"Two?" Boreas's wolf eyes narrowed. He lowered his head and sniffed Yu Jin.
However, he didn't smell anything.
"That was a very long time ago. Now we have merged into one, indistinguishable from each other." Boreas raised his head again, seemingly reminiscing about the past.
"Two? Are there two Wolf Lords?" Xiangling held Guoba and looked around. But there was only Boreas, one wolf, in front of them.
Even the other ordinary wolves had retreated beyond the altar square when the Wolf Lord appeared. Now, on the massive stone platform, only Yu Jin, Xiangling, Razor, and Boreas remained.
"There is only one Wolf Lord." Razor shook his head. In his impression, Boreas had always been the leader of the Wolvendom wolf pack.
Moreover, according to the old wolves in the pack, a long time ago, Boreas began to shelter the wolves of Wolvendom.
He established the rules of this land, allowing the wolf pack and humans to coexist peacefully.
"Your eyes are very sharp." Boreas looked at the calm-faced Yu Jin and said slowly.
In fact, he wasn't sure what Yu Jin's expression was like beneath his armor, but seeing Yu Jin's relaxed demeanor, he must have been very at ease.
In contrast, the fellow in the human girl's hands was not like that.
"Ah! Guoba, don't move around!" Xiangling held Guoba even tighter.
Xiangling found it strange; normally, Guoba was very gentle. But ever since he came to Wolvendom, he had become a bit irritable.
Not to mention his inexplicable fire-breathing in the forest earlier, now he even wanted to break free from her embrace, which had never happened before!
Could it be that the food she had been cooking recently didn't suit Guoba's taste?
Xiangling held Guoba tightly, contemplating how to improve their travel meals in the future.
"Hehe, there's no need to be so nervous. Like you, I am also a loser." Boreas looked at the flailing Guoba, and a rare smile appeared on his massive wolf muzzle.
He didn't expect that a God from another country would also choose to integrate his power into the earth. This feeling of finding a fellow traveler was quite good for Andrius, who had merged with Boreas.
Naturally, his mood affected Boreas.
Yu Jin looked at Boreas's slightly twitching tail, feeling a bit emotional. It seemed that the residual will of the God had truly merged with the Boreas in front of him.
"He, who is he?" Razor looked at the Wolf Lord, his eyes full of curiosity. Many wolves in the pack were curious about the Wolf Lord's past, but the Wolf Lord was usually asleep, and no one wanted to disturb him for that reason.
"Andrius." Boreas lowered his head to look at this completely different subject of his, answering softly.
Andrius was the Wolf Lord of the North Wind, while Boreas was a wolf who fought alongside humans a thousand years ago.
When the wolf spirit who once guarded the verdant lands met the Wolf Lord, who had undergone a thousand years of erode, a new Wolf Lord, "Boreas," was born.
After their broken souls intertwined, the new will that emerged was stronger than before, and thus could descend into the world.
"He was the God who contended with Barbatos for godhood. He knew that the harsh North Wind could only extinguish life and not nourish it. In the end, he integrated his power into the earth, melting ice and snow."
Boreas felt honored when recounting this experience. The past experience was also engraved in his soul.
After hearing Boreas's words, everyone fell silent, not expecting such events to have occurred in ancient Mondstadt.
It turned out that not all Gods were as ferocious as depicted in storybooks.
"How... how magnificent!" Xiangling looked at Boreas, her eyes shining. This trip to Mondstadt not only yielded new flavors but also such exciting secrets; it was truly worthwhile!
"What I did is nothing. The fellow in your hands is even greater than me." Boreas's tone changed slightly.
Yu Jin looked at the icy mist rising around Boreas, understanding. It seemed that Andrius's consciousness was now dominant.
But would they really not fight? Yu Jin scratched his head, watching the Wolf Lord seamlessly switch between Andrius and Boreas.
"Guoba?" Xiangling followed the Wolf Lord's gaze and saw Guoba, who had become quiet again in her arms.
"Guoba? Haha! What an interesting name." Andrius's wolf muzzle opened wider, and a biting icy mist even sprayed directly from his large mouth.
"He certainly didn't have this name before, but since he doesn't object, I won't say anything."
"Was Guoba... also a God before?" Xiangling seemed to realize something. She looked down at Guoba, who then shyly scratched his round bear ears.
"From what I can sense, yes." Andrius looked at Guoba's innocent expression and nodded, saying.
"He did even more than I did. I only integrated my power into the earth, but he, I estimate, even integrated his consciousness into it."
Andrius also sighed with emotion after speaking. He had left his soul behind then, just to see where that fellow Barbatos could lead this land.
However, what he didn't expect was that Barbatos would directly become a hands-off manager, and he himself had also become a remnant soul due to the erode of time.
If he hadn't ultimately merged with Boreas, he would probably have long since disappeared between heaven and earth.
"Guoba is that amazing!" Xiangling, far from being scared by Andrius's words, excitedly picked up Guoba and spun around.
"Hehe, when we return to Liyue, I'll definitely make Guoba a grand feast!" After spinning for a while, Xiangling put Guoba down.
She had often wondered what Guoba was—perhaps a mutated Slime, or an automaton beast of some adeptus... But Xiangling had never imagined that Guoba was an ancient God!
Did she now have a God as a companion?
Thinking of this, Xiangling couldn't help but straighten her back. The world was vast, and she could go anywhere!
"Don't overthink it. Guoba's power is very weak; he can't withstand your roughhousing." Yu Jin looked at Xiangling's expression and immediately understood what she was thinking.
As for why? Of course, it was because Yu Jin usually acted the same way! However, Yu Jin genuinely had the strength, while the current Guoba could probably only light a fire and cook dishes.
"Ah~, how could this be!" Xiangling's momentum suddenly weakened considerably. For a moment, she had even thought of the recipe for "Stir-fried Ancient Geovishap Dragon with Pyro Regisvine Flower Nectar."
Alas, now, she could only imagine it.
"We've talked so much, isn't it time to talk about you? This strange fellow with good eyes?"
Andrius narrowed his eyes. He couldn't see through Yu Jin, but this inability to see through him was itself very abnormal.
"Me? What's there to talk about?" Yu Jin pointed to himself, then continued:
"I'm just an Adventurer. Let's talk about those ancient secrets; they sound really interesting!"
Saying that, Yu Jin even took out his commission and showed it to Andrius.
Andrius extended his massive wolf paw, narrowing his eyes to examine it carefully.
Soon, he put down the commission in his hand, and also rubbed his eyes—the commission was too small, making it difficult for him to read.
Xiangling also nodded. Although Yu Jin was strange, no matter how strange he was, he wasn't as strange as a God.
Ancient secrets—just hearing about these things was enough to excite people, let alone Xiangling herself, who was a Damselette full of Adventure spirit.
She traveled all over the world searching for ingredients, partly due to her profession, and partly due to her nature.
"Hehe, ancient secrets?" Andrius sharpened his claws. "Many things cannot be told to ordinary people."
"So, pass my trial! Prove that you are not ordinary!"
A sharp glint burst from Andrius's wolf eyes, looking eager to try.
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