The next day, under the strange gazes of Ganyu and the three little girls, Jiang Yan kept rushing in and out of the kitchen.
Hm?
What was going on?
"Master is acting… really weird today…"
Shenhe held a spoon in her mouth as she watched Jiang Yan dart back and forth at incredible speed.
"Ah Yan, is something wrong?"
Ganyu looked at him in confusion.
"Why do you seem so anxious?"
Jiang Yan suddenly froze.
"Ahaha… yeah, maybe I do seem a little too eager."
"But this matter is a secret!"
"You'll know in a few days."
"Anyway, it's definitely a good thing."
Jiang Yan grinned mysteriously.
Ganyu and the three little girls looked at him with puzzled expressions but didn't ask further.
Since Jiang Yan said they would find out in a few days, there was no need to press him.
Together, they headed to Yuehai Pavilion.
After arriving on the third floor, Jiang Yan opened a portal and traveled to the place where the World Tree stood.
Before he even got close, he saw little Nahida sitting on one of the World Tree's branches.
She swung her tiny white legs back and forth, her bright eyes filled with curiosity as she observed the surrounding scenery.
She really had awakened!
Excitement surged through Jiang Yan.
Walking beneath the tree, Nahida noticed the young man standing below.
For some reason, she felt an instinctive closeness toward him.
"Who are you?" Nahida asked curiously.
She wondered why she felt this way.
"My name is Jiang Yan."
"Strictly speaking, I should count as your family."
"You can call me big brother."
After thinking for a moment, Jiang Yan decided to introduce himself as Nahida's family.
As Nahida's creator, her birth in this world differed from her original fate.
She had not been born from Greater Lord Rukkhadevata breaking off a branch of the World Tree to save it.
Instead, Jiang Yan had nurtured her soul using the Soul Gem, shaping her after the Nahida from his memories.
So calling himself her family wasn't wrong.
He certainly couldn't introduce himself as her father.
That would feel… strange.
"Big… brother?"
Nahida tilted her head in confusion.
"What is family? What is a brother?"
"Your voice… feels familiar…"
At this moment, Nahida was like a blank sheet of paper.
Her sudden birth, her sudden awakening—
She was like a pure newborn infant.
The only difference was that she could already speak.
Yet for some reason, she found Jiang Yan deeply comforting.
His voice felt especially familiar.
"Looks like there's still a lot I'll need to teach you…"
Jiang Yan floated upward and sat beside Nahida.
"Then let me explain what family means."
His gentle voice drifted into Nahida's ears.
For the entire day, Jiang Yan taught Nahida basic knowledge.
Like an endlessly curious child, she asked strange questions every few sentences.
For example—
"Brother, why does going to the bathroom make people feel refreshed afterward?"
Nahida asked with complete innocence.
Jiang Yan: "..."
Wait.
Why does your curiosity focus on things like that?!
"Uh… that's probably more of a psychological feeling."
"Anyway, let's stop that topic there."
Jiang Yan answered helplessly.
"A psychological feeling…"
Nahida placed a finger against her lips, deep in thought.
She seemed to be processing the explanation.
"Alright, that's not something you need to remember too much."
Jiang Yan rubbed her small head and smiled.
"Oh…"
Nahida obediently nodded.
A trace of exhaustion flickered through her eyes.
A newborn soul was fragile, much like a newborn child.
Jiang Yan naturally noticed her fatigue.
"Tired?" he asked softly.
"I'm okay."
Clearly, Nahida still had many questions and didn't want to rest yet.
"You don't need to rush."
"If you're tired, then rest."
Jiang Yan gently caressed her cheek.
His warm voice made Nahida rub against his hand like a kitten.
"Brother…"
Nahida murmured softly.
As she spent more time with Jiang Yan, her dependence on him grew stronger.
She already possessed an innate closeness toward him.
After an entire day together, that closeness had gradually transformed into attachment.
"Be good. Rest for a while."
Jiang Yan spoke softly as he pulled Nahida into his arms.
"Mmm…"
Resting against his chest, Nahida's eyelids slowly grew heavier.
Eventually, they closed completely.
Yet even in sleep, she tightly clutched his clothes.
Too bad she was still only a soul.
She could touch him, but he couldn't truly touch her.
The lack of physical contact made Jiang Yan feel slightly regretful.
But now that Nahida's soul had fully stabilized, all that remained was waiting for the World Tree to continue nurturing her body until she could fully manifest.
Thinking this, Jiang Yan carefully stood up while holding Nahida.
He gently placed the sleeping Nahida back onto the branch that housed her true form.
Afterward, he prepared to leave.
Before departing, he glanced at the World Tree.
Hm.
Today it was surprisingly well-behaved.
Unlike yesterday, it hadn't shaken him away.
"Heh, buddy, you're behaving nicely today."
Jiang Yan patted the World Tree's trunk with a grin.
The World Tree swayed slightly.
As though afraid of waking Nahida, it moved only very gently.
But its meaning was perfectly clear.
"Get lost."
Jiang Yan's face darkened instantly.
You little—
Just wait.
Once Nahida gains a physical body, you'll regret this.
Still, Jiang Yan had to tolerate it for now.
After all, Nahida's true body came from the purest branch of the World Tree.
Only the World Tree's power could help her manifest in the best possible way.
Jiang Yan refused to give Nahida just any random body.
If he was going to give her one—
Then it had to be the very best.
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