3: Will Flattery Help Me Cling to a Golden Thigh?

Seeing that the Traveler was receptive, she secretly breathed a sigh of relief and grew a bit bolder, continuing in a soft, gentle voice, "It's a game that even a child could play. It's highly unlikely to deliberately emphasize the sins of heroes or the grievances of villains. Even to add depth to the characters and twists to the plot, the eternal truth remains that good is rewarded with good, and evil with evil. A person steeped in evil, no matter how arrogant they may be along the way, will inevitably face judgment in the end. After all, what if it corrupts the next generation and makes them think that evil comes without a price?"

The Traveler: "..."

Pausing here, the woman cautiously glanced at the Traveler's expression and braced herself as she whispered, "And in any work of art or literature, the Abyss... never seems to carry a positive connotation, does it?"

The Traveler: "..."

The Traveler: "..."

The Traveler abruptly rose to his feet, his brilliant golden eyes blazing like flames as he glared at her and shouted, "My sister could never be a villain! She is the gentlest, kindest girl in the world! Don't you dare slander her!"

Pei Nana shrank back in fear, and the floating little girl instantly leaned back in a tactical dodge, darting to the side. Still shaken, she puffed herself up and shouted, "Traveler! You promised you wouldn't get mad! And, and you should listen to what she has to say first!"

The Traveler: "..."

(Calm down! News about my sister is what matters most! This is a rare lead! Calm down.)

The Traveler wiped his face, suppressing his emotions, and said coldly, "Sorry. Please continue."

Pei Nana hugged herself tightly, seeking some sense of security. "O-of course, we all know your sister couldn't possibly be a true villain. After all, they say that at the start of the game, you can choose to play as the brother or the sister. If you pick the brother, you're searching for the sister; if you pick the sister, you're searching for the brother. So either your sister becomes the Princess of the Abyss, or you become the Prince of the Abyss."

The Traveler gave a cold laugh. "So they're just milking the two of us for all we're worth, huh?"

The little girl looked sympathetic. "That's just too tragic..."

Pei Nana gave a dry laugh, not daring to respond. Pretending not to understand, she continued, "As the officially designated hero-type protagonist of the game, whether it's you or your sister, you are undoubtedly upright, brave, and kind. So, if there's anyone in this world who believes as firmly as you do that your sister is gentle and kind, even if she is the Princess of the Abyss... I think it's probably me."

The Traveler was taken aback. His gloomy expression softened considerably, and he even offered a reassuring smile. "Yes, Lumine is the gentlest and kindest child in the world. Even if she truly became some Princess of the Abyss, I believe she must have her reasons."

Pei Nana felt a complex mix of emotions. This was probably what the internet called a hopelessly doting brother—as long as you praise my sister with me, we're best friends. Seizing the moment, she quickly added, "Lumine? A faint glimmer in the darkness? What a beautiful name! I'm Pei Nana! You can just call me Nana!"

"Pei Nana?" The floating girl tapped her chin with a delicate finger, her voice soft and sweet. "That sounds like a Liyue name... Ah! And you look a lot like someone from Liyue, too!"

"Liyue, huh..." Pei Nana struggled to recall, then suddenly gasped in delighted realization. "Ah, I remember! My cousin said that Liyue is based on our own country!"

The Traveler: "..."

Thinking to himself: (You just blew your cover.)

Just a moment ago, she claimed the game was based on their story, and now she's saying Liyue's design is based on her country.

At first glance, there might seem to be no difference, but in reality, they are entirely distinct. In the former, Teyvat truly exists; in the latter, the continent of Teyvat is merely a virtual world.

The Traveler had visited many worlds and witnessed civilizations in vastly different forms of existence—some of flesh and blood, some of mechanical descent, and others even more absurd, where an entire race consisted of ethereal dream beings.

Mere relative illusoriness—who could truly distinguish what is real and what is fake?

As for the so-called game plot, it might be easier to accept and understand if it were called a captured and observed destiny.

Even if it truly were a game, it might simply be that the window through which the civilization reveals itself is a game, or perhaps the vessel of the civilization itself is a game. But regardless, every minute and every second spent living through it is what is real.

He would not obsess over the authenticity of the world.

...Although it was hard not to care about the so-called 'plot' that seemed to have orchestrated his life, he cared more about his sister—he only needed to confirm that every day he had experienced was real to him.

Besides, he had encountered supreme beings in previous worlds with powers akin to the laws of causality who had meticulously arranged everything from beginning to end. Was all of that fake, too?

