"Stare..." (Everyone)
"..."
A thin layer of sweat formed on Greater Lord Rukkhadevata's forehead. Ever since just now, she had felt an intensely heated gaze fixed on her, so piercing that it seemed ready to set her entire body ablaze.
Following the direction of that gaze, she saw that the white-haired young man remained completely unmoved, still staring straight at her~.
Greater Lord Rukkhadevata's heartbeat sped up. She wanted to say something, yet despite being the God of Wisdom, she actually had no idea how to begin. The person before her was the benefactor who had freed her from suffering, had just granted her tremendous power, and was also an absolute powerhouse.
If Elias really did harbor those kinds of intentions toward her...
Leaving aside whether she was even worthy of him, even if she wanted to refuse, did she really have the right to?
Although the two of them had known each other for less than a day, not even two full hours, Greater Lord Rukkhadevata genuinely had a very favorable impression of Elias now. But that did not mean she was ready to simply give herself to him.
(Still, being stared at like this is embarrassing. I should probably just address it directly. Lord Elias shouldn't blame me for that... right?)
After making up her mind, Greater Lord Rukkhadevata took a deep breath, then turned to meet the white-haired young man's gaze and spoke nervously.
"Um... may I ask if there's something you need?"
"Hm?"
"Well, you've been staring at me this whole time, so I thought perhaps there was something you wanted to tell me... Is that right?"
Greater Lord Rukkhadevata was inwardly smiling bitterly, because she realized that what she had intended to say and what actually came out of her mouth were completely different. She had planned to directly tell him that she had no intention of pursuing romance.
Yet for some reason, the moment she looked at Elias' face, the words on the tip of her tongue changed instinctively.
Even Greater Lord Rukkhadevata herself did not know why. Was it because she feared Elias' strength? Or because he was the first person who had ever saved her and shown her genuine care?
Even as the God of Wisdom, there were still many questions she could not answer.
"...Mm. There is indeed something very important."
Elias fell silent for a moment before nodding.
Then, as if he too had prepared himself mentally, he took a deep breath and walked straight toward Greater Lord Rukkhadevata, staring directly into those beautiful, unusual clover-patterned eyes.
Thud!
The next second, Elias planted one hand against the wall behind Greater Lord Rukkhadevata, executing what could only be described as a perfect kabedon!
Thump! Thump! Thump!
Looking at the white-haired young man now only inches away, seeing her own reflection in those jewel-like heterochromatic eyes, Greater Lord Rukkhadevata's heartbeat accelerated to its absolute limit. Even her elf ears turned red.
Within the Teyvat Bubble World, she was a god. Everyone treated her with reverence, worship, and trust. There was distance between gods and mortals, so no one had ever done something like this to her before.
Even now, Greater Lord Rukkhadevata was still confident that she could reject a confession, but she knew this moment would undoubtedly be branded deeply into her memory. No amount of erosion would ever make her forget it.
However...
"Buer, this is somewhat difficult to say, but the truth is, I'm extremely interested in your..."
"S-Sorry, but I don't have any intentions like that!!"
"...elf ears!!"
Both of them shouted their words at the top of their lungs.
The next second, the entire world seemed to fall silent. It was as though a Quantum crow flew past outside the Hyperion, cawing loudly as it went and leaving a few black dots behind...
"Huh?"
"Hm?"
Elias and Greater Lord Rukkhadevata both became blank-eyed. Although they were still close enough to hear each other's breathing, the previously ambiguous atmosphere had abruptly transformed into the expression of someone contemplating the universe, formulas, and the mysteries of the brain all at once.
Greater Lord Rukkhadevata was the first to react. Apparently, maybe, probably... she had misunderstood. Elias had not been trying to confess to her at all! He was simply coveting her elf ears!
"Ahh... Uuu..."
The goddess of wisdom let out an adorable wail.
One of life's three great delusions: He likes me!
Greater Lord Rukkhadevata suddenly wanted to move to another world and start over. She was so embarrassed that she had no idea what to say. Her bare jade-like feet beneath her white dress were almost digging a three-bedroom apartment into the Hyperion's floor.
Oh~ This woman thought I was about to confess to her!
"Pfft~ You're really cute, Buer."
Elias finally realized what had happened as well.
He immediately burst into laughter.
Looking at Greater Lord Rukkhadevata's incomparably beautiful cheeks, now so red they looked as though they might drip with color, he saw that she had practically turned into a steam princess. The situation was so amusing that Elias could not stop himself from laughing out loud.
"Looks like even though your appearance has returned to adulthood, you're still just as adorable, Buer. Hahaha~"
"P-Please don't tell anyone... Uuu..."
"All right, all right, don't worry~ I'll definitely keep my mouth shut. As for whether anyone else will say anything, though, I can't guarantee that."
"What?"
Greater Lord Rukkhadevata froze. Then she tilted her head and spotted a twin-tailed, cabbage-headed AI girl who happened to be passing by while carrying a watermelon she had found from who knew where.
Ai blinked, then revealed a delighted smile. After waving at Greater Lord Rukkhadevata, she skipped away in high spirits, clearly eager to find someone and share this juicy piece of gossip.
"Uuu... Please just kill me."
Greater Lord Rukkhadevata looked ready to cry.
Naturally, Elias refused.
It was only one case of social death. She should learn to look on the bright side~ Everyone eventually died in one way or another, though personally, Elias would rather die for real than suffer social death.
