letter, so she will let you pass without a fight." and Paimon really liked that idea, so Paimon agreed to it right away!", she added in clear happiness, before there was another short pause, "But since we weren't like Nahida, we had to call Samir to us, to ask him to write the letter and we had to use the name "Amun" for that. But the Traveler was reluctant to do that at first because of Liloupar being with us and her and Samir's past "relationship". But in the end, the Traveler agreed to call him, deciding that if anything happens, they were going to take care of it."
"I was just in the middle of watching the Temple of Silence members punish some old and pompous researcher called "Soheil". Apparently, he broke the rules of the organization by refusing to make a choice.", Samir continued, sounding thoughtful, "...Either way, I soon teleported to the group and was shocked that Liloupar seemingly didn't recognize me at all! I know that I look younger now and her soul was split at the time, but the most she said when she saw me was telling that I am "too handsome to be a desert dweller, something is fundamentally wrong" and that's it!", he added in some annoyance, followed by a small sigh, "I agreed to write the letter for Ferigees, soon giving it to the Traveler. Then, I decided to join the group until they reach the and of the tunnels and even when Liloupar found a fragment of her soul midway, she still acted like she didn't know who I was!"
He ended in even more annoyance,
Before a loud huff was heard...
"Perhaps she really didn't remember who you were...?", Jeht theorized, sounding thoughtful, "She did admit that she had her "memories in tatters" and..."
"That's the thing, she should have recognized me by "smell" alone. Those bottles I made for the Jinn are marked with my seal, which in turn was made using my essence.", Samir interrupted her, still sounding annoyed, thought less now, "...Knowing Liloupar, it feels like she did recognize me, but decided to act oblivious for whatever reason.", he thoughtfully added, before there was a short pause, "...I wouldn't be surprised if she is currently listening to our retelling."
"...Huh...? But Liloupar already left, didn't she...? After she got the last of her soul fragments, she left and only her bottle remained. It's also dimmed now.", the Traveler asked in confusion, before there was a short pause, "Unless it was some kind of illusion magic...Wait a little until I get her bottle."