Genshin Impact world.
After testing the damage, the Traveler and the others wanted to go back to find Kachina.
When they spotted Kachina in the crowd, they noticed that there were two unfamiliar figures by her side—a boy and a girl.
"You're the Traveler that Kachina mentioned, right?" The girl with wheat-colored skin and white hair greeted them enthusiastically. "I'm Mualani from the 'People of the Springs.' Nice to meet you."
"I'm Kinich from the Scions of the Canopy," the black-haired boy said in a calm tone.
After a brief round of introductions, the Traveler had now met all of Natlan's key figures, and they soon started chatting about the damage tester.
"That guy Rios is always going on about how busy busy busy he is, and it turns out he's just been busy with this stuff?" Looking at the warriors lining up in a long queue in front of the damage tester, Mualani furrowed her brows slightly, looking a bit resentful.
"Is Rios a craftsman from Natlan?" Paimon asked curiously, then chuckled lightly. "To make a tester that even the Traveler can't break—that craftsman's skills are pretty impressive."
"Uh..."
After Paimon finished saying that, Natlan's three little ones immediately froze in place, their faces full of embarrassment.
"Huh? Why are you all making that kind of face?" Paimon shrank back in fright. "I didn't say something wrong again, did I?"
"Actually... Rios is the name of the Lord Pyro Archon," Kinich ultimately revealed the truth.
"Ah?!" Paimon jumped in shock.
From Mualani's tone, she had thought that this person named Rios was just an ordinary guy, but it turned out to be the renowned Lord Pyro Archon?
"If I called him a craftsman behind his back, will he think I'm insulting him?" Paimon said fearfully.
What if, next time, a few arrows made of flames came flying from the sky and pierced right through her body?
"Little Paimon, no need to feel scared," Mualani said with a smile, comforting her. "You'll be fine."
"Does your Lord Pyro Archon have a really good temper?" Paimon widened her eyes and looked over with full of hope.
"No," Mualani clenched her fist, her expression firm as she said, "If Rios tries to bully you, just watch how I teach him a lesson!"
"So you're saying you want to fight the Lord Pyro Archon too?!" Paimon retorted.
Watching the scene of Paimon interacting with Mualani, the Traveler's lips curved into a gentle smile.
Then, she took light steps over to Kachina's side and quietly asked, "Is Mualani on good terms with the Lord Pyro Archon?"
"Mm-hmm." Kachina nodded. "Mualani and the Lord Pyro Archon grew up together in the 'People of the Springs' since they were little. When she saw the Lord Pyro Archon qualify for godhood, Mualani was so thrilled that she picked me up and swung me around nonstop."
"But after the Lord Pyro Archon ascended to godhood, he never met Mualani again. Maybe that's why the lively, cheerful, always-happy Mualani harbors a bit of resentment," Kachina said.
"He's around the same age as Mualani?" Hearing the girl's words, Lumine's heart skipped a beat.
Back during the 'Children of Echoes' events, she had heard the warriors there say that this generation's Pyro Archon was a young man.
At the time, it hadn't felt particularly special—after all, she'd even seen the loli Grass God, so what was so unusual about a teenage Pyro Archon?
But after realizing that the Pyro Archon was the same age as Mualani, in his teens, she suddenly remembered that Natlan's Pyro Archon was served by a human.
A teenage Pyro Archon... that was truly quite young. He was probably the type who'd get kicked out of a tavern for trying to drink.
"Sorry to interrupt your lively chat." Kinich's words drew everyone's attention. "While the arena crowd is focused on the damage tester, it's best if we head to the registration desk to complete our sign-ups first."
"Right!"
Mualani said excitedly: "After such a long time, we can finally participate in the Pilgrimage of the Returning Flame Saint's Night again. This time, we're definitely going to make it a dazzling show."
"Mualani seems really looking forward to this Pilgrimage of the Returning Flame Saint's Night."
Seeing the girl's excited expression, Paimon said in some surprise.
"It's not just her—most of the warriors who came here are probably looking forward to the upcoming event."
Kinich explained: "The Pilgrimage of the Returning Flame Saint's Night is the highest honor for the vast majority of people. Even though this isn't an official event, plenty of folks are still signing up enthusiastically."
