-...I apologize for suddenly getting distracted, Traveler. -Venti couldn't help but say a minute or two later, before he deeply sighed. This was really not the time to be getting mad. Especially not about…People who have already been dead for months. Moreover…-...Since it seems like there is nothing that we can really do for Lasa...Lessig at the moment, I think we better just continue with the retelling.
He soon suggested, getting silence in reply,
As the Traveler was looking towards him with some concern, before finally...
"Yes, you are right. This retelling already took long enough and there's still so much that needs to be done...", the Traveler admitted a few seconds later, their words soon trailing off, "Since resonating with the Snezhnaya Statue of the Seven didn't work out due to that weird barrier, I couldn't get my full power back. But it's fine...I can do that later, right...?", they added in reassurance and some uncertainty, their expression darkening moments later,"...Maybe this is even a good thing. What if THEY have a way to know when I get my full power back...? Considering how THEY currently are...", they soon deeply sighed, getting silent for a few seconds, before their expression turned more serious,"...I decided to return to Liyue in order to ask Enjou a few questions. But he seems to be hiding from me, the stupid Abyss Lector!", they added in annoyance, which was clearly seen in their expression,"...Running away from me like we are playing cat and mouse...Once I catch the elusive bastard, I will have him tell me everything he knows! It would have been way easier if he was as big as either Osial's and Beisht's original "Sea Monster" forms!", they soon huffed in annoyance, before their expression became thoughtful and a little confused moments later,"Speaking of Osial and Beisht, for some unknown reason, I had an bad urge to apologize to them. I have no idea why, since I never encountered them before, right...?"
-...Yes, this is certainly weird...-Venti couldn't help but soon say, as he became a little confused and thoughtful himself. Just what happened for the Traveler to...?
...
...
Oh, it was another "Vision"...
Just what was it going to show him this time...?
...
Faced with the terrifying might of the Overlord of the Vortex, the Traveler fights bitterly but is unable to protect the Guizhong Ballistas. The overlord of the Vortex, however, is also badly wounded. To protect Liyue, Ningguang sacrifices the Jade Chamber, plunging it into the ocean and successfully suppressing the evil god.
...
...
So, they practically "Bonked" Osial with the Jade Chamber...
Was it something that happened in a past Timeline...?
...
Besides that, why did they decide to defeat him in such a weird way...?
Since Osial is not a human, that shouldn't keep him immobile for long, right...?
*And this is something the Archon knew from first hand experience,
Since he got "bonked" quite a lot until now...
...
It was mostly to keep him from getting into trouble, but still...
Just how many times his people "bonked" him on the head up until now...?
...
"Want us to count it for you, Barbatos...?~", the Wind...Spirits asked in clear amusement, as they were still sticking to him like glue, the little menaces,"...We know that you secretly like it~ So, what do you say to our "Little" suggestion...?~"
...
...
He really, really didn't want them to count those...
The more times it happened, the more embarrassing he was going to fe...!
"Oh, that reminds me, I saw a weird woman in the Harbor lately! She kept following Osial everywhere and pretty much making his life hell.", the Traveler suddenly said, looking and sounding both thoughtful and intrigued, "...She had blond hair and red eyes and reminded me of a grown up Klee. So she must be Klee's mother, Alice, right...? She must be really mad at him for what happened during Lantern Rite, right...?", they wondered aloud, before there were a few seconds of silence, "...I even saw her spike his food with something, after which Osial's five "Sea Monster" heads appeared and they were as red as a cooked lobster. All of them soon started to almost cry about it being way too hot in different ways, before suddenly fainting. After which the "Main body" also fainted and sounds of bubbling water could be clearly heard from it for what felt like ages, all the while steam could be seen coming out...", they recalled, both their voice and expression getting more and more confused by each new sentence, "...I have no idea what Alice spiked his food with and where she even got this lethal stuff from, but I promised to myself to never, ever, make her mad.", they couldn't help but add in some fear, unconsciously shivering as they did so, "...But Alice said she sees me as Klee's sibling, so she wouldn't go this far if she is ever mad at me, right…? If she can even make powerful gods(in human form) faint in great pain, then…"
There was some awkward silence after the Traveler's words,
As Venti couldn't help but ponder on what they just said.
*Alice was truly merciless when mad, wasn't she...?
...
"...I even saw her spike his food with something, after which Osial's five "Sea Monster" heads appeared and they were as red as a cooked lobster. All of them soon started to almost cry about it being way too hot in different ways, before suddenly fainting. After which the "Main body" also fainted and sounds of bubbling water could be clearly heard from it for what felt like ages, all the while steam could be seen coming out..."
...
To go that far in order to make Osial's life hell...
...
...
But the Traveler clearly knew about what happened during the last Lantern Rite,
Was he the one who told them or did someone else...?
*Really, after what happened during the Hexenzirkel "Tea Party", his memory was still...
...
It didn't really matter at the moment,
And speaking of partial memory loss...
...
For some reason it reminded him of Paimon...?
*Why would this remind him of Paimon...?
...
...
Speaking of which, where was Paimon...?
*Why wasn't she helping with the retelling...?
...
...
"Paimon, how long are you planning to hide there...? Even though you were the one who told me to call Venti around an hour ago...
...Stop floating behind the door and come into the room already. I know that you also want to talk with him."
...
"...You are right, Traveler. Paimon wants to talk to Venti, too.
...But for some reason Paimon feels reluctant to see Venti. Not only that, when Paimon thinks of Venti, Paimon starts feeling guilty.
