In terms of lifespan, Lumine figured she could live for a very long time. She wasn't sure if her life would match that of the Archons, but sacrificing a hundred years or so was nothing.
But then again—why should she sacrifice her own?
Her gaze drifted to the screen.
"Wait a second… what are you guys thinking?"
"Come on, we treat you like family and you're treating us like Abyss creatures?"
"Lumine, don't do this! I'm still young! I still want love! Don't sacrifice my singlehood!"
"We haven't even started dating yet, spare us!"
"Those who haven't started are panicking, those already dating are trembling!"
"Lumine, be a decent person!"
Lumine opened her mouth, clearly ready to sacrifice her viewers, but at the last moment she changed her tone. "We're all brothers here. How could I sacrifice your happiness, right?"
"That's better. Or next time I pull, I'll sacrifice your singlehood instead. (laughing)"
"Stay calm, guys! No matter what she says, we have numbers on our side. We'll sacrifice her and she'll be the one panicking!"
"Now that you mention it, yeah. This blonde traveler doesn't want to stay single forever, does she?"
"A viewer from Inazuma, please calm down. Lumine really could follow the network cable and beat you up!"
"All right, all right. Let's just warm up with a few pulls first."
Lumine decided to spare her audience. They were, after all, her bread and butter—best not to torment them too badly.
She tapped once and fired off a ten-thousand-pull.
A deep violet glow burst forth.
Twelve four-star purple cards—pretty lucky!
"Paimon, your turn!"
Lumine never forgot about Paimon. Whether or not she was the best companion was unclear, but she was definitely the best sidekick.
"Okay!"
Paimon flew to the counter, rolling up her sleeves.
"What are you praying to me for?" Lu Heng asked curiously.
"You don't actually think bowing to me will boost your luck, do you?"
"I think it works!" Paimon said solemnly.
This store belonged to Lu Heng. Up until now, he'd been the strongest person she'd met. Too many reasons made her choose to bow to him. Praying to the Anemo or Geo Archons might do nothing, but praying to Lu Heng had to have at least a psychological effect!
"Oh great and generous Mr. Lu…" Paimon began chanting like a spell.
Lu Heng struggled not to laugh, keeping his composure.
After her ritual, Paimon tapped a ten-thousand-pull. When the glow was only a faint purple, her expression collapsed. "Did the great and generous Mr. Lu refuse to bless me?"
Lu Heng: speechless old man with a flip phone.
"Maybe I did bless you," he said. "But your base luck is so low that even a huge boost can't beat someone with a higher base value."
Paimon looked even more devastated. She tried another ten-thousand-pull—nothing happened.
"Ha!"
Lumine leaned against the counter, smirking. "Now you can see how valuable my gold pull just was, right?"
"Oh right, I forgot the sacrifice!" Paimon slapped her forehead. "I'm willing to sacrifice five hundred years of Lumine's life…"
Before she could finish, Lumine clapped a hand over her mouth. "Don't you dare!"
Paimon blinked.
"Sacrifice lifespan if you must, but not my singlehood!" Lumine warned.
Lu Heng almost spat out his tea.
Sacrifice lifespan but not singlehood?
"Looks like Lumine's really craving love," a viewer commented.
"Right? Standing before you is an ancient maiden in a young girl's body. The longer she's lived, the longer she's been single!"
"She's going to follow the cable and smack you for calling her an 'ancient maiden.'"
"Honestly though, it's normal for her to want love. If Mr. Lu weren't stronger, she probably would've pounced already!"
"You guys are so savage to Lumine."
"I love this stream. Host and viewers at each other's throats, endlessly roasting one another."
"Ahem!"
Released, Paimon straightened. "How could I ever sacrifice your singlehood or your lifespan?"
Lumine's smile softened. Of course—Paimon was a good companion.
"I'm willing to sacrifice all of Lumine's future luck! Done!" Paimon blurted, then tapped another ten-thousand-pull.
Golden light burst forth!
"?!"
Lumine's eyes went wide with shock.
"Huh?" Paimon scratched her head. "That worked?"
"It's over."
Lumine stared at Paimon as if she were dead. All her future luck had been traded away—did that mean only misfortune remained?
Her eyes literally sparked with fire.
"It's not that bad," Lu Heng quickly tried to soothe her.
"My luck…" Lumine sighed weakly. "I feel like I've been drained."
"That's probably just fatigue," Paimon nodded. She felt no guilt. Not because she lacked a conscience, but because when they farmed artifacts, Lumine often sacrificed her.
Paimon had long thought Lumine was the stumbling block on her road to happiness. Of course, the feeling was mutual.
"Never mind that. Let's see what card it is," Lumine said.
"Please don't be a material card," Paimon prayed. Strong skill cards were much more exciting.
Both of them waited with bated breath.
Lu Heng flipped the card. On its face was a black-and-white image of a towering humanoid behind a tiny figure. It looked like some sort of manifestation, a giant form emerging from someone's back.
Lu Heng identified it:
[Martial Manifestation]
Tier: Five-Star Gold
Type: Skill Card
Traits: [True Body] [Martial Path]
Description: "Countless warriors have walked the earth. Few, past or present, can stand where I stand."
"It's a skill card!"
Paimon exhaled in relief, patting Lumine's shoulder. "See? Sacrificing your luck got you this powerful card. Tonight I want a good meal!"
"How strong is it?" Lumine asked.
"High-tier five-star," Lu Heng replied.
Lumine pondered, her gaze settling on Paimon. "Paimon, you're my best companion."
