Original God's Dark Priest

Saffir and Shaplow leaped down from the height and landed between the captain and Vulcan.

The arena was a mess; everyone looked grim because of the battle that had just taken place.

Seeing that Saffir had stopped her, Mavica knew that it was absolutely impossible for her to attack the captain today, because she could sense that the girl in front of her possessed strength no less than that of the captain.

She had already exhausted herself dealing with a captain, and in her current state, to be honest, it was already a mercy that the other party hadn't attacked her.

Having grasped the situation, Mavica simply stood up straight and looked coldly at Saphir.

The captain looked at Saffir and said calmly, "Aurora... don't interfere."

“Dark Priest…Aurora…” The captain’s words made Mavica realize the situation she was facing and made her understand even more clearly that not taking action was the right choice.

Saffir ignored the captain's words, her expression indifferent. She put her arm around his shoulder and helped him up.

Saffir glanced up at the wary Mavika and the two little ones who had just gotten up and scrambled to her side, then chuckled and waved at them: "Hey~"

As soon as he finished speaking, all the Fools, along with the few people at the door, vanished.

"Are you alright, Lord Vulcan?" Iansan finally breathed a sigh of relief and began to show concern for Mavica.

Mavica shook her head: "A formidable opponent, no wonder he's the First Seat of the Fatui Enforcers..."

Kinich felt somewhat incredulous about what had just happened: "There really is someone in this world who can rival Lord Vulcan... and..."

Aurora exuded an aura of oppression no less than the captain's. Were they here for the Winter Queen? If so, why bring up five hundred years ago?

“Yes, it always feels like they know Nata very well.” Ianshan couldn’t figure it out either, and could only nod. “And, Aurora…why is she protecting us?”

Mavica wasn't sure why either. She said, "The actions of the Fools' Enforcers are all driven by their own purposes, but they share a consensus on the matter of the Heart of God."

I've heard of Aurora. Before coming to Nata, she appeared in Mondstadt, Liyue, Inazuma, Sumeru, and Fontaine, and without exception, she was deeply involved in some major events in each of them.

So I wasn't surprised that she came to Nata. I can't say for sure what kind of person she is, but as things stand, she doesn't seem to have any ill intentions.

Based on some of the previous rumors surrounding her, protecting you is something she would do.

“Some of the rumors?” Kinich keenly noticed the contradiction in Mavica’s words.

Mavica nodded slightly: "The rumors are extremely polarized. Some say she is extremely cruel and bloodthirsty, good at torturing others, and a ruthless schemer."

Some say she is compassionate and kind, a savior who can be trusted and a powerful helper. I can't tell which is true.

"Perhaps...it's all true. It just depends on whether our positions are aligned. Those who are cruel to their enemies may not be incapable of being considerate of their subordinates and kind to their comrades. In fact, such partners are the ones who are truly trustworthy and reliable." Kinich accepted it well. He didn't reject such people, perhaps because he had been protected, so he subconsciously wanted to think the best of Saffir.

Ian Shan frowned and pondered for a moment before saying, "In any case, her strength should be beyond doubt."

Mavica nodded in agreement: "That's right. Actually, compared to the captain, I have a much better impression of her. It's not because of what happened today. You may not know, but Aurora is also a traveler's companion. They have never hidden this fact, so it was easy to find out."

"Is there another layer of relationship? Could we..." Ian Shan immediately thought of a plan.

Kinich shook his head slightly at her: "We're not exactly familiar with the Travelers these days. It's already a feat that she's willing to rescue Katsina. Let's not expect her to act as an intermediary."

If Aurora and the Traveler have different goals this time, I even suspect they might clash.

Ian Shan looked a little disappointed: "Oh, I see... okay."

She had actually considered trying to win over Saffir. He was powerful, kind, and ruthless—practically an ally born for Nata. If Saffir could help Nata out of respect for Ying, that would be fantastic.

Mavica chuckled and patted Ianshan on the shoulder: "Don't be so discouraged. I'm the God of Fire, so I have to bring this up no matter what. Of course, I'll try if I have the chance."

