A blue Paimon curled up like a little girl, sleeping soundly. She didn't even wake up when Takumi lifted her by her clothes.
"So this is her..." Takumi muttered.
Sensing Blue Paimon's physical condition, he understood what was going on with her. It turned out that because Phanes had fallen into a deep sleep and was on the verge of death, he subconsciously gathered his own authority. As a result, except for Asmoday, who was entrusted with an important task by Phanes, the other two of the Four Shadows who were still alive were the first to suffer.
'Istaru,' who was injured during the Throne War and was recuperating in the time shard, was unable to leave that shard after her time authority was taken back by Phanes.
Takumi shook her lightly, like a rag doll. "What an unlucky one," he said, while Istaru's head bobbed, and a drop of drool escaped from the corner of her mouth.
Although Istaru looked a lot like Paimon now, she was indeed the smartest of the Four Shadows and belonged to the brainy side of their group. In the early stages of the Throne War, she used a stratagem to create division between the three goddesses of the Moon Palace, who had all fallen for the Star and Morning Division at the same time. This cunning strategy led to the three goddesses attacking each other, allowing Phanes to win without much of a fight.
"But..." Takumi lifted Istaru above his head, his lips curling into a mischievous grin. "I thought my flying elf would be Asmoday, but I didn't expect Istaru to take that role. I guess as an Adventurer, I need my own 'Paimon.'"
Since I finally got Paimon, I must make the most of it.
Takumi returned to Narukami Taisha Shrine in an instant and greeted the two confused gods and demons present.
"Come on, everyone! I found this little one, and I've got a surprise idea. Let's heat up a pan and some oil!"
He snapped his fingers and used the 'Light Realm Power' to create a pot, placing it on a makeshift stove. He lit the fire, added water, and placed Istaru in the pot.
Takumi called out, "Come here, everyone."
Although they had no idea what 'Tianli' or 'Lord God' was planning to do, they followed orders and gathered around the pot. Inexplicably, knives and forks appeared in their hands.
Kamisato Ayaka looked at the elf in the pot, covering her mouth in horror. "Does this mean... the god is going to eat this elf?"
Takumi rolled his eyes. "Of course not. I just want to give her a surprise when she wakes up."
Yae Miko quickly grasped what was happening. She looked at the little elf sleeping soundly in the pot and thought back to what Lord Takumi had just said, "I finally found you, Istaru." She couldn't help but smirk.
Could this little elf be the 'Ruler of Time' he spoke of? This was a high-level joke, one that even the powerful gods like Ei and Shogun wouldn't dare make.
Yet, for some reason, Yae Miko felt a rush of excitement.
Kamisato Ayato and Kamisato Ayaka exchanged bewildered glances. Though they knew that this god was full of mischief, they hadn't expected him to go this far. Still, they had no choice but to cooperate with his antics.
As the water in the pot gradually heated, Istaru frowned, smacked her lips, and slowly opened her eyes, yawning.
"Ah... I slept so well..."
"Now that you're awake, it's time to eat," a teasing voice echoed in her ears.
Blue Paimon said sleepily, "Yeah, I'm already hungry. What's for dinner?"
"Of course, we'll eat you," the voice continued jokingly.
"Oh, you're eating me," Blue Paimon repeated absently.
Suddenly, realization struck her. Who was talking? Eat her?
She jolted awake, eyes wide open. What came into view were five faces, each staring at her with various complicated expressions. More importantly, everyone was holding a knife and fork.
Istaru's expression froze. She looked down.
She was in a pot, with fire underneath.
Now she knew why she felt so warm. She was about to be eaten.
She screamed, "Ahhhh! I'm not food!" She tried to fly away but found herself unable to.
Takumi looked at her with a hungry gaze, licking his lips. "Talking food must be tastier. I want her head. It's probably the tenderest part. What about you guys?"
Kamisato Ayaka stammered, "Then I'll... I'll take her fingers."
Kamisato Ayato forced a smile. "I'll have her legs; they seem quite meaty."
Yae Miko clattered her knife and fork together, licking her lips teasingly. "I'll go for her heart, after all, they say you are what you eat."
"Master Foxsai Palace, you must have had liver before, right?" she added, nudging the Foxsai Palace next to her.
Foxsai Palace looked pityingly at the scared elf who seemed to have gone dumb and nodded slowly.
Istaru's face paled, and tears welled up as she flailed her limbs. "No, I'm not food!"
Takumi let out a menacing laugh. "I'm going to suck your brains out of your ears! Heh, heh, heh..."
Istaru's eyes filled with panic. Suddenly, she noticed Raiden Ei standing to the side, like a drowning person finding a piece of driftwood.
"Baal! Save me! It's me! It's Istaru, the Ruler of Time! You've never met me, but I've seen you before! I'm from Sky Island!"
The little hands clawed at the sides of the pot desperately.
"We are colleagues, please save me!"
Raiden Ei was at a loss for words at the hilarity of the scene.
Takumi finally stopped teasing her, allowing a slight trace of his authority to be felt. He laughed. "Hahaha, this is too much fun. My stomach hurts from laughing. Hahaha."
As a servant of the Heavenly Law, Istaru sensed the authority and finally pieced it together. She stared at Takumi, her eyes wide.
"You... you..."
Takumi put his finger to his lips. "Shhh."
Istaru understood that Takumi didn't want to reveal his identity. However, her anger at being tricked quickly overtook her sense of reason.
"Ahhhhh, you b*****d, how could you do that to me?!"
Takumi took her out of the pot while she flailed her hands and feet. "Haha, I just wanted to give you a surprise for our first meeting."
Istaru bared her teeth and punched at him. "You almost scared me to death, you jerk!"
However, amid the anger, she couldn't help but feel a pang of sadness. "If you've obtained her authority, that means..."
Takumi nodded. "Yeah, she's gone... but..."
As he spoke, he transmitted information about the 'World Devouring Plan' and the current state of the Teyvat world directly into her mind.
Istaru's expression turned to one of shock.