After Rios's explanation, Atea learned about the potion's effects.
"This small potion can actually clear the Abyss power from the body and restore it to the state before being affected by the Abyss?"
Atea looked at the potion in disbelief.
Over these years, she had sought out many doctors, wanting to treat the injuries in her body, but none had succeeded.
But the potion Rios gave her could actually heal her body just by drinking it?
"Rios, where did you get this potion from?"
Unexpectedly, Atea didn't care about the potion's function anymore, but about other aspects. "You weren't scammed by someone, were you?"
Atea could be said to be the guardian of most of the People of the Springs, especially for Rios and Mualani's generation—she had basically watched them grow up.
Upon seeing Rios take out a potion that could treat injuries, Atea's first reaction wasn't that it could heal her own wounds, but concern over whether Rios had been deceived.
"Aunt Atea, I'm already the Pyro Archon." Rios said helplessly.
"So what if you're the Pyro Archon? Can't the Pyro Archon be deceived?"
Atea laughed: "What kind of person you are, don't I know?"
"You've been deceived more than once or twice. Didn't Mualani trick you before, saying she secretly followed people to participate in the Night Warden Wars, then she hid away wanting to scare you?"
"As a result, you actually went straight to where the Abyss monsters appeared, and alone wiped out all the monsters there, scaring us old folks half to death."
Mentioning Rios's past embarrassing stories, Atea's smile at the corner of her mouth wouldn't stop.
"I didn't expect she was playing hide-and-seek with me back then either." Rios helplessly held his forehead.
At that time, Rios and Mualani were probably around ten years old, right in the playful age.
During hide-and-seek, Mualani was always found quickly by Rios, so this little girl came up with a dumb idea: she left a letter at home saying she had secretly followed people participating in the Night Warden Wars to subjugate the Abyss.
Then, she found a place to hide, wanting to see Rios tell the story to the elders of the People of the Springs, and then get played like a fool by everyone.
But who would have thought, Rios actually went directly to the Abyss monsters' location, and before the heroes with ancient names arrived, he eliminated all the monsters there.
The story's end was Mualani getting the vine-roasted pork from her parents, while Rios got lectured by the People of the Springs.
He didn't expect that after so many years, Atea still remembered this incident.
"No wonder Ganyu always holes up working in Liyue Harbor; coming home to a Cloud Retainer who's really good at chatting is truly unbearable."
But Rios was even more miserable than Ganyu.
After all, the People of the Springs' really good at chatting Cloud Retainers weren't just one person.
"Ah, got sidetracked."
"Rios, you still haven't said where this potion came from."
Atea inquired: "I heard you've been cooperating with the Fatui lately; did you get it from them?"
Rios's contact with the Fatui wasn't actually much.
Aside from shortly after becoming Pyro Archon, when he asked the Fatui for the Delusions, he hadn't had any further contact with the Fatui.
But this kind of thing isn't something you can just say happened once and pretend it didn't; after so many days of fermentation, the version now circulating was that the great Pyro Archon and the Fatui are joining forces, building a beautiful future together.
"That's a rumor." Rios said, "I just collected rent from them, and the rent was Delusions, which has nothing to do with the potion."
Atea furrowed her brows in confusion: "Not from the Fatui... then where did it come from?"
"These are things I obtained from the memories of previous Pyro Archons." Rios explained.
As everyone knows, every Pyro Archon can obtain the knowledge of previous Pyro Archons from the Sacred Flame.
For him, Rios, to learn from a certain previous Pyro Archon about a potion knowledge that the other had only conceptualized and hadn't had time to research yet—very reasonable, right?
"Obtained from the Sacred Flame?"
This touched on Atea's knowledge blind spot.
She hadn't been a Pyro Archon, after all; how would she know if any Pyro Archon had ever had such ideas.
"Whatever, with your personality, there's no need for you to harm this old aunt of yours anyway."
Atea picked up the potion and looked at it: "If it's really as you say, not only clearing the Abyss from the body but also restoring the body damaged by the Abyss, then I can finally live like a normal person."
"Then, I can go soak in the hot springs I've been dreaming of." Rios smiled and said, "After so many years without soaking in hot springs, before the hot springs, you'll have to accept the trials like ordinary tourist folks first."
Atea was the person in the People of the Springs who loved soaking in hot springs the most.
It was just that after getting injured in battles against Abyss monsters, the doctors suggested she no longer go soak in hot springs, lest it worsen her body's injuries.
After getting the potion, she could go soak in her beloved hot springs like a normal person.
"You still understand me best." Atea smiled, her face's smile much brighter than in the past.
Even people who didn't know her well could tell that she was definitely very much looking forward to, after using the potion, soaking in the hot springs together with the others from the People of the Springs.
Before leaving, Atea asked: "Rios, is there anything you need me to pass on to everyone in the People of the Springs?"
Rios thought about it and found there wasn't anything particularly important to say; he just had Atea pass on a message that he was doing well at the Oratory, and that everyone in the People of the Springs should also live happily.
"Speaking of which, why didn't Mualani come with you?" Rios had thought that with Mualani's personality, she would definitely come along with Atea.
"That child is still sulking at you." Atea couldn't help but chuckle, "Before I set out, I asked Mualani if she wanted to come along, but she hugged her arms like this"
Atea hugged her arms, twisted her waist to the side, imitating Mualani's tone: "Hmph, I don't want to go see that guy Rios at all."
"If we meet, it should be him coming to see me."
Saying that, Atea pointed at Rios with her finger, then smiled and said: "How about it, did I imitate it well?"
"The first half is pretty spot-on." Rios said.
As for the second half...
When did Mualani gain a tsundere attribute?
"Looks like my imitation skills aren't up to par yet." Atea smiled, then continued, "But when you're free, you can also come back to our People of the Springs for a visit, and meet Mualani once."
"You're Mualani's best friend; not seeing her for so long, she's actually pretty upset about it."
Rios couldn't imagine Mualani's sad expression, after all, that person had been an optimist since childhood; even if there were troubling matters, they'd be thrown to the back of her mind in less than half a day.
"After I finish up these things." Rios said.
After resolving the Abyss matters, he would return to the People of the Springs to rest properly.
Not long after Atea left, Xilonen arrived at the Oratory.
"Pyro Archon, the device you had me build is already done."
Xilonen brought a piece of good news.