Original God's Dark Priest

Not knowing what was happening, Ying and Paimon embarked on a new adventure with the hope of support.

Like Krevi, they decided to follow the road and see if they could meet anyone so that they could find out where this place was.

However, after walking for a distance, the first thing they encountered was not people, but a group of paper...animals.

Well, literally, animals made out of paper.

At this time, Ying and Paimon were looking at two paper frogs. One of them had color on its body and looked more energetic, while the other one seemed to have faded, and the whole frog was wilted and looked listless.

After the colored frog had jumped, it turned around and actually spoke: "Oh! For the sake of the lotus field, Xiquan, you haven't forgotten how to jump here, have you?"

"I... I didn't forget, firecrackers. I'm just... not sure if I remembered it correctly." The frog named Xiquan said this, but did not jump out.

Looking at these two frogs, Ying had only one thought: if she was not crazy, then this was most likely a fantasy world similar to a dream.

The conversation between the frogs continued. Through their conversation, Ying and Paimon learned some information, such as the faded frog must have some problems, and there was something called magic thread on their bodies, which should have some function.

Ying calmly analyzed everything that was happening, but Paimeng wasn't so calm. She pointed at the frog that was gradually moving away in panic: "You...you saw it too, right? This isn't just my hallucination, is it?!"

Ying's face was expressionless: "I saw it. The paper frog spoke and jumped away."

Anyway, this is good news. The frogs here can communicate, and also... Paimon also saw it, so I am not crazy, or rather, I am not the only one who is crazy.

Paimeng felt a little terrified when she thought about it: "Things are becoming increasingly confusing..." She looked at the direction the frogs had gone, and as if she had made up her mind, she encouraged herself, "Never mind! Let's catch up first. Those two... um... paper frogs don't look bad either. It shouldn't be a problem to ask them for directions."

Ying walked quickly, trying to follow the paper frog, but unfortunately, the paper frog was faster than she expected, and she accidentally lost it.

Paimon was a little annoyed: "They jumped too fast, didn't they? They are frogs after all... I didn't even see where they jumped to in the end."

Ying scratched her head, her eyes wandering a little unnaturally. In fact, she was distracted when tracking the frog just now, which led to her losing it.

It's embarrassing to even say it out loud. If Saphir finds out, Ying can imagine his expression. He'll definitely say something sullen, "Huh? The great traveler can't even catch up with a frog? Don't tell anyone you know me when you go out. It's embarrassing... so embarrassing."

But Ying was worrying too much. Saphir was very tolerant of her and would not say bad things or be sarcastic to her just because of some small mistakes.

That person isn't that...bad.

Just as they were standing at a crossroads, somewhat at a loss, a paper hamster suddenly appeared and asked in a slightly hoarse voice, "Excuse me, are you two coming from the Cliff of Prophecy over there?"

Ying looked at the paper hamster and found that it was also faded. She frowned slightly. It seemed that fading was not an isolated case.

But Paimon didn't think too much about it. Her focus was: "Woo! Fat Rat... spoke!"

Ying held her forehead and said, "You were already shocked once when the frog spoke just now, so the emotion is also new... It's hard for me to cooperate with you when you are so jumpy."

On the other side, after hearing what Paimon said, the Paper Hamster was the first to break down: "Fat? Who are you calling Fat Hamster? I'm just a little thicker in the paper!"

Ying really wanted to say that there was no need to dwell on this issue, but seeing that the hamster seemed very eager to prove himself, she felt that it would be impolite to interrupt.

As if noticing her somewhat troubled expression, the hamster decisively changed the subject: "Ahem, sorry for the embarrassing incident. Let me introduce myself. My name is Xingren, and I am an elder of this Blessed Forest. I am waiting here for the hero foretold in the prophecy."

"The hero in the prophecy?" Paimon scratched his head, feeling that these words were so familiar.

She rolled her eyes and thought about it. Well, the previous Narcissus Cross Society incident was about the Dragon Warrior and so on. Now it happened again today. She was a little tired of it.

Thinking this in her heart, she turned to Ying: "Ying, why don't you pinch me? I think I must not wake up yet."

Ying was also a little tired. In some cases, even though you said you were a hero and you had to defeat the dragon, the devil, the evil dragon, the destroyer, etc., in fact, you were just working in vain.

"This is a very despicable act of freeloading and must be firmly resisted." Ying remembered what Safir had said.

