Check out my new translation!
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At the venue of the Nilotpala Cup Beast Tamers Tournament, Shao Yun wasn't participating himself, but he had decided to stay nearby and observe.
He was intently studying a notice board plastered with various tournament announcements when a familiar voice suddenly called out from behind him.
"Shao Yun! We're back!"
He turned around instantly to see Lumine and Paimon returning from their expedition to find a participating shroom.
Shao Yun quickly stepped forward and asked with concern, "Whoa, you're back! You didn't run into any danger on the way, did you?"
Paimon giggled cheerfully. "Hehe, don't worry, Shao Yun! We're perfectly safe—and look, we even found the perfect shroom! Check it out!"
She pointed excitedly behind Lumine.
From behind her floated out a small, adorable Floating Hydro Fungus.
Its entire body glowed with a faint blue light, round and translucent like a shimmering water droplet—mysterious and beautiful.
Shao Yun took a few steps forward and reached out to touch the creature.
The moment his fingers brushed against it, he felt a strange, delightful sensation—its skin was unbelievably soft and bouncy, like touching a lump of fresh jelly.
"Wow, a Hydro-type shroom! This one's fantastic—so soft! It's almost impossible not to keep squishing it."
He couldn't help but marvel as he gently patted the creature.
Hearing the praise, Paimon puffed up proudly.
"Right? Right? Lumine and I even gave it a super cute name—Bongo-Head! Isn't that just the best?"
Shao Yun nodded approvingly, his hand still softly rubbing the shroom's squishy body.
"Not every day you see a fungus this tame…"
He remembered first encountering a Floating Hydro Fungus deep beneath The Chasm—though back then, his mind had been a mess, and Yelan had been 'having stomach troubles', leaving him no time to observe it properly.
After he finished petting the obedient, catlike creature, Shao Yun looked around and asked, "Where's Kamisato Ayaka?"
Lumine replied, "Oh, Ayato came by earlier and called her away. Probably something important."
Shao Yun shrugged indifferently. "Oh. Let her go, then."
Paimon rubbed her hands together, shifting to a new topic.
"Anyway, Shao Yun, we also met a new friend—Layla! Let me introduce you!"
She turned around, about to present Layla—only to freeze in place, her eyes wide.
"Huh? That's weird… she was just here!"
Paimon spun around in confusion. "Layla? Layla! Where are you?"
Her clear voice echoed through the air, reaching a short distance away—where a girl was standing half-asleep.
As the camera of attention drew closer, it revealed a young woman with long, deep-blue hair like the calm ocean at night.
Her hair was styled into four Roman curls—two smaller ones elegantly framing her cheeks, and two thicker ones draping down her back.
Her bangs formed a neat "M" shape, and faint shadows rested beneath her eyes—subtle traces of sleepless nights.
Her outfit was equally distinctive—a sleeveless black-and-white dress, simple yet stylish, with a blue ribbon tied around her waist to accent her figure.
Most striking of all was the Vision embedded at the small of her back, glowing faintly with an icy-blue light.
She also wore intricate, astrology-themed accessories—a shining five-pointed star at her head, and four-pointed constellations adorning her wrists and hemline, giving her an ethereal, mysterious air.
Layla was startled awake by Paimon's urgent calls.
She blinked rapidly, rubbing her eyes in confusion, and looked toward the sound of the voice.
Then, realizing she'd been left behind, she hurried forward, though even the short distance seemed taxing for her frail frame.
After only a few steps, she was already gasping for breath.
"H-here I am… sorry… I think I zoned out for a second…" she said weakly, her voice faint and airy, as though it might fade away at any moment.
Paimon waved her hands dismissively, smiling kindly. "No worries, Layla! Come on, let me introduce you—this is my travel companion, Shao Yun!"
Then she turned back to Shao Yun. "And Shao Yun, this is Layla! We met her while we were searching for fungi outside Port Ormos. She was there with her own little buddy—Twirly-Whirly!
"At first we thought it was a wild one! We almost caused a huge misunderstanding! Hahaha!"
Shao Yun's attention was immediately caught by one phrase—"travel companion."
The corner of his lips curled into a teasing smirk as he looked at Paimon.
"Oh? So we're just travel companions, huh?"
Paimon's face scrunched in mock disgust. "Ugh! The real relationship between you and Lumine is too weird to say out loud! It's embarrassing!"
Seeing that Paimon's explanation was far from proper, Shao Yun decided to introduce himself instead.
He stepped forward politely. "Hello, Miss Layla. I'm Shao Yun, Lumine's beloved—though we haven't held the wedding yet."
He paused, giving Paimon a sidelong glance before adding mischievously, "And as for Paimon—hehe, she's my precious daughter."
The moment he said that, Paimon practically exploded.
She stomped furiously in midair, shouting, "Hey! You jerk! Do you have to tease me every single time? What do you gain from this, a few Mora?!"
Shao Yun only laughed harder, completely unapologetic.
"Haha, don't be so stingy! It's just a harmless joke. But honestly, Paimon, in my heart you really do feel like my own daughter."
At that, Paimon's whole body seemed to steam with rage—like a kettle ready to blow.
It was as if heat radiated from her tiny head; one could probably fry an egg on it.
Finally, she blurted out the ultimate comeback.
"Hmph! If you want a kid so badly, just go find Lumine at night and make one! Stop using me!"
Lumine's face went scarlet at once. She hadn't expected Paimon to say something so shockingly blunt.
Panicking, she rushed forward, covering Paimon's mouth and scooping her up into her arms.
"Paimon! Shh! What's gotten into you? You were shy a second ago—now you're saying that?!"
While Lumine wrestled the flailing fairy in embarrassment, Layla blinked groggily and began her own introduction.
"Hello… I'm Layla, a student from the Rtawahist Darshan. Nice to meet you."
Shao Yun took off his hat and gave a courteous bow. "Pleasure to meet you, Miss Layla. Are you competing too?"
Layla nodded faintly, looking utterly exhausted. "Yes. If I can make it into the top eight, I'll be allowed to take my mushroom partner home to help with chores. You see… I have insomnia, and I'm always so tired…"
Then, as if suddenly remembering, she pointed to the side. "Oh! And this is my mushroom buddy— Twirly-Whirly!"
Right on cue, a tiny Floating Anemo Fungus drifted into view, gracefully twirling around Layla in a playful dance.
Shao Yun watched with genuine interest. "Wow, impressive—it's got great energy."
Layla smiled faintly, though a wistful look crossed her face.
"Ah… if only I could be as energetic as my little friend. That would be wonderful… but… oh no, I'm starting to feel sleepy again…"
She let out a soft yawn, swaying unsteadily as her eyelids drooped.
Watching her, Shao Yun thought to himself, You've got two personalities and don't sleep for twenty-four hours straight—if you were full of energy, you'd be halfway to the grave already.
Then his gaze shifted toward the two fungi, and a mischievous idea popped into his mind.
"You think these little guys eat carrots? I've got a couple in my pocket."
He quickly fished out two fresh orange carrots and held them before the fungi.
The two shrooms glanced at each other—if they could speak, they'd probably curse him: 'Do we look like we have mouths to you?'
Then they turned to their respective owners in silent appeal.
By now, Lumine had finally let go of Paimon's mouth.
Hearing Shao Yun's ridiculous question, Paimon immediately protested, "Hey! Don't you dare! You can't just feed fungi like horses!"
Shao Yun chuckled. "Haha, relax, I was only joking. Don't take it so seriously."
Paimon sighed, rubbing her temples. "Honestly… good thing you didn't enter the tournament. I can't even imagine the tragedy your poor fungus would suffer if you did."
After all, fungi might be magical creatures—but they still shared the habits of mushrooms. They absorbed Dendro energy, not… carrots.