Chapter 132: Defeating Magic with Magic

Cyno was punctual.

He neither arrived early nor late, but exactly on the appointed day found Luo De.

He said nothing and asked nothing.

Upon meeting, he directly gestured for Luo De to follow, then strode off toward the desert.

"Let me say beforehand, I haven't gone back in a long time; my grandfather has already passed away, and the remaining tribespeople are all relatively stiff, old-fashioned elders, who may not be willing to meet your demands."

Along the way, Cyno gave Luo De a preventive shot in advance.

"Being the village guard of A Ru Cun isn't acceptable either?" Luo De fumed the emblem in his hand, brows slightly furrowed.

"Village guards are not guardians."

Cyno shook his head: "Guardians are descendants of the Red King; the elders might still give some face, but the title 'village guard' is unfamiliar to them."

Then he changed tone: "However, if you only want a handy weapon, I can speak for you, so it should be fine; but don't think about anything else—they're unlikely to agree, and I can't promise you anything."

"That's enough."

Luo De hadn't hoped for more either; being able to secure a handy weapon without spending too much already satisfied him.

After reaching an agreement.

Cyno's demeanor relaxed considerably, and his speech returned to his usual serious yet comedic state.

To prevent himself from freezing to death in the desert as well.

Upon seeing this familiar state of Cyno, Luo De promptly spoke up: "Senior Cyno, I ran into a few problems these past two days and can't think of the answers; could you give me some pointers?"

"Oh? Even a top talent like you has problems you can't solve?"

Cyno instantly became interested, raising his brows: "Go ahead, I'm listening."

"This is a question from a village child: What creature in Teyvat hates cleanliness the most?"

Luo De's first question was very simple.

Upon hearing it, Cyno immediately answered: "It's the ice slime, because it always walks on the water surface and never goes into the water to bathe."

"Oh~~~"

"Oh, that's how it is."

"Ah, senior, you're amazing—you solved such a difficult problem right away."

Luo De put on an expression of sudden realization, feeling no embarrassment at such a dry joke, and after lavishly praising Cyno, he immediately posed the second question: "This is also a question from a village child: Why do the sandworms in the desert like to stay in the sand and never come out?"

"Huh?"

This question is obviously a bit harder.

But this still didn't stump Cyno; after a moment's thought, he came up with what he thought was a very nice answer: "Because it's a wind-eroded sandworm, it fears water!"

It seemed he was afraid Luo De wouldn't understand what he said.

Cyno also deliberately explained: "Wind, moisture (erosion), sandworm—so it fears water and dares not show its head."

"You really are a genius."

Luo De gave Cyno a thumbs-up, approved the answer, then popped the third question: "This time Dixiya asked me: Why does Tighnari always find your jokes unfunny, Senior Cyno? Do you have any leads?"

"."

"What kind of question is this?"

Cyno's face immediately fell.

This person has one very good trait.

Namely, like Ju Le Shi, he never thinks his own dry jokes are unfunny.

Now Luo De suddenly brought up the fact that his jokes aren't funny, making the situation instantly a bit awkward.

"I'm quite serious."

Luo De chuckled hehe: "Do you want to think hard about the answer?"

Hearing that he had hidden meaning, Cyno's eyes narrowed slightly.

Combined with the previous two questions that could be explained with dry jokes.

So is it possible that Luo De's question isn't stating a fact, but is purely literal?

"A dry joke showdown?"

Cyno's eyes instantly blazed with fighting spirit.

In the realm of dry jokes, even Ju Le Shi isn't a match for him; he never expected his own junior to want to compete with him on this point.

"Ugh——"

Realizing Luo De's intent, Cyno began to think seriously.

But he thought it over and over.

Although he knew Luo De was competing with him in dry jokes, he tried hard not to think that Tighnari truly dislikes his jokes, yet he couldn't help but, while pondering how to explain the literal meaning, think of other things.

Such problems that combine reality and dry jokes.

They are indeed hard to answer!

Even as calm as Cyno, even after understanding Luo De's intent, he still couldn't avoid falling into such a linguistic trap that stirs emotions.

After struggling for a long time.

Cyno still helplessly gave up thinking, his face dejected as he admitted: "I can't come up with an answer."

"Hehe."

Luo De proudly said: "Because Tighnari is a botanist of the empiricist school, having seen many memes, he naturally wouldn't find your dry jokes funny."

"."

"Hiss, so cold."