...Something is really wrong with Paimon and Paimon has no idea why...But Paimon feels like Paimon should know! But Paimon doesn't and it makes Paimon feel really confused...
...Maybe Paimon ate something bad or...Paimon really doesn't know what to do...!"
...
...
She hid from him before and he thought the matter was resolved now.
*Though he still had no idea exactly why she did so,
Why would she feel guilty while thinking of him...?
...
...
"So this is it...Now I understand what happened!
...Paimon, even though YOU don't remember, in the deepest parts of your being, you still feel responsible...
Paimon, there's nothing for you to feel guilty for. Neither as you are now...Nor how you were before, in the distant past."
...
What exactly did the Traveler mean by this...?
*What were they and Paimon hiding from him...?
And why were they keeping it secret...?
...
...
There must be a reason, or it wouldn't be hidden from him.
*The Traveler trusted him enough to share many secrets,
Even those that no one else except for Paimon knew...
...
.̵̢̡̧̧̡̛̰͔̤̲̟̫͚͚̖͓͙̗̏̏͂͊̑͋̂́̕̕̚͜͜ͅ.̵̫͓͍͎͎̦̣̙̯̥̰̜̖͓̘͖̻̣̗̻̬̩͓̭̳̫̀̎̀̈́̍̈̈́̇̒̀̊̚͜͝.̶̧̛̳̣̝̻̞͓̠͎̗͍̬̘̮͖͗̓̌̓̾̌͊̈́̔͆̅̑̽͗̽͐͒́̔̍̊̋͒͘͘͘͘͠W̶̖̼̖̐͆́̅h̵̨̧̨̭̯̝͕̹͔͈͛̈́͗͆͊̍̓͐̔̿̍̎͘͝͠ͅȧ̷̧̡̛͈͍̺̬͕͍̝̭͛̇͊̾͐͒͌̍͗̑́͒̆̾̄̀̑̐̅͗͐͗̔̄̓̒̽͝ţ̵̧͓͕͇͇̩̟̭̜̮̣̙̟͖̲̰̳̳͕̘̟͉̬̾͑̈́͐͗̂̓́̃̐̅̈́̅͜͜ͅ ̴̯̰̖͕̮͎͉̋͗̀̌̈͆̂̎͑̄͛̈́̌̃͋̓̀̐̋̈́̉͌͛̂̀͝͠ͅë̸͓͕̖͙͕̾͐͐̓͂̏̈͐͂̂͛̓̍͘̚͝͝x̷̛̛̮̀̃̏͒̍͐̽́̌̅̏̇͗̚͘̚͝͝͠ą̶̢̛̜͕͓̟̜͈̰͙̗̦̤̯̺̤͈̙͈͇͒̉̆̐̊̎̆͆́͛̒͒̎͆͂̋̉̕͘̚͠c̸̛͍̫̭͔̞̩̋͆̓̉̅̃̉̀͌̀̌̌̄̀͆̌̀̒̀͒̚͝͠t̴̨͈̦̤͍̜̯͆͊͒͛͜ļ̸̧̛͙̯̥̱͈̳̳͓̠̼̣̩̘͔̟̮̩́̉̍̃̉̄́̈́̈́́̃̃̾̅̆̊͂̅͊̓̔̋͛́̕͜͜͝ͅy̸̡̡̡̠̘̦̙̻̬͎̣͚̝̺̥̻̱͖͇̱̾̐͛̓̊̿̈́̑̑̔̿́̕̕͜͝͠ͅ ̴̓̈́̆͋͊̀́͑͋͑̇͠ͅw̶̡̯͚̳̹̲̘̰͍͎̳͓̰͈̏͒͗̽̒̑̆̎̈́̑ȧ̶̧̛̛̞̥̙̻̻͖̝͔͓̟̱̫̯̖͇̖̼̲͖͑̂̈́̄̓̓̏̋̉́͠͠ṣ̵̡͔̘͔͙̩͚̋͋̊̄͋ ̸̧̧̩̦͇̻̹̲̺͕̼̲͍͇͎͔̦̭̱̠̒̋͌̒̌̓̈́͊́̂̈́̒̂̊̏͛̀̆̐̓̿̀̋̀͝"̸̨̨̧̢͚̲̺̰̲͎̩̺͉͔͍̺̯̠̼̼͛̀̇̇͗̍̍̔̈̈́͋̆̉͛̈́̽̌̈́́͐̇̌͒͘̕͝͠P̷̡̡̡̟̲̯̠̖͕̳̫̯̬͍̠̳̠̳̪̙̪̯̳͈̝̤͚̥̍̋̎̈́̃͘͜a̸̛̜͐̀́̊̆̒̉̅̌̔̎̔́͒̈́̽͒͗͘i̶̛̛̥̅̽͑̈́̈́̅̈̉͗̏̓̄̿͑̍̏͊̃͌͆́̾͗̕͠͠͝͠m̸͍͍̹͓̱̖̯̣͇̦̙̀̓̂̒͊͋̈̈́́̒̉̊̑̅̾̔̅͛̅̊̕ọ̵̡̨̘̣͖͕̘͎̺̱̹̭͖̥̘͇̼̯̦̩̝̝͋̄̔̔̊̐̉̿͑̊́͒̅͜ņ̵̲̲̝͖̼͕̤̪͉̤̠͓̬͚̠̳̹͔̠̫̠͇̪̳̰̉͜"̸̢̨̛̜͎͉͎̙̞̣̱̺̩̹̦̣̥̟̝̞͔̮͚̦̥̌̿̎́̓̉̓̾̀̈́̀͂́̍͒͒̍̌͗̑̔͒̕̕̚̚͜͝͠.̶̧̧̱͖̬͎̥̳̺̆ͅͅͅ.̵̨̫̯̞̤͚͎̝̖̞͉̩̾̈͂́̓́̆͒͂̈̌̂͋̈́̈́̽̎̚̚͝.̶̡̧̛͚͚̲̺͙̲́̆̈́̀̈́̌̽̆̽̉̂͋̄͘̚͝?̸̣̖͈͓͍̮͚̈́̂̎̔́̐̾̓̋͝
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.̴̢̧̢͓̱̮̱͇̲̻̮̼͉̝̗͓̬͉̱̣̘͂̔̀͒̾̇̾̏̇̈́̾̈̌̎̾͒̊̌̉̌͌͐̇̏̋͘̕͜͝͝.̴͎̞̪̭͎̳̤͇͎͉̖̺̞̲͂̆̃̾̀̀̈̀́̓͂̈̾̔̽̓̊͝͝Ḁ̴̧̪̝̖̞͇̳͌̽̊̔̿̂̎͐̅́̈͊̏̃̂̍̀̅̈̈́̐̓̅͒͒̅̚͘̕̚͜͜n̸̻̖̘͕̳̉͂͂̇̏͆̀̎͊͂̐̈́͗͒̽̔͒̓̾̋̽͌̂̋̎̉̕͘͜d̶̨̠͕̖̟̦͕̺̟̘̿͂̄̌̍͊́͛̐̆̓̔̉͊̍͝ͅ ̴̢̩͉̠̼̲̲͕̩̻̯͍̫͖̤̖̱̫́̎͋̀̄̓̈̀̀̈́̎͌͆̓͘̚͘̚͜͜ͅw̸̡̨̡͚͇̖͍̫̩̪̖̣͓̲͙͇͕͍͈̖̞̕ͅh̵̼̟͓̯̹͎̫̫͛̇̈̌͊́͛̆͘͘͝͝y̷̨̻̟̳̺̼̿͋̄̈́̋̽̏̓̽̀͗́̍͗͗́̓̀͐̔̌͒̀͘̚̕̚͝͝͠ ̴̡̧̢̛̫͕̦͇̯̙̫̪̞͔͕͍̘̮̪̩̩̖̦̖̫͈̖̀͋̊̆̐͑̔̔̏̉̎̉̏̈́̏̓̋̈́͋̐̿̊̓̀̀̀̾͘͝ͅd̵̨̜̫̩͎̱̻̥͒ḯ̴̧̜̠͖̼̖̺̮̫̪̜̮͇͔̯̖̯̋͐̉͂͊̉͝d̴̡̧̺̦̹̭̞̼̭̻̯͈̠̣͙͔̗̞̼͛́̓̽̉̕ͅ ̵̧̡̥̼̙̖̦̺̗̗̣͇̲̖͈̺̝͍̼̄́̃͂̿͌̋͂̕ḫ̸̢̳̜̰̤͚̮̹͓͍̮̗̯̣̜̜̱͇͌͒̈́̄̆͑͑̀͑̀̇̽̂̑̅̂͌ë̵̡̳̼̟̼͚̳̎̄͑͗̎̀̉̅̒͒͐͑̌̊̂̆́͐͗́͆͑͜͠ ̴̢̢̧̩̻͙̪̜̤͎̼͉̯̗̭̳̻̻̪̫͓̭̱͓͕̦̬̣͖̔̅̅̈́͑̐̋̋̈̉͑̒̌̉͛̑̌̀̃̌̕͠͝ͅs̷̨̧̛͎͎͗͆̈͌̃̋͊̂͌̋̍̔̋̃̄̄͘̚͜͝ț̵̛̯̾̏̓̌̀̂͊̽̃̓́͑͌̓̽̏̀̈́͑̉̊̏̕͘̚̕̚͝á̸̧̡̢̬̙̮̯͖͖̦̠̞̜͙̖͎̯͎͖̟̦̱̠̑͆̐͐̽̎̋̔̏̓͜͜͠ͅͅŕ̵̛̤̻̹̌͛̇̇̈́͑̈́͆̈́͂̇̈́̽̈̽͛̀͆̐̔͗͂̔̔͘͘t̶̡̛̰̖̳̤̰̩̣͎̟͉̱̘͉̩̭͓͔̳͉̜̋̃͛͂͌̅́͂̓̏̔̋̒̓͝͠ͅ ̸̛͍̭͙̞̳̞̼̖̃̄̄͂̿͂̆͌̊̎́̒̾͌̓̾̀̉̚͜w̸̧̢̪̘͓̦͙͙͙̜̻͍̹̰̖̮̣͐̈́̎̈́̂͂̾͂͊̀̊̽̚͜͠ͅo̸̖͎̳̮̺̽͆͝͠n̸̢͖̦͙͔̻͈͇͐̿͆̐̑̍̽̈́́̈́́̔̆̋̋̌̎̈́͊͘̕͘͝͝͝͝d̵̛͚̲̼̪̪̙̳̲̱͈͍̼̤̩̱̱̩̮̲͈͉̠͕̖̫̅͛͑̅̃̇̂̃̏̾̋̃̑́̅̍̿̍̈̌̓̃̋̓̊̚͜ẽ̴̞̟̠̠̀̈́̐͑̀̈́̓͌́̏͛̒̽͘͝ṙ̴̡̧̢̙͎͇̜̤̩͇̜̫̟̣̩̪̭̑͗̾͆̃̀̊̕͘į̶̡͍̝̻̪͙̣̭̻̪̥̤̗̣̭̞̖͖͕̤̳̦̼̟͕̼̗̥͌̐̈́͗̀̓̓̆̀̇́͛̃͂̎͌͑͆́̅̅͆̚͝͝ͅn̴̨̢̬͉̰͍͉͍̗̠̳̮̖̜̂͆͗̀͋̔̐̍̓́̑͜ͅģ̴̛̦̖̐̒͐̈́̉̊̓̑̇̅̈́͒̐̀̎̈́͂͂͗̉͊̃́͘͝͠ ̴̧̡̧̧̤̪̬̳̜̙̱̤̹̤̹̰͖̣̘̦͕̏̍̀̀͊͑̅͒͛̇̽͌̃̀̀͗̚̕͜͜͠ͅą̸͖̬̦̤̳̯̻̫̭̩͈͇̠̼̔̈́̌̈́̆̕͠ͅḃ̷̢̧̨͙̳̫̩̖͍̤͔͓̯̰̜͇͓̭̤̪̠̟̻̫̏̈̍̑͑͐̏̓̅̑̑̿̇͌̿͆͂͗̌͘̚͠ǒ̶̡̨̡̮͉̠̻̰̦̹̼̺̖̘̼̯̱̯͙̼̝̮͔̮̻͎̆̅͜ͅû̷͉͙͙̻̦̤͙̥̹̹̀͑̄̍̎͆̔͌̋̈́̒̎̈̇́͊͆́͘͠͝t̸̡̛͈̹̦̪̱̤͖̦̻͇͚̯̙͙̮͎̹̱͌̉̽̋̿̈́̃̽̏̂̋̂̚͘̕͝ ̴͚̜̲͙̙̠̗͉͕͖̞̃̏͗̌͘͝ͅͅͅį̶̡̭̹͓̦͔͚̗̥̼̯̳̤̘͚̮͇̬̲̱̺̫̗̩̗̊̇̏̐ͅt̶̨̨͈̹̼̫̞͔̙̩͖̹̦͙́̓͋̇͆̔̈́̔͌͋̿̆͊̿͑̊̓̽̋̋͝ͅ ̶̛͓̹̲̻̗̘̤̟͈͖̟͉͋̀͂͐͊̋̚n̶̢̯̗̳̠͙͉͈͎͇͕̠̩̝̣͉̖̲̪̏̎̈́͗́̌̊̃͐̀̎̈͑̂̋̕̕̕͝ͅo̷̟͑͒͐̅̔̄̐͛̽̑̔͛͛͗̽͐ŵ̷̘̹͉̻̥͕͕͙̖̦͙̙̩̮̠͎̌̅̐̊̎̃̾̍́̇͒͘ ̸̗̜̖̥͕͓̮͈̽͆͊́͋̈́̔̈́̎̈́̀̋̀́́͑͐̿̿͘͘͠ͅȍ̷̰͚̣͈̬̹̩̻̊̍̾̇̕͝f̵̢̡̢͈̥͖͚͔̳͉̩͈̠͓̮̥̼̗̻͙͎̰͍͎̯́͛͌͝ͅ ̸̢̦̬̱͇̹̲̫̘̠̿̂̉̏͐͊̓̔͜͝a̴̢̺̠͕̣̮͔̱͒̈́̕͘͜l̴̡͎̜̺͚͓̙̖͖̫͓̼̰̬͖̬̮̩̜̪̗̼͎̜̼̪̀̂̅̃̐́͐̎̀̑́̕ͅl̵̨̢̛̙͇͉̙̜̣͕̫͔̞͚̰̬̳̦̓͆̍͂̿͂̉̈́̈́̐̈͗̓̒͆̎̕͝͝ ̷̢̧̛̠̞̦̞͕̩̼̱̹͎̞̝̜̭̪̖͎̣̟̳̼̩̃̒͛͌̈̈̿̓̅̆̀̓̆́̐͘̚͠ͅt̵̛̛̛̲̬̺̞̖͚͔͖͖̮͍̋͐̓͆̋̈́̎̌̌̒̕͜ḭ̴̢̧̨̨̨̛͕͎̥̜̩̠̠̳͕̩͍̤̯̰͇̬̮̮̩͍̼̓͌̀́̈́̈͊̔̐͆̔̋̈́́͊̈́̏̑͊͐̾͒̕̕͜m̵̐̅̊̋̓̑̔̇́̔͑̍͗͑͛̓̄͋̂̂͌̆̚̚ͅȩ̷̨̡̧̢̨͍̳̰̥̘̙̳̰̪̫̪̱͕̝͓̲̘̜̬̱̱̊̂͗̒̅́̾͐̿̒̎̾͗̇͛̎̊̚̕̚̚s̷̢͎̠̲̹͂́͐̽́.