Tabibito brought Paimon over to the two girls. One of them looked sharp and confident, and she was holding another girl who seemed much frailer.
The frail girl wore a long gown. Her face was pale, her lips were trembling, and she had collapsed onto the floor.
"Please wake up…" the confident girl called anxiously.
"What happened to her?" Tabibito asked.
"Her illness flared up. Is there a doctor nearby?" the confident girl asked, panic clear in her voice.
"There isn't a clinic around Wangshu Inn," Tabibito said.
"I do know a doctor, but we'd have to go to Liyue Harbor."
"And Liyue Harbor is not close. I'm worried she might…"
The confident girl immediately lifted the frail girl into her arms. "Her condition is serious. We can't waste time. I'll leave right now!"
"Wait," Tabibito said when she saw how frantic the girl was. "I might be able to help her."
"You can help her?" The confident girl looked at Tabibito. "Are you a doctor?"
"I'm not." Tabibito shook her head.
The confident girl's eyes filled with disappointment. "Then…"
"I'm not a doctor, but I can still help her."
Tabibito looked at her. "The question is, are you willing to trust me?"
The confident girl stared at Tabibito for a long while. "Fine. I'll trust you this once."
"Here. Have her drink this." Tabibito took out a bottle of Adeptal Juice.
"This is…?" The confident girl froze.
Paimon rubbed her eyes. "Tabibito, isn't that Adeptal Juice?"
"You jerk! Didn't you say you were out?"
"Hehe. I hid some yesterday," Tabibito said.
Then she turned to the confident girl. "Have her drink it now. It should help."
"This… this is juice?" The confident girl's expression darkened. "Are you messing with me? Do you realize how serious this is? Her life is at stake!"
"She is telling the truth," someone said.
"The… the Conqueror of Demons!" A man nearby jumped in shock, his face full of disbelief.
"The what?" The confident girl looked up.
The person standing there was not tall, but his presence was extraordinary.
The confident girl did not understand what was happening. "Who are you?"
"Xiao!" Paimon called.
"That is one of Liyue's Mighty and Illuminated Adepti, the Conqueror of Demons," the man said.
"His words can't be wrong. Hurry and have her take it."
"If you waste any more time, she'll be in danger."
A middle-aged woman came up from downstairs. "Smiley Yanxiao, what happened?"
"Conqueror of Demons, why did you come down?"
"I only spoke up to support Tabibito," Xiao said.
"Boss, this young man is right," Smiley Yanxiao said, then explained what had happened.
"So that's what happened," the boss said.
"This is one of Liyue's Mighty and Illuminated Adepti. He would never lie to you."
"You should hurry and save her."
"If any of you are lying to me, I won't let you off!" the confident girl said, looking at everyone.
She fed the juice to the frail girl. After drinking it, the girl's complexion became a little rosier, but she remained unconscious.
Paimon floated beside Tabibito. "When I saw Ryou give this to someone before, they recovered really quickly."
"Tabibito, why does she still look so weak?"
"Maybe her illness is too serious?" Tabibito said.
Paimon looked at the girl, then turned to Xiao. "Xiao, what do you think?"
"She is gravely ill," Xiao said. "It is an incurable disease."
"Ryou's Adeptal Juice can suppress it, but it will not last for long. Given enough time, her body still won't be able to hold on."
"Incurable?" Paimon gasped.
"What illness is it?" Tabibito asked.
"Eleazar. A terminal illness from Sumeru," Xiao said.
A cough sounded.
Tabibito turned back and saw the frail girl open her eyes. Her complexion had improved, and color had returned to her face.
She was beautiful, but her body was thin and delicate. It was clear she had been raised as a sheltered daughter of a good family.
"You scared me to death."
"We traveled for so long, and I told you to rest, but you wouldn't listen."
"If something had happened to you just now, I would have blamed myself for the rest of my life."
The confident girl turned to the others, then looked at Tabibito. "Everyone, and you especially, Tabibito… I'm sorry for how I acted."
"I was too anxious. Please accept my apology. Thank you for saving her."
She thanked Tabibito with complete sincerity.
"It's fine. It was nothing," Tabibito said.
"As long as she is safe." Xiao said that and left.
The boss smiled at the scene and left as well.
Tabibito and Paimon sat down with the girl and poured her a cup of tea.
"Did you come to Liyue Harbor to find a doctor?" Tabibito asked.
"No." The frail girl shook her head.
Paimon asked, "You didn't come to Liyue Harbor for treatment? But you're clearly…"
"Paimon," Tabibito called, stopping her.