“Then we should put our plan on hold for now. The Fools have already started their operation. If we act rashly without knowing their stance, and they turn against us, we might not even have any means to retaliate.” Kinich was still cautious and suggested suspending the plan.

To everyone's surprise, Mavica shook her head and said very seriously, "We don't have time."

As she spoke, she frowned: "In my original impression, even if we couldn't completely kill the captain here, we could still inflict some injuries on him to buy some time and affect his strength."

"Is there a problem?" Kinich asked, puzzled, noticing Mavica's pale face.

Mavica sighed deeply: "Sigh... Do you know why Shadow Priest is such a troublesome person?"

"Because her strength is comparable to that of a god?" This was the first question that came to Iansan's mind.

Ginjic didn't say anything, but the agreement in his eyes showed that he thought the same thing.

Mavica shook her head with a wry smile: "Strength is only one aspect. What's most troublesome about her is her incomprehensible treatment methods."

It's said that... on a battlefield with a Shadow Priest present, even if someone is on their last breath, she can pull them back from the brink of death. And that's without any physical contact, within a few breaths.

"Zero contact? A few... breaths? This kind of medical skill... this... has already transcended the scope of medical skills, it belongs to divine magic, right?" Ginitch almost popped his eyes out.

Ianshan's breathing quickened. Unlike Kinich, she was thinking about the war between Nata and the Abyss. If the Shadow Priest could help Nata, what kind of impact would that person have on the current war situation? She didn't even dare to think about it.

“In other words, we must be prepared to face an unharmed captain at any time, and…” Kinich’s brows furrowed even more.

Mavica nodded: "And a Dark Priest who hasn't made a move yet, but is very likely no weaker than a god."

"Is it really impossible to cooperate?" Ian Shan murmured.

Both Mavica and Kinich glanced at her but did not answer.

Is cooperation really possible? Perhaps, but the current situation doesn't allow them to be optimistic.

Both Kinich and Mavica knew very well that the basis for cooperation was that the strength of the two sides was not too different, but the current Nata and the Fools were a whole god-level in strength.

In fact, this was a misjudgment caused by their lack of information. If they really understood Saphir, they would know that the difference between Nata and the Fools was not just one god, but a full seven god-level combat power.

It's just that this part of the combat force may not necessarily be deployed here.

What they understood was ultimately superficial.

Suppressing her thoughts, Mavica began to recall what she had just encountered: "Sighing and lamenting won't solve anything. I sensed something special within the captain just now, and I think it's necessary to investigate it."

"Kinich, I'd like to trouble you to go to the Lord of Smoke and find Sitrali."

“Alright, I’ll set off immediately. So, Lord Vulcan, you still need to…” Kinich accepted the task, but still hesitated.

Mavica feigned nonchalance: "Yeah, don't worry."

Now that things have come to this, we can only take a gamble: gamble that the Fools won't attack again so soon, and... gamble on the captain and the Shadow Priest's thoughts.

Thinking of this, Mavica couldn't help but smile bitterly to herself. Putting her own safety on the whim of the enemy was something no crazy gambler would do, but she had no choice but to.

Because this is the best way to save Nata, and perhaps not the only way, but only by doing so can the problem be solved once and for all.

She turned and left with Ianshan, her expression gradually hardening. If necessary, she would go to the Fools, mainly to negotiate with Saffir.

No matter the cost, she hoped to gain the other party's cooperation, even if it was just to save one more life. Any glimmer of hope was worth it.

Arriving at the sacred flame, her initial hesitation vanished. Gazing at the flames before her, her eyes reflected a warm light: "This land has never been solely ruled by gods. What we need to trust is the only path to Nata's future, one that we can jointly foresee."

She reached out her hand, gathered all her power, and poured it into the sacred fire.

After doing all this, her power as the god of fire will temporarily and completely disappear. In this way, if the Fatui attack, Nata will truly have no power to fight back.

But she didn't regret it, because the situation was already like this, and even if she saved up her strength, she couldn't defeat the combined attack of the captain and the Shadow Priest.

