Genshin Impact: Pool Character, Nirvana of the Demon God

Chapter 802 Flower God Birthday Festival (3)

After bidding farewell to Elhaisen at the Port of Omos, Ying and his party hurried back to Xumi City and rushed to the House of the Decree to deliver the crucial commission.

However, when they arrived at the House of the Decrees and pushed open the door of Caesar's office with great anticipation, they found that the room was empty, and only the sound of the breeze blowing through the pages of books echoed in the silence.

"Caesar is not here? Where would he go?" Paimon looked around, his tone full of confusion and anxiety.

Ying shook her head slightly, a trace of thought flashing between her brows: "I don't know... Let's ask around."

The three of them then walked through the wide and deep corridors of the Apostolic Palace, asking every scholar who passed by about the whereabouts of the Wise Caesar.

However, what they responded to was a unanimous sense of bewilderment and evasion:

"The sage is busy with all sorts of affairs every day, all of which concern the great affairs of Mount Sumeru. How can we, lowly scholars, know his whereabouts?"

After a series of setbacks, Ying suddenly had an idea and whispered, "Since we can't find Caesar, why not look for Laila? As his direct disciple, she might know where Caesar is."

However, this inquiry still did not bring hope. A kind scholar told them:

"Teacher Leila recently worked late into the night helping someone revise a paper. She eventually became exhausted and is now recuperating in a sanatorium directly under the Ministry of Education."

[Helping someone revise their paper? Such a niche language.]

A tutor revising a student's paper? Does such a person really exist in this world?

【Why can’t I encounter such a good thing! 】

[Laila's behavior... I didn't understand why Caesar wanted to stop her from studying before, but now I understand. She could end up in the hospital if she's not careful.]

[Similar to Ganyu, but not as strong as Ganyu. ]

Speaking of Ganyu, it just occurred to me, doesn't anyone else think that Caesar and Layla's relationship is very similar to Ganyu and Bai Ge's? Caesar and Bai Ge even have the same voice actor, so if Layla was also voiced by Lin Su, it would be a dead giveaway.

What is even more frustrating is that the hospital is heavily guarded and no one who is not a formal member of the Order and does not have a mentor to lead is allowed to enter.

Even though they knew where Leila was, the three of them could only stand back and watch.

After sincerely thanking the enthusiastic scholar, Paimon hung his head and looked at Ying with a distressed expression, his voice revealing a hint of helplessness: "Is it... that we can only wait here for Caesar to come back?"

As the night deepens, the corridor lights come on.

Ying gazed at the towering, intricately carved dome of the Ordinance Hall, her fingertips gently stroking the edge of her windbreaker as she sighed softly, "Now it seems like this is the only way."

"That's not possible."

A clear voice echoed from behind them, like a gentle breeze through the treetops. Everyone turned to see a young man in white robes as white as snow, slowly approaching, holding a jade-bone feather fan. His features exuded a refined and calm demeanor, his lips curled slightly in a gentle smile.

"Who are you?" Paimon took a step forward warily, staring at the uninvited stranger with a firm tone, with a hint of doubt and vigilance in his tone.

The young man paused and humbly performed an ancient Liyue ritual towards the three people, then bowed and said, "My name is Zhuge Xun. I am from Liyue and currently serve as a teacher at the Liyue Academy. I am honored to hold a position in the academic field."

[Has this person appeared before?]

[It seems so...but it feels a little off. Was this the character he had when he first appeared?]

【Rurouni: If you are possessed, just say so.】

[Okay, this is more like being a member of the Zhuge family.]

Prime Minister Zhuge is truly extraordinary... I always thought he was narcissistic until I learned his last name was Zhuge...

[Sometimes, all it takes to reverse a bad impression is a surname.]

He glanced gently at the three of them and then asked, "Excuse me...are you all searching for the whereabouts of Sage Caesar?"

Paimon frowned and asked suspiciously, "How do you know? We don't seem to have ever told you about this?" She was sure that she had not revealed anything, and a ripple appeared in her heart.

Zhuge Xun gently waved his feather fan, his smile growing wider. "Today, rumors are spreading throughout the Order's Court—some foreign visitors are inquiring about the whereabouts of the wise Caesar. This has long been quietly circulating among scholars."

His gaze darted around, examining the three of them one by one. He spoke leisurely, "As for you three, your appearances are unfamiliar, and your temperaments are vastly different. It's obvious at first glance that you aren't from this academy. Such a unique combination is truly rare."

