Cyno: "Tighnari, do you know why you can never ask Lumine out?"
Tighnari: "That's simple. She's Koji's girlfriend. It would be stranger if you could ask her out."
Cyno: "Wrong. It's because she has no Aether."
Tighnari: "…"
He knew it. Cyno still loved cold jokes as much as ever.
"Do you know why Aether keeps playing cards? Because he wants to win Lumine."
Koji and Rukkhadevata, who happened to be passing by, twitched at the corners of their mouths in perfect unison. That joke really was cold enough, but it was also a little too close to reality.
"Rukkhadevata, is this Sumeru's very own Cryo Archon?" Koji asked with a laugh.
"Huh?"
Rukkhadevata did not know whether to laugh or cry. After all, it really was cold. It was hard to imagine Cyno telling this kind of cold joke with such a serious face.
"Greetings, Rukkhadevata-sama."
Cyno and Tighnari greeted her respectfully.
"No need for such formality. Cyno, do you like telling cold jokes that much?" Rukkhadevata asked with great interest.
Cyno's eyes lit up. Could it be that Rukkhadevata-sama also liked cold jokes?
"Yes, Rukkhadevata-sama."
"I'll tell you a few," Cyno said.
"Sure."
Rukkhadevata did not refuse. Since she had nothing else to do, she might as well listen to Cyno's cold jokes.
Tighnari opened his mouth, then closed it again.
Forget it. Since Rukkhadevata wanted to hear them, he would let Cyno tell them.
"Do you know why all Anemo Vision holders from Fontaine are single?"
"Huh?"
Rukkhadevata froze slightly. What kind of question was that?
"Because they are… fond-alone."
Rukkhadevata: "…"
So that was how he explained it. Calling it a cold joke was not wrong, but it also felt a bit like a brain teaser.
"Cyno, do you know why you should ask the Acting Grand Master of the Knights of Favonius to repair a bracelet?" Koji asked with a smile.
"The Acting Grand Master… a bracelet…"
Cyno thought for a moment, then shook his head.
"Because a Jean-uine fix can mend even a bungled bracelet. The Acting Grand Master of the Knights of Favonius is named Jean," Koji said.
"Pfft. So that's it. How interesting. I'll remember that."
Cyno nodded, staring at Koji with bright, burning eyes.
So he was a kindred spirit.
Tighnari rubbed his arms. He felt a little cold.
Aside from Cyno, there was actually someone else who could tell cold jokes.
"Was it not funny?" Cyno looked at Tighnari and smiled brightly.
"If that joke was not funny, then the only option is to wear the Thundering Fury artifact set. That way, you can laugh like thunder."
Cyno said the cold joke with a perfectly serious expression.
Tighnari: "…"
Could he please stop talking?
Tighnari was going to freeze to death.
Sumeru was clearly a hot place, yet somehow, he felt a chilly wind blowing through him.
"Cyno, do you know why Barbara's waist is not doing too well?" Koji asked.
"Barbara?"
Cyno shook his head. This touched on a blind spot in his knowledge. He did not know much about the affairs of other nations.
"Because Barbara's slogan is a shining debut, but it turned into a waist-spraining debut."
"I see."
Cyno seriously recorded it down. These were all materials he had never heard before.
Tighnari already had a bad feeling. In the future, when they ate with Cyno, Cyno would throw out a few cold jokes, and the food would instantly go cold.
"All right," Cyno said, still not fully satisfied.
It had not been easy to meet a like-minded friend. He still wanted to talk more about cold jokes.
"Cyno, if you want to tell more cold jokes, you can ask other people about information from different nations," Koji suggested.
"Mm. I understand."
Cyno humbly accepted the advice.
He really did not understand much about the other nations. On the road of cold jokes, he still had a very long way to go.
Sumeru had nothing urgent going on now, and the soldiers he had trained already possessed the strength and fighting spirit to stand on their own. He could relax a little, such as by traveling around other nations.
"Koji, why did you tell Cyno that? He was already cold enough to freeze people into ice blocks. If he levels up and evolves in the future, all of Sumeru might turn into Snezhnaya," Tighnari said in an extremely exaggerated tone.
After all, once Cyno learned more cold jokes, the ones who suffered would be familiar faces like them.
"It is not that exaggerated. At most, the food will go cold," Cyno said.
"So you do know," Tighnari said, rolling his eyes.
"If the Cryo Archon saw you, she might hand the position over to Cyno," Koji said.
"If possible, I would rather become the God of Cold Jokes," Cyno said with an extremely serious expression.
"That is exactly like you."
Tighnari had no words left.
"Rukkhadevata-sama, were my cold jokes funny?" Cyno asked expectantly.
If he could obtain the Dendro Archon's approval, he would feel a great sense of accomplishment.
Rukkhadevata fell silent.
They were a little funny, but they were far too cold.
As expected of cold jokes.
"Keep working hard."
In the end, she did not give an evaluation. Instead, she gave Cyno some encouragement.
This made Cyno even more confident. He had to go even further down the path of cold jokes. He could not disappoint the Dendro Archon-sama.
Tighnari looked at Cyno, who was brimming with fighting spirit. He already had a premonition in his heart.
Cyno's cold jokes would definitely undergo a major transformation.
Forget it. When the time came, he would drag Alhaitham and the others along too.
Such wonderful cold jokes could not be enjoyed by him alone.
"Tighnari, prepare yourself. I think Alhaitham might recommend you to become Grand Sage," Koji suddenly said.
Cyno was impossible. After all, Cyno was not even a scholar. His role was that of a warrior. The position of Grand Sage could never fall onto him.
"What?"
"Me? Grand Sage?"
Tighnari froze slightly.
What kind of development was this?
Although he was currently a Sage, he had no interest in becoming Grand Sage. It would make him even busier than he already was.
"I gave Alhaitham a choice. If he can recommend a suitable person, he can go back to being Scribe. As for you, Tighnari, you are a viable option. I think Alhaitham might choose you," Rukkhadevata said.
"I…"
Tighnari held his head.
That was indeed something Alhaitham would do. As one of Alhaitham's few acquaintances, he knew very well how much Alhaitham disliked troublesome matters.
"Rukkhadevata-sama, can I refuse?" Tighnari also had no interest in becoming Grand Sage. Even his current position as Sage had been forced onto him. Otherwise, he would still be active in the rainforest.
"We will discuss it when the time comes. This time, there may not be just one Grand Sage. The position may be jointly held by several people."
Tighnari thought it over, then nodded.
In any case, this was not something that could be resolved in a short time. As the highest-ranking person beneath Sumeru's Dendro Archon, replacing the Grand Sage was a very troublesome matter.
Cyno had absolutely no intention of speaking.
After all, no matter how he thought about it, the position of Grand Sage would never fall onto him.
(End of Chapter)
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