Miko raised an eyebrow and smiled gently:
"Indeed… but little one, you were born with a life of endless labor, huh."
Lumine didn't argue back, just frowned slightly in worry:
"Why haven't Ryen and the others come back yet?"
"Twenty-ninth time…"
Miko raised her index finger, about to say something, when the teleportation portal from the Twilight Forest outside suddenly lit up.
Immediately, the figures of everyone began to appear one by one.
Paimon, who had been eagerly pressed against the window, jumped with excitement.
She bounded down and ran over on her short legs, huffing and puffing along the way.
"Ryen! Paimon's back!"
Seeing the slightly chubby Paimon running toward him, Ryen smiled knowingly and bent slightly to scoop her up in his arms.
Looking at the little pudgy Paimon, Ryen couldn't help but give her a quick kiss.
Perhaps in Lumine's eyes, Paimon might seem like a bit of a mischievous brat.
But Ryen thought Paimon was well-behaved and very cute.
Sure, she was a little greedy and fond of money, but when it came to matters of principle, Paimon never gave an inch.
For Lumine, Paimon tried very hard to be a good guide and Lumine's best friend in this world.
Although this little one mostly cared about the food along the journey…
Having a flying, adorable companion on the adventure was super cool!
Ryen gently ruffled Paimon's head. She was so small that she didn't even reach Klee's height.
He could easily hold her with one hand.
Pinching her soft, chubby cheeks, Ryen laughed:
"Looks like you didn't suffer any hardships in Inazuma! Haven't lost a bit of weight!"
Paimon, who had been feeling proud, immediately pouted in displeasure:
"That's just a little chubby! Just a little chubby!"
"Besides, Paimon worked really hard in Inazuma! That Raiden Shogun chased me for ages!"
Ryen raised an eyebrow, half-joking, half-serious:
"Really? Poor Paimon of mine.
Do you need me to take Zhongli and the others to go trouble the Raiden for you?"
Paimon huffed and waved her hand:
"No need! I was just a small character, no need for you to step in. Paimon's steed, the Traveler, can handle it!"
"You little rascal! Who's calling you a steed!"
Lumine glared angrily, hands on her hips, while Paimon made a funny face and snuggled silently into Ryen's arms.
Paimon liked Ryen very much, because he genuinely treated her well, pampered her, and cared for her like a daughter—anything she wanted, she got.
Paimon had never felt so thoroughly protected by someone.
Sometimes she thought, it would have been great if she had been his guide from the very beginning.
But she had already promised Lumine to travel together.
So… even though she constantly grumbled about not wanting to go to Inazuma and wanting to stay behind, Paimon was still willing to face everything together with Lumine.
She wanted to be a good guide, and she meant it.
Miko's gaze softened as she cast a quiet look toward Ryen.
By now, Yae Miko had basically figured out the source of the four divine powers Paimon carried.
Paimon's backing wasn't the Four Gods—it was Ryen.
Ryen pampered Paimon, and her support was even stronger than she had imagined.
You could say Lumine might get into trouble, but Paimon definitely wouldn't.
Anyone who dared lay a hand on Paimon would immediately face Ryen unleashing the Four Gods in retaliation.
And on top of that, there'd still be the three nations' armies backing him up.
So…
this little one was actually the one with the strongest background.
Shaking her head, Miko remained silent for the moment.
Right now, she still needed some time to sort out the identities of everyone present.
That calm, steady-looking figure? Compared to him, she thought, he resembled the Geo Archon.
The green one nearby was Barbatos.
The person with a gentle face but icy aura? That must be the Cryo Archon.
And the one tugging at Ryen's sleeve? The Dendro Archon, Nahida?
Archons, Executives, high-ranking figures from Liyue and Mondstadt…
Truly an all-star lineup…
Miko couldn't help but marvel inwardly.
Lumine, however, didn't care about any of that. Hands on her hips, she glared at Ryen in annoyance:
"Didn't we agree to go to the Twilight Forest together to advance progress? How come you went ahead without me?"
"Ryen, how far have you guys gotten?"
Ryen raised an eyebrow, amused:
"We waited for you all night—you didn't come back!"
"And who knows how long it would've taken you to get here. The Cryo Archon came too, and her stay isn't long. We couldn't just stall at this progress point, right?"
"There's still a lot of planning to do in the Twilight Forest."
Lumine pouted, knowing he was right, but still feeling unhappy.
Judging by their looks, they had at least defeated the Snow Queen.
Having missed a monster, Lumine felt like her progress wasn't perfect.
"You only fought the Snow Queen, right?" she asked expectantly.
Ryen opened his mouth to answer, but before he could, Lisa smiled and cut in:
"What if we told you we've already reached the Final Plateau? What would you do then?"
"What… Final Plateau? What's that place?!"
Lumine exclaimed in dismay.
"I knew it! You definitely explored a bunch of places without me! Final Plateau? I've never even heard of it!"
"You really missed out, little cutie," Lisa said seriously, nodding.
"Our harvest this time was quite abundant."
Hearing this, Lumine went completely pale.
Ryen lightly tapped Lisa in exasperation:
"Lisa's just trying to scare you. We only fought the Snow Queen."
Instantly, Lumine felt her energy return, eagerly looking at Ryen.
He chuckled:
"But Lisa wasn't entirely wrong. After defeating the Snow Queen, the loot we got was very precious."
"That's right—we finally got what we've been keeping an eye on: the Arcane Workbench !"
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