Leaving Cider Lake behind, Eve wandered back into the Whispering Woods.
Sneaking into Mondstadt clearly wasn’t going to happen today.
She decided to stay put in the woods, “borrowing” some floral nectar from the local Whopperflowers while waiting for the Traveler to arrive.
After all, free divine power was too good to pass up.
Today would go down as a waking nightmare for every single Whopperflower in the Whispering Woods.
Even the ones hiding beneath patches of mint were dug up and turned upside down by Eve.
Naturally, Eve “kindly” borrowed their nectar, though those poor plants probably wouldn’t be seeing any returns.
Just as she swallowed the sweet nectar of a Cryo Whopperflower, uninvited guests arrived.
An armed Shielded Mitachurl, trailed by four or five ordinary hilichurls, lumbered up right in front of her.
“Hoo-ah!
Boorah!” The Mitachurl grunted, jabbering away at Eve in unintelligible grunts.
It sounded like Hilichurlian, but that was hardly enough to stump Eve.
With a brief mental translation, she easily grasped the brute’s intent.
*A white grass slime.
Stuffing it into a wooden shield ought to make it sturdy as hell.* That was the gist of the Mitachurl’s chatter.
A row of furious tick-mark symbols instantly popped up over Eve’s head.
*Damn it, these wretches actually want to turn this goddess into a wooden shield?!*
One of the lesser hilichurls eagerly chimed in, “Yeah, boss!
With this white grass slime reinforcing your shield, you’re bound to crush every other tribe in the territory!”
“Wahahaha!
Well said!
Bring it back and I’ll reward you with a chunk of beast meat,” the Mitachurl boasted, thoroughly puffed up by its minion’s flattery.
Tilting her head in annoyance, Eve suddenly remembered that a Shielded Mitachurl’s wooden shield really *was* made by strapping grass slimes to it.
*Alright then.
Today, I’m cleaning house on behalf of all my fellow grass slimes.*
In a flash, Eve’s entire body erupted in brilliant emerald radiance.
A torrential wave of Dendro elemental power burst outward.
“Aaaaaagh…!”
A piercing shriek echoed through the Whispering Woods.
When the green light faded, the entire band of hilichurls had been reduced to a scatter of broken masks, notched arrows, and old horns.
Bouncing along, Eve hopped away from the crime scene.
“Sigh, if I’d known, I wouldn’t have used so much force.
Burned through a chunk of my divine power again,” Eve muttered with lingering regret.
It seemed her road to full recovery was still a long, arduous journey.
Needing more energy, she went back to terrorizing the Whopperflowers.
After absorbing a hefty amount of nectar, Eve hopped over and curled up beneath a tall stalk of dandelions.
As the gentle, soothing breeze washed over her, a deep sense of comfort enveloped her.
All the accumulated mental and physical fatigue from her long journey hit her at once.
Slowly, Eve closed her large, heavy eyes.
…
How much time had passed, she didn’t know, when a sharp, spirited cry startled her from her slumber.
“Hah!”
Hearing the noise, Eve snapped her wide eyes open.
“Ah, I actually fell asleep!
That was way too careless.”
Instantly jolted awake, she cast a wary glance around her surroundings.
Her gaze soon locked onto the source of the disturbance that had woken her.
A pristine white silhouette was reflected in her field of vision.
The young woman wore a backless white dress-armor, her short golden hair gleaming brilliantly in the sunlight.
Two ribbons trailed from the back of her neck down to her hemline, fluttering gracefully in the wind with every nimble movement.
Her slender legs, encased in pristine white thigh-high stockings and high-heeled combat boots, moved with effortless agility even amidst a swarm of slimes.
*It’s Lumine!* Eve’s eyes lit up.
The young girl was none other than the game’s female protagonist, Lumine.
Brandishing her Silver Sword, Lumine effortlessly sliced through the slimes leaping toward her, turning them one by one into puddles of gelatinous condensate.
*Whoa, talk about ruthless.*
Watching her fellow slime-avatars get liquefied one after another, Eve’s eyes widened in horror, and the white grass leaves on top of her head stood rigidly on end.
“Looks like I should probably duck out…” Eve muttered under her breath.
This really wasn’t the best place or time for a meetup.
Wiggling her round little body, she quietly began to inch away.
“Dropped a ton of slime condensate!
Better scoop it all up.”
Lumine flipped her Silver Sword, sliding it back into its sheath behind her where it vanished in a flicker of light.
She crouched down to gather the loot left behind by the defeated slimes.
“Lumine, hurry up!
You’re wandering off the path!”
Suddenly, a soft, sweet voice rang out.
A pocket-sized pixie wearing a pristine white outfit and a tiny crown floated gracefully in the air.
A dark, starry little cape trailed behind her, giving her an irresistibly adorable appearance.
It was none other than the protagonist’s personal mouthpiece—Paimon.
Paimon kicked her chubby little legs, swiftly flying over to Lumine’s side.
*Ah, it’s the emergency food,* Eve thought, eyeing the tiny pixie.
“Yes, it’s just that these slimes kept chasing me,” Lumine said with an apologetic smile.
“You need to pay more attention next time!” Paimon crossed her arms, lecturing Lumine with the air of an exasperated parent scolding an errant child.
“Mm, I know.” Lumine lowered her head in faux repentance.
“Alright, alright, our destination right now is the—Seven…”
Mid-sentence, Paimon tapped Lumine on the shoulder with her tiny hand.
“Lumine, look, look!
There’s another slime over there!” Paimon squeaked, pointing a finger at a specific spot.
Lumine turned her head and instantly spotted Eve trying to make a quiet getaway.
*She doesn’t see me, she doesn’t see me…* Eve chanted softly to herself.
“Hah!” Lumine let out a sharp cry.
“Whoa, whoa, wait!
What is this about?!” Eve spun around, only to see Lumine lunging right toward her with the Silver Sword drawn.
“Wait, hold on—!” Eve blurted out in a panic.
“Huh?
A talking slime?!” Lumine gasped, stopping dead in her tracks, utter astonishment written across her face.
“Gah, the slime’s gained sentience!” Paimon shrieked, darting behind Lumine’s head and peering out with nervous caution.
Lumine tried to halt her momentum, but the sword was already unsheathed and impossible to instantly recall.
She could only throw every ounce of her strength into curbing her force and desperately twisting the blade off course.
Even so, the tip of the Silver Sword grazed Eve’s round body before plunging deep into the dirt.
“Eek!” Eve let out a dramatic, theatrical shriek.
Truthfully, with Lumine’s current strength, scratching her was impossible, but to keep up appearances, Eve figured she ought to make the scene look convincing.
Besides, she could clearly feel that Lumine had held back at the very last second.
An idea suddenly sparked within Eve’s brilliant, scheming brain.
A foolproof plan to infiltrate the party.
“What…
what is going on here?” Lumine quickly pulled her sword back, her eyes wide as she stared intently at the tiny grass slime before her.
“Why can a slime talk?!” Paimon wailed, finally floating out from behind Lumine’s shoulder to gawk at Eve.
Realizing the time was ripe, Eve let out a heavy, incredibly human-like sigh.
“Ah, this is a long story!
Are you willing to listen to a poor, harmless little slime like me?” Eve blinked her big, watery eyes, looking up at Lumine with a pitiful expression.
And thus, curtain up on Eve’s theatrical debut.
Showtime.