Not long after Venti left, Farmas had only just lain back down when several more people entered through the door.
Turning his head, he saw them—Amber, Lumine, Klee, and Lisa.
Klee rushed over the moment she spotted him.
"Farmas big brother, are you okay?!"
Farmas smiled gently at her.
"I'm fine, just a little tired. But with little Klee visiting, I feel full of energy again."
As he spoke, he instinctively reached out and ruffled Klee's hair.
"This—this is for you!"
Because of Klee's height, her tiny head stuck up just at the edge of his bed.
She held up a pale-red Vision, with two little leather straps still attached—obviously the ones from her backpack.
"Master Jean said Farmas big brother needs a Vision!
So Klee took hers off and brought it to you!"
The sweet little girl leaned on the edge of the bed, resting her chin on it while she wiggled her body and offered him the Vision.
"Thank you, Klee. I'll borrow it and give it back once I'm done."
Farmas accepted it with genuine emotion, then lifted Klee up and planted a big kiss on her cheek.
"Mmph—!"
Klee's face instantly turned bright red.
She sat on the bed, fidgeting shyly.
"Mama said… boys and girls shouldn't…"
Just as Klee and Farmas were caught up in their little moment, Amber finally couldn't hold it anymore.
"Farmas! That moment when you blocked the entire hilichurl army was just so cool! I still can't get over it!"
Having calmed Klee down, Farmas looked over at the ever-energetic outrider.
"Is that so? Hearing Amber praise me like that… I feel like all my strength just came back."
Lumine spoke next.
"I made some food to help you recover. Here—eat a little.
I'll feed you."
"Thank you, Lumine, but I can eat on my own."
But Lumine insisted.
"Don't be shy. You need proper nutrition to recover quickly."
At that, Farmas found himself unable to refuse… but also unable to accept comfortably.
Thankfully, Lisa cut in at that exact moment.
"My, my~ little cutie.
Who would have expected our reunion to be like this?
Last time we met, you were still a tiny little slime who could be bullied by anyone.
Now you can take on an entire hilichurl army?"
She adjusted her glasses and smiled mischievously.
"And your method of wielding elemental power is truly fascinating.
Summoning the souls of those long deceased… that is very worth studlumine."
Relieved that Lisa had changed the subject, Farmas let out a breath.
"That is… a secret of Munata."
"Oh my, such mysterious secrets."
Lisa, the two-hundred-year genius alumnus of the Sumeru Akademiya, needed no introduction.
Forbidden lore, alchemical principles, elemental botany, even tricks like reducing a distillation step using two porcelain bowls—she could explain anything with perfect clarity.
But the flame generals Farmas summoned earlier…
That was something even she couldn't decipher.
"I've read legends that in ancient Liyue, there was a boundary between life and death, where wandering souls linger.
Does your summoning technique… perhaps relate to Liyue?"
"As expected of an Akademiya prodigy.
But—no comment."
Farmas praised her knowledge silently.
But without knowing he was the Flame Archon, there was no way Lisa could guess correctly that his summons were drawn from the leylines themselves.
"Hm~ even more challenging then. Wonderful."
Seeing the spark of scholarly excitement in her eyes, Farmas decided it was best he not reveal anything… for now.
After all, even during the Archon War, he had left almost no trace in recorded human history.
Especially in Munata—after another fire spirit claimed the throne, his name was erased, replaced only with the title "The Tyrant."
If Diluc knew his identity, it was only through the Ragnvindr clan's inherited memories of the Pyro.
Before long, Amber and Lisa left due to Knights' duties, leaving only Klee and Lumine behind.
And Lumine brought up feeding him again.
Naturally, Farmas refused.
He wasn't a kid.
A proud man—being fed by Lumine? Impossible.
"Never. I, Farmas, would rather starve to death, jump off this building—
but I will NOT let Lumine feed me even one mouthful!"
And yet, in the end…
Farmas was indeed fed by Lumine, finishing the small bowl of poultry soup she'd brought.
Klee held him steady, while Lumine carefully blew the soup cool and fed him spoon by spoon.
…It was delicious.
Maybe it was his imagination, but after eating it, he actually felt strength returning to his body.
After finishing the meal, seeing the warm smile on Lumine's face, Farmas suddenly felt something was missing.
"Where's little Paimon?"
He realized he hadn't seen Paimon during the battle either.
"Oh, her?
Didn't you just eat her?"
Lumine replied casually while setting the empty bowl aside.
Farmas paused, thinking seriously about what the poultry meat he just swallowed looked like.
Then he turned toward Lumine's mischievous smile.
Klee gasped, covering her mouth and jumping back several steps.
"P-Paimon sister was… cooked…?!"
Seeing Klee actually believe it, Lumine burst into laughter.
"Of course not! Klee, you didn't really fall for that, did you?
Paimon went to find Bennett earlier.
Not long after she left, the Abyss Order launched their attack.
Since she can't fight, I just let her go."
"Paimon went to look for Bennett specifically?"
Farmas found that strange.
During the period he'd been messing around, Lumine seemed to have befriended half of Mondstadt already.
"Mhm.
Paimon said Bennett mentioned some place he was going today—
there's a type of slime there that's especially shiny and crystal-like.
So, for food, the two of them headed out early this morning."
Lumine explained.
"Transparent slimes?
Probably just an Anemo slime with pale color."
Farmas nodded.
He had never heard of any "transparent slime."
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