Genshin Impact: Pool Character, Nirvana of the Demon God

The group gathered under the old, gnarled poplar tree at the entrance of Aru Village, talking quietly with the village chief, Uncle Anpu.

The wind whipped up fine sand, which rustled past the corners of my clothes in the stillness reminiscent of the lingering sound of camel bells.

Sino nodded slightly, his demeanor humble and calm, his voice low and clear like a desert night wind: "Mr. Village Chief, I was also born in this yellow sand, but I have been away from my hometown for a long time, and the sandstorms of my homeland have long faded into a faint shadow in my memory."

"May I ask—is a sandstorm like today, which blots out the sky, now a common occurrence in Aru Village?"

Uncle Anpu slowly shook his head, his brow furrowed as deep as a dried-up riverbed, his gaze fixed on the distant, hazy, gray-yellow horizon: "I wouldn't say it's always been like this, but in the last year or two, it has certainly become increasingly ferocious—"

"It came faster, blew longer, and rose higher, as if the earth was panting and the wind was coughing out the bitterness that had accumulated for thousands of years."

His voice deepened slightly: "It wasn't just the sandstorm... A few days ago, there were also rumbling tremors from underground. The old well water remained murky for three days, the sheep were restless all night, and even the sand lizards abandoned their burrows and fled."

“An investigator who was temporarily staying in the village once said,” he lowered his voice, “that these strange phenomena were all caused by the withering of the World Tree.”

Paimon suddenly clenched his small hands, and the halo floating in mid-air swayed slightly: "Again... the World Tree has withered?"

"Could it be understood this way—deep in the forest, it gives rise to the 'dead zone,' devouring life; and in the desert beneath our feet, it manifests as raging sandstorms and tremors, tearing at the earth's very bones?"

"You could just say sandstorms and earthquakes," Ying retorted.

Al-Hysen lightly traced the edge of the book with his fingertips, his tone as calm as the yellowed pages of an ancient scroll as he explained his insights: "The World Tree is not an isolated tree, but rather the root that sustains all things."

"Its decline never affects only one place—the desert weeps, the rainforest decays, the snowfields lose their heat..."

"They are all different echoes of the same dying heartbeat. The so-called 'local symptoms' are nothing more than the long shadow cast by the overall collapse on the earth."

Dixia sighed softly, the sand tapping against the bracelet on her wrist with a soft rustling sound: "Alas... the villagers of Aru Village, you'd better be on your guard at all times."

Before she could finish speaking, she suddenly paused, her gaze sweeping over the empty watchtower and the silent stone steps at the village entrance, her brows furrowing slightly.

"Speaking of which... this time when I came back, I didn't see a single 'village guardian'. Not even a shadow of them."

Paimon tilted his head, his eyes blinking like a startled sparrow: "'Village Guardian'? Who's that? Is he more formidable than a guard like Candice?"

Sino glanced at her, his eyes calm yet holding the low clouds before a sandstorm: "...You're really curious."

He paused briefly, his voice low and restrained, "The 'village guardian' mentioned by the villagers of Aru is actually a scholar who was exiled here by the Church and whose mind is gradually deranged."

"Most of them had spent many years in seclusion at Daocheng Forest, but ultimately they stumbled and fell from the precipice of knowledge, becoming 'mad scholars' with broken words and bizarre behavior."

“Some in the Instruction Council asserted that their delusions would spread to reason like a plague, so in the name of ‘purifying the temple of learning,’ they banished them to the desert—leaving them to fend for themselves.”

He raised the corners of his lips slightly, but the smile did not reach his eyes. "In my eyes, this is nothing more than an expulsion disguised as rationality."

"That's all nonsense."

Everyone understood that the so-called "some people" actually referred to those parasites in the royalist faction.

Ying spoke softly, her voice like stardust falling into a pottery jar: "Tinari also mentioned... Haibasha, who almost got exiled to the desert."

Uncle Anpu sighed deeply, pressing his hand heavily on the mottled trunk of the poplar tree, as if trying to use the steadiness of the thousand-year-old wood to suppress the unease in his heart: "Alas, this is also what we've been investigating recently. All the village guardians have mysteriously disappeared one by one..."

He looked up at the crowd, his gaze earnest yet weary: "If you gentlemen are willing to stay in the village for a few more days... I hope you will keep an eye out for us. Even the slightest unusual sound or a strange trace of sand could be a clue."

Sino paused for a moment, his gaze sharp as a blade, slowly tracing the undulating sand dunes in the distance: "...I have had contact with those people, and I will find a way to investigate this matter."

Al-Hysen closed the book, the pages rustling like butterfly wings, a meaningful smile playing on his lips: "It seems the one who carried out the exile order was the disciplinary officer. Feeling guilty, so after relinquishing his post, he wants to do something to atone for his sins?"

