Walnut used me to boost her sales performance.

Having seen the form they wanted to become, they naturally evolved.

Jiang Bai bowed slightly to the pure water sprite. "Thank you very much, madam. My name is Jiang Bai, and this is Hu Tao. May I ask your name?"

“My name is Lotia. No need to thank me, this is its own effort.”

Seeing that Lotia was eager to talk, Jiang Bai was happy to chat with her.

He was very curious about why Lotia had come here, and even more curious about how the water god had died.

You must know that the Pure Water Spirit was a follower of the previous Water God, yet it has been exiled here!

So what exactly happened in Fontainebleau that caused the gods' retinue to flee their homeland and escape to this place?

"You just said you fled here, why? I heard that the Pure Water Spirit is a follower of the Water God," Jiang Bai asked curiously.

Lotia gave him a deep look; the unique aura emanating from Jiang Bai did not escape her notice.

"These are not secrets, so it's fine to tell you."

“Since the death of the old water god, the waters we live in have changed and are no longer suitable for us pure water spirits. I refused to become a servant of the new water god, left Fontaine, and came here.”

Jiang Bai did not ask why he refused.

None of the three countries he has visited so far have a second-generation god on the surface.

The second deity was a completely different individual from the previous deities.

Xiao would definitely be unwilling to serve a new, second Rock God.

The divine retinues under the previous political system found themselves in a clearly awkward position after the new god took office.

Leaving might be a good option.

"What's its name?" Lotia asked, looking at Gudu.

"Its name is Gudong. To be honest, the reason I'm bothering you here this time is also because of it."

Jiang Bai then explained the reason for this.

"Gudong has always admired the Pure Water Sprite and wants to become an elegant, powerful, and beautiful Pure Water Sprite like you."

“My teacher told me that the form of water is not fixed; it will become whatever it wants to become. I brought it here, and I was lucky enough to meet you.”

"It's lucky. However, the pure water spirit isn't a simple water elemental creature, so it can't transform into a form exactly like mine. That's also a kind of luck for it."

"why?"

"Pure water spirits need pure water to survive, and once the water is polluted, our end is near."

Lotia's voice carried a hint of sadness, yet also a calm acceptance of the truth.

Even this clear water will eventually become rotten.

But Gudu is different.

It is a purely elemental being.

As long as the water element is present, it can continue to survive.

Jiang Bai really didn't know about this.

Even the seemingly powerful divine retinue has so many limitations.

"Ms. Lothia, do you know how Gudu can evolve again? Where is the endpoint of evolution? What is the strongest form of elemental life? Can it use multiple elements simultaneously?"

Jiang Bai kept asking questions. It was rare to find someone with expertise in water elements who could also have such a friendly conversation, so of course he had to ask as many as he could.

"The evolution of life is catalyzed by time, accumulated by energy, experienced, and grown."

Lotia's words were somewhat cryptic, but Jiang Bai understood them.

It's similar to now. With more experience, more accumulation, more observation, and more travel, when enough energy is accumulated, we can evolve again like we are now.

Jiang Bai touched Gu Dong's head, which was still the same as before, like a jelly.

"From now on, you can go out and have fun whenever you have free time, just remember to come home at night."

Gudu can fly now and is no longer a slime. Even without his company, he won't be attacked by people when he goes out.

Moreover, Gudu's strength should not be underestimated; ordinary people have no way to defeat it.

The only shortcoming is mental strength.

They are easily fooled.

"Gu..."

Gudu was a little scared.

Since following Jiang Bai, he hasn't gone out on his own.

It was quite bewildered when suddenly allowed to go out and play on its own.

"It's alright, I'll make a survival guide for you. As long as you strictly follow it, there won't be any danger."

"Goo!"

Gudu felt a little relieved.

Lotia then answered Jiang Bai's second question.

"I don't know the end of evolution, I only know that the strongest form of elemental life is the elemental dragon. If it can evolve into an elemental dragon one day, perhaps the whole of Teyvat will fall for it."

The idea of ​​evolving from a tiny slime into an elemental dragon is too grand and too far-fetched.

But that doesn't stop Jiang Bai from dreaming.

"Elemental dragons... Does Dvalin count as an elemental dragon?" Jiang Bai murmured, giving himself the answer.

Dvalin was also born from the wind and is in dragon form; calling him an elemental dragon is perfectly reasonable.

What about the Geo element? Where is the Geo elemental dragon?

Is that Master?

"As for whether you can master multiple elemental forces, that's up to you."

"Ask yourself?" Jiang Bai pointed to himself, somewhat bewildered.

"I am a pure water spirit. Rivers can be an extension of my consciousness, and the ocean is our final destination. We are pure water, and other forces are incompatible with us."