What's the point of a hero? Defeating the Demon King is the ultimate effort, and then the world is at peace, returning to the essence of human struggle. As a super-powerful warrior, if a hero doesn't ascend to the throne and become a ruler, he's destined to become a feared existence.

Someone will always try to kill him to eliminate the threat.

But if he ascends the throne and becomes the ruler, then you have lost your original intention, the hero has become the dragon, and then a new round of Dragon Quest will begin.

Very boring and clichéd story.

This is Safire's evaluation of such stories, and he produced a series of Yaedo light novels as evidence to prove that what he said is true.

——From the second-in-command of a Fatui executive who confidently made up stories after being caught slacking off and reading a novel.

Ying felt that this made a lot of sense and even opened up a new world. So, facing this situation, she developed an escapist mentality: "Let's pinch each other."

She wanted to wake up too.

Unexpectedly, Xingren got a little excited after hearing this: "Do you need my help to pinch it? But my arms are not that long, you have to get closer..."

Paimon waved his hands repeatedly: "No, we just need to calm down. Wait for me to sort it out."

In fact, Ying and Xiao Paimeng both knew very well that this was not a dream, and the fact that the cave gate certificate could not be used showed that this was a place that A Yuan's magical power could not reach.

So, to put it bluntly, they couldn't escape. Whether they wanted to be heroes or not, they probably had to do this job.

No matter where you are, building good relations with the indigenous people is the best choice, especially for those who position themselves as decent characters, such as Ying.

"What is certain is that this is definitely not the world we are familiar with, because the trees on the roadside and the talking paper animals are too unusual." Paimon began to analyze the current situation and tried to understand it.

Xingren said as a matter of course: "The brave warriors from another world and their companions will bring peace back to this world... That's what the prophecy says."

Ying scratched her cheek: "Prophecy? This world?"

The smell is too strong. Is this a shortened and rebroadcast version of The Sinner's Dance?

Ying felt that the paper animal should not look for a hero, but for a dragon. Even if that dragon wasn't called Navilette, it would still be better than looking for herself. Of course, she also had to look for a water goddess named Finina.

Only these two can save the world.

That’s what Ying thought.

But Xingren didn't know what she was thinking, and she was wishful thinking and believed that Ying was the hero: "Oh, look at my Almond brain that is about to break down... I was so excited about the arrival of the hero that I forgot to introduce this world to you.

Could it be that this page of mine has really faded away…"

"It's okay, it's okay. Take your time and tell us. We just want to hear what this place is." Paimon was still very kind. Hearing the melancholy in Xingren's tone, he hurried forward to comfort her.

However, Ying felt a sense of déjà vu.

The fading frog, known for its beautiful singing voice, and the knowledgeable fading hamster, an elder...

Why does this fading look so... worn?

And that frog and this hamster couldn't possibly correspond to those two old... ahem, old friends, right?

After spending so much time with Safir, I almost blurted out the word Lao Deng, but luckily I reacted quickly.

Thinking of this, Ying also became interested. If this was a fantasy world and corresponded to some things in Teyvat, then she would not be sleepy anymore.

"Let me think about where to start... I have almost forgotten everything that happened in the past..." Xingren muttered as he spoke haltingly.

After Xingren's story, Ying and Paimon finally understood some information about this world.

“Long, long ago, three goddesses created this world called Himulanka.

The goddess of creation, who controls magic and matter, gave us life, and thus gave form to plants, trees, mountains, and rivers. It is because of her that Himulanka survives in many worlds...

Next is the goddess of prophecy who controls the stars and their orbits. She makes the starry sky rotate and the world flow... Her statue still stands on the top of the Star Track Royal City.

Finally, there is the goddess of fate who controls all stories and wishes. She has given us undying love and fiery hatred, and taught us what death and hope are…”

After hearing this, Ying's first thought was the legend about the March Goddess that has been circulating in Teyvat, and she became convinced that this was a small world that alluded to Teyvat.

Paimon was simple-minded and didn't think too much about it, but he still admired it: "That sounds amazing, he is a capable god."

Xingren immediately became a little proud when he mentioned this: "Of course, every new resident of Ximulanka will come to the forest to thank the goddess of creation for casting them, and go to the royal city to pray for the oracle of the goddess of prophecy...

Finally, I will go to the end of the world and tell the goddess of fate my wish..." As it was speaking, it suddenly changed the subject, "Ah... until recently..."