̵̧̧̨̺̲̯̝̲̼̩̳̺̥̮͕̪͎̩̳͎̣̣̬̠͋̈́͛̏̃̈́̽̂̅̅͒̓̒̊̽̊͋̀̎̂̓̒̕͜͠.̷̨̢̢̧̡͎̮̠̥̣̪̠̤͚͎͍̼͈̭̗͖̑̄͒͌̿͋̽̿̒͐̒̈̎̀́̌̂͊̑̓̓͌̀͘͘̕͝.̷̯͔̲̪̘̙̫̬͖͚͉̐́̽͛̔͑͑͒̐́̌̌̌̏̂̕͠?̷̢̨͔͎̬̰̭͙̄̃͒̏͆́͂͒̃̄̽̑̎̒̕̚͘͝͝͝
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Ḫ̷̗̘̺͔̼̐̅̄́̂͠ͅi̶̧̛̘̺͖̩͓̠̮̣͖̪̘̰͚͈̙̗̬̱̘̥͊͆̔̒͂͊̈́̽́̓͜s̴͉̫͛͐͆̎̆͌̄̏̑̉̔͛͝ ̵̳̥̔̔̿͑͋͆̒͗̆̿̄͌͌̔̾͛͑̔̏̓̆͜͝ģ̵̨̖̫̣̝̱͔͕͕̼̩͚̝̳̯̱̲̬̺͕̳͈͍̭̤̥̖͍̅̉͐͆̉̽̅͊́́̉̌̒̔̉͌̇̒͂̀̎͝͠͝ͅŗ̵̻͖̝̼͉̮͕̏͑̆̒̾̓̽̏̅̊̎͆̓̊͘̚̚ơ̸̲̙̰͕̮͉̪̈̏̏̒̄̿̂͑̒̅͆̓̽̑̌̓́͂̒̔̽͋̎̃͝͝w̴̡̧̨̧̰̼̰̦̟͙̣̣͍̟̦̪̟̪̪͚͚̗̦̠͓͙̉̄į̴̛͉͉͕͇̥̟̅́̔̌͌̈́̌̑̄́̑̐̅͌̿͋̍̒͛̇̀͑̕͠͠ṋ̷̢̧̢̛̪̱̦̳̤͇̙̻̹̫̗̣͍̪̼̼͈͈̬̺͇̩̩͚̓͆̂̈́́̅͋̍̒̓̾̊͜͜͝g̴̟͇̖̦̱̟͎̤̊̒̒̂͛́͐̽̈́̽̐͂͋̈̄͝ ̶̨̯͚̪̬̞̻̞̮͓̤͕̓͗́̇͑͝T̷̛̛̘͈͈̻̫̺̖̼͈̮̦̗͙̘̤͕͎̠̰̙͗̏͊̌͋͑́͑̀̎̂̉̽̆̎̀̀̋͜͜͝͠i̴̧̧̛̙̖̫̹̫͛̄̈̊̿͐̄̈́̍̐̋̓̃̃̉̒͐̓͛̾̔̈́̓͐̀̈m̵̛̯̪̝͉͌̃́̾̾̂̉͗̈́̎́̏͊͒͝͝ͅe̵̲̲̘̝̰̰̓͒̽̀̑͆͋̆̈́̾̿͗̆̾̕̕ ̶̨̢̡̧̢̛̛͕̻͈̰̮̞̲̖̠͕͔͚͎͓̟̠̯̞͇̆̎̀̅̏̈́̎͗͗̈̆͑̂̒͒̈́̔͋́͝͠P̷̨̢̺̻͍͉͖̩͇̯̱͖͇͓̻̬̺̦̱̙͚̯̤̳̞͍̝̭̝̿͛̀̔̎͆̓̇̓̽̉̋̃̂̀̅̇̕͘͘͝͝ǫ̶̢̛͓̦͙͇̱̪̳̝͈̗̼̗̪̲͔͖́͊͂́͐͛̄̈́̍́͆̋̈́͋̽̅͐͛́̒͘̚̕͜͝w̶̢̨̧̢̡̢̛̪̲̱̦͍̞̭̖̙̟̠͉͍͍͚̤̻̦̳̜͉̩͎͉̋̽̄̆͛̓̈́̀̈́̌̈̉̈́̊̈́̒̆͌̌̊̔̚̕͘̚͘͝e̵̜͍̮̖͔͇͈̬͈̤̱̲̘̰͎̖̼̰̭̓̾͊̀͛̾̍̃̄̇̈́̀͆̊̈͘͜͝͝͠ṙ̵̡̛̭̈̉́͗̍̋̓̋̀̈́́̒̕̚͠.̷̧̧̧̪̠͙̭͉̭͍̟̥̖͕̮͎̲̻̝̖͍̣̳̺̖̍̋̇̑̈͐̑̎̽̃͌͐̊̎̑̑̀̈̕̕̚̚͘͝ͅ.̶̢̢̜̖̖̩̯̞͇̙̫̥͈̙̼̞͇̘̠̯̭̤̟͔̓́̈̋̿̽̈͊̀͂̚̕͝ͅ.̴̧̧̨̡̛̘̬̤̯̻̘̥͉̩͚͚̗͔̪̗͓̜͍̊͌̐̄̆̈́̾̾́̾͋̀̋̌̄̈́̚͜
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Had something to do with this...?
*But what...?