Finally, the fact that Pei Nana, as a theoretically higher-dimensional being, could appear here—didn't it precisely mean that this world had already broken free from the so-called "virtual" realm?

Relying on the formidable psychological resilience and broad experience of a Stellar Voyager, the Traveler quickly talked himself into acceptance.

The Traveler said solemnly, "I am Aether, a traveler searching everywhere for my sister. The one flying beside me is Paimon, my guide. If you have nowhere else to go, you can travel with us for now."

He finished with a self-deprecating smile. "In this unfamiliar world, there's probably no one else you can trust more."

Paimon bobbed up and down in agreement. "Yeah, yeah! And Paimon will teach you the ropes, too!"

Pei Nana had originally planned to use the news about his sister to curry favor before asking to be taken in. She hadn't expected Aether to offer it directly, leaving her both pleasantly surprised and deeply moved!

(Truly worthy of an upright hero!)

She immediately showed her gratitude, eagerly pledging her loyalty. "Thank you so much! If you hadn't taken me in, I truly wouldn't know what to do. Honestly, you're right. In this world, there is no one more trustworthy and reliable to me than you and your sister. In fact, if I hadn't recognized you just now, I never would have confessed all those unbelievable things."

After all, he was a hero whose character and abilities were officially certified. If she didn't trust him, was she supposed to trust completely unverified strangers?

Though her words were sweet, Aether wasn't about to be swayed by a few honeyed phrases. Especially after learning that the forced separation from his sister was likely orchestrated, it was already a testament to his benevolence that he didn't take his anger out on her.

He gave a mild tug at the corner of his lips, a cold glint hidden deep within his warm, amber eyes as he warned, "It's good to be cautious. From today on, forget everything about your previous world. You are no interdimensional visitor, and there is no such thing as a game in this world. You are a native of Liyue, born and raised here, and I simply found you after you were injured. Understand?"

Pei Nana was inwardly delighted and quickly nodded. "Don't worry, I will never tell anyone else about my origins except you and Paimon. I won't act like I'm special, and I absolutely won't get arrogant or cause you trouble just because I think this is a game world!"

"...You'd better not," Aether said. "Next, Paimon and I will tell you about the general state of this world."

...

After Pei Nana went to rest, Aether climbed to a high cliff on the mountain. Blowing in the slightly chilly wind, he looked up at the unchanging starry sky above, silent.

Paimon floated beside him, asking in confusion, "Traveler, Traveler, why do you want to bring her along? She looks so weak, she can't possibly adventure with us, right?"

Aether snapped out of his reverie and smiled. "I don't know if it's true or not, but she does carry an aura that belongs neither to Teyvat nor to the starry sky. Since we've encountered someone of such unknown origin and depth, we can't just turn a blind eye, can we? Besides, she says she knows news about Lumine... Even if she's told us everything she remembers, what if she recalls something else someday? If she remembers even a little bit, it could save me a lot of wasted trips! It's just supporting one more person—I can afford it!"

But that wasn't the only reason, of course.

As a fellow outsider, what did Pei Nana's origins or any potential threat she posed to Teyvat have to do with him? He was just a passerby; he would lend a helping hand when he could, but he wouldn't take it upon himself as a burden of responsibility.

To put it bluntly, as an outsider, unless the world itself asked for help, what right did he have to interfere with its civilizational development? Did he think he was being helpful? No, he would be eroding and polluting it. If Stellar Voyagers wantonly disrupted the order and development of a world, who would ever welcome their visits again?

As an experienced Stellar Voyager, the Traveler always knew his place.

A foreign tourist, a casual onlooker... anything was fine, as long as he remained an uninvolved spectator.

All he wanted was to find his sister and leave with her.

But...

Since Pei Nana was connected to his sister, he couldn't just let her go.

The woman had spoken with clear logic earlier, showing she was still rational. So how credible was her claim that she had shared everything she knew? Was she holding something back? Would she weigh the situation and, out of consideration for being the blood relative of the Princess of the Abyss, conceal any information that might be unfavorable to Lumine?

She was beautiful, yet she struggled just to climb onto a stone bed, indicating her combat prowess was lacking. In order to fare better in this unfamiliar world, would she pledge allegiance to some faction and sell the news of the Princess of the Abyss for a good price?

Aether wasn't sure, but he didn't want to take any risks with his sister.

So he wouldn't let that woman run around freely, nor would he allow her to speak out of turn.

He would keep an eye on her.

Conveniently, she seemed to trust him quite a bit.