Charge!

Then, the unfortunate man with the flaming hair saw Elafia smooth her hair and slap an undeniable truth in her face.

"So what?"

"Alina has entrusted her body to me. Now, I am Persephone. Ah... Surtr, if you want to apologize, give me your lap pillow. Immediately, right now!"

Happy New Year, everyone.

Chapter 97 - Go for it!

Women and petty men are the most difficult to deal with; this is true in every era.

After a five-second stare, the girl with the same red hair even in this other world finally gave in—she took a deep breath, put her legs together, and sat up in a more comfortable position—sitting on her side wasn't feasible because of the antlers. So she raised her hand and pulled Alina's shoulders, letting the Little Deer, who didn't know whose it was now, lie comfortably on her lap.

With her lower abdomen pressed against her head and the night sky above, Elafia seemed instinctively flustered and flustered the moment she was pulled down. But she quickly suppressed this and lowered her hand that was about to be raised.

"Are you satisfied now?" Miss Surtr gave a soft hum—she wasn't satisfied!

"Hmm, satisfied now." She heard Elafia's voice was softer and sweeter than before. "Well, ah... I'm finally a little closer to you now. Surtr."

"I don't understand you." Surtr pouted. "If it's just something like a lap pillow, you could have just said so. There's no need to go to all this trouble... Using Alina's body like this makes me feel awkward."

"Is this considered an agreement?" She heard Alina's voice become slightly clearer.

"It was an agreement." But the red-haired guy, who was always oblivious to such things, didn't even notice the details. "I promised you. If you're under too much pressure and have any special needs, you can come to me anytime. I mean what I say. Do you think I'm the type to go back on my word?"

—Of course, if things get really serious, I'll just blow your head off. I'm keeping my word.

Then she heard the girl on her lap let out a soft 'humph,' seemingly with some dissatisfaction. This tone of dissatisfaction was slightly different from the Persephone usually used. In a murmur, she seemed to detect a subtle sourness that even stone could sense.

Jealousy—the tone of that voice gave her that feeling.

—But why would she be jealous? Hmm...because I would smash her head in, while I'm usually much more lenient with others who only have one chance? Is that the reason? That doesn't quite make sense; a guy like Persephone wouldn't have such a rich emotional life.

—But if it wasn't her, it couldn't be Alina, could it? But why would Alina be jealous...?

—Wait, could it be that Alina really likes... Ugh, my head hurts. Alina clearly has Talulah, her childhood friend, yet... No! That's not the point! Right now! Is that Alina lying on my lap?!

Thoughts raced through her mind, a vague understanding rapidly transforming into clarity. And once she confirmed the reliability of this conjecture, her previous leisurely contemplation abruptly turned into inner turmoil, urging her to react immediately!

She almost jumped up!

However--

"That Wind God is quite interesting. Although I didn't try to hide, he detected me very quickly." The antlered girl on his lap spoke calmly, words that only Persephone could utter. "Negotiation with him is something that can pique my interest slightly, although I'll still be the one who wins in the end."

Thus, the turmoil that had just been stirred up in Miss Surtr's heart subsided silently.

—Phew, it was just my imagination after all.

—I knew it! Alina would never lie to me. Although Yelena seemed to have given me some hints earlier, that must have been her imagination.

—And... that feeling just now. Hmm, could it be that Persephone was influenced by Alina's body, so her emotions have become a bit richer? That's possible, so perhaps that could be considered a good thing? But... in what form does Persephone exist now?

She felt relieved and gently stroked the long hair of the girl on her lap—a strange feeling. It was clearly Alina's appearance, yet the texture of the hair was similar to Persephone's, which made her feel conflicted. And this obvious contradiction easily made her overlook other details.

"Is there anything I should know?" Miss Surtr asked.

"If you're interested, I can tell you all the details, Surtr," her responder replied softly. Perhaps because of the comfort of having her hair stroked, the little head on her lap shifted slightly. "There's something wrong with this world—the seven gods who rule this land, and above them, there's an even higher ruler. They call that ruler 'Celestia.' And then, that maintainer of Celestia Principle may be dead."

Surtr raised an eyebrow.

She remembered the mask in her pocket and instinctively reached out to take it out, wanting to share the information she had gathered.

"I already know." However, Persephone spoke even faster than she acted. "When you carried that astrologer in, a corner of that mask peeked out from the pocket—and it was precisely because I sensed that strange aura emanating from it that I judged that something was amiss in this world, and thus exposed the Wind God's weakness in his words. This forced him to reveal the truth."

The girl nuzzled her head against her lower abdomen and then praised her.

"This is all thanks to you, Surtr. You may not realize it yourself, but in reality, this little detail is the most crucial point—it allowed me to see through the purpose of these seven gods and thus take the initiative."

She didn't go into details, nor how she managed to subdue the Wind God, leaving him fleeing the area around the inn in a complete panic. But the facts are the facts, and with a conclusion reached, there's no need to dwell on trivial details.

