"I suppose that's understandable," Wu Yi said with a nod. "You are a majestic goddess, after all. Looking directly at an exalted being like you really would put enormous psychological pressure on a mortal."
"Oh?" Ronova raised an eyebrow. "You seem to understand it well, Descender."
"I've been one of those so-called superiors myself, and plenty of ordinary people have held me in that kind of awe. I understand it to some extent."
Wu Yi cast his mind back a little as he spoke.
Or rather, awe hardly began to describe it.
He remembered one time when he had been pursuing a rare pathogen. Following its trail, he had landed on a planet inhabited by Denizens of Abundance, only for word of his whereabouts to leak out. When he stepped out of his rudimentary single-person spacecraft, he found the entire landing site packed with kneeling people.
It really was packed with them. From the edge of the landing pad to the horizon, a dense mass of Denizens of Abundance prostrated themselves on the ground. At the very front knelt the planet's tribal chief, who addressed him in a trembling voice as "the Abundance Lord's representative, benevolent father of all people, hundred-headed dragon god who devours the sun."
Even now, Wu Yi still hated how it had felt. Those people had bowed so low that walking past them had felt like trampling something underfoot. Yet he hadn't dared show the slightest displeasure, or they would have taken it as divine wrath and kept kowtowing to beg his forgiveness, refusing to stop even when blood from their foreheads covered the ground.
Then, less than half a day after Wu Yi arrived on the planet, the tribal chief had come to him with the utmost respect, saying that thirty "holy virgins who volunteered to offer themselves to the Emanator" had been prepared. He asked when Wu Yi wished to enjoy them and said it would be their honor no matter how he chose to do so.
When Wu Yi refused, the tribal chief actually said that if the exalted benevolent father wished to enjoy him instead, that would be perfectly fine too.
Wu Yi had been so frightened that he hoisted his spacecraft onto his shoulders and fled the planet that very night.
After that, Wu Yi had done his best to avoid the star regions inhabited by the Denizens of Abundance. He felt uncomfortable wherever he went there. By comparison, even the Xianzhou's Cloud Knights, who merely pursued him relentlessly and would not rest until he was dead, seemed much more endearing.
Besides that, he had also played different roles on all sorts of planets. For one reason or another, he had been an emperor, an imperial preceptor, a chief technology officer, a chairman, a pope, a mafia godfather, a god king, a heavenly father, a prince regent, a great warlord... and so on. Most of the time, though, he had run off before long and returned to being what he loved most: a traveling physician.
Oh, and this time, he might also have to play the part of a Harbinger for a while on Teyvat.
But hearing Wu Yi likewise claim to have been a superior, Ronova felt a sudden, inexplicable irritation. She instinctively snorted again and said with some disdain:
"Hmph. You mortals are like frogs at the bottom of a well. You see a tiny moon through the opening and take it for the whole world, yet you can scarcely imagine even a true corner of the sky. How laughable."
Huh? Why is she suddenly hissing?
Noticing the change in Ronova's tone, Wu Yi raised an eyebrow. After a moment's thought, he quickly arrived at an answer:
I see. She wants to maintain her lofty image as a goddess in front of me.
Honestly, where did this inexplicable urge to compete come from?
The thought struck Wu Yi as a little funny.
But he merely nodded, offering no objection.
"Quite right, exalted Lady of Death."
If I contradict her on this now, she'll probably hiss even harder... That wouldn't be good. Ronova and I aren't all that familiar yet, and opposing her like that could easily make her feel averse to me.
"Oh?"
Ronova had been prepared for Wu Yi to argue back, but when he readily agreed with her, her expression naturally relaxed a little.
"You recognized your place so quickly? For a mortal, you're remarkably perceptive."
"To be honest, I'm starting to appreciate you a little."
"So, depending on your answer, I'll also consider being more lenient with you for violating the Heavenly Principles' rules again."
She looked at Wu Yi once more, her expression suddenly turning serious.
"In any case, let's clear the area first."
With that, she suddenly lifted her head and snapped her fingers softly.
At first, Wu Yi didn't understand, but he soon sensed something and turned to look behind him. Rosalyne, who had found cover and hidden back there, suddenly fell to the ground at the sound, showing no further signs of life.
A little farther away, Kujou Sara, who had woken up some time ago but had been secretly listening to their conversation, suddenly stopped breathing as well.
In that instant, death had been bestowed upon both of them.
"Oh? Miss Death, why was that? Why did you kill the two of them again?"
Wu Yi asked without any hurry or alarm.
Ronova had hoped to see some hint of panic on Wu Yi's face, so she couldn't help feeling a little disappointed when she saw how calm he was.
"You really are calm."
She glanced at Rosalyne and Kujou Sara, then shook her head.
"Although the rules of death cannot be transgressed, since you've been so sensible, there's no harm in revealing a little of the truth to you."
"You needn't be afraid, mortal. The Heavenly Principles are very fond of you lowly mortals, so they won't allow me to actually kill you. That's why I'll only kill you for a little while."
"Before long, the Shade of Life will resurrect you, and the price you pay will merely be forgetting a short period of your recent memories... Oh, right, you might also have a few nightmares afterward."
"But I think that's a small price to pay for being able to admire Death's beautiful face up close."
Ronova seemed to have naturally accepted Wu Yi's assessment of her beauty. She closed her eyes gently as she spoke with such pride.
But after she finished, she opened one eye and secretly studied Wu Yi, clearly quite concerned about his response.
If he doesn't think that's enough, should I try to find some way to soothe the damage to his soul from dying and coming back to life?
Ronova gave it serious thought.
"I see," Wu Yi said, nodding seriously as well. "If that's the case, it sounds like I'm getting a great deal."
No, even if he accepts it, I should still get rid of all the side effects for him, shouldn't I?
Ronova immediately came up with a new plan.
"Very good."
She nodded, quite satisfied.
"However, before I temporarily kill you, there's something I need to confirm."
"I believe I already told you about the Ley Lines and souls, and warned you as well."
"Why, then, did you knowingly do it again, forcibly snatching the soul of someone who should have died back from the Ley Lines?"
Here, she paused briefly.
"If you had a reason that left you no choice, don't hold back. Just tell me. As long as you aren't the source of the problem, I won't punish you without cause. Death has always been the most impartial. I will only punish those who truly offend Death."
"I see. In any case, thank you for your mercy, Miss Ronova."
Wu Yi nodded, but then spoke frankly.
"Unfortunately, no one forced me. I saved Rosalyne simply because I wanted to."
"I respect your duty as the god of death, Miss Ronova, but please understand my convictions as a physician as well."
"Standing by and letting someone die is not what a physician does."