By the time Fischl recovered from her overwhelming happiness, Ellin had already shot down all three Large Pyro Slimes.
"So this is Slime Condensate? Pretty interesting."
Ellin looked at the spoils at her feet, a faint smile on her face.
This was her first battle since arriving in Teyvat, and it had given her a rough understanding of her strength.
Now that the battle was over, she felt no fatigue at all. On the contrary, the thrill of fighting had left her deeply satisfied.
"I killed three Large Pyro Slimes with just Trail of the Qilin. If I used Trail of the Qilin and Celestial Shower, I could be even stronger!"
"And this was only my first battle. As I gain more combat experience, I'll grow even stronger!"
Delighted, Ellin bent down to collect the spoils and head back to turn in the commission.
But Fischl, who was approaching from a distance, suddenly cried out!
"Ellin, watch out!"
Ellin turned toward Fischl, only to see her shoot an arrow straight at her!
The Electro-infused arrow whistled past Ellin's hair, then struck a fireball hurtling toward her with pinpoint accuracy.
Boom!
The overloaded reaction caused by Electro meeting Pyro triggered a powerful explosion.
Ellin's pupils contracted slightly. The Vision at her waist shone, and she immediately channeled her Cryo power to unleash Trail of the Qilin, leaving an ice lotus where she stood as she swiftly retreated out of the blast radius.
"Are you all right, Ellin?"
"Miss Ellin, are you unharmed?"
Fischl and Oz rushed to Ellin's side, asking after her with concern.
"I'm fine. Thank you for saving me."
Holding Amos' Bow, Ellin stared gravely in the direction the fireball had come from.
Leaves rustled in the woods.
Two red flowers growing close together spread their petals, then burst out of the ground.
"Blazing Whopperflowers!"
Fischl was alarmed!
At that moment, the two Whopperflowers attacked as well. Pyro gathered on their crowns, then two basketball-sized fireballs hurtled toward Fischl and Ellin.
"Ellin, watch out!"
Fischl cried out and immediately pulled Ellin behind a large tree, narrowly avoiding the attack.
"Damn it, the intel was wrong!"
"I should have realized it. Large Pyro Slimes only appear in places rich in Pyro. Here in the Whispering Woods, only Blazing Whopperflowers could have attracted them!"
"Whopperflowers can not only unleash rapid barrages of flames, but also form Pyro shields to protect themselves!"
"They can burrow underground to launch surprise attacks, too. And with flowers and grass everywhere, the Whispering Woods are practically their natural camouflage!"
"Worst of all, I have an Electro Vision. When my attacks and Oz's meet those flames, they'll cause explosions that could start a forest fire we won't be able to contain!"
"Once the forest catches fire, it'll cause incalculable damage and destroy the ecosystem, and it'll give the Blazing Whopperflowers an even greater advantage!"
"Then, even if the Whopperflowers don't kill us, we'll burn to death in the forest fire or die from inhaling too much smoke!"
Fischl's brows knitted tightly. She was clearly extremely tense.
Ellin grew serious as well. She knew how nasty Whopperflowers were, but she had only experienced them in the game.
Only after hearing Fischl's explanation did Ellin understand just how dangerous their situation was.
Ellin poked her head out to glance at the approaching Whopperflowers, her mind racing as she tried to devise a plan.
"Fischl, can you hold off these two Whopperflowers? Give me just two minutes, and I can take them down!"
"That'll be difficult! If they were any other kind of Whopperflower, I'd be confident, but fire and lightning trigger an overloaded reaction. That severely limits what Oz and I can do."
"Right now, my only option is to fire ordinary arrows without infusing them with Electro. But that way... I can only hold off one Whopperflower at most."
"Only one?"
Ellin was stumped as well. "Damn it, if only we had another helper at a time like this! But where could we find some-"
"Oh! Wait!" A flash of inspiration struck Ellin, as though she had thought of a good idea!
She looked at Fischl and asked earnestly, "Fischl, can you tell me how you summoned Oz?"
"Huh?" Fischl froze for a moment, puzzled as to why Ellin would ask such a question at a time like this.
But the situation was urgent, and she had no time to dwell on it. Recalling how she had felt when Oz first appeared, she answered.
"Oz came to me along with my Vision. All I felt was that Electro took Oz's form through my wish, then a small part of my life was drawn out and linked to him, giving him life."
"That's all I know!"
"Born from a powerful wish?"
Ellin gritted her teeth. She was in danger, and she needed someone to help her overcome this crisis. Otherwise, not only she herself, but even Fischl, whom she liked, would die here!
"Ellin, don't tell me you're trying to summon a familiar like I did. I was just talking-I don't even know if that's really how it works. It's impossible!" Fischl pressed her lips together.
But Ellin didn't take in a word of it. She silently clasped her hands together, like a devout believer praying.
"Come forth. I need your help. Please help my friend and me escape this danger! Please... answer my wish!"
Ellin closed her eyes, her expression solemn. At that moment, her hope of surviving alongside the person she liked became a powerful wish that burst forth!
Visions manifested in response to people's wishes!
Now, the Vision at Ellin's waist erupted with dazzling light!
Dense Cryo surged forth in a raging storm. The intense cold actually extinguished most of the fires the Blazing Whopperflowers had started!
Cryo continued to gather, forming an enormous vortex of ice and snow before Ellin. The surrounding temperature plummeted, and even the two Blazing Whopperflowers were suppressed by this powerful surge of Cryo, unable to approach.
When the ice and snow dissipated, a huge white egg formed from ice and snow appeared before Ellin.
Cracks spread across the enormous egg's surface, as though some creature was about to hatch.
Boom!
With a tremendous crash, the icy eggshell flew apart!
Then a piercing cry rang throughout the Whispering Woods!
Screee!!!
A pure white bird with a feathered crest and icy tail feathers resembling a peacock's burst from the shell, letting out a noble cry as though announcing its arrival to the world!
It spread its wings of ice and landed on Ellin's shoulder, trailing long tail feathers formed from billowing cold mist.
It opened its long, narrow phoenix eyes, its bearing utterly regal.
Then it opened its beak and spoke in a melodious yet slightly youthful girl's voice.
"In answer to your wish and summons, Feng'er has been born here. I offer you my everything and shall fight for you!"
Before you continue