"Anyway, back to the point. Buer, can I touch your elf ears? Please! I absolutely love this type! Whatever reward you want, we can negotiate. Ten seconds... no, wait, just let me touch them for thirty seconds!"
Elias grabbed Greater Lord Rukkhadevata's hands as he begged. Sakura's fox ears were still his absolute favorite, but his second favorite had already shifted from elf ears to Pardo's and Kiana's cat ears.
Still, Greater Lord Rukkhadevata's elf ears were truly top-tier. They were pale, sharp, and long. In appearance alone, they were not inferior to Elysia's at all. In fact, they might even be slightly better.
The only question was what they felt like.
Elias cared about this so much that he was practically itching all over, as if an artificially cascaded Pardo were scratching at his heart.
If it meant getting to touch those elf ears, even if Greater Lord Rukkhadevata said she wanted him to take her back to Teyvat immediately, Elias would agree without hesitation and order the Hyperion to set sail at once.
"I'm truly sorry about the misunderstanding earlier. And, um... I don't mind. Please feel free."
Greater Lord Rukkhadevata lowered her head slightly, then leaned her elf ears toward Elias. If this had been a confession, she would at least have refused for the time being. But if he merely wanted to touch her ears, of course that was fine.
If it were anyone else, Greater Lord Rukkhadevata would have rejected them. But Elias had just saved her and then given her an epic-level enhancement. Considering such an enormous debt of gratitude, all he wanted in return was to touch her ears.
If Greater Lord Rukkhadevata refused even that, she felt she would truly be shameless. So naturally, he could touch them as much as he liked!
"Really? Yes! Then I won't hold back!"
Elias' eyes lit up, and he eagerly reached out to caress Greater Lord Rukkhadevata's pair of elf ears. He immediately narrowed his eyes with a blissful expression, looking utterly rejuvenated.
His ten fingers glided skillfully across Greater Lord Rukkhadevata's elf ears. They felt soft and somewhat warm. Then Elias gently pinched her earlobes between his index and middle fingers and began rubbing them while using his ring fingers to explore the contours of her ears.
"!!!"
Greater Lord Rukkhadevata's delicate body stiffened. She hurriedly raised a hand to cover her mouth and prevent any inappropriate sounds from escaping. Elias' technique far exceeded anything she had imagined. His hands seemed to possess some kind of special magic.
Stimulating, gentle, comfortable, and even slightly painful.
Yet even the occasional faint sting caused when he applied a little too much pressure somehow became part of the pleasurable sensation.
She had never experienced anything like this before, so she had never known. But at this very moment, Greater Lord Rukkhadevata, the God of Wisdom herself, felt as though the door to an entirely new world had been opened before her.
From a certain perspective, she had just acquired knowledge even more dangerous than "Forbidden Knowledge."
"Ahh, what an amazing pair of elf ears."
Elias licked his lips, feeling deeply regretful.
It was a shame Greater Lord Rukkhadevata was not his girlfriend. Otherwise, he would already have leaned in and bitten them directly.
Still, Elias had always known his boundaries. He understood what he could do and what he could not, so he had no intention of taking advantage of the atmosphere to push things any further.
Otherwise, it would simply become outright harassment.
(Come to think of it, Kiana was the one who awakened this fetish in me. Then Ely, Sakura, and Pardo helped develop it further. Ahh~ It's been ten thousand years since I've gotten to touch any. I'm going to enjoy myself properly this time!)
...And so, half an hour later...
"Captain, you really didn't do that sort of thing?"
Rosemary looked suspiciously at Elias and Greater Lord Rukkhadevata.
"No, no, absolutely not!"
Facing the witch, who had suddenly become incredibly intimidating, Elias hurriedly shook his head and insisted that he had only been touching ears from beginning to end. It had all been perfectly wholesome. He had done nothing bad.
"But Miss Buer looks..."
"Haa... Haa... Haa..."
Rosemary looked at Greater Lord Rukkhadevata with a complicated expression. The latter currently had both hands pressed against the wall, her face flushed as she panted heavily. Her ample chest rose and fell continuously, making her look as though she had just finished some intense exercise.
Clearly, she had been overwhelmed by Elias' master-level technique.
After finally recovering, Greater Lord Rukkhadevata looked at Rosemary and the others and suddenly felt an impulse to jump off the Hyperion and drown herself in the Sea of Quanta.
If her former people, or her younger self in Teyvat, Nahida, saw what she looked like now, Greater Lord Rukkhadevata had no idea what they would think. Their faith might very well collapse on the spot.
But to be fair, having Elias touch her ears really had felt incredibly good! She wanted another round!!
"Well~ Forget it. Captain, all of the Ferryman's data and records, the Ether Anchor, and his collection have already been transferred onto Hyperion: Moonlight Throne ARK."
Rosemary shook her head as though giving up, then reported that the recovery operation had been completed.
"Really? Everyone works fast."
"You flatter us, Captain. There's one more thing I'd like to ask. How do you plan to deal with what's left?"
"Hm? What's left?"
"This Hyperion itself."
As Rosemary spoke, she knocked against the warship's wall. They had already stripped the Ferryman's Hyperion of everything useful, but the warship itself remained, and they had no idea what to do with it.
Even though it was battered and worn, it was still a very good warship. But to Elias, it meant little. After all, the Ferryman's Hyperion was merely a battlecruiser, while Elias' Hyperion: Moonlight Throne ARK was a super star destroyer!
Elias: "Although they're both called Hyperion, the master of this warship isn't me. It has already lost its captain, and there's only one thing I can do for it now..."