Wangsheng Funeral Parlor
"Gible, let's go out~"
Director Hu Tao was walking with a spring in her step, as breezy as the wind. But unexpectedly, at the door, she almost bumped into her guest consultant, Zhongli, whom she hadn't seen for many days.
"Hey, Zhongli! Where have you been listening to storytelling and watching plays these past few days?" Hu Tao waved hello cheerfully.
Zhongli, composed as ever, replied, "I've been wandering around casually these past few days, not listening to storytelling or watching plays."
Hu Tao nodded.
Also, if Zhongli goes to any occasion where he has to pay to enjoy the meal or entertainment, the waiter will send the bill directly to the Wangsheng Funeral Parlor and ask me, the Director, to pay it.
Because Zhongli, as a consultant, is good at everything. He knows everything, is knowledgeable and wise about history and rituals... but the only bad thing is that he has absolutely no concept of money and never takes Mora with him when he goes out.
"This is..."
Zhongli's amber eyes narrowed slightly, fixed on the baby Gible standing next to Hu Tao.
This kind of strange beast was unfamiliar to Zhongli.
To know, "Zhongli" is just the mortal vessel that the Geo Archon, Morax (Rex Lapis), likes to use most when walking among his people.
With his status as the oldest among the Seven Archons, having experienced over six thousand years of history, for a moment, he actually couldn't identify what kind of strange beast this was.
"Hey hey hey."
"Now I finally know. It turns out you haven't been in Liyue Harbor for a few days!"
Hu Tao smiled, revealing her mischievous side.
"If you were in Liyue Harbor, no matter where you went, you would hear talk about my 'Fifty Million Mora'!"
Where has Zhongli been these past few days?
He seemed to have gone to Jueyun Karst to visit some Adepti for a gathering and chat. He also went to the place where the Dragon King Azhdaha was suppressed and sealed, paying tribute to his old friend with a bottle of good wine.
He is the Geo Archon. His footprints are all over the rivers and mountains in Liyue. He wants to see more of his land before he formally retires.
"Fifty Million Mora..." Zhongli thought thoughtfully. "So, is this a very expensive exotic beast? Exactly... how expensive is it?"
A black line of frustration stretched across Hu Tao's forehead.
She was wrong. She shouldn't have used Mora numbers to show off the preciousness of the baby Gible, because Zhongli had no concept of the value of Mora, despite being the one who created it.
"Forget it——"
Hu Tao hurriedly went out and waved her hand. "I want to take the Gible to the wild for training. See you later!"
After saying that, she ran away like a gust of wind, her Gible waddling quickly behind her.
"Gible... the name?"
Zhongli stood still, holding his chin, thinking for a long time. He confirmed that he had never seen a strange beast named 'Gible' in his life as a god.
"Interesting!"
"Requires… observation."
Zhongli's "fake" Vision was hanging on his waist. At this moment, with a thought in his mind, his gaze followed Hu Tao, who had already run to the outskirts of Lisha. The Vision glowed with a faint light of Geo.
The next moment, Zhongli disappeared from the spot.
When he reappeared, Zhongli was standing on a rocky mountain on the outskirts of Lisha, about a hundred meters away from Hu Tao, observing from a high vantage point.
Lisha Outskirts
Among the rugged mountains.
Hu Tao walked on the uneven ground with ease.
The Gible behind her was agile and surprisingly quick. It didn't match its chubby and clumsy appearance at all.
Suddenly, Hu Tao discovered several small Slimes and a Large Geo Slime not far away.
And it's a Slime with Rock (Geo) properties!
This kind of Slime is hard and durable. Adventurers will usually not touch it when they encounter it near a cliff. There is no need to make things difficult for themselves.
However, Hu Tao took out a spear that looked suspiciously like a burning stick (a practice weapon).
The tip of the spear pointed at the Slime group.
"Gible, charge~~"
"The decision is yours!"
"Gib!!"
Gible was not afraid when seeing many enemies. Hearing the order, it immediately launched a charge.
"Use Tackle!"
Bam!
Its hard head hit the Large Geo Slime that had not yet reacted.
This is a physical attack skill.
The Large Slime, which looked like a giant in front of the tiny Gible, was actually knocked back three to four meters.
Of course, there was only one raid. The few small Slimes around it reacted, chirping angrily, and immediately surrounded the Gible.
"Yeah! Be careful and use Sand Attack!!"
The Gible nodded solemnly and swept its chubby lower limbs hard on the ground, kicking up a large amount of sand and dust.
Huh?
Gugu??
The little Slimes all stagnated, affected by the rising dust, and lost their target accuracy.
The subsequent battle scenes followed this rhythm.
The Gible kept bumping into the little Slimes with Tackle, and when it was about to be surrounded, it blew up the sand with Sand Attack and escaped from the encirclement.
Slimes are generally some of the simplest monsters with limited means of attack.
They were actually tortured to defeat by the Gible's hit-and-run tactics.
Of course, the Large Geo Slime was too tough for the Gible to chew through. Even the most powerful Take Down currently mastered could only knock off a few rock fragments from its shield.
After Hu Tao finished off the Large Geo Slime with her spear, she wiped her forehead and broke out into a sweet sweat. It showed how hard the big slime's armor was.
Gible was even more tired and collapsed on the ground.
It looked pitifully towards its master.
"Gib~ (Hungry)!"
Hu Tao was prepared. She took out a box of High-End Energy Cubes, poured out five or six cubes, and placed them on a freshly folded large leaf.
"Good job——"
Hu Tao rubbed the Gible's smooth, shark-skin head.
After watching the baby shark eat for a while, Hu Tao smiled, took out the Pokédex (now functioning like a smartphone), and sent the video of the fight between the Gible and the Slimes that she had just recorded to the group chat without editing.
Hu Tao: [Video.AVI] My Gible is invincible!!
After the battle, the Gible was actually promoted to Level 4.
Hu Tao also posted this information in the group chat excitedly.
Hu Tao: Oh yeah! Fighting monsters in the wild works! Pokémon can indeed be trained and leveled up through combat!
On the Rocky Mountain
Zhongli, who was observing secretly, saw Hu Tao smiling sillyly, jumping up and cheering, and sometimes taking out a strange device to talk to the air.
If it were anyone else, it would most likely be assumed they were possessed by evil spirits.
But regarding Hu Tao... not to mention Zhongli, no one in Liyue Harbor was surprised by her eccentric behavior.
Hu Tao herself is a person who escapes definition.
"Why does that strange beast have a 'Dragon' aura on it?" Zhongli mused, crossing his arms. "Another kind of attribute breath is similar to Geo, but it is not Geo... rather, a feeling of being connected to the 'Ground' itself."
Zhongli fell into deep thought for a long time.
This is really the norm for the elderly Archon—pondering the nature of things.
"By the way, is that device from Fontaine?"
When he snapped out of his reverie and was about to take a closer look...
Caw... caw...
Hu Tao had disappeared long ago.
There seemed only to be the sound of falling leaves and crows flying by.
Zhongli stood alone on the peak, the wind ruffling his coat.
"I missed the opportunity," he murmured. "Next time, perhaps I should visit this 'Store Manager' directly."