"What are you trying to say?" Paimon asked warily. Such words were scary.
"If one day we face a powerful enemy…" Lumine's face was serious. "We'll stand together, right?"
"I usually run away," Paimon said gravely.
"Is our bond really that flimsy?" Lumine sighed, feeling like she'd poured out her heart for nothing.
"Even husband and wife fly apart when disaster strikes," Paimon said.
"Then I'll deepen our bond."
Lumine pushed the five-star gold card into Paimon's hands.
Paimon stared. "Why give it to me? Shouldn't you keep it? The stronger you are, the safer I feel!"
"We're switching roles. I'll be Paimon. You be the Traveler." Lumine shook her head.
"I can really be the Traveler and witness everything?" Paimon asked cautiously.
"As long as you're willing, I'll support you," Lumine nodded.
Paimon was moved. "Lumine, you're so good to me. We've never spared each other's words, but I know you're reliable."
"No," Lumine said matter-of-factly. "If you're weak, the enemy won't even look at you. But if you're strong, you'll draw all the aggro, making it easier for me to run."
Paimon: "…"
"Paimon, you dropped your ID."
Lu Heng handed her a playing card with a clown on it.
Paimon felt at a loss for words. She scratched her head and slotted the new card into her device.
The instant it equipped, her expression changed. She felt it—raw power!
"Want to test it?" Lu Heng asked.
"Not here…" Paimon glanced around.
"It's a manifestation. Just unleash it," Lu Heng smiled.
Paimon understood. She took a deep breath and activated the skill.
Instantly, golden light surged behind her. From it emerged a towering image of Paimon herself.
Lumine blinked, glancing between Paimon's tiny body and the colossal figure behind her.
Paimon's real body was small and cute. But the manifestation?
Three meters tall.
Muscles like coiled steel.
Veins bulging on arms thicker than a man's waist.
Just standing there, without even releasing its aura, the sheer visual pressure made throats tighten and hairs stand on end.
This was Paimon?
"Paimon, is that really you?" Lumine asked.
Paimon turned to look and was stunned as well.
This was her manifestation? Why did she look like a musclebound giant Barbie?
She nodded slowly. "It should be me. In this state… I'm fierce."
"All that Mora you spent on food—guess it put some meat on you," Lumine muttered, forcing herself to stay calm. "How's the power?"
Paimon waved her hand; the manifestation moved with her. Feeling it out, she said, "Hard to describe. Just pure physical strength. One punch could shatter stone."
"Whoa…" Lumine gasped. "A high-tier five-star indeed. Your combat power's doubled!"
Lu Heng's mental calculations showed Lumine was underestimating. Paimon's previous "Gift of Nature" card had strong support abilities and decent combat strength. But this "Martial Manifestation" card was pure brute force—all strength, no balance.
Paimon remembered Lumine's earlier words. She folded her arms, voice rising with confidence. "If someone beats me when I'm only using Gift of Nature, then let them remember—next they'll face…"
She raised her voice. "The ultimate martial path! Pure power!"
"Martial God Paimon, huh?" Lumine teased.
"That's right!"
Paimon lifted her tiny arm; the manifestation raised a massive one behind her, muscles bulging, expression fierce.
"I'll show them what true strength means!" Paimon was thrilled. If her real body had become a hulking giant, she might have been unsettled. But with only her manifestation transformed, she felt nothing but cool.
Mighty and powerful—Paimon could strut across Teyvat now! With "Gift of Nature" no one had underestimated her; with "Martial Manifestation" she'd be even more respected.
"You?" Lumine curled her lip. Strength aside, she doubted Paimon's mindset.
"You can't even kill a chicken without trouble. And you want to fight for your life?"
"I can grow!" Paimon shot back, a little defiant.
"I can't imagine Paimon with real combat power," a viewer wrote.
"Imagine if only Lumine and Paimon changed, but the rest of Teyvat stayed the same. What would their journey look like now?"
"La Signora: I'll wait at Mondstadt Cathedral to block Paimon."
"Tartaglia: You mean the woman with the peachwood sword, burning Abyss flames, and invincibility frames? No thanks."
"Raiden Shogun: Eternity's exception—I'll politely escort you out of Inazuma!"
"When they reach Sumeru, Nahida just has to cling to Lumine's thigh to get carried. Forget the God of Wisdom—one slash from Lumine could cut her in half. Actually, she might stab Scaramouche right through on first sight."
"Don't dream impossible dreams!"
"Let Lumine enjoy her power fantasy. We're better at roasting her. (grin)"
"If only we had a proper opponent and arena to test this strength," Paimon said regretfully.
Lu Heng fell silent for a few seconds. After pulling a card, not being able to test it really was frustrating. People knew they were stronger but not how much stronger. The vagueness was exciting but also uneasy. Only someone like Arlecchino with "Absolute Command" could clearly sense their exact power.
"You could try queuing up," Lumine said.
"Queueing?"
"Me?" Paimon pointed at herself, frowning. "My device is only at one percent progress. You want me to challenge Zhongli one-on-one? You're not afraid I'll end up dying in your arms?"
"No problem. Grow a few flowers on yourself and heal," Lumine said calmly.
"This family is too cold," Paimon muttered.
She turned to Lu Heng. "Brother Lu, maybe I should stick with you instead. I bet your home's warmer."
"Can't say," Lu Heng shrugged.
"I'm so sad." Paimon sighed deeply.
"Don't be. You'll be even sadder later," Lumine said dryly.
"No worries. I'll drag you down with me," Paimon replied, spreading her hands.
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T/N:
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