Ĥ̷̢̨͉̦̥̫̆̂͑̃̊̎͌̓̓͌̇̈̎͝͝͠ę̵̢͈͇̤͔͙̗̥̣͕̄̾͆̓͆̉͂̐̈́̋̉̍̄̈̔ ̴̨̟̞̬̠̀͑͋̊̑͊͊̐͑͌̌̑̒̚͜s̸̢̧̨̘̙͖̻͚̼͍̭̬̭̲̳̟̜̳̟̺̱̺̍̽̉̓̇̐́̀̀̂̏̓̈̃̽͑̎̈́͒̿̐͋͒͐͗̀͘͜͝͠͝h̷̡͕͎̺̘͕̥́̈̌̓͒̈̑̀̇͆̄̃̒̉̀́͂́͆̏̑̓̄̕͠͝͠͠ơ̵̧͙͚͈̱̩̣̭̙̣̮̺͈͂̆̈́͗̂̊̔͑̈́͌̆͠͝ừ̴̧͓͉̫̩̣͉͎̪̱̠̰̱͈͉͛̓̉̈́̾̐̋̿̓̂̂̍́̃̌̊̄̈́̇͝l̸̡̢̺̦̳̘̯̭̘͇͖̫̱̲̹͉̣̰̻͈̰͍͓̻̞͆̀̊̓͌͋̂̍̊͑̇̑̇͋̾̎̑̓̐͋̀̓̃̀͘̚͝͝d̸̢̡̨̟̹̳̫̙̮̞̳͇̬͖͖̙̘̱͚̼̼̻̤̽̈́̆͆́̂̿̈́̽ͅ ̶̛̘̞̱̜̳̑͂̍̑̇́̾̋̿̾̑͊̀̉̓̂̃̈́̃͘̚̕̚͜͠͝͠a̵̲͍͊͛̉͌̐͊̊͑̋̂̎̔͐̀̉͋͂͗͠ļ̸̥̲̼͎͇̥̥͖̤̦̻̻̭̩͍̤̮̰͖͕̮̥͆̈͆̌̆͐̍̀̉̈́͌̽̐͒͐̌̈̃̇͑͑̆̐̋̈́̑̚͝͝r̶̨̬̖͉̦̞̤̬͚̪̦̪̬͐̿̒̌̍̏̾̋̎̽̃̿́̑͐͘̕͘̚͝ē̵̡̛̛̹̙̪̰̜̈́͛́̅͆̾̋͑͊̈͆̋̂̇̍̾́̾͗̽̀͘̕͝͝͠͝ͅa̵̧̢̧̠̩̣͚͙̳̠̟̝̞̩͉̬͍͙̫͉̦͉̳͕̳͈͇̟̜̲̎́̅̄̍̀͑̋́͊̂͑͛̍͗̈́͐͠͝d̷̨̢̛̛̛̛͔͙̥̙̞͙̙̜̲͓̮͔͔̤̝͉̥͎̟̯́̈́̊̀̐̊̆͌̈́̽͂̈́͒̈́͆̐͒̀͋̎͜͝͝͝ÿ̶̱̐́̀͐̅̂͂̔̾̄̿͊͌̈́͗̉̋͛̆͊̄̕͠͝ ̴̡̡̛̙̭͖̅̓̓̋͌̿͒̂̆̌̄̂̂̅̿̉̀̎͛͆̾̈̾̽̆̕͝͝k̵̡̪̼̤̹̉̐̓̊̂̅͑̊ṉ̴̨̨̡̧̛̙̫̖̹̻̲̩͉̲͕̙͇̰̫̯͙̺̻͚͑̒̆̈́͝ǫ̴̧̡̣̻̻̗͔͖̘̙̳̠͖͍̯̹̺͔͔͈͍̈́̏͐̈́̌̔͊̎̓̒̾͊̕͝ẅ̶̢̧̞͖̜̥͇̤͇͇̱̥͎̣̙͚͔͓̭͙̫̤̣̫̻́͛̎̿̉̈́̚͜ͅͅ
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Why should he know...?
F̷͈͇̦̰̺͈̫͔͑̿̏̌͛̈́͐̆͐̽͗̾͊̀̽́̔̌͝ȯ̴̢̯̩͚̘̣̝͔̹͉̳̑̑̒́́̍͒͊̋̔̄̉̆̑̕͠͠r̵̨̛͈͉̞͎̬͎̮̞̗͕̹̭̤̳̹͚͔͚͖͍̯̜͗̆́̂̄̌̓͑͋͂̈͜g̶̡̧͖͔̟̩̭̣̓͂ȇ̸̡̙͓̖̝̜͎̫͖̣̩̩̏͐͂̓̄̈́̈͐̀̊̿́̎̈́͑ͅt̴͚̳̲̝͔͉͈͙̗̮͙̉̇͋͛̿͌̐̋̅͛̓̄̾͑̈́̍̌̄̅͐̆̊͠͝ͅţ̵̛͔̥̹̩͙͔͕̗̙̜̺̞̼̩͊̈́͆̀̏̊̈́̄̅̌͂̄͌̐͂͂̔̀͠͠ͅí̶̡̖̬͇̞̥̞̞̬̬̗͍̲͑̾̾͂̅̊̍͆̐̀͗̎̑̈́̓̑̈̓̈́̅͘̕̚͝͠͝͝n̶̡̨̘̥͎̪̪̠̺͔̟͕̩̖̹̘̟͙̟̱̠̉͌̅͊͗̑͊̓̔͆̐̏̈̔̔̈̃͒͘̕̚͘͝ͅg̴̨̧̛̛͖̠̹̠͇͇̻̠̗̦̲̦̻̍̔̆͒̂͌͑́̎̚͝ͅͅ ̶̩̗̣̼̺̪͉̲̜͍̞͔̯̟̫̩͍̺̫͔̝̩̖͕͍͚̥͗͒͑̏́̔͌̄̿̿̇̑̄̈́͘͜͠ͅͅş̷̢̧̳̱̱̰̠̯̖̙̻͔̠̣̓͑̆̓̊̿͊̉͜͜͝ờ̷̛͎̭̜͖̝̠͈͗̒́̓̔͛͂͒̔͋̆̓̏̀̉͌̍́̂́̚̕ͅ ̵̨̡̢̛̪̰̪̝̬͇̻̼̤̜̹͈̺̤̞̜̱̜̱̘͖̞̎̆̃̑̄̒̍̈́̇̅̃̈́̈̊́͂͒́̉͘͝͝ͅe̵̙͈͇͚̙̳̼̥̮͈̲͋̊́̈̂̌̊̈́͆̈́͒͘̚͜ā̶̞̻͕̰͕̗̆̏̌͂͌͛̒͛̏̑́̇̄̀̓̾̇̌̽̿̚̚̕͘͜͠͠ͅş̶̡̭̩̥̤̭͙̻̺̯̭̖͎͈͍̭̬̩̭͕̔̄͊̂̊̓̏̔͋͂͗̌̌̇̀̍̓̍̒͛̍́̎̂͌̓͜͝ͅi̷̡̛̟̰̦̱̪͈͇̰̻͚̖̼̮̟͖̜̣̭̫̺̻̳̱͓̼̯̪̅͛̈̈́̇̐̈́̋̃̈̅͂̿͌́͘̚͜͠ͅl̴͇̬̜͔͖͙̣̳̜̱̲̦̠̪̳̣͊͋̐̓͐̅̊̅̎͝y̵̛̛͈̠͈̘̟̰̥̥͕̜͈̠̤̝͉͉̰̮̍̀̃̓̍͗͂͌̓́̒̂̾̎͗̀̄̀̈́͛̅͘͝͠͝͝
...
