"We've finally reached Suru! This journey has been so tiring!"
The Yellow-haired Silent Traveler and her ergency food gazed upon the lush, verdant forest stretching before them, instantly feeling their spirits lift.
Even the gentle breeze carried the damp, earthy fragrance of the trees, which they inhaled deeply with relish.
Looking at the towering, densely packed trees that seed to block out even sunlight, the two were awestruck.
"Traveler, these trees are so dense! It feels like we could easily run into danger here," Paimon warned, flitting closer to Lumine. "If anything sudden happens, you'd better protect !"
Lumine first offered Paimon a reassuring smile, then her gaze sharpened as she scanned her surroundings, as if searching for sothing.
The towering trees obstructed her view, so she climbed onto a nearby elevated vantage point to continue her search.
Lumine's eyes brightened slightly, and she imdiately dashed with Paimon toward a place where a magnificent statue stood—clearly a Statue of The Seven.
Activating the corresponding Elental Power upon arriving in a new nation was Lumine's consistent practice.
She quickly reached the Statue of The Seven, resonated with Dendro, and felt an overwhelming sense of security surge within her.
Having mastered three Elental Powers, she had already defeated La Signora. With four Elental Powers, she was practically invincible beneath the Archons!
Seeing Lumine successfully resonate with Dendro, Paimon's face lit up with excitent. After all, her safety depended entirely on Lumine, so the stronger Lumine beca, the safer Paimon would be.
"Great job, Traveler! If we encounter that guy again, we'll definitely get our revenge this ti!"
Paimon's words brought to Lumine's mind the mory of Scaramouche, The Balladeer, the formidable enemy they had faced in Inazuma.
He had not only effortlessly defeated her but also snatched the Gnosis from Yae Miko's grasp.
Yae Miko had used the Gnosis to buy back their freedom from Scaramouche; otherwise, that encounter might have ended in disaster.
Lumine never imagined that the Raiden Shogun's Gnosis would fall into Scaramouche's hands because of her own actions. It was a wound that would forever haunt her heart.
She nodded firmly, her resolve unwavering. If she ever got the chance, she would give Scaramouche a thorough thrashing and demand he return the Raiden Shogun's Gnosis.
Part of her reason for coming to Suru was precisely this. She had heard that Suru's Archon was the God of Wisdom, and she hoped to find clues about Scaramouche and her older brother here.
Older brother...
Lumine's mind drifted back to that figure who resembled her so closely, a pang of longing surging through her heart.
He had promised they would et again after their last parting, but how long would it be? Would she never see him, even after traveling through all seven nations?
What exactly is he planning?
Lumine couldn't understand why her older brother refused to see her, why he wouldn't tell her the truth.
Even worse, he had allied himself with Abyss Monsters, creatures who had brought imnse suffering to Teyvat.
"Traveler, what's wrong?"
Sensing that Lumine was acting strangely, Paimon imdiately flew over, asking her anxiously what was wrong.
Lumine shook her head, offering no further explanation, and glanced around at their surroundings.
This is Suru, alright. Nothing but plants everywhere, obscuring our vision completely. If any danger is lurking here, it'll be nearly impossible to spot.
Lumine wasn't particularly worried for herself, but Paimon's combat prowess was barely a fifth of that of a wild boar. If she wasn't careful, Paimon might actually end up as ergency rations.
Their imdiate priority was to find soone familiar with Suru's environnt. Not only would this ensure their safety, but it would also allow them to gather information about the region and, most importantly, guide them to Suru City.
Just as Lumine was pondering how to locate a guide in this dense rainforest, a sudden commotion erupted nearby.
Without hesitation, Lumine drew her Dull Blade, her gaze fixed vigilantly on the source of the noise. Paimon imdiately ducked behind Lumine, cautiously peeking out from behind her hair.
"Who are you? What brings you to Suru?"
A slender figure erged from the direction of the disturbance, her voice as clear and bright as a songbird's.
She wore earthy-green clothing that blended seamlessly with the rainforest environnt, making her nearly impossible to spot. Even her hair was a verdant green, further camouflaging her.
Lumine and Paimon couldn't make out her features clearly, not because of the dim light, but because of the green mask covering nearly half her face. Yet, her gem-like, crystalline eyes hinted at an undeniably striking appearance.
Though she had revealed herself directly and held her weapon casually without aiming it at them, Lumine remained vigilant.
"W-who are you?" Paimon asked cautiously, acting as the mute Traveler's voice.
"Hey, I asked you first," the woman retorted, slightly exasperated by Paimon's attempt to turn the tables. But after a mont, she relented and introduced herself.
"Never mind. You don't seem suspicious."
"I'm Collei, a trainee Forest Ranger. You're not from around here, are you?"
Hearing that Collei was a Forest Ranger, Lumine and Paimon imdiately realized she was an official. Their inner guard relaxed slightly.
As Lumine lowered her Dull Blade, Paimon flew forward and addressed Collei.
"Hello, Miss Collei! I'm Paimon, and this is the Traveler."
"We're tourists from abroad, here to travel in Suru."
"Tourists?"
Collei scratched her head, looking puzzled.
"Visiting Suru at this ti... you really couldn't have picked a worse ti to co."
"Didn't you hear any news before coming here?"
Lumine and Paimon exchanged a glance, then shook their heads in unison.
Seeing this, Collei sighed helplessly.
"Suru has been plagued by a strange illness recently. Although it doesn't spread to people from other countries, it has placed a trendous burden on our dical resources."
"The Akademiya's handling of the situation has been excessively harsh, gradually escalating tensions with the public and even leading to small-scale conflicts."
"Most of the travelers who ca to Suru earlier have already left. You've arrived at a very unfortunate ti."
After hearing Collei's explanation, Lumine and Paimon were left sowhat dazed.
