"…Lumine, Victor, can you still hear my voice?"
"Nahida!"
"What just happened? My connection with you was suddenly cut off by some kind of power."
"It was Scaramouche!" Paimon loudly complained, then described what happened in detail. "He blocked you outside, like he wanted to erase himself to change history. But you told us that was impossible, and Victor Wang saw through Scaramouches' intentions and told him, and then… then he fainted…"
"…I didn't expect him to really notice. But with the power he has left, he shouldn't be able to modify Irminsul. If he had such intentions, could it be that he secretly hid away some strength when he was defeated?" Nahida murmured to herself.
"Nahida?"
"Yes. This operation ends here. I'll guide you out of Irminsul's interior… please also bring Scaramouche out with you."
"Why did he faint, though?"
"He fainted most likely due to exhausting his power combined with an intense emotional shock. There's no need to worry."
Along the winding paths formed by rings of 'aurora' on the surface, the group made several twists and turns, leaving Irminsul's interior and, with Nahida's power, returning from Irminsul to reality.
Nahida's power continued to flow, covering the unconscious Scaramouche and concealing him, before she continued, "You did very well to stop Scaramouche from modifying Irminsul."
Paimon suddenly thought of something. "Was this also within your expectations?"
Nahida nodded. "I had predicted the possibility that Scaramouche would try to shake Irminsul, and I prepared countermeasures. But he shouldn't have had enough power left… In any case, he shows sincere remorse. Once he wakes up, we can discuss future cooperation. For now, let's talk about what you gained."
"Our gains…"
Paimon looked toward Lumine and Victor Wang.
Lumine said, "I learned more about my brother, but there are even more mysteries now. The Sky responding to the summoning… Khaenri'ah… I really want to find 'The Jester' and ask him directly."
Paimon was startled and hurriedly tried to dissuade her. "Calm down! That 'The Jester' is probably even more terrifying than 'The Doctor'!"
"Paimon, I was just saying it out loud…" Lumine said awkwardly. "There's no way it'd be that easy to find him."
"Hehe, Paimon is just worried about you," Nahida said, then asked, "What about you, Victor? What information did Scaramouche find regarding the Dendro Dragon?"
"It's a clue… Nahida, the you of the past, or rather Greater Lord Rukkhadevata, once made an agreement with certain elemental lifeforms born from the Dendro Dragon's power—that once the calamity ended, you would take them home."
"The calamity…"
Nahida naturally had no memory of this at all. Victor Wang prompted her, "I saw many elemental lifeforms turn into the Withering. The calamity they mentioned might be related to forbidden knowledge."
"Forbidden knowledge…" Nahida softly repeated. "If that's the case, the corruption of Irminsul has already been resolved. Then it's time to fulfill that agreement."
"To find the Dendro Dragon, I'll first have to find those elemental lifeforms."
Victor Wang echoed her words, tying his goal of retrieving materials from the Dendro Dragon together with Nahida's agreement, so that he wouldn't have to face the Dendro Dragon alone.
Paimon asked curiously, "Is Victor looking for the Dendro Dragon to treat his illness too?"
"That's right. I don't know what the Dendro Dragon's relationship with humans is like. There's a good chance we'll have to fight it."
"That sounds tough…" Lumine asked proactively. "Do you need help?"
After knowing each other for so long, Victor Wang naturally didn't stand on ceremony. "More help is definitely better."
And so, the same group directly shifted their objective from Irminsul to the Dendro Dragon.
Nahida said, "Then let's not delay. Since everyone is free right now, shall we set off immediately?"
Victor Wang nodded. "The information Scaramouche found shows the locations of some elemental lifeforms born from the Dendro Dragon. We can go look for them first… I'll lead the way."
The target Victor Wang led them to find was precisely the floating Hydro Fungi—among the elemental lifeforms born from the Dendro Dragon—that had survived to this day, possessed the highest intelligence, could communicate in human language, and was originally meant to be encountered by Nahida and Lumine.
Although the location previously locked onto through Irminsul had shifted slightly over time, after searching the surrounding area, they still successfully found it.
It didn't look to be in very good condition, appearing sickly and frail, far less energetic than the other two floating Hydro Fungi accompanying it—those not born from the Dendro Dragon.
Even so, Paimon remained highly alert and didn't dare get too close. "Even though they look similar, some Fungi are gentle and adorable, while others are super aggressive and attack on sight."
However, that floating Hydro Fungi and its two companions were all very friendly and did not initiate any attacks. The floating Hydro Fungi even dragged its sluggish body forward on its own and said in disbelief, "The Dendro… Dendro King?"
Paimon's eyes went wide in shock. "The Fungus talked?!"
The floating Hydro Fungi stared at Paimon and said seriously, "Unfamiliar creatures also make sounds like this. I'm just as surprised as you are."
"Unfamiliar creature… are you talking about me?" Paimon looked around. Seeing no other creature fitting that description, she then heard Little Wen let out a "pfft", and Paimon stomped her foot in anger. "I obviously look like something that can talk! And I'm not an unfamiliar creature, I'm Paimon!"
The floating Hydro Fungi replied solemnly, "Hello, Paimon. I cannot yet judge a creature's intelligence based on appearance alone. Only when you spoke could I know that you are capable of speech."
"I… I… ugh! We all have one nose and one mouth. Do I really look like I can't even talk? I'm not that dumb, right?"
"You misunderstand. A mouth is not only for speaking; it also serves more important functions such as eating and breathing. Therefore, having a mouth does not necessarily mean one can speak. Moreover, you are a creature I have never seen before, so I cannot draw conclusions lightly. Even though you resemble humans in many ways, cases where outwardly similar beings differ internally—like Fungi and Slimes—are quite common."
The floating Hydro Fungi's well-reasoned words left Paimon speechless.
Nahida picked up the conversation. "You seem to recognize me. We came specifically to find you as well, but you appear to be very badly injured. Let me treat you first, alright?"
"Thank you very much… Dendro King."
As Nahida searched for the cause of the floating Hydro Fungi's injuries, after a moment, she extended her hand with a somewhat peculiar expression.
"Although your form is that of a Fungus, beneath the shell there is no ecological structure similar to fungi. Instead, there is a flow of elemental energy. How fascinating. I've never seen a lifeform like you before… There is now a massive void within the elemental power that constitutes you, obstructing its normal circulation. It only needs to be filled… and this happens to be what I excel at."
As Nahida's elemental power flowed into its body, the floating Hydro Fungi gradually recovered its vitality, its entire form becoming light and buoyant as it floated up into the air.
===BREAK===
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