...
Forgetting...?
What did he...?
Ë̶̡̢̝̝͈̤̺͇̭̪͖̹́v̸̧̧̛̜͓̮̲͇͖͚̥̺͕̻̟̜̞̺͌̅̽̎̂̐̋̄̑͊̽́̾͛̋̌̎̚͠ë̸̬̓́̓̀̾̒̓̉̋̄̇̋̊͆̍̃̉̐̌̆n̸̢̢͓̺̻̠̩̭͕̪͓̾́͑̆ ̷̧̨̨̢̝̯̤̲̜̦͖̯̜̤̫͚̩̲̫͓̯͉̟̞̲̖͗͋̿͒͜ͅt̶̢̨̢̛̻͇̹͖̤̻͒̐̏h̷̢̨̨̨͎͚͕̝͈̞̪̘͕̣̱̳̙̭͖͎̗̹̮̪̗̖͍̦̿͒̇̔̐̒̃̂͑͌̌̇̽̇͑͛́̃͐͊̍̈́̆̄͗͘̚͠ͅͅŏ̶̧͈͚̠͈̈́͒͋ͅǘ̶̢̢̢͉̩̞̝͔͇̩͔̱͓̭̻̭̩͓̝͔͎̞̝͍̝̫͉͎̇͗́͗̾͊̌̃͊̋͌͂̉̔̓̂̅́͘͝ͅģ̵̛̼̼̫́̽̿̓̿͋̏̏̔̏̈́́̿̎̃̆̐̅̆̎̎̍̕͝͝͝ͅh̸̡̫͙̝̭͉̟̩͖͙̯̻̯̳͈͍̰̝̯̖̣̩͋̍̊̌̄̀̈̎̚ ̵̟̉͛͋̐́̓̒̐̈́̽̄̍̌̉̿̅͗͒̊̄̐̈͊̔̎̀̕͝͠t̵̨̛͍̩͙͍̣͚̠̳̗͖̰̥̰̮̭̦͙̳̳̗̋̌̈́̓͒̋̂̆̔̍́̅̉͐̃̓͌͑̔͘̕̕h̷̨̹̩̜̮̻̲̳̻̠̬̙̙̹̦̟̻͒́̆̊͆̅̀́͂͋̈́̀̈́̌͛̀̈́̀̓̈́̇͒̍̆̚͜͠͝ͅe̴̟̬̙͔͋̏̒̈̉́̔̽̈́͠͝ͅỵ̵̨̧̧̧̛͖̪̦͓̖̥̟̯̮̯͔̠̱̖̤̦͍͙̬̯̦̺͇̻͌̋͑̈́̃͑̐̓̿̓͘͜͝ ̸̧̨̢̨̛̤̼͖̺̰̘̜͉̥̞͖̮̮̪͖͂̇̈͗͜͠͝ͅẅ̸̛̥̹̯͉͉̼͕̘̱̳̬̮̙̥̬͚̺͓͍̜̟̬̙̼̤́͌́̐͆̎̍̔̂͌̄̑̆̃̉͘̚̚̚̚̕͜͜͝͠ȅ̶̛͍̀̽͘͘͘͝ȑ̵̛̮̭̻̰͚̱̎͋̓̏́̍̀̐̈̎̀́̊͂͌͌͜͝͝ę̷̡̛̮̹̯̞̪̬̜̻̩͈͎̝͚͎̗̻̺̪̰̬̲͖̦̙͉̙̓̎́̀̒͑̆̍̇̈̄̽͋̋͋͗̅̔̄̚͜͝͝ ̷̧̢͍̻̹̗͕̙̞̘̼͙̩͎͖̜͇̫̭̼͎̮̰͈̦͕̲̰͗̽̀̍̅̓̇̌̿͐̔̂̑̆͆͂̉̉̐̓̚͘̕͜͠͠ŝ̵̨̛̻̥͖̝̝̦̮̖̝̩̮̻̱͓̮̦̰̹͗̌̉͌̔̒͑̎̍̄̄͑̅̄̈́̚͜͠͝o̴̢̡͔͙̜͕̖͔̰͓̺̬̹͓̜̗͓̔̑̌̋́̉̓̐̈́̏ ̶̪͉̀̋̀͗̓̇̋͘̕͝c̵̢̢̡̨̮͚̰̗̺̤̻̘̦̯̰͚̠̖͕̥̰̒͜l̴̩̫̝̗̟̈́̀́̾͛̅̃̂̉̈̈͘͝ợ̸̳̱̖̘͐̒̑̊̾̀̂̅̓̓̔̔̂s̶͉̟͗͑̀̈́̓́̊̃̓̚ḙ̶̛͕̟̱̯̻͍̘͚̈̉́̾̍̆̾̊̌̌͐̎̈́̿̃̈́͒͑͗̍͛̿͗̉̍͒͐͠
...
