Several days had passed, and it was another tranquil evening.
Shao Yun was leisurely sitting outside his tent, resting, when he suddenly heard two members of the Tanit Tribe talking nearby.
"Hey, did you hear? Jeht is back! I heard they successfully found the legendary Eternal Oasis! Right now, they're receiving rewards from the Matriarch herself!" one of them said excitedly.
"What? They found it already? That's amazing! Let's go see for ourselves!" the other replied eagerly.
Hearing that Lumine and Paimon were returning, Shao Yun muttered to himself, "Lumine's back? Wow, that's much faster than I expected…"
He was just about to stand and go look for them when two familiar figures, one large and one small, appeared before him.
Paimon, flying excitedly, quickly approached and shouted happily, "We're back, Shao Yun! Did you miss us while we were gone?"
Shao Yun smiled and gently pinched Paimon's cheek, then turned his attention to Lumine and asked with concern, "Did everything go smoothly?"
Lumine nodded and replied truthfully, "Very smoothly! We reached the Eternal Oasis without any problems, and we properly laid Jeht's parents' remains to rest. Just now, we were warmly welcomed by Matriarch Babel herself!"
At this moment, Liloupar, the floating bottle next to Lumine, looked rather unhappy, muttering incessantly.
"Not smoothly! The Lord of Deserts deceived me! The Lady is gone! Deceived me… and even my entire tribe!"
"At first, for the sake of this desert, for the resurrection of the Lady, I deeply admired and loved him… but in the end, it was all just a trick!"
Hearing this, Shao Yun couldn't help but speak up, "I seem to remember someone saying, believing in a dead god is meaningless…"
Paimon quickly interjected, explaining, "That was Zhongli. But I think back then, Shao Yun, you didn't go with us to the Sal Terrae of Liyue, right?"
Shao Yun didn't respond to Paimon's question, instead turning his attention back to Liloupar and continuing his explanation.
"Just like a flock of sheep should be protected by the shepherd, a dead shepherd cannot protect the flock."
Liloupar listened, half understanding, and asked with curiosity, "So you mean I should now pledge loyalty to that Dendro Archon?"
Shao Yun lightly stroked his chin and murmured, "Hmm… she's short on followers right now. Maybe you could apply…"
After all, with Nahida's Aranaras all gone, if Liloupar went, Nahida would be pleased.
Liloupar gently swayed her transparent body, as if shaking her head in refusal.
"No, I've already pledged to my master. In this life, I will never serve anyone else."
At that moment, Jeht returned from Babel's side.
When her gaze fell on Lumine's back, she first froze slightly, then mustered courage and briskly walked toward her.
"Um, Lumine, can I have a little of your time? I want to talk to you alone…"
Lumine immediately turned, her gaze softening on Jeht as she asked with concern, "What is it, Jeht?"
Jeht, hearing Lumine's question, seemed somewhat shy and uneasy.
She lowered her head slightly, gently tapping the ground with the tip of her right foot, and after a long pause said, "It will only take a very short time, I promise it won't keep you long."
Looking at Jeht's slightly bashful expression, Lumine felt a flicker of curiosity.
She instinctively glanced at Shao Yun, seemingly seeking his opinion.
Shao Yun hesitated briefly, then calmly turned his head to the side and replied evenly, "It's fine. I won't interfere in your personal social activities. Don't worry about my opinion."
With Shao Yun's approval, Lumine turned to Jeht, smiling gently, and asked again, "So, Jeht, what do you want to talk about?"
Jeht immediately took Lumine's hand and led her quickly into her own tent, where they began their private conversation.
Liloupar observed everything. Once her master and Jeht went inside the tent, she looked at Shao Yun.
"Since my master isn't here, Mr. Shao Yun, I think I can speak more freely with you now."
Lowering her voice, Liloupar continued, "That desert girl named Jeht… from what I see, she seems to have an unusual affection for someone of the same sex. Do you understand what I mean…"
In other words, Jeht is a lesbian, and your wife Lumine is alone in a tent with her—dangerous!
Shao Yun naturally understood the implication, but he calmly nodded, signaling that he was aware.
Then he replied lightly, "Hmm, I noticed that a long time ago."
Liloupar, surprised that Shao Yun had already seen through it yet still allowed the two girls to be alone together, asked in doubt, "If you've already noticed, why let them be alone like this? Isn't that a bit reckless?"