His eyes first fell on Ying. "With blond hair and blue eyes, and covered in the dust of a traveler, he must be a foreigner from outside of Teyvat."

Then he turned to Paimon, who was floating in the air: "This pure white, floating spiritual creature has a bit of the charm of the elves guiding travelers in fairy tales."

Finally, his gaze rested on Yiya, and he said with a hint of approval, "As for this young lady, although she is still young, she has an extraordinary demeanor. Her clothes have the ancient charm of Liyue. I believe she comes from a noble family."

He folded the fan in his palm and said calmly, "The three of them gathered together, and news of the search for Caesar the Sage spread throughout the academy. Although there is no necessary connection, the accumulation of coincidences is enough to lead to speculation."

Ying tilted her head slightly, her eyes flickering. "So, in your opinion, just based on these appearances, we can conclude that we are looking for Caesar? There is no logical connection between the two."

Zhuge Xun smiled calmly, "It's true there's no ironclad chain of cause and effect. But sometimes the key to reasoning lies not in rigor but in sharpness."

"Connect the fragments and draw a conclusion—if you guess correctly, it's valid."

Paimeng curled his lips, his tone helpless:

"So... you really just have to guess?"

"My guess is pretty accurate."

Ying said softly, a hint of surprise flashing across her eyes.

Iya also nodded silently, his small face full of agreement: the reasoning process may be far-fetched, but the result is surprisingly accurate.

Zhuge Xun shrugged, smiling brightly. "Since the result is correct, why demand a perfect path? If I guessed correctly, that's the answer."

He suddenly said seriously, "No kidding—the three of you all match the rumors. May I ask if you are the famous traveler adventure group that broke the century-long lockdown of Inazuma and made Teyvat famous?"

As the words fell, a slight ripple seemed to appear in the air.

According to the explicit regulations of the Adventurer's Association, only three people can formally form an adventure team.

Therefore, from the moment Iya joined Ying and Paimon's journey and stepped into the Adventurer's Guild together to accept the commission, Catherine had quietly regarded them as a complete team.

As for the name of this new adventure team - everyone has become accustomed to calling Ying "Traveler", and Paimon and Iya are always by his side, inseparable.

So the name "Traveler Adventure Group" came naturally and became the default name that everyone knew.

Ying, Paimon, and Iya looked at each other, a flash of surprise and understanding in their eyes, and then smiled at each other. Finally, Ying nodded slightly and responded firmly:

"Yes, we are the Traveler Adventure Group. Do you... know us?"

Zhuge Xun smiled softly, his eyes gleaming with wisdom as he spoke slowly, "The three of you had a legendary adventure on the continent of Teyvat. It has spread like wildfire throughout the Seven Kingdoms. Even those scholars in our academy, who reside in the ivory towers of academia, are familiar with it."

Then, he continued with a hint of sarcasm, "What's more, I once had a student who originally planned to write a graduation thesis on the topic of "Changes in the Life of the Inazuma People under the Seclusion Order."

"She went through untold hardships to conduct on-site research in Inazuma, finally completing the first draft and planning to secretly return to Xumi to submit her findings..."

"Who would have thought that you would lift the lockdown order on Inazuma in one fell swoop, even though she no longer needs to take the risk of sneaking back to the country."

"But this destroyed the premise of her research and the entire paper."

At this point, Zhuge Xun shook his head slightly, but his smile deepened. "Therefore, my impression of you three is particularly profound."

Hearing this, the three of them couldn't help but look embarrassed and scratched their heads awkwardly.

"We... are indeed very sorry for what happened to your student." Ying said sincerely, with a hint of apology in her tone.

Zhuge Xun waved his hand and smiled benignly, "Don't worry about it. Later, I suggested that she change her perspective and write a new article on [the profound impact of the end of the lockdown on Inazuma society], incorporating her actual experiences in the area."

"In the end, she not only passed the defense successfully, but also received excellent evaluation."

The implication is that it is a blessing in disguise, turning danger into opportunity.

He put away the smile on his lips, his expression turned serious, and said in a deep voice: "Let's get back to the topic. If the three of you are here to seek out the Sage Caesar, why not go to the Grand Bazaar-"

"Tomorrow is the Flower Goddess' Birthday Festival. The sage is overseeing the final preparations and inspections there. If you go there now, you will surely meet him as you wish."

"Ah? So tomorrow is the Flower Goddess' Birthday Festival?" Paimon's eyes widened, a mixture of surprise and relief. "Luckily we made it back in time, otherwise we would have missed this grand event!"