"But what about you? I sense multiple elements within you. You can use multiple elements, right?"

"Yes."

"So you shouldn't ask me this kind of question."

Jiang Bai also felt that this question was indeed a bit difficult for her.

If Gudu wants to master multiple elements, it still has to rely on itself.

"Ms. Lotia, are you lonely here all by yourself?"

"With water by my side, I am not alone."

Lothia's words left Jiang Bai momentarily speechless, but he didn't make excuses and simply told the truth.

"I was going to suggest that Gudu accompany you, but it has just evolved and doesn't know many things, so it needs an elder to teach it..."

Lotia was very impressed with Jiang Bai's honesty.

As a pure water spirit who has lived for thousands of years, how could she not understand Jiang Bai's implied meaning?

Sincerity is a great way to bridge the gap between people.

“Then let it stay with me for now. I do have a lot to teach it about water.”

Today can be said to be the day Lotia has spoken the most in over 400 years.

It's not just because Jiang Bai is special, but also because of Gudu's evolution.

This kind of evolution is a once-in-a-century phenomenon, and she had only heard of it in rumors.

She looked at Gudong, who was remarkably similar to herself, with loving eyes.

Since we evolved because of her, let her be the one to teach us.

Chapter 652 Zhongli: How embarrassing!

"You should study hard with Ms. Lotia, okay? I'll come pick you up again in a while, so don't run off..."

Jiang Bai gave Gu Dong a series of instructions, then took out a box full of water element crystal cores, most of which he had bought on the market at considerable prices.

Jiang Bai used wind element to lift the box and fly it to Lotia.

“Ms. Lotia, these are pure water elemental crystals. Thank you for your willingness to teach them.”

He didn't know what the pure water spirit would like; these water element crystal cores were bought to feed Gudu.

“I don’t need these, but I accept your kindness.”

Lotia returned the items.

"Then I'll trouble Ms. Lotia to keep them for me and feed them one every few days."

Jiang Bai pushed the things back, and this time Lotia didn't refuse.

Jiang Bai said to Gu Dong, "Alright, you can continue learning from Ms. Lotia. We'll head back now."

Gudu rubbed against his face, then happily flew to Lotia's side and circled around her.

The two waved to it and left.

Hopefully, when we come back next time, Xiao Gudong will have mastered the secrets of water!

After returning to Liyue Harbor with Hu Tao, Jiang Bai planned to buy some more pure water elemental cores to save up, when he saw Zhong Li listening to storytelling at his usual teahouse.

He couldn't help but go inside.

In the teahouse, Wu Tiezui stood on the stage, speaking with great enthusiasm, his voice passionate and surging.

Jiang Bai originally wanted to talk to Zhong Li, but he couldn't help but be drawn in by the storytelling.

"The Rock Prince was traveling alone in the mountains when he heard a distant sound he had never heard before, coming from a crevice in the ground. The sound was sometimes as mournful as a song, and sometimes as terrifying as thunder."

After wandering around for a while, Lord Yan finally found a strange rock in the rock strata.

"Lord Yan cherished the spirit of this stone, so he personally carved it into a magnificent and lifelike dragon."

"Then use your finger as a brush to dot the dragon's eyes!"

"No sooner said than done, lightning flashed and thunder roared in the sky, and a true dragon emerged from the heavens..."

Jiang Bai listened intently, very curious whether such a thing was really true.

He looked at Zhongli and, seeing that Zhongli was listening attentively, did not disturb him.

When this part of the storytelling ended, Jiang Bai finally couldn't suppress his curiosity.

After leaving the teahouse, Jiang Bai pestered Zhong Li, asking, "Master, Master, was the story just now true?"

"Yes and no." Zhongli shook his head.

"How so?" Jiang Bai became even more curious after he said that.

"This part of the story has been embellished by later generations, and the Dragon King was not carved by the Rock King Emperor..."

"Doesn't that mean the Dragon King's Eye-Dream Cultivation was real? The Emperor gave the Dragon King his eyes?"

With many people and eyes on the road, Jiang Bai was very careful not to let Zhong Li reveal his identity.

Zhongli looked up at the rolling mountains, his expression carrying a hint of melancholy and wistfulness.

I guess so...

Jiang Bai tilted his head; his intuition told him there was a story behind this.

"Then, Master, is this Dragon King the Geo Elemental Dragon?"

Zhongli looked at him with some surprise, "Where did you hear this title from?"

“I just went to see the water spirit Lothia, and he said that the strongest form of elemental life is the elemental dragon. Since Mondstadt has a Dvalin, I think Liyue should also have a Geo elemental dragon…”

"That's absolutely right."

Zhongli nodded, sighed, and began to tell the story of her friend.