Chapter 771: I'm Nothing But a Mere Mortal, How Could I Possibly Be Connected to an Immortal

Above the sky.

"Mm… he… isn't planning to interfere?"

Fanes opened his eyes, somewhat unable to understand Jiang Yan. Clearly, just moments ago he had been chasing the Lord of the Abyss, shouting and clamoring to kill him, yet now that he saw the Abyss cooperating with Snezhnaya, he wasn't stepping in?

"…"

The four people around them waited quietly for Fanes's words, as if waiting for Fanes to give an order.

Fanes merely curled the corner of his mouth.

"Wait."

Since you aren't worried about your own nation's safety, then I'll just stand by and watch.

The four people were somewhat surprised by Fanes's words; they had expected him to give an order like when Khaenri'ah was destroyed.

Liyue.

"Alright, you listen slowly, I'm heading off first."

Seeing that it was getting late, Jiang Yan spoke first.

"Mm, alright."

"Traveler, over here, over here!"

Hearing the familiar voice, both Jiang Yan and Morax's expressions changed at once.

"Oh? 'Five-Eight-Three' is Mr. Zhong Li and Mr. Jiang."

Hearing Paimon's words, both of them gave Paimon and the Traveler a greeting.

"Mr. Jiang, are you leaving?"

Paimon watched Jiang Yan making a motion as if just about to rise, and asked curiously.

"Yes, it's getting late, I should head back too. You two have fun."

"Wood Spirit Immortal Lord."

"!"

"!"

"!"

Hearing this name, everyone grew wary, especially Jiang Yan, whose departing footsteps came to an abrupt halt.

"Master Liu, I want to hear the story of the Wood Spirit Immortal Lord."

Hearing these words, Jiang Yan set his mind at ease.

"You brat, you knew they were coming to find me, so you did this on purpose."

Morax saw Jiang Yan turn his head back, and even raised his teacup in a gesture toward him.

"What? The great Wood Spirit Immortal Lord is actually afraid?"

The two had perfect tacit understanding; even just by looks, they knew what the other was thinking.

Paimon watched the two of them staring at each other, eyes wide, and just felt something was odd between them.

Watching Jiang Yan's figure gradually depart, Morax shifted his gaze to the Traveler and Paimon.

"Mm? I get the feeling the two of you didn't get the answer you wanted? You didn't meet the Geo Archon?"

Seeing that the two of them weren't very interested, Morax asked with concern.

"Mm, not really. Although, we did meet the Geo Archon, we just didn't get the answer we wanted."

Paimon scratched his head and recounted the whole thing from beginning to end.

At this moment, Liyue doesn't need to deal with Azhdaha, the Dragon King; they probably won't have the chance to learn Zhong Li's true identity at night.

"I see. Do you want to go looking for the Wood Spirit Immortal Lord again?"

"Oh right, Zhong Li, you're well-informed, do you know when the Wood Spirit Immortal Lord will be back?"

"This… little friend Paimon, you're really making things hard for me. I'm nothing but a mere mortal, how would I know the movements of an immortal?"

"Sigh, that's true."

"Oh right, Zhong Li, Liyue and Snezhnaya are already at war, so why weren't we allowed to help when we went to help?"

Paimon seemed unable to figure out the reason.

"Shouldn't one more person mean one more share of strength? Why would they tell us to just relax and have fun?"

After saying this, he put his hands on his hips, seeming very dissatisfied with their decision.

"It's not just you two; even Liyue's adepti have rarely stepped in, haven't they? In my view, the adepti seem to want to test whether Liyue's people can shoulder the banner themselves, which is why they've handed everything over to humanity. Moreover, even if they fail, the adepti are still there to back them up."

Morax didn't hide his side's thoughts at all and told them directly, then shifted his gaze back to Paimon and the Traveler.

"As for the two of you, I suppose it's because of your identities. As Travelers, you will inevitably journey through every nation. If in the future you reach Snezhnaya and people discover that you once helped Liyue, I'm afraid there will be some displeasure, more or less."