"Your mindset is more intriguing than a mirage in the desert."

Sino kept his eyes down, tapping his knuckles lightly on his arm. His voice was calm and even, yet it was like a cold spring seeping from a crack in a rock: "Mockery is useless against me. If you have a problem, no matter who you are—I will deal with you."

[Here we go again, hahaha...]

Here we go again, here we go again.

I love watching Hai Ge roast people; there's a certain beauty in his disregard for others' well-being.

[Hai Ge, what a mouth you have!]

[Hai Ge stuck out his tongue and licked his lips, then died of the poison less than a second later.]

After hearing Elhesen's words, Uncle Ampu's eyes lit up, and he turned to Seno, his tone carrying both long-held respect and a hint of probing:

"Ah—it's the former Grand Disciplinary Officer? You're an expert at investigating these kinds of secret matters. We'd feel much more at ease if you could handle it… We'll leave it to you!"

Before Ying could finish speaking, she stepped forward, her voice clear and firm: "I'll help too."

Paimon floated in mid-air, tilting his head to examine her, his tone full of surprise and teasing: "Huh? Volunteering? This isn't like you at all—could it be that you were moved by what those scholars went through?"

She nodded slightly as she spoke: "Well, it's alright. Since we're here to save people, let's work together to find them!"

But then she lowered her voice and whispered in Ying's ear, "...But is it really okay to act with Sino? Haven't you always been a little wary of him?"

Her bright eyes were calm as she gazed at the silhouettes of the undulating sand dunes in the distance, a slight smile playing on her lips: "That's precisely why it's the best time to observe. And—"

She glanced sideways at the village entrance. "Dixia and Candice are nearby. The situation is under control."

Then, lowering her voice, Ying said softly but firmly, "Besides, I have other reasons for going to see those scholars."

Just then, a voice, gentle as a spring stream yet carrying undeniable weight, quietly resounded deep within Paimon's consciousness—

“That’s right, Paimon. It was I who asked Bright to find the missing village guardians; it was my request.”

Naxida's voice was unhurried, like a page of a book being gently turned by the wind, each word clear and lingering:

The specific reasons will be revealed later.

Seno was unaware that Ying's offer of assistance was actually at Nasita's behest; he only saw a trustworthy traveler extending a helping hand—

He nodded in acknowledgment, his tone calm yet revealing a rare hint of relaxation: "Having an extra helper is always better than fighting alone. Your performance... is perhaps even more reassuring than some of my former subordinates."

"Let's find a quiet place to exchange information."

The group then followed him through the winding earthen paths of Aru Village, finally stopping at a secluded corner of a courtyard backed by an ancient jujube tree, with vines hanging down like curtains.

The wind swept across the haystacks, stirring up fine golden dust, as if quietly setting the stage for the secret talks that were about to unfold.

Sino stopped, his fingertips lightly tapping the barrel of his gun, his gaze serious: "Though I have 'exiled myself,' the responsibilities I hold in my hands have never truly been relinquished... Before officially setting off—" He looked up at Ying, "Is there anything else you wish to ask?"

Ying paused for a moment, then cut to the chase: "Why are those scholars who have gone mad called 'village guardians'? Where does this term come from?"

Sino breathed slowly, his voice low and gentle, as if recounting an inscription buried by sand for many years—

The name comes from an unexpected miracle.

The desert has always been the Siege Chamber—or more precisely, the most silent execution ground in the eyes of the royalists:

Scholars whose minds were disordered and whose words were rebellious were quietly sent to the depths of the wilderness, never to return. And Aru Village was the very edge of this land of exile.

Strangely, the scholars who were expelled here initially appeared dazed and acted out of control, but after living quietly in the village for a few days, their restlessness subsided like a receding tide, their eyes gradually cleared, and their breathing returned to calm.

Even so, the villagers initially avoided it like the plague, regarding it as an ominous sign.

Until that night—the earth suddenly tore open, the shockwaves surged like angry dragons, and the entire village groaned as it shook.

As the village chief led the villagers in their escape, they were startled to see a ragged, exiled scholar, once denounced as a "mad scholar," kneeling on the ground with his ten fingers deeply embedded in the scorching sand. A soft and vast pale green light emanated from his palms—a light that flowed silently under the dark sky, like the earth itself opening its eyes.

That night, the mountain collapsed but the houses remained intact, and the ground cracked but no one was harmed.

All the houses stood firmly on the rock, unmoved; all the villagers were safe and sound, and not a single cry of alarm escaped their lips.

From that day on, the villagers of Aru stopped calling them "madmen," and instead bowed respectfully, addressing them as—

"The village guardian".