So Surtr continued to listen. As she listened, she stroked the hair of the girl on her lap, her horns—she seemed to feel Alina's cheeks were slightly flushed. But after focusing her attention, she realized it was just an illusion.

This guy always felt like something was off.

"The guardian of Celestia is dead, or too wounded to govern. Therefore, ascertaining the identity and purpose of the attacker becomes crucial— the Seven Archons determined that the attacker was an enemy. This is because the pollution from the outer realms has already spread across the land. But it is only pollution, not an attack. Therefore, they judged that the attacker may also have suffered the same level of injury as the guardian of Celestia. Thus, they all went to the top of Sky Island to face the fate of the world together."

However, Persephone just talked on and on. It was as if all the problems were just someone's illusion.

"They have no intention of holding back. So this time, they will mobilize collectively and use every means at their disposal. But before setting off, as the Ruler of the Mortal World, they cannot let go of the people on earth—so, before they set off, they must first clear away the potential threats on the land. But rather than doing it themselves, they hope that the people under their rule can independently solve some of the disasters that they will inevitably have to face in the future."

"They think they might not come back alive... right?" Surtr said softly. She looked up at the sky, where the outline of Sky Island was barely discernible against the night sky. "So, Wendy knew perfectly well that if he entrusted me with the task, he could definitely handle that raging dragon, yet he insisted on sending someone else... He wanted to test, no, to train the Knights of Favonius currently on Mondstadt. To let them personally approach this Guardian of the Four Winds who would continue to linger on the land."

"That's certainly a fair interpretation, Surtr," the girl on his lap replied. "So it only wants you to destroy the barrier. Because everything else is a test for the Knights of Favonius —it wants to see if 'free' Mondstadt can unite the other three Guardians of the Four Winds, who are largely detached from worldly affairs, with its own talent and magnanimity. And beyond that, it's hiding some other plans, I have some guesses, but it's keeping those things very well hidden."

—A scheme? Hmm... Is it Luminous, the true protagonist of Genshin Impact and the Traveler? Judging from the original CG, Luminous in her prime was a powerful figure capable of exchanging blows with the Principality of Celestia in its prime. And in the original Genshin Impact narrative, the Principality of Celestia is also 'dying,' similar to the current situation, only without external intervention... Yes, are they preparing an insurance policy? An insurance policy that, even if they all fail, can continue to protect all living beings on Earth?

A thought crossed the girl's mind, and she was about to speak when she noticed Persephone / Alina gently pinching her fingertips—she had almost forgotten that openly discussing the secrets the Wind God wanted to conceal in a place with a breeze was hardly a wise move. And since Persephone had already given a warning, it meant that she already had a guess.

—But...you even managed to guess something like this? As expected of Persephone, it's really beneath you to frolic on such a tiny stage as Terra.

—Hmm, but... could it be that my guess and her understanding are two different things? Hmm... it doesn't seem very realistic, but it's not impossible. Well, I'll tell her about it after we enter the barrier of the Stormterror's Lair.

"Hmm, I understand." Miss Surtr nodded. "Then it's the same as the previous request: just enter the barrier and break it, and don't provoke the dragon at all?"

"Yes, that's all there is to do. Although the Wind God subtly hinted that he could give the Knights of Favonius some 'tests' when the conditions were right, he didn't have many bargaining chips, so this was optional. And beyond that, there's the reward."

"You shouldn't be worried about Talulah anymore, Surtr."

"Hmm." The Flame-haired maiden nodded gently. "You must have taken out insurance on Talulah, Persephone? With you by her side to assist her, I believe she will be fine."

"Indeed," Persephone did not deny it. "I also left a 'seed' near her. The specific principle is rather complicated, and I don't know where she is right now. But I can assure you that she should be alright now."

So she continued to add.

"So, based on that, the reward that the Wind God could offer at the beginning wasn't that attractive. I seized on some of its weaknesses and had some 'friendly' negotiations with it. In the end, it agreed to contact another deity to provide assistance and help us find Talulah. Of course, it would handle the negotiations with that deity. And if there was any payment to be made, it would pay it."

"Another deity?" — Surtr had a vague idea.

"Morac, the Geo god who rules Liyue, Mondstadt's neighbor." Persephone held up one finger. "He is currently the most powerful god on the land. He is also the god who rules the land. Unlike the Anemo Wind God, who can only exercise his power in Mondstadt, that Geo Archon has the right to command most of the land on Teyvat —as long as Talulah's feet are on the ground, he will definitely find her. And if even he can't find her..."

"Then we can only look in the sea or on the Sky Island... Geo Archon, hmm, will the pollution of the earth affect its powers?"

"That's a possibility. Perhaps the Ley Line will hold it back, making it the weakest god at present." Persephone's tone was joking—it was hard to imagine that the concept of joking could coexist with her. But under the influence of Alina's body, such an action seemed somewhat reasonable.