Paimon's interest was piqued, and he immediately asked, "Eh? Not long ago? Did something bad happen?"

"Bring peace back to the world." Ying said this lightly, and everything was self-explanatory.

After hearing Ying's words, Paimon also reacted: "Oh, right, does this have something to do with the hero you need to wait for?"

Xingren nodded vigorously, "Well, even though I've forgotten a lot of things, I definitely won't forget the day the evil dragon that covered the sky descended...

It descended from the sky, wrapped in an ominous black mist, and flattened our homeland... Its huge footprints are still left in the Lingfeng Kingdom... We are lucky that no one was killed or injured..."

"How scary..." Paimon exclaimed.

Ying thought silently. She had no doubt that this dragon corresponded to one of the dragons on the continent of Teyvat, and she also had a guess as to which one it was.

There are actually only two dragons called magic dragons at present, one is Durin and the other is Erinath.

Who was it? She preferred Du Lin.

Because Erinus is... more like a whale than a dragon, and it probably has no legs.

Of course, she wasn't so arbitrary in her judgment. Perhaps it wasn't the case at all? No one stipulated that there were only two dragons in Teyvat.

Xingren sighed. "That's not the only thing that's terrifying... Since then, the Ink Tavern in the forest has been closed for some reason. This is a disaster for the residents of the forest..."

Hearing this, Ying and little Paimon's expressions turned strange. Paimon asked doubtfully, "The tavern is closed? Is that serious? If this happened in Mond, I could understand it."

After all, that place is a country full of drunkards. If there is no alcohol, it will be a disaster. But if it is somewhere else...

Well, I still don’t understand.

"Goddess of Creation, this is more terrifying than a forest flood!" Xingren said in a horrified tone. "Wet paper can be dried, fallen trees can be propped up... but the Ink Tavern provides the magic water that the forest dwellers rely on for survival!"

"What water?" Paimon suspected that she had heard it wrong. Did she hear magic water or ink?

Almond explained, "The magic potion that sustains our lives... is a gift from the Goddess of Creation to this forest."

"What will happen if I don't drink it?" Ying was curious about the consequences.

Xingren pondered for a moment before saying, "Well... our bodies will gradually wrinkle, crack, and eventually fade. We will forget many things, even who we are..."

Looking at Elder Almond, whose body had no color, Ying seemed to be lost in thought.

The case is solved. The paper animals here are faded because they haven't had alcohol in a long time. Okay, this is very Barbatos.

If Wendy doesn't drink for a month, his color will fade, right?

Paimon felt a little sympathetic: "Does that mean, Elder Xingren, you also..."

"Well... my color has almost faded. To be honest, I only remember that I have to wait here for the hero, but I have forgotten who asked me to wait here..." Xingren said a little distressed.

In fact, it has forgotten more than it has said. For example, it has forgotten what the hero looks like, so that even if he comes in front of it, it will probably be difficult to recognize him.

Just because Ying was an outsider, it unilaterally believed that Ying and Paimon were heroes, without considering that the girl did not have the sword that represented her identity as a hero.

Paimon said anxiously, "Well, we have to hurry up, hurry up! Is there anything we can help with?"

"Oh! Brave elf and her companions, may the goddess of fate reward your kindness." Almond gave a sincere blessing.

On the other side, Saphir had already learned about the disappearance of Ying and little Paimon.

Safir was dazed for a moment after hearing the news, then looked at Valentina who was blaming herself and asked: "What happened then?"

"I don't know either. I sent them to the library, and then left to ask someone to prepare tea for them. Afterwards, that person told me that the traveler was not in the library, so I went to look for him immediately, and the result..." The result is self-evident. She didn't find him, so she came to report it as soon as possible.

The disappearance of a traveler was a big deal, and without wasting a second she quickly ran over to tell Saphir.

Hearing Valentina's words, Safir waved his hand and let her go. It was not her fault.

After taking a look at Aratake Ichito and Yomiuri who had finished hunting the frog and were resting, Saphir called Alice again.

As soon as the call was connected, Saphir asked, "Old witch, are you trying to trick me?"

She had no doubt that Alice had done it, so she felt no sense of guilt when questioning her.

Because Saphir's tone was so firm, Alice didn't even realize that he was calling her an old witch.

"Huh? I tricked you? What did I trick you about? If you don't explain it to me clearly, I'll be angry!"