"Good afternoon."
"Good afternoon."
Zhongli nodded in response to Lumine, and Shenhe followed with a 'good afternoon' as well.
"Are you here to see Kaito?"
After the greetings were exchanged, Lumine looked at the two who had stopped and asked the same question Paimon had just asked. Although she didn't need to ask—she already knew the answer—she still asked out of habit.
"Yes, we came to have some tea with him."
In response to Lumine's question, Zhongli nodded his head again.
Tea?
Just for tea?
Lumine couldn't help but think this in response to Zhongli's answer. She guessed it was just an excuse; in reality, the white-haired girl was the real reason.
"By the way, this is Shenhe. She is a disciple of the adepti, and it's a rare occasion for her to come down from the mountain today."
As if confirming Lumine's thoughts, Zhongli then pointed to the Shenhe beside him and said this.
Just as I thought...
Some 'tea'...
It's all just a pretense...
With that, Lumine was certain of her suspicions.
Hm?
Wait a minute?
Disciple of the adepti?
Are adepti real?
A bit slow on the uptake, Lumine suddenly registered that Zhongli had said 'disciple of the adepti,' which surprised her somewhat. She had heard the Liyue people's legends about the adepti, but she had only ever treated them as legends.
"As for her, she is a traveler. Her name is Lumine."
While Lumine was in a daze, she heard Zhongli seemingly introducing her, and she quickly came to her senses, saying, "Hello, you can just call me Lumine."
No matter what, it's best to be polite.
"Hello."
Looking at the girl before her, Shenhe faintly replied, "Hello."
Is she also one of Kiana's companions?
Hmm...
She doesn't have the same aura as Kiana...
Continuing to observe her, Shenhe couldn't help but think this. She had originally thought Kiana's other companions were the same kind of being as Kiana, but now, it seemed that wasn't the case.
"Kaito, look, that's her."
Just then, Paimon's voice came from behind.
Kaito's come out...
Thinking this, Lumine also turned around.
This guy...
There are always girls coming to find him...
Wendy, you can't just...
Never mind...
She doesn't seem to care at all...
Watching Kaito and Wendy slowly walk over, Lumine's mind was filled with many thoughts.
Shenhe?
Why did Zhongli bring her here?
Could it be she still wants to ask if Kiana actually did anything in her master's abode or not?
Walking toward the group, Kaito was surprised that Zhongli had actually brought Shenhe along. But despite his surprise, Kaito walked over nonchalantly.
"It's rare to see you actively looking for someone, Mr. Zhongli."
As soon as he was in front of Zhongli, Kaito said this jokingly. He felt this way because back when he was playing the game, it was almost always the player who had to go find Zhongli, which is why he had this feeling.
Eh?
He didn't greet Shenhe right away?
Did I guess wrong again?
Watching from the side, Lumine was very surprised that Kaito didn't go to Shenhe first, but went to Zhongli instead. She had even guessed what they might say to each other when they met, but in the end, they didn't speak at all.
"After all, Kaito, you've only just arrived in Liyue. Stay a while longer, and you'll see."
With a slight smile, it was hard to tell if Zhongli's words were a joke or simply the truth.
"Then I'll look forward to next time. By the way, who might this be?"
As he spoke, Kaito also turned his gaze to Shenhe at his side. Although he knew Shenhe, logically speaking, this was his first time meeting her, so it was necessary to pretend to ask.
"Her name is Shenhe. She usually stays on the mountain cultivating with the adepti. It's a rare occasion for her to come down, so I'm showing her around."
Seeing Kaito ask, Zhongli once again briefly introduced Shenhe.
And just as the two of them focused their attention on Shenhe, Lumine, at the side, realized she had really been overthinking things.
Eh, eh, eh?
They really don't know each other?
After listening to their conversation, Lumine couldn't help but feel a little awkward. She had overthought things again, just like last time with Ningguang and Keqing.
"Adepti? So there really are adepti."
Hearing the word 'adepti,' Kaito seemed very surprised.
"Adepti just rarely make appearances."
Shenhe stated this faintly in response to the boy's surprise.
However, while she appeared calm and unfazed on the surface, inwardly she was very puzzled. Because she discovered that Kiana's companions all seemed to be human, which was even further from what she had imagined.
Wait!
This girl...
Something's not right.
Just then, Shenhe suddenly noticed that the girl beside the boy named Kaito seemed a little different. For some reason, she seemed to have an aura very similar to Kiana's.
And at that very moment, that girl spoke.
"If even gods exist, what's so special about adepti? Besides, they're nothing much."
___
🔥 New stories are available now! 🔥
We're handing out that '25% bonus' that makes your wallet smile. 😄
✅ Access up to 40 advanced chapters of ALL stories!
✅ Receive exclusive content and updates!
Help us hit our community goals:
🎯 100 Powerstones = +1 Bonus Chapter for everyone
🚀 140 MEMBERS = +5 extra chapters of ALL STORIES!
👻 P - Walnutchan