"It's just a shame there's no Night Warden Wars for direct confrontations with the Abyss monsters."
A yellow pixelated little dragon floated beside Kinich, speaking in an extremely arrogant and punchable tone, smugly saying: "Otherwise, we could watch idiot Kinich get beaten until he's rolling on the ground looking for his teeth."
"A-a talking dragon?" Paimon stared in wide-eyed shock.
Even though in others' eyes, Paimon was a talking floating spirit herself, that didn't stop her from being stunned by Ajaw's existence.
"Forgot to introduce him. His name's Ajaw—talks in a really grating way. Just pretend you didn't hear him."
As soon as Kinich finished explaining to Paimon, he turned his head to look at the pixelated little dragon by his side, then raised his arm, green flames erupting from his palm: "I just thought you'd finally learned your lesson, and now you want to get burned again?"
"Damn Kinich!" Ajaw cursed in rage. "Just because you can use a bit of Pyro element, you dare lay hands on the great holy dragon?!"
"That guy Rios must be blind to give a Vision to someone like you. If you've got the guts, toss the Vision away, and we'll have a proper fight?"
"Awoooow, stop burning! I was wrong, I was wrong, okay?!"
"Kinich, just you wait—I'll be back!"
Ajaw still wanted to scrap with Kinich, but the latter unhesitatingly lit his tail with green fire, sending him howling through the air.
"The Lord Pyro Archon gave me the Vision for his own reasons—no need for your judgment," Kinich said, arms crossed. "Also, I have no obligation to accept your duel challenge. Since I received the power of the Vision, I need to use it properly."
Unfortunately, his words didn't reach Ajaw's ears.
After getting singed by the green fire, Ajaw wailed and flew off somewhere else to find water and put out the flames.
"Ajaw's been disciplined so many times, but he still hasn't changed at all," Kachina said.
"Were they always like this before?" Paimon asked curiously.
"Yeah." Kachina nodded lightly. "But there have been some slight changes."
"Kinich used to smack Ajaw with his palm when dealing with him. Ever since the Lord Pyro Archon got his Vision, he switched to burning him with fire," Kachina said.
"Is Kinich's Vision a 'replica Vision'?" Hearing the girl's explanation, Lumine's eyes turned to Kinich's pant leg, where she noticed that the Vision did indeed have some subtle differences in details from Kachina's.
"My Vision is indeed a replica made by the Lord Pyro Archon," Kinich said. "On the day I received it, the Lord Pyro Archon even joked with me about it."
"What joke?" Mualani leaned in curiously. "It's been so long since I last heard Rios tell a joke."
"If you want to hear it, I can share, but I can't guarantee it'll be funny," Kinich said slowly. "He said that, if we go by colors, Kachina of the 'Children of Echoes' would get a Geo Vision, Mualani of the 'People of the Springs' would get a Hydro Vision—"
"Then, as someone from the Scions of the Canopy, I should get a Dendro Vision," Kinich said. "But he gave me the Pyro Vision first, throwing off the pattern."
"Do you think that's funny?"
At those words—
Everyone awkwardly scratched their cheeks, looking at each other in confusion, trying to read answers from each other's faces, but in the end, they came up empty.
"I can't feel the punchline anywhere," Paimon said, spreading her hands.
"Maybe only Cyno from Sumeru could get the joke," the Traveler nodded.
"Hahaha, even after becoming the Pyro Archon, Rios's joke-telling skills are still as rotten as ever!" Mualani burst into cheerful laughter, as if she'd truly heard something hilarious.
The people in the Genshin Impact world thought it was nothing special upon hearing it.
But the players, upon seeing it, were thrilled beyond measure.
[No wonder Kinich suddenly switched from Dendro to Pyro—it was all the Pyro Archon's doing!]
[Lord Pyro Archon, could you maybe send a Vision to Teacher Albedo too? I think Albedo with Pyro could still be salvaged.]
[Why not say swap Cyno to Pyro too? That one's truly in need of saving.]
[No way, Cyno's kit—even if swapped to Pyro, it couldn't be saved. Might even make him worse.]
[Then let's still go save Teacher Albedo.]