Cyno, who is accustomed to defeating others with his own dry jokes, finally today knows what it feels like to be attacked by dry jokes.

Basically it's that feeling where Luo De laughs until he doubles over, while you feel so embarrassed you could die.

However, it's not over yet.

When Cyno was thinking about how to counter Luo De,

Then Luo De began another barrage of cold jokes like a string of firecrackers.

"Actually I think you should become an adventurer, senior brother, because your hat is really too conspicuous—adventurer, hat‑conspicuous—look, how fitting."

"And those criminals who fled to the desert are so afraid of you, the great discipline officer, because they fear the Sumeru Rose (Strong Might)."

"Ask, why does Ke Lai never go ask Ti Na Li when she has a problem she can't solve? Because she judges that Ti Na Li won't know."

"Right, senior brother, you know Ka Wei, right? I remember him saying he knew you. So why would such a weak guy go play with a greatsword? Could it be because he's a greatsword‑builder?"

"Why do the floating mushroom beasts in the rainforest area always jump so high? I guess it's because they're estimating (mushroom) height."

"Senior Cyno, do you know what a pane of glass says before it falls from a high building? It says good night, because I'm about to shatter (sleep)."

"."

Such cold jokes comparable to a mental attack.

Seeing Luo De keep saying over a dozen jokes without stopping, Cyno could no longer bear it, covered his forehead and interrupted him: "Stop, don't say any more."

"Huh?"

Luo De grinned at the wilted Cyno, like an eggplant hit by frost, and said with a grin: "I still have dozens of bottom‑of‑the‑box jokes I haven't told; are you sure you don't want to hear them?"

Only magic can counter magic.

Father truly does not deceive me.

After being frozen by Cyno's cold jokes many times, Luo De reflected deeply, thought for a long time, and finally came up with a method worthy of being called 'fighting poison with poison'.

It really works well.

And Cyno, defeated in his strongest field, on the following road truly performed a wave of 'silence is golden': not only did his interest in telling cold jokes disappear, but even the thought of speaking to Luo De seemed to have been worn away in that recent cold joke battle.

Except for necessary communication, the two remained in a quiet range until they arrived at an ancient, desolate ruin.

The ruin's location is very remote.

So remote that if it weren't for Cyno, who knows the way, leading us here, most ordinary people would have little chance of finding this place.

Externally, the ruin shows no signs of anyone having lived there.

It seems the people Cyno spoke of never leave their homes.

Following Cyno.

Luo De entered the ruin together with him.

Just upon entering the gate.

He suddenly understood why these recluses don't need to go out.

There are soul‑settling spirits here.

A kind of elemental creature that can create small oases and water sources, and even without sunlight help people grow grain.

Cyno skillfully shuttled back and forth through the complex corridors, occasionally manipulating some hidden mechanisms; sometimes looping around he'd return to the original path, yet he always managed to lead Luo De deeper without ever triggering the ruin's defense mechanisms.

It seems that although the Academy took him away from here when he was young, he still remembers everything here, as if he had never forgotten.

When the two finally reached the deepest part of the ruin,

A suddenly open hall loomed into view.

This was Luo De's second time entering a ruin left by the Scarlet King civilization.

But when he saw the splendid palace buried deep underground before him, he was still stunned by its exquisite craftsmanship and magnificent grandeur.

Within the ruin, faint figures could be seen.

Not many.

Mostly they were elderly people.

Hearing the commotion, they all leaned on their wooden sticks and came out from their respective dwellings.

Their attire was very similar to Cyno's.

They also wore wolf‑head headgear and adorned themselves with ornaments symbolizing the Scarlet King Ahmaer; though they moved weakly, each was full of vigor.

"Who are you? Cyno?"

After many years, the elders could only vaguely recognize the now‑adult Cyno before them as the child they had once sent away.

"High Priest, it's me, I've come back."

Cyno slightly lowered his head and made a strange gesture and salute toward the spirited elder leading them.

Luo De had never seen it before.

It must be a unique rite of the Scarlet King priestly line.

"Who is this?"

After reassuringly patting Cyno's shoulder, the High Priest turned his gaze to Luo De.

And it was this glance.

His pupils suddenly contracted to pinpricks, fixed on Luo De as if trying to see through him inside and out.

At month's end I have many things at home, so I can't do the daily ten‑thousand‑word quota these days, but I agreed to do a monthly ten‑thousand‑word quota; the shortfall these days counts as debt, and I'll make it up next month when I'm free.

(End of chapter)