Genshin Impact: Pool Character, Nirvana of the Demon God

(Missing character, to be added later)

After warning Iya—if that cold, icy gaze, devoid of any warmth, could truly be considered a "warning"—

Candice slowly withdrew her gaze and turned to the three guests inside the village chief's house in Aru Village, whose breathing had not yet calmed down and whose momentum was still strong:

El-Hysen, Seno, and Desia.

Her steps were calm and steady, her skirt fluttering slightly, as if she were treading on the most peaceful moment in the gaps between the sandstorms.

Standing at the side of the wooden table, she smiled slightly, but her voice was as calm as still water: "Let's leave the small talk here."

"Now—it's time to get down to business."

Her gaze swept over the lingering sharpness between the three men's brows, her tone remaining calm, yet each word struck like a stone:

"As the guardian of Aru Village, I had been watching your dispute from a distance for a long time before the sandstorm arrived. Fortunately, not a single villager was harmed."

"Now that you have stepped under the eaves of the village, my duty is no longer to merely stand by and watch—"

"We must also ensure that this peace is not torn apart by any old grudges."

She leaned slightly forward, tapping the table three times with her fingertips, the rhythm distinct, like drumbeats, like a countdown:

"Please be open and honest with each other. Try to let go of prejudices and dispel hostility... even if it's just a small step."

Before she finished speaking, she had already slowly circled the wooden table, her gaze sharp as a blade, sweeping over the aloofness in Elhesen's lowered eyes, the restrained tension in Seno's knuckles, and the undercurrent of resentment beneath Dixia's crossed arms—finally stopping between the three, her smile not reaching her eyes:

"I must remind you—under this roof, if anyone can't restrain themselves and makes a rash move..."

She paused briefly, when suddenly the cry of an eagle broke the silence outside the window, and the wind whipped up sand that rustled against the windowpane.

"...Then I'll have to ask the wolf pack and scorpion king deep in the desert to give me some 'advice' on my behalf."

[Paimon mutters to himself: "This lady is so gentle and reliable... Compared to those 'Ice Cave Trio' over there, she's like sunshine breaking through the frozen ground~"]

[↑—Three seconds later, Paimon's forehead broke out in a fine sweat, and his pupils dilated.]

[Candice is such a good person~ "Gentle", haha... (voice automatically muted)]

[The Tense Four: Forced Team Building Activity]

[To summarize the core of this scene in one sentence: A body of four stars, suppressing the winds and clouds of all directions; a seat beside him, overshadowing the power of three unparalleled masters.]

[Beast's inner monologue: ??? You're asking me to beat up three five-star soldiers? I'm afraid I can't even withstand the dust they kick up with their breath...]

Paimon froze on the spot, his wings trembling slightly, and stammered, "I...I take back what I just said...really! Not a single word!"

Iya slowly and deliberately pushed up his glasses, which weren't actually on his nose, as if a glint of light flashed from the lenses. A hint of certainty and schadenfreude played on his lips.

"Heh... I knew it. My feeling was right, Sister Candice is definitely not a kind person."

Ying stood quietly to the side, and upon hearing this, she simply shook her head slightly, a faint yet profound smile appearing on her lips, without uttering a word.

Dixia, who had been keeping her arms crossed the whole time, let out a short "tsk" sound. Before the last syllable had even faded, it met Candice's clear, unwavering eyes—calm, unquestionable, and brooking no perfunctory response.

Then Candice said:

"You're no exception, Miss Dixia."

"And the reply?"

Upon hearing this, Dixia could only sigh helplessly and say, "Eh... I understand, I understand, Candice."

Candice finally smiled genuinely, a smile warm yet substantial, nodding as gently as a breeze rippling through the wheat fields: "Very good. Then—"

She tapped the table lightly with her fingertips, her gaze sweeping across the screen. "Who will be the first to untie this knot?"

Desia smiled slightly, her fingertips lightly tapping the hilt of the greatsword at her waist, her tone calm yet sharp:

"I'm also a mediator—although my methods are a bit too radical. Perhaps I should ask the two from the Academy to speak up and make things clear first."

Paimon floated in mid-air, spreading his little hands, his tone full of undisguised doubt: "You call that mediation?"

"This is clearly 'physical silence'..."

Iya nodded slightly, a sly smile playing in his amber eyes: "But if 'stopping the operation' is the goal itself, then isn't that the most direct and effective form of mediation?"

She turned her gaze to Seno and Elhesen, her voice clear and firm: "Besides, if it weren't for Sister Dixia's sudden appearance and overwhelming presence, these two brothers would probably have already clashed again—they probably wouldn't even have time to prepare the case files for the second round before they had to write the battle report."

