Chapter 177

Lumine said.

"That's not true! Paimon is not emergency food!"

Paimon struck an indignant pose.

Wow, you.

I treat you as a friend.

Turns out you've been keeping me as 'emergency food' rations all along.

I'm running away from home.

Wuu wuu.

QAQ...

"Speaking of which, if she can fly, how did she end up falling into the water?"

Qi Qi Liangliang curiously pinched her chin, examining her intently.

Lu Shu: Well done, Kitty-Qi Qi Liangliang.

"Oh, yeah."

Lumine had never thought about this question before.

Now that she thought about it carefully, it really was strange.

Sensing the death glare from the person behind her, Paimon broke into a cold sweat: "Ahaha~, I-I was just too hungry, I didn't have the energy to fly!"

"Oh."

That was the original answer, too.

It wasn't that Lumine had asked.

It was just that after Paimon was fished out, while still dizzy, her stomach had been 'rumbling' loudly.

So, this answer was passable.

No further thoughts.

Lu Shu, however, gave a mysterious smile.

Clearly.

Paimon wasn't that simple.

01

By now, the group had approached the edge of the Whispering Woods.

A breeze brushed past, leaves rustling, as if whispering some mysterious ancient language.

Suddenly, a giant cyan creature appeared in the sky.

A gust of wild wind kicked up as it flew past.

Startling countless birds in the forest.

It was as if the clouds in the sky had been swept away.

The gale raged, and even they, sitting on the back of the Dragonite below, were almost blown off.

"W-what is that?"

"Is it a dragon?"

Paimon hid behind Lumine in great fear.

Her voice carried a trace of trembling.

Her two small hands were clutching Lumine's clothes shakily.

Lumine, meanwhile, looked on with a solemn expression at the spot where the strange creature, which looked exactly like a 'sea slug', had disappeared.

"Another dragon?"

Lumine guessed.

She had been traveling with Paimon for two months and hadn't seen a single dragon.

And yet, not even an hour had passed, and they had run into two.

And?

These dragons in Teyvat all look so strange, don't they?

One looks like a ball, the other like a sea slug.

Lu Shu's eyes were sparkling; so the plot had started?

That was Venti's companion, the 'Stormterror' Dvalin.

"Dragonite, descend to the ground first."

Watching Dvalin fly further away and disappear from view.

Lu Shu pondered for a moment, then decided to have the Dragonite land on the ground.

"Dra-nite!"

The Dragonite let out a reluctant roar, but still followed its trainer's command and returned to the ground.

"Alright, you'll have your turn later."

Lu Shu soothed the Dragonite's high fighting spirit and temporarily recalled it into its Poké Ball.

Riding it over would make them too easy to spot.

"What's with the Dragonite?"

Lumine asked curiously.

"It wants to have a fight with that dragon."

"Uh..."

Lumine was speechless.

It really was a dragon, just like those high-combat-power guys in her memories.

"Let's follow, be careful!"

"Okay."

Lumine nodded; she already trusted Lu Shu somewhat.

Why? She didn't know.

Maybe because he was handsome?

Or perhaps, the 'aura' on him smelled very pleasant.

They were both travelers from another world!

After all, he was so strong, and as they flew along, the two of them had become increasingly familiar with each other.

She felt inexplicably happy whenever she was by Lu Shu's side.

Lumine didn't know that this was the influence of the Paths of 'Harmony' and 'Elation'!

The group passed through the Whispering Woods silently.

Arriving at the fated spot.

Sure enough, just as he had expected.

The 'Stormterror' Dvalin, that elemental dragon irritable from its injuries, had now landed heavily on the ground.

Opposite it stood a small person dressed in a Baroque-style bard's outfit.

Venti!

His small braids were flickering with a faint light, the mark of him channeling Anemo elemental power.

He was using the power of wind to soothe this injured old friend.

Unable to remove the sickness and pain.

He could only temporarily soothe her emotions.

Lu Shu and the others carefully crept behind a large rock, peeking out with pairs of eyes to observe the shocking scene ahead.

"No way? That person seems to be communicating with a dragon?!"

Paimon was shocked; she couldn't believe a human could actually communicate with a dragon.

In her panic, she instinctively grabbed Lumine's hair again.

This made Lumine shiver inexplicably.

She grabbed Paimon and stuffed her into Qi Qi Liangliang's arms.

Lumine already had serious psychological trauma regarding Paimon's hair-pulling behavior. ===== CHAPTER 178 =====