Shao Yun couldn't help but chuckle lightly.
"You speak as if you've grown no teeth," he said with a smile. "I don't think Lumine could so easily be 'turned' by Jeht…"
Liloupar asked suspiciously, "Are you sure?"
Shao Yun still responded calmly, "You're overthinking this…"
He even patted his chest for emphasis. "Let me tell you this: even if Jeht confessed her feelings to Lumine right now, Lumine would think Jeht only sees her as family."
Seeing Shao Yun so confident, Liloupar had no retort and could only say helplessly, "Alright, if you say so… but still, pay attention and be cautious."
Shao Yun shook his head slowly and sighed softly, "Ah, you worry too much…"
While Lumine and Jeht whispered inside the tent, Shao Yun began thinking about preparing dinner.
He turned to Paimon with a smile. "Paimon, I'm going to start cooking dinner. Should I stew some crocodile meat with canned goods? How does that sound?"
Hearing about dinner, Paimon's eyes lit up and she nodded enthusiastically. "Yay! I'm starving!"
Paimon may be gluttonous, but she's easy to please. If it's edible, she'll eat it all.
Shao Yun's cooking was palatable, though repetitive, which could get tiresome—but in the desert, it was already a treat.
…
Just as Shao Yun collected some dried crocodile meat from Yuften and was about to stew it, passing by Masseira's conspicuous tent, he suddenly heard a deep, magnetic voice.
"Guest of the tribe, please wait…"
Shao Yun stopped and slowly turned, his gaze falling on Masseira standing at the tent entrance.
Masseira smiled, though a subtle, inscrutable undertone lingered in his expression.
Shao Yun politely looked at him and asked, "Mr. Masseira, may I ask why you've called me?"
Masseira casually asked, "I heard you've entered the 'Eternal Oasis'?"
Shao Yun corrected him, "To be precise, it was Lumine and Jeht who went. I did not accompany them."
Masseira didn't seem to mind and continued evenly, "Ah, I see. Well, it's about the same. Matriarch Babel holds you all in very high regard now."
Shao Yun smiled lightly, replying politely, "Mr. Masseira, you flatter us. While we received your tribe's warm hospitality, guests are ultimately just guests. We will leave one day, after all. We have no intention of joining your tribe."
Masseira's lips curved into a faint smile. He then nodded thoughtfully, offering a gentle reminder, "Indeed. You are only guests. But as an old saying from Liyue goes: 'The innocent man may be in danger for holding precious jade.'"
Implying that the ward in your possession will become Babel's target.
Shao Yun narrowed his eyes slightly, alertness flickering within them.
"You mean…"
Masseira lowered his voice, his tone heavy with implication. "Many tribal elders have gone missing without a trace. You understand, don't you?"
Shao Yun listened and replied calmly, "I have little interest in your tribe's internal disputes."
Seeing that Shao Yun didn't want to say more, Masseira offered his advice.
"One last piece of advice: hunting is not the end; it is the beginning of the storm."
Shao Yun frowned slightly, thinking Masseira was a bit long-winded, but out of courtesy replied, "Thank you for your concern, Mr. Masseira."
Masseira then added, "I must also give you a warning: one should know their limits. Don't do anything foolish."
At that moment, a fit Tanit Tribe scout ran over.
He bowed respectfully to Masseira, smiling, "Greetings, Elder Masseira! Sorry to bother you."
Afterward, the scout turned to Shao Yun with equal respect.
"Honored guest, our Matriarch has something important she wishes to discuss with you. She requests your presence in her chamber."
Hearing that Babel wanted him again, Shao Yun frowned, showing slight impatience and muttering, "Why does Miss Babel always have something for me? And lately, she's been calling too often…"
Yet despite his slight annoyance, he quickly adjusted his demeanor out of respect and basic etiquette.
Masseira, seeing this, calmly crossed his arms over his chest and earnestly said, "Since the Matriarch sent for you personally, it must be important. You should go without hesitation."
Shao Yun politely bid Masseira farewell.
"Very well, goodbye, Mr. Masseira. Please convey my regards to Miss Tadhla."
Masseira responded impassively, "Tadhla hasn't returned yet. But now that you mention it, it reminds me that her training trip has already lasted quite some time…"
===BREAK===
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