"Traveler, you've got some skill in the realm of souls too?" Citlali didn't rush to scold her eldest grandson, Olorun. He couldn't run anyway.
If he dared to run right in front of her, she'd break his legs.
"I don't really understand souls. This is a kind of blessing Koji gave me." Lumine shrugged, not taking credit for it herself.
Citlali looked Koji up and down, then turned her expressionless gaze onto Olorun.
Under Citlali's stare—stacked with bloodline-level suppression—Olorun grew even more guilty and silent.
Move, you dead mouth. Hurry up and explain—what am I supposed to say?!
"Silent, huh… How did I not bring a stick with me!" Citlali got even angrier.
"Need a stick?"
Koji suddenly produced a perfectly straight wooden stick and handed it to Citlali.
"Uh…"
Citlali's mouth twitched as she took it. She'd only been venting—she hadn't expected Koji to actually pull out a stick. That one was on her.
But… perfect.
Citlali pointed the stick at Olorun.
"Talk. Or Grandma here is going to enforce the tribe's rules." Citlali's tone left no room for argument.
Olorun stayed silent. No matter what Citlali asked, he had no intention of answering.
"Grandma, I'm running."
The moment the words fell, Olorun vanished. Citlali instantly understood her eldest grandson had used a deception trick. She got even angrier and threw the stick to the ground.
This little brat—so his wings are hard now, huh? Fine. Don't come back. If you do, I'll break your legs.
"Want me to catch him and bring him back?" Koji asked with a laugh.
This grandma-and-eldest-grandson duo was basically Natlan's comedy gold. Not just him—Lumine and the others were struggling to hold it in too. This "Obsidian Grandma" and her "eldest grandson Olorun" were just too funny.
"Forget it. That little bastard has decided, and once he decides, he's stubborn to the bone. Even if you drag him back, he'll just sit there like a sealed jar." Citlali said helplessly.
"Did that Captain offer him some kind of benefit?"
She'd raised him since he was little—how could she not know him? Stubborn as they come. She really didn't know what sweet talk that Captain fed him, for him to stop listening even to her.
"Citlali, don't worry about Olorun's safety. That Captain is a very upright person," Koji said.
"Maybe. What I'm worried about is Olorun spending too much time with the Fatui—Lord Pyro might blame him."
Citlali pressed a hand to her head, headache incoming. Really, what a 'worry-free' kid.
"That's nothing to worry about either. The Captain is also trying to save Natlan. As long as Olorun doesn't do anything that harms Natlan, the Pyro Archon Mavuika won't pursue it," Koji said.
Right now, what Natlan needed was salvation.
Citlali nodded.
…
Stadium of the Sacred Flame, "Little Peng Leg."
"Drunk? Your tolerance is really average. And you're hundreds of years old," Eula said speechlessly.
She'd thought Citlali could really drink. Turns out a few cups and she was done. Pathetic.
"Haha. Sometimes, being older doesn't mean you can drink," Koji said with a smile.
Eula was from Mondstadt. Mondstadt's alcohol industry was thriving, so most people there could drink.
If you couldn't drink, you got demoted to "one-star Little Peng Leg."
But drunk Citlali had a strangely cute vibe. That little expression was downright classic—she looked a lot like "Duck Duck."
"Who says I can't drink, hic… You wanna have a match with Obsidian Citlali, do you? Right?!"
With the alcohol hitting her, Citlali started getting a bit wild, spouting nonsense.
She was speaking, but there was no one in front of her—she was talking to thin air.
"What an interesting person," Shenhe said with a quiet smile, her eyes blinking.
Even in other nations, Shenhe liked chewing herbs dipped in honey. It was one of her favorite things to eat.
"Grandma's meditating. When she drinks too much, she ends up like this," the stall owner, Chanca, explained.
"Is her tolerance really that bad?" Lumine asked curiously.
"It's pretty average—but don't tell her, okay~" Chanca said with a grin.
Sharp-eyed Paimon suddenly noticed the stall owner was holding a wooden bucket for trash.
"This? Just in case."
Chanca glanced at Citlali and said, very helplessly.
She was worried Citlali might accidentally throw up on the table, so she'd come prepared.
"Uh… I kinda wanna puke… urk…"
Citlali's eyes suddenly cleared. She covered her mouth with her hand, looking like she was about to vomit.
…
"Puke in here!" Chanca hurriedly said, handing over the bucket.
Obsidian Grandma, please don't puke on the table.
"Haa… No need. There's no way I'm throwing up in front of you guys," Citlali shook her head, refusing to put on a "rainbow vomit" performance.
"Hey, Chanca—what's that supposed to mean? You really trust me that little?"
Citlali raised a brow at the bucket. She could hold it together. She really didn't need it.
Chanca didn't say anything, but her eyes said everything. Koji and the others could tell too—Citlali had definitely puked before.
"I'm heading out."
Chanca left with the bucket. This time, Citlali hadn't drunk that much—she probably wouldn't throw up.
…
Elsewhere.
"Buer, I heard you solved Sumeru's Abyss problem. Do you have any advice for Natlan?" Mavuika asked.
"Unfortunately, the Abyss in Sumeru and the Abyss in Natlan take different forms. Our method doesn't apply to Natlan," Buer shook her head.
"In Sumeru, the Abyss exists as Forbidden Knowledge, but in Natlan it manifests as those kinds of monsters."
To solve Sumeru's Abyss problem, you only needed to purge the Forbidden Knowledge in Irminsul. But here in Natlan, you needed a different approach.
"If you want to solve Natlan's Abyss problem, I'll give you a suggestion: if Koji takes action, it can be done very easily—and with no cost at all."
"If it's Brother Koji, then yes—he really can solve the Abyss problem with ease."
"By commonly accepted rationality, Koji, my friend, can accomplish it."
Hearing all the gods trust Koji like this, Mavuika was a little surprised.
She could sense Koji's special nature, but she hadn't actually seen Koji act—she'd only witnessed that powerful divine sword being drawn.
"I'll keep that in mind. Natlan has already sacrificed enough. If it's not absolutely necessary, I truly don't want those warriors dying on the battlefield against the Abyss," Mavuika sighed softly.
A brutal price—blood and tears, life and death, countless families torn apart.
"Yes… there have been far too many battles against the Abyss where entire groups were wiped out."
Zhongli and the others couldn't help but lament. Having personally experienced the Abyss invasion five hundred years ago, every nation had paid a heavy price in lives to prevent the Abyss from fully corroding Teyvat…
(End of Chapter)
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