Scum Fox and Paimon

"This..."

Lin Feng pinched his chin as he looked at the fox that had leaped onto Stormterror's head first.

Lin Feng felt like he had seen it somewhere before.

The fox before him had pink fur, white fur on its belly, and a sakura blossom mark on its forehead.

A purple pendant hung from its left ear.

Its features were incredibly lively.

Even at first glance, Lin Feng found it adorable, and he even had the urge to hold her in his arms.

After pondering for a moment, the image of a certain scummy woman suddenly surfaced in Lin Feng's mind.

It gradually overlapped with the fox before him.

Lin Feng's eyes widened at once, and he abruptly leaned in close to the little fox.

Startled by Lin Feng's sudden movement, the little fox jumped as well.

Looking at the frightened little fox before him, Lin Feng narrowed his eyes slightly and asked, "You wouldn't happen to be that Scum Fox, Yae Miko, would you?"

Hearing Lin Feng call her by name, the Scum Fox was somewhat surprised. Though she did not know how Lin Feng knew, she still nodded.

Since magical beasts could not speak in this space, Lin Feng could only judge by observing her expression.

Damn, it really was the Scum Fox.

Lin Feng was utterly shocked.

Looking at the endless stream of magical beasts running toward him from behind.

An utterly absurd thought surfaced in Lin Feng's mind. Could all these magical beasts have come from the Genshin World?

There were even several whose names Lin Feng recognized, such as Azhdaha, who was connected to Morax; Boreas, Barbatos's familiar; and even Slimes of all seven elements...

Lin Feng looked at the Eastern Dragon still circling above his head, a smile he could not suppress curling across his lips. "Could this be Hydro Dragon King Neuvillette?"

Any one of these magical beasts would be comparable to a Ninth Rank powerhouse if brought outside.

Yet as Lin Feng looked at the magical beasts before him, he grew anxious.

Who exactly was he supposed to take with him?

Dragon Kings were great and offered plenty of security, but Azhdaha was a being capable of fighting Old Man Zhong. There was also Stormterror—becoming a Dragon Knight had always been his dream!

And the Scum Fox...

Not only could she be petted like a cat, she could fight too. Maybe she could even be ridden...

I'm so conflicted.

Forget it, maybe I should choose the Scum Fox.

Looking at the little fox before him, she was small and adorable, yet those eyes made one's heart race after only a single glance.

She's the one...

He had been in here for quite a while already. If he delayed any longer, he might truly be trapped here and never return.

But just as Lin Feng was about to form a Contract with the Scum Fox.

An urgent yet adorable voice came from afar.

"Traveler, wait for me..."

Lin Feng looked toward the source of the voice in surprise. He knew that voice all too well.

Lin Feng squeezed out from the crowd of magical beasts.

There, he saw a Blue Qilin—or rather, a Coconut Goat—rushing toward him with a flying little person. She had shoulder-length white hair, a small cape patterned like the starry sky draped over her back, and a golden ring resembling a crown atop her head.

It was Ganyu and Paimon.

Lin Feng was not too surprised by Paimon's appearance. After all, Azhdaha and the Scum Fox had both appeared, so one more Paimon was hardly strange.

The moment he saw them, Lin Feng could not help but think that he seemed to be missing a secretary.

While Lin Feng was lost in thought, Ganyu brought Paimon to his side.

"Phew, good thing we made it in time." Paimon patted her chest with lingering fear.

Lin Feng first reached out and gave Ganyu a good petting...

Only then did he look at Paimon and ask, "Why are you in such a hurry?"

Paimon put her hands on her hips. "Of course it's to form a Contract with the Traveler!"

"But I wasn't planning to contract with you," Lin Feng replied casually.

Whether in terms of strength or anything else, Paimon did not seem like the best choice.

Though she was very cute.

Still, one thing did surprise Lin Feng. The Scum Fox and the others had all appeared in their original forms and could not speak.

The laws of this space seemed to have no effect on Paimon.

"Ah~"

Paimon froze for a moment, then stepped forward and tugged on Lin Feng's sleeve, acting cute. "You can't, Traveler! I've been waiting for you here for so, so long. You have no idea—I've been all alone here, torn and scared. You have to take me with you..."

"I don't want to stay here."

Meanwhile.

At the Teleportation Array of Knight Sacred Mountain.

The One-Armed Old Man had nearly exhausted all his spiritual energy. Ying Suifeng was now operating the grand array.

Long Haochen had emerged two minutes ago. Amid everyone's anticipation, he appeared before them with a wounded Second Rank Earthfire Lizard.

Upon seeing that it was a Second Rank Earthfire Lizard, disappointment flashed through the One-Armed Old Man's eyes. The most agitated person, however, was Ye Hua.

He simply could not accept that Long Haochen, with such astonishing talent, had paid such a great price only to contract a Second Rank magical beast.

The instant he saw the magical beast, Ye Hua raised his Knight Sword and strode toward the dying Earthfire Lizard with a cold gleam in his eyes.

Unable to control his emotions, he said, "After paying such a great price, you ended up with such a weak piece of trash. It isn't worth it!"

"Your future cannot be delayed by this piece of trash!"

Long Haochen, who had been interacting with the Earthfire Lizard, noticed Ye Hua's actions as well. The moment Ye Hua swung down, Long Haochen drew his Knight Sword and blocked the strike.

Facing Long Haochen's resistance, Ye Hua said angrily, "With your talent, once you grow stronger, even a giant dragon could be subdued with your strength. Why care about an Earthfire Lizard with such poor talent now?"

After saying that, he knocked Long Haochen aside with another strike and prepared to continue attacking the Earthfire Lizard.

"Wait, Ye Hua Instructor."

Long Haochen put away his one-handed sword, lunged forward, and spread his arms to shield the Earthfire Lizard.

"Ye Hua Instructor, please calm down and listen to my explanation!" Long Haochen shouted.

Seeing Long Haochen protect the Earthfire Lizard so resolutely, Ye Hua's eyes were filled with disappointment, but he did not attack again.

Facing Ye Hua's confusion, Long Haochen said somewhat dejectedly, "Senior said before that I should find the Beast Companion closest to me. At the very last moment, I could feel that it was the closest to me, and that it needed me the most."

The One-Armed Old Man, watching from the side, could not help but complain inwardly, I did say that, but you didn't have to find a Second Rank magical beast...

He had somehow taken the blame.

He could only shake his head and sigh. Why were children these days so incapable of adapting?

Hopefully Lin Feng could contract a better magical beast. If he summoned another weak magical beast and used those words as an excuse...

The One-Armed Old Man had high expectations for Lin Feng. Whether in how he conducted himself or how he handled danger, Lin Feng was rather mature and steady.

With his talent, contracting an Eighth Rank magical beast would not be a problem at all.

Ah, do you have any votes? Any recommendations? Any recommendation votes? Please... (I really want them...)