...
Even though they were...?
"Venti, are you alright?!", the Traveler's worried voice was soon heard from the Dodocommunicator, their expression mirroring their tone, "...You suddenly got so quiet, as if you are not really there, that I got worried that you...!"
-Traveler, it's alright. I just...-The Archon soon reassured, before sighing deeply. -...It seems like my Time Power growing made things quite confusing...Not only my recent memories, but also...-He couldn't help but sigh again, wondering if what he forgot was really important or not. And the person now watching him with a worried expression on their face...-...Traveler, if you knew and it was safe to share, you would have already told me, right...? You yourself told me this before. -He calmly said, getting a small nod in reply, as his friend still looked a little worried. -...I was wondering why Paimon wasn't there with you, to help you with the retelling...And then my thoughts became weird...Did I really forget something important…?
As soon as those words left his lips the Traveler's eyes widened,
Before their expression soon shifted to that of understanding and slight guilt...
*So the Traveler really knew what the..."Problem" was,
But they wouldn't tell him, even though they really wanted to...
...
...
...
Just what kind of burden was the Traveler carrying...?
*Knowing how they really were...The Traveler...
...
They were not only carrying his burden, but also...?
"While I am talking with you, Venti, Paimon was supposed to go order some food from Wanmin Restaurant. It looks like she's really taking her time! I wonder if she got distracted by all that food...?", the Traveler interrupted his thoughts, as they looked and sounded mostly calm, yet there was still a small tint of nervousness and guilt in their voice, "...Right, how about we continue the retelling now, Venti? It's about time I tell you how my current stay in Liyue is going!"
After realizing what the Traveler was doing,
Venti soon agreed to their "suggestion", after which...
...
The Traveler heaved a sigh of relief, not even trying to hide it this time...
*Or rather, his friend was way too preoccupied to notice it...?
Just what was it that he forgot for them to have such reac...?
"I already told you that we are staying in Liyue and where Paimon is at the moment, right...? Well, I still didn't tell you about Xiao, who had been with us this whole time!", the Traveler's voice soon interrupted his thoughts, as they clearly tried to sound as enthusiastic as possible, "When he heard we were going back to Liyue, he acted like he didn't miss the place that much, but I could clearly see that he was faking it! And you had to see the face he made when we arrived at the Harbor, Venti! He was showing such a warm and nostalgic smile! And then Xiao told me he was going to greet Zhongli and offer his help to Cloud Retainer(who apparently uses a human form now and goes by the name of Xianyun) and Keqing with their mechanics creation!", they soon added, their enthusiasm gradually becoming more real, before there was a short pause, "Speaking of the Adepti...Moon Carver recently invited me to his abode, said he needed my help with some training. I wonder what kind of training he can't do without me...?", they couldn't help but ask in some thoughtfulness and slight confusion, before their expression turned amused, "Oh, and I also saw Ganyu in the city recently. She was actually strolling around and enjoying herself! From what she told me, it seems like Ningguang's other 3 secretaries...Baiwen, Baishi and Baixiao, if I remember correctly. Actually, why do all their names start with "Bai"...? Did Ningguang mainly choose them for the similarities in their names...? Are they actually the "Bai Bai Bai" trio...?", they couldn't help but soon wonder, clearly going off topic, "...Anyway, they were behaving a lot better towards her now, almost to the level of worshiping! And apparently, when Ganyu returned from Inazuma, they met her with tears of joy on their faces! Can you imagine?"
They soon added, looking and sounding very amused now,
And something told venti that the Traveler's question was a rhetorical one...
*"Everyone and their mother" knew that Ganyu was usually doing most of the work,
So with her being gone from Liyue for so long...
...
"Oh, right, I also saw Hu Tao seemingly spending more time with Qiqi lately! Though they are usually in a group with Yaoyao and Shenhe.", the Traveler soon informed, looking and sounding quite intrigued, "And from what I noticed, the group is more akin to a family gathering, especially with Shenhe and Qiqi being all sisterly!", they happily admitted, before there was a short pause, "...I also met Childe recently. His siblings have returned to Snezhnaya and are planning to visit him during the next Liyue celebration: The Moonchase Festival.", they soon added, both their voice and expression getting confused, "...How did they get through that weird snow shield...? Are only Snezhnayan and Diplomatic ships allowed to come and go from Snezhnaya...? Can I stow away on one of those, just as Itto, Shinobu and Ushi, as well as Anthon did before...?", they couldn't help but soon wonder, getting quiet for a few seconds, a thoughtful expression on their face, "...And I still need to visit the rest of my "Pets" in Qingce village later on...Some of them could definitely help me remain hidden through the whole duration of the sailing..."