SFS Chapter 709 - 709: 709: Paimon: Venti is the One Who Is Intersex!
Chapter 709 - 709: 709: Paimon: Venti is the One Who Is Intersex!
"Impossible! Impossible! Absolutely impossible!"Once little Paimon snapped out of her shock, she was instantly fuming. Even while curled in Ryen's arms, she struggled and flailed her short legs with all her might. She looked like a shivering portrait of pure indignation.
"Slander! This is pure slander! This is an utterly wicked, inhumane fabrication!"
"How could Paimon be intersex? Paimon is a cute, precious little girl!"
"What 'two sides of the same coin'? What 'female face and male body'? That is completely made up! This is too much! Dammit, Paimon is so angry!"
"How could they! How could they slander a little girl like this!"
It was clear that Paimon had reached the absolute peak of her fury. Her little face was flushed bright red, and she muttered through gritted teeth.
Ryen found it hilarious, but he continued to tease her. "Well, that's hard to say. At least in my original world, the myths of the Seventy-Two Demons of the Ars Goetia have been... validated by your existence."
"Think about it. The Four Pillars correspond to the Four Sustainers of the First Throne. Even Morax and Barbatos can find their corresponding counterparts among the Seventy-Two Demons. Doesn't that logic make sense? I think it's not entirely impossible for Paimon to have a male body with that female face!"
Paimon was momentarily speechless. she didn't know how to explain it. If she said the myths didn't match... well, the Four Pillars and the Four Sustainers aligned perfectly. Even Archons like Zhongli and Venti had counterparts in the Solomonic myths.
This...
Could it be that she really was androgynous?
Paimon wavered for a split second, but she immediately threw that bizarre thought to the back of her mind. What male body? She was a firmly established little girl! At the very least, her own body wouldn't lie to her!
"Hmph!" Paimon glared at Ryen with dissatisfaction. "Regardless, Paimon is a girl! Even if Venti is intersex, Paimon could never be!"
Ryen chuckled at that. Although it was a bit unethical to think so... Venti really did look like a girl sometimes, especially after activating his Archon form. According to Venti, wind spirits were originally genderless, and it was only after taking on his current form that he identified as male...
But he didn't look much like a man! Put him in Inazuma, and he'd likely be the next Miss Hina, a folk idol that Arataki Itto would lead a crew to cheer for multiple times.
Meanwhile, Venti, who was currently squatting on the large windmill at Mondstadt's Base No. 1 and playing his lyre, suddenly sneezed several times in a row. He nearly tumbled off the windmill.
Seeing Ryen squinting as if lost in thought, Paimon pouted and leaned in, unhappily poking his cheek. "Honestly! How could Ryen slander Paimon like that? You hold me every day; don't you know if Paimon is a boy or a girl? Besides, that day when I was changing in the room, didn't you see everything! How can you still question my gender!"
As soon as these words came out, Ryen's entire demeanor became awkward. He let out a slightly guilty dry cough. "Don't talk nonsense! I didn't see anything!"
Paimon huffed, her large eyes staring quietly at Ryen. After a long silence, she giggled. "Pervert!"
"..."
Ryen's face darkened, but he truly couldn't refute her for a moment. That day, he had been planning to return to the room to rest, only to stumble upon Paimon in the middle of changing.
Ryen had seen it with perfect clarity. Naturally, he was absolutely certain that Paimon was a little girl. He could recognize those traits at a glance. It was an image that had been etched into his memory. That night, Ryen had tossed and turned, unable to sleep. At one point, he had even sat up and slapped himself. His heart was full of thoughts like: I'm truly a scoundrel!
While Ryen was a man who didn't shy away from women, he still had his bottom lines.
Seeing that she had rendered Ryen silent, Paimon felt incredibly proud of herself. She patted Ryen's shoulder with her small hand. "It's okay, Ryen! even if you're a big pervert, Paimon will always like you! If you're really interested in Paimon, Paimon can give it a try!"
Ryen's face grew even darker. He gave Paimon's cheek a frustrated pinch. "Keep talking nonsense and I'll swat you!"
Paimon giggled, looking triumphant. "Now you know whether I'm a boy or a girl, right?"
Ryen shook his head helplessly. "I was just joking with you. Little Paimon is too easy to tease."
"Who jokes about that sort of thing!" The huffy Paimon took an unhappy bite of Ryen's hand. The latter didn't care; Paimon couldn't bring herself to actually use any force.
After a moment of calm, Paimon looked up at Ryen with a heavy expression. "Ryen, will Big Sister Istaroth find out that I recovered my memories? I don't want to leave you or Lumine. I don't want to leave everyone... I'm afraid Big Sister Istaroth will come looking for me..."
Ryen laughed in spite of himself. Istaroth? She was likely traumatized by him at this point. With Paimon staying by Ryen's side every day, Istaroth wouldn't dream of taking the initiative to come looking for her.
That was the truth, but he couldn't say it that way. He stroked Paimon's cheek and comforted her. "Don't worry. Regardless of whether she looks for you or not, as long as you don't want to go, no one can take you away."