Paimon froze, her little paws unconsciously gripping the hem of her skirt as she murmured, "Pale green light... Exiles guarding the village... Luminous, Iya, do you... have any leads?"

Ying did not answer immediately. She looked up, her gaze piercing through the layers of jujube tree branches, as if she could already see the silent divine light descending from the dome above.

Her voice was soft, yet sharp as a drawn blade: "This power... only she can bestow upon me."

Yiya nodded silently, her eyes reflecting the same sky, her tone resolute as a vow: "Sister Ying and I think the same thing—that we can use the plants as our pulse and the earth as our breath to soothe madness and stabilize the mountains and rivers..."

She suddenly looked up, gazing at the darkest corner of the courtyard wall, her voice clear and gentle:

"Sister, is that you?"

Sino frowned slightly, still puzzled by this sudden address—

In the next instant, a faint light flickered in the darkness, like spring buds breaking through the soil, like new leaves unfurling. A slender yet unshakable figure slowly emerged from the shadows.

A long, pure white dress trailed across the sand, untouched by a speck of dust; her red eyes blazed like flames, her green eyes were like a deep abyss, the two contrasting lights intertwining to create a kind of almost divine compassion.

Naxi Da stood among the crowd, the wind ruffling the stray hairs on her forehead and also stirring the complex and indescribable smile on her lips.

She looked at Seno, her voice calm yet resonant like a bell echoing across a silent wilderness: "You guessed right—the power those scholars inherited came from me."

Sino's pupils contracted sharply, his Adam's apple bobbed slightly, and he blurted out, his voice carrying a long-lost, almost weightless vibration:

"Lord Little Lucky Grass King?"

He never expected that this deity, who should have been sitting in the Pure Goodness Palace and in charge of the lifeblood of Mount Sumeru, would be quietly standing in this corner of the village amidst the rolling yellow sand.

It's like being an ordinary person, quietly waiting for a reunion that has already been written into the fabric of destiny.

Nasita truly is watching over her people.

Even in exile, you never considered giving up? Nasita, you really are something else...

[She really made me cry to death. 】

[To be able to help a village withstand an earthquake, and remotely at that... it seems Nasita's divine power isn't as weak as everyone thinks.]

Nasita loved her people dearly, yet some of them didn't take her seriously.

“Little Lucky Grass King, why...why are you here?” Seno frowned slightly, his voice filled with disbelief and surprise, his gaze lingering on Naxida’s slender yet serene figure.

Nasita smiled gently, a smile as soft as a thin mist floating in her eyes—she tilted her head slightly, her tone light and almost playful: "Because I was exiled?"

Sino was stunned for a moment, as if a silent thunderbolt had struck his mind, his thoughts suddenly froze, and even his breath was caught in his throat.

Ying shook her head helplessly, but a very faint smile curved her lips: "Nasida is just teasing you."

Her gaze was firm yet helpless: "This is what happened..."

She spoke succinctly yet clearly, recounting the recent undercurrents and power struggles within the Order of the Fathers—her words carried no incitement, yet possessed immense power.

Sino's face darkened visibly, like a dark cloud looming over him, and the veins on his forehead throbbed slightly.

He snorted coldly, his voice like a drawn sword: "Colluding with the foolish masses, framing the gods... What a 'royalist' you are—you are truly audacious!"

"Calm down, Seno," Nasita said softly, her voice like a breeze across a still lake, calming the agitation without causing ripples. "I'm safe and sound. It's thanks to Ying and everyone else that the situation didn't escalate further."

Sino's eyes narrowed, his tone low and sharp: "Disrespect for the gods is an unforgivable sin."

Ying and her companion exchanged glances and nodded solemnly—in that silence lay unspoken agreement and reverence.

Naxi Da looked at them, a hint of helplessness flashing in her eyes, yet a glimmer of light quietly shone through, like the first rays of dawn breaking through the clouds.

She took a half step forward, her fingertips lightly touching the void, as if plucking an invisible string: "The Council of the Church provides each of the exiled scholars with a Void Terminal to keep a close watch on them—it is both a shackle and a spying mirror."

"Indeed, the terminal has lost connection to the Void host... But the Void is driven by the heart of God. And I, as the God of Wisdom, do not need to rely on the host to perceive, reach, and awaken every terminal."

Her voice grew deeper, yet clearer: "It is precisely for this reason that I can transcend the barriers of prohibition and quietly infuse the power of peace into the turbulent spirits of those exiles;"

"At the moment when pollution was at its worst, we sent a ray of clarity; and at the last moment when danger was imminent, we reached out from afar—to protect them, and also to protect the still-burning flame of reason."