Hearing these words, the two of them instantly darkened, as if recalling something unpleasant.

If Jiang Yan were here, he'd probably be cackling with glee; after all, in Mondstadt he was once wanted for being mistakenly accused of stealing.

If it weren't for Jiang Yan, the two of them probably would have been wanted for suspected assassination of the Archon, just like in the plot.

Oh, alright, Jiang Yan actually was here, and he was covering his mouth, holding back laughter.

Not long after leaving, Jiang Yan had used the Snake Talisman to turn invisible and come back, and to avoid making any sound, he even specially used the Rooster Talisman.

Jiang Yan looked at Paimon and the Traveler's gloomy faces and couldn't help wanting to laugh. There was no helping it; it was just too funny. Basically, every time they arrived at a nation, they would end up wanted.

Stealing a lyre in Mondstadt, assassinating in Liyue, the Vision Hunt Decree in Inazuma, in Sumeru because of protecting Nahida…

"Mm? Did I say something wrong?"

Morax looked at the two of them with gloomy faces and for a moment suspected he had said something wrong.

"Ahaha, no, no, you're right. If in the future we reach Snezhnaya and people discover we helped Liyue or something, it really wouldn't be explainable."

Looking at Paimon's awkward expression, Morax was certain of one thing: there was something amusing… ah no, there was a reason. But since the other party didn't want to talk about it, it wouldn't be proper to press them.

Listening to the few of them chat back and forth, Jiang Yan set his mind at ease. As long as that old fellow Morax hadn't caused him trouble, that was fine.

"Oh right, I heard the Wood Spirit Immortal Lord handles matters with swift and decisive efficiency, never dragging his feet. A few days have passed, maybe he's already come back, you never know."

The hidden Jiang Yan was full of question marks. You rascal, well played!

"Right, Traveler, tomorrow, let's go ask the Geo Archon again for news about the Wood Spirit Immortal Lord."

Lumine merely nodded and did not speak.

"Zhong Li, we'll be leaving first then, take your time drinking."

After the few of them said their goodbyes, Morax watched the two figures gradually recede into the distance.

"Heh, Jiang Yan…"

"Yo, pretty happy, aren't you?"

"Pfft— cough, cough, y-you, how can you be here?"

Morax's face was full of disbelief. How could Jiang Yan be here? Hadn't he left? During that time he had been on his guard, observing the surroundings, and had only spoken after confirming there were no footsteps.

"How can I be here? Good question. I was just waiting to see how you'd screw me over."

Jiang Yan sat back down, his gaze fixed dead on Morax.

Poor Morax couldn't even drink a cup of tea without trembling nonstop.

T-this, talking about someone behind their back and getting caught—who wouldn't panic? Let alone the fact that the person had just settled the debt he owed.

"…Sigh, forget it. I was thinking of meeting them anyway. Since you've already said it out loud, let's do it in the next few days."

Jiang Yan figured that he still had to meet them once. Otherwise, they probably wouldn't leave Liyue easily, and how would the subsequent journey proceed?

Hearing these words, Morax's eyes lit up, and he finally let out a breath of relief.

"If so, very well."

Jiang Yan turned his gaze back to the relieved Morax and spoke lightly.

"Morax, from now on, remember to bring Mora when you go out. Boss, if he charges anything to an account again, charge it to himself."

After saying that, Jiang Yan gave Morax no chance to speak, got up and left.

Only the flustered Morax was left behind.

What, what does that mean? Is he not going to pay my bills here anymore from now on?

"Jiang Yan, speaking generally, you don't have to be like this. Oh right, boss, put it on my tab."

Morax really didn't want to be grabbed by the collar for money every single time, so he hurriedly got up to chase after him. Strange—every time he told himself he must bring Mora when going out, yet when it came time to pay, he'd always find he hadn't brought any.