Paimon immediately beamed and nodded vigorously. "I love Ryen the most! Um... there's one more thing..."
Seeing Paimon's hesitant manner, Ryen smiled. "Keep it a secret?"
"Yeah..." Paimon lowered her head and mumbled. "About me being the Sustainer of Space... I don't want the others to know, especially Lumine. I don't want there to be a rift between us..."
Ryen smiled but said nothing.
In reality, only little Paimon herself believed that her identity was a total mystery. Whether it was Lumine, Zhongli, or even Ganyu, they all had a fair idea. Teyvat had all sorts of strange creatures, and otherworldly travelers and spirits were numerous.
But a flying mascot who could phase into subspace at will? That wasn't something you found just anywhere. The power of Space was a taboo in Teyvat. Ever since Paimon started disappearing into the void, everyone knew she was anything but ordinary. Between the mysterious crown and the cloak that looked like a deep starry sea, how dense would someone have to be to think Paimon was just an "emergency food" with no secrets?
However, even though they knew she had a significant background, hadn't Lumine and the others ignored it regardless? At least for now, everyone was happy just having Paimon around. Even if the truth were revealed, they would probably just be amazed for a moment. Then, Lumine would likely decide with great glee that she would no longer fight her own battles, leaving all enemies to be handled by Paimon.
Looking at Paimon's pleading eyes, Ryen didn't tell her this cruel truth. He simply nodded. "No problem. Although Miko already knows your identity, I will instruct her not to say anything."
"Miko knows too?" Paimon pouted, but after a moment, she gave a resigned nod. "Fine... but you definitely can't tell anyone else, or I'll be really mad at you! For three days! No! One day... half a day of ignoring you!"
Ryen pinched Paimon's chubby, collagen-filled cheek. Dropping the subject, he took her out to find the others and wander for a bit.
There were no major events planned for the MC World over the next few days. It was a buffer period before the upcoming series of grand plans. Once the Lantern Rite officially began, both the MC World and Teyvat would boil over with excitement once again.
Once life enters a leisurely state, time passes very quickly. In the blink of an eye, four days had passed. Liyue Harbor officially entered the Lantern Rite season.
Strictly speaking, the Lantern Rite only had one official festival day, but the celebrations would span a full week before and after the main event. In other words, the people of Liyue effectively had a two-week holiday.
Xiao lanterns had already been hung throughout the streets and alleys of Liyue Harbor. Every citizen on the street was dressed in their finest festive attire. This year, Liyue was set for a truly prosperous celebration.
Since joining the MC World, their hard power had risen significantly, but their economy had surged even more. In just half a year, their Mora income had eclipsed what Liyue Harbor usually earned in two years. For a city of Liyue's size, this was an almost inconceivable feat.
It was the ultimate validation of the "Rule of Man." Because of the rapid economic development, the residents of Liyue Harbor, and indeed the entire land of Liyue, were free from worries about food or clothing.
The Ministry of Civil Affairs had to continuously spend Mora to maintain the market economy. However, that volume of wealth couldn't just be spent at will. The best solution was to expand the welfare benefits for all Liyue citizens. Healthcare, pensions, wages, housing... almost every conceivable benefit had been implemented by the Ministry.
Even so, the income still far exceeded the Ministry's expenditures. This was currently their biggest headache. While others worried about not having enough Mora, they worried that they had too much and nowhere to spend it. This wasn't just a "happy problem"; excessive capital could easily cause prices to skyrocket and impact the lives of the people.
Fortunately, all five nations had now joined the MC World, and the sale of specialty goods was mostly being handled by Fontaine and Natlan. The phase of frenzied Mora-earning had mostly leveled off. This gave Ningguang and the others a chance to breathe. In the future, they only needed to ensure that Liyue's development in the MC World remained faster than everyone else's to continue earning Mora at a steady, appropriate pace. It was the best of both worlds.
But those were worries for another time. With the Lantern Rite starting, everyone except for essential Ministry staff was on holiday. Children, the elderly, and young couples on the streets all wore expressions of pure happiness. As they traversed the streets, the sounds of various storytellers reached their ears.
Compared to the old popular tales of Rex Lapis sweeping across the Archon War, the current trend focused on the great progress of the Rule of Man. This direction had earned the approval of all Liyue citizens. They were as proud of the Rule of Man's development as they had once been of the Geo Lord's governance.
Millelith patrols could be seen from time to time, accompanied by tamed wolves. To this day, even though dragons had become the true top-tier combat force, the wolf packs remained Liyue Harbor's most popular monster squadron. People still frequently visited the old wolf cemetery to pay their respects. With the start of the Lantern Rite, the area was especially crowded. After all, the Lantern Rite was a festival to commemorate heroes, and those wolves had truly protected many soldiers during the world's development.
Overall, the atmosphere was one of harmony: a calm within the bustle.
The newly built large-scale port in Liyue Harbor, which was technically on holiday, also grew lively at this time. After traveling at sea for several days, Kamisato Ayato had finally arrived at Liyue Harbor with his main force.