Although she didn't understand why the Shadow Priest had chosen to stand by and watch, she could guess a thing or two. From the captain's words, she could tell that the captain didn't want the Shadow Priest to get involved, perhaps because of his pride, or perhaps for other reasons.

But whatever the reason, going all in is an inevitable outcome. Saving up your strength won't stop anything, so it's better to give it all up and gamble on a future, gamble on a brighter future.

"Are you alright, Lord Vulcan?" Ianshan asked anxiously.

Mavica was silent for a while. Of course she was not feeling well. Anyone who suddenly lost their strength would collapse to the ground from the emptiness inside their body, but she managed to hold on.

She only swayed slightly before recovering, then forced a smile and half-jokingly said, "Don't worry, I just regret not taking a picture while my hair was still burning..."

Hehe, now there's no chance.

After saying that, she looked up into the distance, in the direction where Ying and the others were: "I hope they have a safe journey."

Just then, a phonograph camera wobbled down from mid-air and stopped right in front of Mavica.

A mischievous yet playful voice rang out: "I just took a picture of you, do you want to keep it as a souvenir?"

Upon hearing the voice, Mavica seemed completely unsurprised. She calmly took the camera, glanced at the photos, and then said, "Your photography skills still need improvement."

"I'm really sorry, but I usually get my photos taken by other people." Saffir floated in mid-air, half-lying down, casually hooking the lanyard of the phonograph with his finger.

If a sharp-eyed person could see, she wasn't floating in mid-air, but sitting on a pitch-black chain that extended out of the void and then disappeared back into it, leaving only a section just long enough for her to lie down on.

Upon seeing Saffir, Ianshan instantly went on guard: "It's...it's you! Shadow Priest Aurora!"

“Don’t be so loud, I’m not deaf.” Saffir picked at his ear and glanced at Ianshan.

Upon being glanced at by Saffir, Ianshan fell silent instantly, but then, remembering that Mavica had lost her power, she stubbornly stood in front of Mavica.

“He is indeed loyal.” Safiel said with a forced smile.

Mavica wasn't nervous, after all, she had long considered the possibility of the Fools making a comeback, but she didn't expect it to happen so soon.

She composed herself and asked, "Why aren't you here with the captain? Do you want to fight again? You're probably going to be disappointed. I've lost my divine power and am just an ordinary person now."

"The captain is angry with me. He won't let me get treatment and even kicked me out." Saffir pretended to be angry. "I'm angry, so I'll just wander around. I'm too lazy to fight."

Mavica and Ianshan exchanged a glance. They hadn't expected Saffir to be like this in private; it was somewhat...uncomfortable.

After thinking for a moment, Mavica said to Ianshan, "The arena has been damaged after this upheaval. Please contact someone to arrange for its repair."

“But…” Ianshan was a little worried, and afraid that saying it would anger Saffir, so she didn’t know what to say.

But Saffir saw through her little scheme at a glance and scoffed, "You're acting like you can stop me just because you're here."

Mavica chuckled and said, "It's alright, go ahead."

Saffir's words were harsh, but his reasoning was sound, and Ianshan could only leave, looking back every few steps.

After Ianshan left, Mavica stopped smiling and looked directly at Saffir. She didn't believe the nonsense about the captain getting angry and kicking Saffir out.

Saffir's purpose for this trip could not have been as simple as just strolling around. Since he wasn't there to fight, it must have been to negotiate.

After a brief moment of mental preparation, she took the initiative to speak: "Miss Dark Priest, please be frank about your purpose. As you can see, we have no power to resist."

Saffir knew that Mavica had lost the power of the gods, but she was not one to take advantage of someone in distress: "First, let me relay the captain's message: since he was defeated by you, the Fools will not seize the Heart of God by force."

"You're lucky. The captain was in charge of Operation Nata; I was just an assistant, so I didn't have decision-making power. Since he's chosen to give up, I won't insist either."

Before Mavica could even breathe a sigh of relief, Saffir's eyes narrowed slightly: "The second thing, you... sent my little girl to the Kingdom of Night?"