Paimon had also heard of Hollow Zero and knew it was a dangerous place.
When she learned that Keqing and Xiao were heading there, she quickly flew over to the Traveler.
"Traveler, Hu Tao, we can't let Keqing and Xiao take on such a dangerous mission alone. Let's go to Hollow Zero with them!"
Before the Traveler or Hu Tao could answer,
Asaba Harumasa shook his head.
"It's too late. Miss Keqing and Section Chief Ya have already departed. Don't worry—this time they're only going to scout the outer perimeter of Hollow Zero. They shouldn't encounter any real danger."
Hearing this,
Paimon immediately breathed a sigh of relief.
"That's good. Traveler, Hu Tao, let's get back to playing Strange Travel Companions. Hey, hey, hey, Itto—you just finished your turn, how are you playing again?"
Arataki Itto quickly said, "I thought you guys were leaving..."
Asaba Harumasa: "..."
Seeing everyone happily return to their game, Asaba Harumasa sighed and was about to take his leave—
when Sam Li stopped him.
Sam Li walked over and asked, "How did Keqing's discussion with your commander go today?"
Asaba Harumasa didn't hold anything back, recounting the day's events in detail.
He put special emphasis on the results of Xiao's combat assessment. Although he hadn't witnessed the test in person, the data alone had shocked him.
That speed, that strength, that Anomaly intensity—none of it seemed human.
More like a monster… or a machine built purely for battle.
Even while marveling at Xiao's power,
Asaba Harumasa couldn't help but ask Sam Li about someone else.
"Mr. Xiao mentioned during the test that in your Liyue City there's a mighty figure called the Archon who could easily defeat ten Mr. Xiao with one hand. Is that true?"
Xiao's strength had already surpassed anything Asaba Harumasa thought possible.
He found it hard to believe that in a city like Liyue, there could be someone far stronger still.
However—
before Sam Li could respond, the Traveler and Paimon answered in unison.
"Xiao's right. The Geo Archon is Liyue's strongest. If he were still alive, he really could beat ten Xiaos with one hand."
It wasn't that Xiao wasn't strong—
it was that the Geo Archon's strength was simply unmatched. Across all of Teyvat, there were few who could even hope to rival him.
As the Traveler spoke,
she glanced at Sam Li, then at Asaba Harumasa.
The truth was, Asaba Harumasa could never imagine that the very being he found so impossible to picture… was standing right before him.
If he knew Sam Li was that superhuman who could swat down ten Xiaos with one hand, his expression would be priceless.
But the Traveler didn't expose Sam Li's identity.
She suspected he had come to New Eridu for one reason—to resolve its Hollow crisis.
Those two Seven Heavenly Gods statues that had suddenly appeared here… she was sure they were connected to him as well.
...
Once Asaba Harumasa left, everyone gathered again around the game console to play Strange Traveling Companions.
Paimon glanced at the screen and saw it swarming with monsters—monsters that were helping Arataki Itto fight.
"What's going on? Did you join the monsters?"
"What are you talking about? No way! These are the companions summoned by the little baby—they're on our side."
"You fused that one again?"
"The little guy knows I'm the king of the kids, so he's way stronger this time."
"..."
They spent the entire morning in the arcade, playing not only Strange Companions but also Snake vs. Snake, Soul Eater, and more—laughing the whole time.
If not for their stomachs rumbling, Paimon wouldn't have wanted to leave.
At noon,
Sam Li took them across the street for ramen, then to Master Tingman's café for coffee—putting everything on Hare's House's tab.
On the way back, they passed a video store and picked out a few interesting DVDs for the evening.
Billy held one up excitedly.
"Look! This is Starlight Knight—the highest-grossing movie in New Eridu for the past ten years."
Paimon looked doubtful. "Is it any good?"
"Of course!" Billy said with full confidence.
Without hesitation, he grabbed all four Starlight Knight films, planning to let Paimon binge them later.
On the walk back to Hare's House, Billy kept chatting with Paimon.
When he found out that she and the Traveler had once starred in a film in a place called Fontaine, he was stunned.
"You guys are movie stars too? Wait—Fontaine… that name's familiar. Oh right! Big stars Furina and Clorinde came from Fontaine. Don't tell me Fontaine isn't part of Liyue City?"
Paimon gave him a look.
"Of course not! If Furina heard you say that, she'd be furious."
"So that means there are lots of cities where you come from?" Billy asked.
"Of course. Just the major ones—there are seven," Paimon replied.
This left Billy completely shocked.
They had always assumed that Furina, Billy, the Traveler, Sam Li—all came from the same city.
It had never crossed their minds that aside from New Eridu, there were seven other great cities in the world.
...
While Billy and Paimon were still talking, the sound of a chat notification chimed.
Billy quickly pulled out his phone—only to realize it wasn't his, but Sam Li's.
"Is it from Nicole? Tell her we're almost back to Hare's House."
"It's not Nicole," Sam Li said. "It's Caesar, the leader of the Sons of Calydon. She's inviting us to the Overlord's Banquet."
...
Billy's eyes lit up.
"Woo-hoo! Caesar, Lucy, Piper—let's head to the Outer Ring right now!"
"The banquet is the day after tomorrow," Sam Li said calmly.
Billy instantly corrected himself. "Then we'll go to the Outer Ring the day after tomorrow."
...
Before long, they returned to Hare's House and shared the news with Nicole, Anby, and Nekomata.
Nicole smiled. "At least they haven't forgotten the help we gave them."
When she heard they'd be going to a banquet,
Nekomata happily leapt from the sofa.
"Great! We'll get to see Caesar, Lucy, Piper, Burnice… Oh right, and that Lighter guy—I almost forgot about him."
Paimon's eyes widened. "Neuvillette? You know Neuvillette too?"
Nekomata nodded. "Of course. Lighter's one of the core members of the Sons of Calydon—of course we know her. But you guys haven't been to the Outer Ring yet. How do you know her?"
"Of course we know her," Paimon said. "Neuvillette's an old friend of mine and the Traveler's. I didn't expect to see her here too..."
Sam Li's brows furrowed slightly. "..."
It seemed he understood.
…
TN: In Chinese, "Lighter" (láitè) sounds similar to "Neuvillette" (Nàwéi láitè), which is why Paimon makes this mix-up.