Before this, Ronava had dealt death countless times-literally countless.
To her, death was not something worth dwelling on, but a job that had to be handled. Moreover, as the shadow of the Heavenly Principles and one of Teyvat's four rulers, she had no authority to deal death at will.
All matters of life, death, space and time had to follow the Sacred Plan (Heimarmene). So she felt no reverence for death, much less fear.
-Until the Jester severely wounded her with the Eye of the Fatui in that battle.
For the first time, she felt real, searing pain, and the fear of impending death.
And now, watching Tang Wang sweep away every Hilichurl in the camp with clean, decisive movements, she did not know why, but that fear stirred in her heart once more.
"Tang Wang... you didn't seem to use elemental power in that fight. Don't you have a Vision?" To dispel the fear, she took the initiative to ask him another question.
"Nope." He shook his head regretfully. "I wish someone would give me a Vision, preferably a Hydro one. Then I could trigger Lunar Crystallize with Geo Lili."
"That's a good thing." That was Ronava's initial assessment of his lack of a Vision. "My memories are a little hazy, but as I recall, Visions aren't blessings, just as immortality itself is also a curse."
"Also, who is this Geo Lili you mentioned?"
"Oh, her?" While they were talking, Tang Wang had already completed the second commission. Shrinking the Ground to an Inch was just that convenient. "Her real name is Linaya. She's an advisor to the Adventurers' Guild's Nod-Krai branch."
"I thought the nickname Geo Lili was pretty cute, so I've kept calling her that. I met her in Sumeru. As for our relationship, I guess we're comrades-in-arms and close friends."
"I see." After hearing him out, Ronava nodded silently.
"All right, that should be the end of today's daily commissions, right?" Tang Wang wiped the sweat from his brow. "Now it's time to take on some commissions that are truly challenging and worthwhile."
"What do you mean?" Ronava asked him once again.
"Uh, how should I put this? Ronava, I found you unconscious on Wuwang Hill." After adjusting the direction of Shrinking the Ground to an Inch, he explained, "At the time, I was planning to carry out a commission to retrieve an artifact."
"An artifact?" She looked thoughtful. "Equipment born from the manifestation of memories and emotions, possessing extreme power..."
"Human, do you have any artifacts on you?"
"I do." He nodded. "A full four-star Tenacity of the Millelith set. I got it while exploring The Chasm with Geo Lili."
"Not long after that, I went to Nod-Krai with her and helped her get a four-star Silken Moon Set too."
"...You two are really close." Suddenly, Ronava gave a little huff, sounding slightly displeased.
"Yeah, we are close friends, after all." With that, he reached out and pushed open the domain's stone doors.
A flash of light passed, and the two appeared in the space inside the instance.
"All right, human." Looking at the monsters in the open space ahead, Ronava confidently stepped forward. "I'll show you the power of a ruler."
With that, she took a deep breath, and surging Pyro energy gathered at her fingertip.
No, I don't need to be afraid. After repeating that to herself, she aimed at the distant monsters and fired a reddish-brown ray straight at them. "Even without my authority over death, I can still-"
The brown ray pierced through a Hilichurl's body. As its body burned up in midair, the other monsters immediately turned toward her.
"Roar!" The Lawachurl's bellow marked the start of a fierce battle. The Geovishap also began to roll.
Facing the monsters bearing down on her, Ronava's eyes showed no emotion. She simply gathered elemental power by instinct, then sent it flying out in the form of rays and feathers.
The glow of Pyro energy lit the domain with a warm orange light for the first time in a long while. Flames and dust rose, blocking both her view and the monsters'.
"Just as I thought, mere monsters still..." Just as she breathed a sigh of relief, a Geovishap Hatchling sprang out of the dust.
"Clang!" While she was still stunned, Tang Wang had raised his spear and blocked the attack.
However, aside from the Geovishap Hatchling, most of the other monsters were also unharmed. As they all rushed at them, Tang Wang had no choice but to scoop Ronava up and make a strategic retreat first.
Under these circumstances, he couldn't use Shrinking the Ground to an Inch. There was nothing he could do about it; the technique was frighteningly imprecise, affecting a large area around him every time he used it. If he used it now, the monsters would be moved rapidly along with them.
"Ah, whenever this happens, I wish I had an elemental skill or something." There was a hint of self-mockery and humor in Tang Wang's voice.
But to Ronava, those words became a biting taunt.
Aren't you the Ruler of Death? Why can't you even deal with a few measly monsters? A voice was roaring in her heart.
"No... the fight isn't over yet." With that, she tried to gather elemental power once more. Tang Wang sensed an immense fluctuation of elemental power from her.
But for some reason, she didn't seem able to control that power very well. She was like a second-rate rider unable to handle a motorcycle going too fast.
And so the end result was a lot of thunder and little rain. She released a great deal of elemental power, but dealt very little damage.
"...It seems I'm not suited to fighting." At that thought, her countless words finally turned into a sigh.
"What's wrong, Ronava?" At the domain entrance, a panting Tang Wang asked her curiously.
"Nothing." She shook her head. "I will certainly repay you for saving my life. Since I'm not suited to being an adventurer, I'll have to find another job."
"If I remember correctly, humans need to work to earn corresponding compensation, right?"
"Uh, about that..." Tang Wang paused. "I actually know a job that's very likely to be especially suitable for you."
"But actually... as an adventurer, I'd still really like to have a traveling companion, just like Lumi is there at Linaya's side."
"But a traveling companion and a burden are two different things, aren't they?" Tang Wang heard a deep sense of self-pity in her voice.
"Don't say that." He shook his head slightly. "How could you be a burden?"
As he said this, Tang Wang was thinking: since he didn't have a Vision, could Ronava act as an external Vision for him, helping him wield elemental power in battle?
The only problem was that, as things stood, this external Vision was a Pyro one, so he probably wouldn't be able to trigger Lunar Crystallize.
"All right, give me a little time to clear out this domain first."
With that, Tang Wang walked into the domain alone. Before long, he walked back out empty-handed.
"All right, all taken care of. So now, let's head back to the Adventurers' Guild first, then find that damned old bastard and confront him face-to-face."