Ye stood at the harbor, slightly turning his head to glance at the Traveler and Paimon as they approached.
"Are you leaving, Ye?"
Hearing Paimon's question, Ye nodded slightly. "If I don't leave, no one in Inazuma will feel at ease."
Ye's purpose in coming to Inazuma was mostly accomplished. He had boosted his popularity in front of the players, convinced the Raiden Shogun to lift the Sakoku Decree, and only one goal remained unfulfilled. However, that was for version 2.6, which was still far off. So, it was ti to leave.
After all, as Ye had said, if he stayed in Inazuma, many people would feel uneasy—especially after his defeat of Sen'emon.
"I heard you defeated Sen'emon very easily?"
See, even the Traveler was curious enough to break her usual silence and ask.
Ye felt a bit helpless but had no choice but to explain in a calm tone, "It's not so much that I defeated her easily, but rather that she was intimidated by , which led to her defeat."
"What do you an by that?" Paimon spread her hands, confused. "We heard Sen'emon herself say that you possess strength far beyond her current capabilities."
"If it were the of the past, defeating Sen'emon wouldn't have been difficult. But five hundred years ago, I suffered a severe injury, and my power is now less than a tenth of what it once was. The current isn't as strong as Sen'emon thinks."
"Then…?"
"Although my power has weakened, my physical strength remains."
Ye said calmly:
"Sen'emon's sword couldn't harm my body. That's why she 'wisely' gave up."
"It's quite ironic. Sen'emon isn't a fool but a wise person. That's why she understood one thing very clearly—"
"To defeat soone, the basic prerequisite is to be able to break through their defense. Only then do you have a chance of winning, whether it's one percent, one in a thousand, or one in ten thousand. Having a chance is what gives aning to the fight."
"But if you can't even break through their defense, then the fight itself is aningless."
"So, when Sen'emon realized that her strongest strike couldn't harm , she 'wisely' gave up on a futile struggle."
"She knew I had no intention of killing her, so she decided to save the real fight for the future, for the day when she might have even the slightest chance of victory."
Paimon asked, puzzled, "So if Sen'emon had kept fighting, could she have defeated you?"
"Not really. It's just that my strength now lies only in this body. So if she hadn't given up, while she couldn't defeat , I also couldn't defeat her."
Ye patiently explained:
"Ironically, it was Sen'emon's 'wisdom' that led to her defeat. So, Traveler, rember this: sotis, it's better to be a bit foolish."
"I see." Paimon nodded, finally understanding.
—anwhile, the Traveler looked at Ye with exasperation.
"Do you really think I'd believe you now?"
"..."
Ye was the one who felt speechless this ti. No one believed the truth anymore. Everything he had said was completely factual!
Forget it. Whether they believed him or not, Ye didn't need to convince anyone.
So, Ye simply delivered the closing dialogue for version 2.2: "I'm leaving. If you have any more questions, ask them now. I'll answer them truthfully."
As it happened, the Traveler did have many questions.
"About the Hydro Archon…"
"Ah, you ca to Inazuma to et the Raiden Shogun, so naturally, you'd want to et Lady Furina as well. However, I don't recomnd going to Fontaine right now. Your next destination should be Suru."
"Why?"
"Because sothing is about to happen there. The Dendro Archon needs your help."
"The Dendro Archon… I rember Zhongli said that the Dendro Archon is the youngest of the current Archons."
"That's correct. The current Dendro Archon, the Lesser Lord Kusanali, was born only five hundred years ago and inherited the Dendro Archon's throne shortly after. While the other nations also have second-generation Archons, they had lived for unknown lengths of ti before ascending. That's why the Lesser Lord Kusanali is also considered the weakest among the Seven… though there are other factors at play."
"She needs my help? But she's a god."
"Even gods can find themselves in helpless situations."
"Why do you want to help her?"
"Because without the Dendro Archon, things would get very troubleso. Like her predecessor, the current Dendro Archon is an incarnation of the Irminsul, wielding its authority. Just as the previous Hydro Archon, Egeria, guarded the Primordial Sea, the Lesser Lord Kusanali is tasked with guarding the Irminsul."
Ye gazed at the distant sea, his tone light as he spoke:
"With Egeria's death, the ancient dragon's authority was split once more. The current Hydro Archon, Focalors, inherited the Hydro Archon's throne, while a new Hydro Dragon was born from Egeria's remains. The Primordial Sea lost its restraint, and Fontaine was set on an inevitable path. The Irminsul is no less important than the Primordial Sea. In fact, for Teyvat today, it's even more crucial. That's why I don't want anything to happen to the Lesser Lord Kusanali."
"Let's end this topic here. Once you go to Suru and then Fontaine, you'll understand everything."
"Alright, do you have any more questions?"
The Traveler frowned. "About the Gnosis…"
"You must have heard from Yae that she traded the Raiden Shogun's Gnosis to ." Ye nodded slightly. "But I've already traded the Gnosis to the Sixth Fatui Harbinger, Scaramouche—though it was a one-sided trade. He doesn't know what I want from him in return."
"Why?"
"When I co across a useful tool, I can't help but want to take control of it and play with it. It's a bad habit of mine—bla him for being so simple-minded that I couldn't resist."
"A useful tool?"
"When you get to Suru, you'll understand. Scaramounce should be heading there now."
"Alright, do you have any more questions?"
Once again, the Traveler was left frustrated by Ye's cryptic answers. She sighed and asked, "Are you, like , trapped in this world by that unknown god?"
"Not exactly. While there were other factors that led to my arrival in this world, staying here was my choice."
"Your choice?"
Ye glanced back at the Traveler. "When there's a girl crying for help right in front of you, any man would choose to lend a hand, wouldn't he?"
"Alright, do you have any more questions?"
The Traveler was utterly defeated by Ye's riddles. The more she asked, the more confused she beca. Why did I even bother asking!?
"No more questions."
"In that case, farewell. The next ti we et will likely be when you arrive in Fontaine."
Reviews
All reviews (0)