Ying smiled slightly, lifted the soft Yi Ya in her arms, and continued speaking in a calm tone with a hint of teasing: "It's exactly the same logic as Shen He's—as long as you press their heads down and slam them on the ground three times, the fight will stop immediately."

"If she were here, she would probably roll up her sleeves and say, 'I checked the pressure; it won't cause any damage, but it will make her fully conscious.'"

Before she could finish speaking, two pairs of eyes had already quietly fallen on her and Iya—from Seno and Elhesen.

There was no hostility or fear in his gaze, only a kind of almost frozen curiosity that had been unexpectedly exposed in his logical blind spot.

How could these two beautiful young women with such different temperaments speak in such a nonchalant tone about such a chilling "peace plan"?

However, after a moment, the two tacitly averted their gazes, their expressions returning to solemnity. The real confrontation never occurred between fists and feet, but rather on the blade of words.

Sino spoke first, his voice deep and sharp, like gravel grinding on stone steps: "I have nothing to hide. It won't hurt to say it."

He paused briefly, his gaze sweeping over the crowd, before clearly stating, "Elhesen is right—"

“The disciplinary officers did not know my whereabouts not because I was carrying out a ‘shady mission’... but because I voluntarily chose ‘self-exile’.”

"Self-exile?" Paimon tilted his head, his voice full of confusion.

Iya narrowed his eyes slightly, his fingertips unconsciously stroking the hem of his clothes, as if he were retrieving a similar shadow from the depths of his memory:

"...Somewhat like my uncle?"

She raised her face, her speech slowing down, carrying the thoughtful warmth unique to young people: "Possessing the abilities of an immortal, yet refusing the title of immortal because of no real achievements; not because the world does not bestow it upon me, but because I dare not accept it."

“So… Brother Seno,” she looked directly into his eyes, her pupils reflecting the candlelight, “do you feel—you’re not worthy of the title ‘Grand Disciplinary Officer’? Or…”

She paused slightly, her voice soft yet extremely steady: "You think this title is unworthy of you?"

Sino's pupils suddenly contracted.

That moment of astonishment was like a stone thrown into a cold pool; the ripples were silent yet penetrated to the bone.

He never imagined that the wavering he had hidden deep in his heart, which even his most trusted colleagues had not noticed, would be so gently dissected by a seemingly innocent young girl with such precise words.

Actually, Iya only guessed half of it correctly.

She only vaguely felt that the aloof arrogance of Sino was somewhat similar to the haughtiness of her uncle when he refused to apply for a license plate; as for why he refused and why he went away, she did not delve into it.

But she didn't need to delve into it.

Because someone in the shadows already knew everything.

Nasita stood quietly at the boundary between light and shadow, her fingertips twirling a golden leaf that was about to fall.

She saw through the unspoken weariness in Sino's eyes and understood the subtle question beneath the "feeling unworthy"—not a denial of the position, but a silent inquiry into the very foundation of the system.

She was unable to appear in person, nor could she ask on her behalf.

So she quietly entrusted this weighty question to Iya, who was most adept at speaking sharp truths in a naive tone.

After a long silence, Sino lowered his eyes and spoke in a deep voice like the lingering sound of an ancient bell: "...A few months ago, I was reviewing the records of the instructors at the Academy of Educational Sciences and found large blank spaces in the project planning and execution files."

"The data is severely out of sync with the actual progress, and the loopholes are glaringly obvious."

“As the Grand Inspector, I have the right and the responsibility to request verification. But the person in charge of that part of the files… is none other than the royalist leader—Hazar himself.”

Ying nodded slightly, her tone flat, yet it was like a blade flashing with a cold light: "Oh, the fattest parasite in the Order of the Fathers."

Sino neither confirmed nor denied, and continued, "I investigated privately for a long time before submitting the application."

"But all the clues and all the physical evidence seemed to have been carefully wiped clean by an invisible hand—spottly clean, precisely avoiding every touch I made."

"It was at that moment that I truly understood... that they had been on guard against me from the very beginning."

He raised his eyes, his gaze sharp as a blade, slowly slicing through the air: "The application was rejected on the spot after it was submitted."

"At the very end, he said one more thing to me—"

"The power of the Grand Judge is bestowed by the virtuous. You have no right to judge us."

El-Hysen chuckled and said, "So, there really is something fishy going on?"

Seno continued explaining why he left the Vicarage: "I realized then that in Hazard's eyes, the disciplinary officers were merely tools to help them control 'knowledge.'"