The Mouth of God Gets a Major Demerit
"You're awake, Traveler." A gentle voice sounded softly in my ear.
"Thank goodness, you're finally awake." Paimon's heart finally settled down, and the little figure rushed forward, affectionately nestled against Ying's shoulder, his eyes filled with joy.
"Where am I...?" Ying's head was still a little dizzy. She propped herself up on the soft, warm leaf bed and slowly sat up, looking around blankly.
"This is Gandharva Ville, the place where the forest rangers of Sumeru are stationed."
Ying turned her head and saw a shy the Damselette standing by the bed. She immediately thanked her softly, "Thank you for your help, Miss Forest Ranger."
"Um... I'm still a trainee forest ranger." Collei, feeling a little embarrassed by the earnest thanks, clutched the hem of her clothes. "My name is Collei. Today, while patrolling the forest with my mentor, we found you collapsed in the woods, so we settled you here to rest."
By the way, how are you feeling now? Is there anything bothering you?
"I'm physically fine, but... my mouth tastes really bitter."
"Haha, that's a medicinal soup prepared by my master. It's very bitter, but you'll get used to it. By the way, you should drink some more after you wake up. I'll go get it for you."
"No need, Collei, leave it to me." Tighnari was outside the door, came in after hearing the commotion inside.
"Master!" Collei immediately turned around and called out obediently.
"You are... Tighnari?" Paimon exclaimed in surprise.
"Hello Paimon, and also, Traveler."
"Huh? Master actually knows them?"
"That's right." Tighnari nodded slightly. "Do you remember Xingsu, who suddenly came to the rainforest and hurriedly called me away to help you?"
"I remember!" Collei immediately recalled, "That time Mr. Xingsu rushed here and kidnapped Master..."
"Ahem." Tighnari coughed lightly twice, correcting him without showing any emotion, "He came specifically to ask me for help with some matters. It was on that occasion that I met this renowned Traveler."
"Alright, let's not talk about that now, Traveler. Open your mouth, then take a couple of steps."
Ying obediently did as instructed.
"Okay, there's no problem. Let me explain why you fainted. Some scholars in Sumeru need to cultivate in the forest, and they use a kind of incense called ' Spirit Borneol ' to stabilize their minds and enter a meditative state."
Unfortunately, while incense has no effect on the vast majority of people, you're one of the small group whose minds are stimulated. That's why you fainted there. Do I understand now?
"Understood."
"Okay, I have a few more questions for you. After you collapsed, did you see or hear anything?"
"I... saw a towering tree, and faintly heard someone say, 'The world... forgot me...'"
"Is that so..." Tighnari's expression turned serious. After a moment of contemplation, she solemnly suggested, "I recommend that you stay in Gandharva Ville for the time being."
"Huh?! Is her health problem serious?" Paimon panicked instantly, his face full of worry as he leaned closer.
"Here's the situation: it seems the incense has caused her very severe hallucinations, and her mental state looks quite poor. My suggestion is for her to stay here for 'recuperation and observation' for a while. During this time, she needs to take her medication on time, avoid going out alone, and continue until she no longer feels uncomfortable with this incense. Is that alright?"
"All right..."
"Okay, that's good. I'll go and brew you another bowl of herbal soup. Just stay here and don't move."
Tighnari gave a few words of advice, then turned and left the room.
"Sigh... I didn't expect this to happen so soon after we entered Sumeru. But given the current situation, we should prioritize our health."
"..." Ying did not respond, but lowered her eyes and fell into deep thought.
"Hey! Are you even listening to me?!" Paimon couldn't help but press.
"Paimon, I can assure you, what I saw and heard was definitely not a hallucination."
"You mean Tighnari lied to us? But..."
"The situation is still unclear. Let's stay here for now, receiving treatment while we investigate further."
"That's a good idea, but where should we begin?"
"Let's go talk to Collei first."
A gentle breeze rustled through the trees in the afternoon, casting dappled shadows.
The two accompanied Collei as she carried out basic forest patrol work in the woods. Watching the Damselette's earnest and busy appearance, Paimon couldn't help but sigh, "The forest rangers have so much work to do, even trivial tasks like cleaning the Statue of the Seven have to be assigned to you."
"These are just the most basic daily tasks," Collei explained softly as he carefully wiped the base of the statue. "The truly dangerous tasks, such as venturing deep into the forest to clear out Withering Zone and investigate potential disaster hazards, are all handled personally by Master."
"I see, being a forest ranger must be really tough."
"Hehe, it's alright!" Collei smiled shyly, her eyes full of curiosity as she asked, "By the way, I heard you've been on adventures in many countries, is that true?"
"Yes, that's right. We've been to Mondstadt, Liyue, Inazuma."
"Then... then you must know Amber, right?!" Collei's eyes lit up instantly, her tone full of anticipation.
"Of course I know her! She helped us a lot when we were in Mondstadt!"
"I knew it!" Mentioning Amber, the usually shy Collei instantly became talkative, her eyes lighting up as she recounted her past with Amber, her words filled with gratitude and joy.
She kept praising Amber's gentleness and enthusiasm until she came to her senses a moment later, her cheeks instantly turning bright red.
"Ah! I'm so sorry, I said so many strange things..."
"It's alright. Since you're Amber's friend, you're my friend too. By the way, do you know Xingsu? It seems your master Tighnari, is quite familiar with him."
"You mean Mr. Xingsu? He and my master are both incredibly kind and gentle people. He used to be a researcher at the Akademiya, and he often helped treat my illnesses."
"I didn't expect him to be so kind-hearted."
"He always seemed exceptionally gentle and patient with the children," Ying added from the side.
"He and his master used to study treatments for Eleazar together a long time ago, and I heard he was exceptionally good at it! Even Master Tighnari's master wanted to recruit him into the Amurta."
"He not only helped me fight the disease and researched my condition, but if there was no progress for a long time, he would secretly squat in a corner and isolate himself."
"And then what happened? Why did he leave Sumeru?" Paimon pressed on.
Mentioning this, Collei's tone sombered. "Later... he was expelled from Sumeru by the Akademiya. I haven't seen him for a very, very long time."
"Huh? You were expelled? What exactly happened back then?"
"I don't know the specific details." Collei shook his head slightly. "I only heard my master mention that it was because he was conducting research in violation of regulations and violated the rules of the Akademiya that he was forcibly expelled."
"Well, I didn't know he had such a past. He seems like a pretty good person to me, I really don't know why he joined the Fatui."
Collei froze, as if struck by lightning.
"Huh??? The Fatui? Mr. Xingsu... he joined the Fatui?"
Oh no! Ying inwardly groaned.
Paimon realized he might have said something wrong, covered his mouth, and looked at Ying with pleading eyes.
Suddenly, dark, eerie bluish-black scales appeared on Collei's fair arms at a visible speed, spreading rapidly down her neck and wrists.
My limbs felt weak and sore, my fingertips trembled slightly uncontrollably, and my whole body was filled with a bone-chilling cold.
She opened her lips, wanting to ask further questions or refute them, but her throat was dry and blocked, and she couldn't utter a sound.
The next second, her slender body completely lost its support, went limp, and fell straight to the ground.
Ying's heart tightened, and she immediately rushed forward, caught the Damselette who had suddenly fallen ill, carefully carried Collei on her back, and ran at full speed towards Gandharva Ville.