As he spoke, his voice grew choked, completely disregarding the strange looks from the strangers around him.
Seeing this, Kuki Shinobu quickly stepped forward to grab his arms and stop him from hitting himself, whispering rapidly, "Boss! Calm down! Onibaba is fine. That lord from Fontaine even had someone take care of her."
Hearing this, Arataki Itto finally calmed down a bit and let out a heavy sigh of relief.
Only then did he finally have the chance to scan his surroundings.
As he did, Arataki Itto's mouth slowly fell open, his red pupils filled with shock. His jaw dropped involuntarily, and even his oni horns seemed to quiver in surprise:
"This... this ship..."
"Did they move Liyue's Jade Chamber onto the sea?!"
Next, his gaze fell upon Zhongli.
This WangSheng Funeral Parlor consultant had an extraordinary air. The instinctively sharp Itto felt... this person might be even harder to mess with than the Raiden Shogun!
Then he saw Clorinde and Lynette.
Clorinde's sharp outfit, her hand-on-sword posture, and the undisguised sharp scrutiny in her purple eyes made Itto's muscles tighten instinctively—
This was a warrior's natural reaction; he smelled an extremely dangerous aura.
And the cat-eared maid standing quietly nearby looked harmless enough.
But whenever those pale purple cat eyes swept over him, Itto felt like she could see right through him, making the hair on his back stand up.
Finally, his gaze landed on King, who was implicitly guarded in the center of the group.
With just one look, Arataki Itto felt as if his heart had been squeezed by an invisible hand.
Fierce.
Utterly fierce.
It wasn't a hideous kind of fierce, but something much deeper.
It was as if standing there wasn't a man, but a primordial beast wearing a human skin, ready to tear everything apart at any moment.
Especially when those calm, rippleless eyes looked over, Itto felt like a kitten being stared down by a tiger; even his Oni King bloodline was trembling wildly.
Itto swallowed hard, cold sweat breaking out on his forehead.
He might be a bit simple, but he wasn't an idiot.
This group, this ship, and this fierce god in the middle... their background must be astronomical!
Just as Itto's mind was a mess and he didn't know what to say, a familiar and energetic voice rescued him.
"Wow! It's Itto! And Shinobu!"
Paimon poked her small head out from behind Lumine, waving her little hand, her eyes sparkling. "Long time no see! What are you guys doing here?"
Oh! Isn't this the Traveler and Paimon!
Seeing Paimon and Lumine, more than half of Itto's tensed nerves instantly relaxed.
Arataki Itto habitually wanted to raise a hand in greeting and strike his "The Great Me" pose.
But halfway through raising his hand, he froze.
Because he saw Paimon float onto King's shoulder.
She began introducing them in King's ear.
"King, King, let me tell you, this guy is Arataki Itto. He's a bit stupid, but he's a decent guy."
How is Paimon with these big shots?
Arataki Itto felt a mix of emotions.
Before, they were all "fair-weather friends" who caught beetles, played cards, and were chased by the Tenryou Commission together.
But now, they had already reached a height he had to look up to.
It seemed they had become... a bit too high to reach... Arataki Itto scratched his head and lowered his hand, his expression a bit complicated.
The prepared shout of "The Great Me!" got stuck in his throat, finally turning into a humble:
"...Lord Paimon overpraises me."
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