Ying nodded slightly, her eyes clear and serious: "It is indeed not to be missed."

She then turned to Zhuge Xun and said in a gentle but polite tone, "Thank you for your reminder."

"You're welcome." Zhuge Xun gently waved his jade feather fan, his lips curled up slightly, and his smile was gentle. "I hope you will have a great time tomorrow and spend the holiday together."

As soon as he finished speaking, Ying turned and left with Paimon and Iya, their figures gradually disappearing into the deep corridors of the Church Hall.

After the three figures disappeared, Zhuge Xun did not leave immediately. He stood there, his fingertips lightly stroking the fan bone, his eyes slightly dark, as if savoring every moment of the conversation.

After a moment, he murmured to himself, his voice almost whispering, "I...shouldn't I have lost my composure in front of the young marshal? I wonder what...impression she has of me..."

[Hmm? What's going on with you?]

[So it's not a character change...it's a character change.]

[Another Marshal chef, Liyue Succubus can still perform stably even when not in the territory. ]

In fact, Zhuge Xun did not tell Caesar the whereabouts of the wise man out of good intentions.

After all, he has no friendship with Ying and Paimon.

Besides, Zhuge Xun wouldn't normally address strangers unless he was in a good mood. Otherwise, with the endless stream of people seeking the sage every day, how could he possibly respond to each one?

Today's move is truly an exception.

Just because Iya was there.

As a native of Liyue, Zhuge Xun died on the battlefield five hundred years ago. Fortunately, he was rescued by the marshal and his soul was finally placed in the Hall of Heroes. Zhuge Xun has an almost obsessive admiration and loyalty to the marshal who saved his life.

Now that he had reunited with the Marshal's descendant, Zhuge Xun had only one thought in his mind: he must show his most perfect self in front of her - even if it was just an impression at first sight, he must not make any mistakes.

……

Grand Bazaar.

Ying and her group stepped into the magnificently decorated Flower Goddess Birthday Festival. The scene before them was far more grand and magnificent than the last time they visited.

Colorful silks dance lightly in the wind like clouds; lanterns hang high, reflecting a warm and auspicious glow; exquisite and unique decorations can be seen everywhere, and every detail is filled with blessings and celebrations, as if the whole city is holding its breath for this sacred festival.

As soon as they entered the venue, the three of them saw Caesar standing under the stage.

"Look, there's Caesar!"

Paimon exclaimed in surprise.

As if they had telepathy, Caesar tilted his head slightly, his gaze fixed precisely on these familiar travelers.

The corners of his lips curled up slightly, revealing a gentle and calm smile, then he raised his hand and waved gently to them.

Ying and others immediately stepped forward and came in front of Caesar.

Caesar greeted with a smile, "I thought you would be bogged down by your heavy workload and miss this grand ceremony."

Ying chuckled and responded:

"I don't want that kind of regret to happen."

After saying that, she took out the divine canned knowledge with a faint red glow from her wish-fulfilling bag and handed it solemnly to Caesar.

"Canned divine knowledge... huh." Caesar lowered his head to examine it for a moment, his eyes twinkling. "I hope what's sealed inside is truly the divine wisdom, and not some dangerous counterfeit."

Before he finished speaking, he casually collected the jar and placed it into the space created by the Eye of God.

Ying suddenly became curious and asked, "If... it really contains the knowledge of God, what will you do with it?"

Caesar folded his arms across his chest, his expression as calm as a deep pool:

"There's no definite conclusion yet. I'm still trying to decide exactly where it belongs and what it's used for."

Then, with a hint of playfulness in his tone, he said, "If the situation requires, perhaps... I might even return the items to the royalists."

"Huh?!" Paimon's eyes widened in shock. "Why? This is a treasure that may contain the wisdom of the gods! What if it contains the teachings left by the Great Compassionate Tree King?"

"The wisdom of the Great Kind Tree King would never radiate such a gloomy and ominous light."

Caesar calmly denied it, then slowly said, "If it truly contains true divine knowledge, it's perfectly acceptable to return it to the royalists."

"A scholar who truly masters the divine gift is enough to become the pillar of Xumi's knowledge and national strength - it can only benefit the entire country."

He looked into the distance, his voice low but firm:

"But the prerequisite is that it must be a true legacy of the gods, not a disaster in disguise. Otherwise... I fear that Xumi will eventually follow the same fate as Kanriya."