"A strange illness?"
"Exactly. See this mask I'm wearing?" Collei pointed to her mask before continuing. "Now all Surians must wear these masks when they go out, and even staying at ho isn't entirely safe."
"This illness is highly contagious. If it hadn't been discovered in ti, most of Suru would likely have been infected. But the current situation is far from optimistic—at least ten thousand people have already contracted this strange illness."
Hearing this number, Lumine and Paimon imdiately grasped the severity of the situation.
"This illness sounds terrifying!" Paimon exclaid, nervously covering her mouth and nose before turning to Lumine. "Traveler, quickly get a handkerchief to cover up!"
Observing Paimon's deathly fear, Lumine placed her hands on her hips and gave her a deadpan stare.
"Oh, right! This disease only infects Surians. I'm not Surian!"
Paimon understood the look in Lumine's eyes, clapped her hands in sudden realization, and imdiately turned to Collei to ask, "Miss Collei, do you know how this infectious disease first appeared?"
"I'm not entirely sure," Collei replied, shaking her head. "The Akademiya hasn't released any official findings yet. But I've heard the initial patients were mbers of the Akademiya itself."
"Hmm, could it be because the Akademiya is secretly conducting so kind of research?" Paimon speculated aloud.
"It's not impossible, but that's beyond our control. You should really hurry back to your own country. Be careful not to get into any trouble in Suru," Collei advised sincerely.
Lumine and Paimon exchanged glances, silently conferred, and then declined Collei's suggestion.
"I'm sorry, Miss Collei, but we have important business in Suru and can't leave so soon."
"Important business?"
Faced with Collei's questioning look, Paimon quickly jumped in to explain.
"We want to et Suru's Lesser Lord Kusanali. We have so questions we need answered."
"You want to et Lesser Lord Kusanali?" Collei asked, her voice surprised. She shook her head. "Then you should definitely go back. You have no chance of eting her."
"It's not just you—even we Surians haven't seen Lesser Lord Kusanali in a very long ti."
"The Akademiya seems to be deliberately downplaying her existence. Many Fontainians don't even know that Suru's Archon is Lesser Lord Kusanali; they believe Greater Lord Rukkhadevata is our sole Dendro Archon."
Collei tried again to persuade them to leave, but Lumine and Paimon remained steadfast. After all, when had eting an Archon ever been easy?
"We're not afraid of challenges," Paimon declared. "No matter how difficult it is, we'll try. We really have sothing important to ask Lesser Lord Kusanali."
Hearing Paimon's resolve, Collei realized she couldn't dissuade them. She abandoned her inner reservations.
"If that's the case, then co with ."
"I'll take you to Gandharva Ville to register your visit, and I can also introduce you to my Master."
"My master is quite renowned in Suru. Perhaps he could offer you so assistance."
Upon hearing Collei's words, Lumine and Paimon bead.
"Thank you so much, Miss Collei!"
"Just call Collei."
"Venturing into the dense forest without a Vision is incredibly dangerous. Moreover, you're unfamiliar with Suru's environnt. I can't imagine how you even made it here."
Collei's confusion was evident, but seeing they lacked a Vision lessened her apprehension.
With that, Collei took the lead, guiding the pair forward. Lumine and Paimon hurried to follow, maintaining a cautious distance.
Having only just t, neither side had fully let down their guard, making close proximity inappropriate.
During their journey, the group fell into casual conversation. When Collei heard Lumine and Paimon recount their past adventures, she was left speechless with astonishnt.
"Wait a minute—didn't you say this Traveler doesn't have a Vision?"
"Who told you that you need a Vision to wield Elental Power?"
Paimon flew closer to Collei and whispered mysteriously, "Co on, Traveler, show Miss Collei what you can do!"
Despite Paimon's annoying tone, Lumine cooperated, raising her hand and demonstrating each of the elents she had currently resonated with in turn.
The sight left Collei completely stunned. It took her a long mont to recover.
"Truly astonishing... how is this possible?"
Collei paused before continuing, "After all, being able to wield Elental Power without a Vision is sothing I've almost never seen before."
"Hehe, the Traveler is special!" Paimon declared proudly, acting as if she had accomplished the feat herself. Lumine had long grown accustod to this.
"Hey Collei, how much longer until we get there? I'm already tired," Paimon complained.
Lumine rolled her eyes. You haven't even walked a step! How can you be tired?
"Flying takes a lot of energy too, you know!" Paimon protested vehently, making Collei chuckle softly as she watched their banter.
"You two have such a close bond."
"Of course!" Paimon replied matter-of-factly.
Collei smiled again and pointed ahead. "We're almost there. Gandharva Ville is just a short distance ahead."
Lumine and Paimon followed Collei's gaze and spotted several wooden houses with distinctive Suru architectural features.
"Master's house is that one over there. Let's head straight there, though I'm not sure if he's returned from his trip yet."
Collei continued leading the way, bringing Lumine and Paimon to a small cottage.
"Master, I found two foreign travelers while on patrol earlier. To keep them safe, I brought them back here."
Seeing the door ajar, Collei knew her master was ho. She spoke as she stepped inside.
"Oh, Dr. Edward is here too?"
"Yes, your master invited to check up on you."
Lumine and Paimon followed Collei inside, where they were greeted by a young, handso man with a gentle smile. Beside him stood a figure with long, pointed ears and a sowhat childlike face.
Before Lumine could decide which of the two seed more like Collei's master, a strange, refreshing fragrance filled the air. Suddenly, her head swam, and the world spun around her.
"Traveler?"
"Traveler, what's wrong?!"
Paimon's concerned voice drifted from beside her, but it seed to grow increasingly distant in Lumine's perception.
Finally, Lumine's consciousness slipped into darkness...
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