"Paimon, be honest with me—are you secretly a quest-triggering sprite?"
Aether came to a sudden halt, every fiber of his being recoiling instinctively from the idea.
"Quest-triggering what? Is that some kind of mechanism, like a control hub or something?"
Paimon frowned in confusion, taking the question completely seriously. Did mechanisms have anything to do with quests?
"…Never mind. Let's keep moving."
Aether sighed. Every person they met on this journey, every scene they passed—these were all worth pausing to appreciate.
If fate was predetermined, then forcibly cutting ties would only render the journey meaningless.
He also had a strong feeling that the key to breaking his seal might be hidden somewhere along this path.
"You're talking weird again, Traveler…"
Paimon mumbled. She didn't understand what he meant, but she did have one excellent trait—if she didn't get something, she simply stopped thinking about it.
"Hello there!"
As the two reached a ridge overlooking the fields, Paimon greeted a small girl in a wide-brimmed hat.
"Ah! You…"
The little girl had been daydreaming, and Paimon's sudden voice startled her. She had never seen something as bizarre as a flying person before.
"Don't be scared! We mean no harm. I'm Paimon. What's your name?"
Paimon waved her hands energetically, trying to ease the tension.
The girl nervously stepped back, eyes darting between Paimon and Aether. When she saw Aether also wave with a friendly smile, she hesitated, then softly replied:
"I… I'm Yu Keke."
Sensing that they meant no harm, her voice grew a bit steadier.
"Nice to meet you, Keke! We're travelers from a faraway land."
Paimon introduced them with her usual enthusiasm.
"Travelers? What's that?"
"A traveler is, um… him."
Paimon faltered. She and Aether had been wandering across Teyvat for so long, everyone just called them the Traveler—but now, trying to explain it, she found herself at a loss. On impulse, she pointed at Aether.
"Uh… hi."
With both of them staring at him, Aether looked a bit awkward.
Mostly because Paimon's explanation was awful. Clearly, a lack of education could be hazardous in unexpected ways.
"Nice to meet you… Do you need something?"
Yu Keke, polite despite her nerves, looked at Aether and asked curiously.
"We're just passing through," Paimon quickly explained. "We wanted to ask—what is this place?"
Aether had mentioned this was a new continent. As the best guide ever, Paimon decided she couldn't slack off—she needed to get the lay of the land quickly.
"This is Qingxi Village. It's the most remote village in the Heaven Dou Empire."
Keke recited what she knew in a quiet, thoughtful tone.
"Qingxi Village…" Paimon nodded, pretending to be deep in thought as she discreetly memorized the name to jot down later.
"Are you two… heading somewhere?"
"Yup! I'm traveling with the Traveler to explore this whole continent—and taste every delicious dish we can find!"
Paimon nodded firmly, her eyes shining with excitement.
"Wow… that's amazing."
Keke looked at Paimon, eyes full of admiration and longing. But then she sighed.
"I really want to go outside with my dad too… but…"
"What's wrong?" Paimon asked.
"My dad and the uncles went to the big market to sell beast pelts. They haven't come back yet…"
Keke lowered her head, wringing her hands, anxiety heavy in her voice.
"So you've been waiting here for your dad all by yourself?"
"Mm-hmm! You can see really far from here. If he's coming back, I'll be the first to spot him!"
"Don't worry, Keke. It's almost dark—you can't see clearly now. Maybe your dad's already home. So let's head back just in case!"
Paimon floated beside her, gently coaxing.
"Yeah… maybe he's already snuck back without me noticing."
Keke nodded, then hesitated before shyly saying:
"Um… would you like to come over to my house?"
She figured Aether and Paimon were just passing through and worried they might not have a place to stay…
"Really? We can?"
Paimon lit up with joy.
"Yeah… you can. Follow me."
Keke hesitated for a long time, but eventually gave a firm nod and started walking toward the small village.
"Thank you, Keke," Paimon said gratefully.
She and the Traveler had just been thinking about finding a place to rest. Otherwise, they'd have to camp out in the wilderness.
And who knew what kind of monsters lurked out there in the dark? ...
Just as Keke had said, Qingxi Village was located on the border between the Heaven Dou and Star Luo Empires. It was a remote and isolated place, with only a dozen or so households.
"Yu Keke! You little brat, where've you been all this time?!"
As they entered the village, a woman came rushing over, clearly furious.
"I… I wasn't playing…"
Keke lowered her head, looking like a child who'd been caught doing something wrong.
"I told you to help out, and you ran off again! All you ever do is sneak away and play. Just like that good-for-nothing father of yours—never home!"
The woman screamed, spitting her words in a fury.
"I wasn't slacking! I chopped all the firewood…"
Keke murmured under her breath, eyes on the ground.
"Oh? Still talking back? If you weren't slacking, what were you doing running around outside all day?"
Her attempt to explain only made the woman angrier.
"Keke didn't slack off! She was waiting for her dad!"
Paimon couldn't take it anymore and flew over to intervene.
"A-Ah! What are you?! Some kind of monster?!"
The woman shrieked in alarm when she saw Paimon.
"She's not a monster! Her name is Paimon, and I invited her to our house as a guest."
Keke hurriedly tried to explain.
"Oh, great! So now you're bringing monsters into our home to ruin everything, huh?!"
The woman's fury reached new heights.
"…Did my dad come back yet?"
Keke asked softly, trying to hold back tears.
"Your dad, your dad—always your dad! He's not coming back! He's already dead!"
The woman lashed out cruelly.
"I won't let you say that about my father! My dad is not dead!"
Tears welled in Keke's eyes as she lifted her small face to glare back, stubborn and defiant.
"Hmph. Yu Keke, don't you know? That worthless father of yours already—"
The woman's words twisted with venom, but suddenly she paused as if realizing something, then changed her tone:
"Forget it. Come home with me. No more running off these next few days."
"What happened to my dad?!"
Keke heard the shift in tone and pressed urgently.
"Just come home. How should I know what happened to your—your father…"
The woman clearly had no intention of explaining. She reached forward, trying to drag Keke away.
But Keke, small and nimble, dodged her hand and ran behind Aether. Her voice rang out in desperation:
"I'm not going home! Tell me what happened to my dad!"
_
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