In a hidden corner, Shenhe crushed the ice in her hand and flexed her slightly sore tongue. So it really was true—in freezing conditions, licking ice would make your tongue stick to it. Fascinating.
Mona's eye twitched. She really couldn't understand Shenhe's thought process. With Paimon as a living example right in front of them, why did Shenhe feel the need to test it herself?
"I just wanted to experience what Su Bai felt as a child."
Realizing she'd been caught, Shenhe's face showed a rare expression beyond her usual calm. She seemed to recall something amusing, her voice lightening.
"When Master brought Su Bai to the snowy mountain as a child, he also licked the ice. According to Master, Su Bai once considered ice his greatest enemy."
"I think I just learned something I shouldn't have."
Mona adjusted her wizard hat. These weren't things a mere astrologist like her should know. After witnessing the power of the adepti, she felt it was best to stay out of their affairs. Otherwise, she might end up getting "educated" by them on the street one day.
"Little Paimon, do you need Klee's help?"
Klee held up a special Jumpy Dumpty and floated over to Paimon. Paimon let out a terrified muffled sound. Seeing her fear, Klee regretfully put the bomb away. It was her special high-temperature Jumpy Dumpty, but it looked like she wouldn't get to use it.
Seeing Klee put the bomb away, Paimon breathed a sigh of relief. That little menace nearly gave her a heart attack. She knew exactly how powerful those Jumpy Dumpties were—just look at the destruction around them. If one of those went off next to her, she'd be done for.
"Paimon, bear with it. I need to melt the ice around you first, or your little tongue might get burned."
Lumine waved a few Scorching Stones around, trying to find the best angle. Unable to find a good spot, she decided to melt the surrounding ice first. Even with her tongue frozen, poor Paimon hadn't forgotten to eat.
Despite her tongue's limited mobility, she kept shoving Whopperflower Nectar into her mouth. In this freezing environment, only the nectar could soothe her wounded heart.
After some effort, the icy block radiating Cryo energy was finally melting. Lumine held the last Scorching Stone, aimed at where Paimon's tongue was stuck, and struck the ice directly.
Steam rose as the frozen ice melted, freeing Paimon's tongue. She quickly pulled it back, feeling it was swollen. Furious, she flew off to the side and kicked the exposed Nail fragment.
"Stupid ice! Stupid ice! Paimon will destroy you!"
Seeing Paimon take out her frustration on the Nail fragment, Lumine and the others didn't stop her. Paimon had suffered enough—having her tongue stuck to ice for that long must have been quite an experience.
After a few kicks, either unsatisfied or just hurting her foot, Paimon grabbed a chunk of ice from nearby, flew above the Nail fragment, and hurled it down with all her might.
"Take that!"
With a sharp crack, the ice shattered. Paimon put her hands on her hips, looking proud. What she didn't notice was that either her ice block or some other trigger had activated the fragment.
The previously dormant Nail fragment shuddered slightly before rocketing into the sky. Paimon, still hovering above it, had no time to react. She was carried off toward the heavens.
Shenhe lunged to grab Paimon, but she underestimated the fragment's speed. Despite her quick reflexes, she couldn't reach her in time.
The fragment shot through the opening in Starglow Cavern's ceiling, speeding toward the mountain's peak. It quickly became a speck before disappearing from sight.
Down below, the group exchanged bewildered looks. None of them had expected that twist.
"Looks like we'll have to go to the mountain's summit. That troublesome Paimon..."
Lumine sighed. She always called Paimon emergency food, but deep down, she considered her a true companion. Now that Paimon was in danger, she couldn't just stand by.
"Lumine? What are you all doing here?"
A familiar voice came from above. Looking up, they saw Su Bai standing at the cavern's upper edge.
"Su Bai, what are you doing here? Never mind that now—Paimon got carried off by the Nail fragment! We have to save her!"
Seeing Su Bai arrive, Lumine relaxed slightly. Among their group, only Su Bai could fly. With him around, Paimon would be safer.
Su Bai jumped down from above, confused by Lumine's urgency. If he remembered correctly, Paimon could fly. Even if she was carried into the sky, she could just fly back down.
"Um, Lumine, calm down."
"I can't think of any danger a flying Paimon could face."
Lumine paused. Su Bai had a point. In her panic, she had completely forgotten that Paimon could fly. Since she could fly, why worry? Once the Nail fragment stopped, Paimon could fly back down on her own. Surely she would think of that... right?
Realizing this, Lumine relaxed immediately. Embarrassed, she scratched her head and changed the subject.
"Su Bai, what are you doing here? Are you here to deal with this Nail fragment too?"
"No, not at all. I was just running experiments with Albedo."
Su Bai held up a small black box. Hearing he had been working with Albedo, everyone gathered around. They all knew this trip to the mountain was about meeting that alchemist.
Staring at the dull black box, no one could figure out its purpose. Even Klee, who had some alchemy knowledge, stood on her toes and studied it for a while without discovering anything special. Could it be a new type of bomb?
"Ahem, this is still just a prototype. But since you're all so curious, I'll give you a demonstration."
With that, Su Bai channeled a small amount of elemental energy into the black box. A miraculous sight appeared before them—the strange black box actually started glowing. Watching this familiar scene, Lumine murmured under her breath.
"Why does this look so familiar?"