"It's all right. I don't mind telling you."
"I came to Liyue Harbor to clear my mind."
"I've always wanted to visit Liyue. I knew that if I didn't come now, I might never have the chance."
"Tabibito, I'm actually very envious of you."
"You can travel outside and see so many sights. I can't do that."
"This time, I came to Liyue Harbor without telling my parents. If I can, I'd like to see Mondstadt next."
The confident girl hesitated. "Your body can't handle long trips. And sea travel is too dangerous for you, so Inazuma is out of the question."
The frail girl sighed. "I know. I was only thinking out loud. If I can see Liyue and Mondstadt, I'll already be happy."
"Tabibito…" Paimon called softly.
Tabibito looked at the frail girl. "There are many famous doctors in Liyue Harbor. I'm sure they can help you. Maybe there's still hope."
"No, Tabibito. You don't understand."
"My father has invited countless famous doctors for me, and none of them had any solution."
"Every time I see my father running around for my sake, it hurts. I feel so powerless."
"I know they love me, but some things can no longer be changed. As for me, I've already prepared myself."
Tabibito looked at her for a long while. "I can take you to see a friend of mine."
"He is a doctor from Bubu Pharmacy. His medical skill is incredible. I'm sure he can help you!"
"There's no need." The frail girl shook her head. "Tabibito, you've been to Liyue Harbor before, haven't you?"
"I have," Tabibito said.
"Then… could I ask you to show me around Liyue Harbor?"
"I hope you won't treat me like a patient, but like a normal person."
"Just take me around Liyue Harbor like that. Is that all right?"
"I want this journey to become a memory I can carry with me for the rest of my life," the frail girl said softly.
The confident girl's expression tightened. "Please don't push yourself."
Paimon fell silent.
Tabibito looked at the frail girl, her heart aching for her.
She made up her mind. Once they returned to Liyue Harbor, she would definitely ask Baizhu to treat her.
"All right. I promise!" Tabibito said seriously.
"Thank you, Tabibito."
"Right, I'm being so absentminded. I haven't even asked your names yet."
"I'm from Sumeru. My name is Dunyarzad," the frail girl said.
"I'm Dehya. I'm a mercenary, and I'm responsible for her safety," the confident girl said.
"Dunyarzad and Dehya, right? It's nice to meet you. You can call me Tabibito," Tabibito said seriously.
"Hello! I'm Paimon!" Paimon placed a hand on her chest and introduced herself.
"It's wonderful to meet you. This is our first time making friends while traveling."
"We'll be troubling you from here on," Dunyarzad said with a smile.
"Don't worry. We'll definitely show you around Liyue Harbor!" Tabibito promised.
…
At the Ministry of Civil Affairs.
"Come in!" Keqing said.
She saw Zhongli walk in, and someone seemed to be following behind him.
"Did you catch her?" Keqing asked.
"Catch who?" Zhongli asked.
"Shenhe!" Keqing said.
"Shenhe? What happened to her?" Zhongli asked.
"This isn't convenient for me to explain. Zhongli-sensei, did you come here for something?" Keqing did not say much more.
"Oh. I came to help a friend join the Ministry of Civil Affairs. This is Zhong Lishui," Zhongli explained.
"Zhong… Lishui?"
Keqing stared at Zhongli for a long while, not quite reacting.
If anyone else had brought someone in like this, Keqing would have thrown them out without hesitation.
But Zhongli was the Geo Archon. What did it mean for him to personally bring someone here?
Could this Zhong Lishui also be an adeptus?
The name sounded too deliberate to be a coincidence, and since Zhongli had personally brought him here, she could guess this man was no ordinary person. He was most likely one of the adepti.
She studied "Zhong Lishui" for a while, but no matter how hard she looked, she could not see through him.
She decided to ask Ryou after he came back. He should know something.
But the moment Keqing thought of Ryou, anger surged through her again.
She still had no idea where Shenhe had taken her husband.
Her husband might not suffer in that sense, but just thinking about Shenhe carrying him away made her furious.
By the time he came back, Shenhe might already have devoured him completely.
Keqing gritted her teeth. "Fine. Zhongli, take him through the onboarding."
"All right."
Zhongli led Mountain Shaper out.
Once they were outside, Mountain Shaper asked, "Rex—Zhongli-sensei, what did Keqing mean by that?"
"Why did she look at one as if she wanted to grind her teeth into dust? Has one offended her somehow?"
[End of chapter]
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