Genshin Impact: My roommate and I became funny Hilichurls

Page 126

"Yes, I'm perfectly fine!"

Maranie patted her arm and said with a grin.

"Kazina knows how to control her attacks! You didn't see it in the team match; her moves were much more aggressive than before!"

She had great admiration for her good friend.

"Everyone's here, including Marani. That's perfect, saves me the trouble of looking for you everywhere."

Zhang Chu's voice came from the side.

He strode over, and behind him was... a strangely shaped "thing".

It was a robot that was completely black with sharp lines!

The most striking feature is its head—an extremely realistic shark head with a mouthful of sharp metal teeth and fierce eyes!

"Is this the...gift you're giving to Maranie?"

Ying looked at the robot whose art style was completely out of place in Teyvat, her lips twitched slightly, and she tentatively asked.

"It's not a gift."

Zhang Chu corrected him, a satisfied smile typical of tech geeks appearing on his face.

"To be more precise, it's a new 'partner' we've found for you."

He turned to the side and gestured to the robot behind him.

"You should introduce yourself too."

Upon hearing this, the shark-headed robot strode forward with a highly mechanical gait, and then spoke in a tone that blended electronic sounds with an inexplicable arrogance:

"I am Shark Chili! From today onwards, I'm your partner! Remember that!"

"Huh?! Wow—! Ｏ(≧?≦)Ｏ"

Marani was stunned for a moment, then her eyes shone brighter than the sun, and she let out a scream of extreme excitement!

She lunged forward like a cannonball, tightly hugging Shark Chili's cold, metallic shark head, rubbing her face against it vigorously!

"Oh my god! You're so cute! The shark design! And it can talk! So cool!"

"Hey! You stupid woman! Get down here right now!"

Shark Chili's mechanical arm flailing wildly, trying to remove the "accessory" hanging on its head, its electronic voice filled with exasperation.

"I'm not cute! I'm handsome! Domineering! Incredibly handsome! Don't you understand?!"

Erkang leaned closer to Zhang Chu and asked in a low voice, "Dude, I thought you'd at most make her a shark fin dart or a shark-shaped water cannon... but you actually made a shark chili pepper?! How did you do that?"

Zhang Chu pushed up his non-existent glasses and explained, “It’s simple. I took the (dark) technology I learned from Inazuma and Sumeru and went to Xinoning’s studio for a ‘friendly exchange.’ She was very interested in some of my ideas and sponsored a lot of Nata’s unique high-toughness metals and energy cores. So, I just casually created the Shark Chili.”

At this moment, Qingyu also walked over, looking at Shark Chili who was still "fighting" with Marani, and asked curiously, "What level is this 'easy' thing you made?"

Zhang Chu stroked his chin and assessed:

"Under normal circumstances, I could probably go toe-to-toe with a dedicated user of the Eye of God, and we'd be evenly matched."

"After activating the super transformation form, we should be able to go toe-to-toe with some of the more powerful demon gods."

"If I have enough energy, I can summon the shark giant... and probably go toe-to-toe with the wolf king for a few rounds, although in the end I'll most likely be beaten to a pulp by the wolf king."

Qingyu was silent for three seconds, then sincerely gave Zhang Chu a thumbs up:

Awesome, outrageous, and "You're a real genius."

Chapter 150 The Crowd of the Flowing Spring

"Thank you, Zhang Chu! You're such a kind person!"

Maranie's face flushed with excitement, like a squirrel that had found its beloved nut. She pounced and hugged Zhang Chu's thick, pillar-like thigh tightly, rubbing her head against his furry leg to express her heartfelt gratitude.

As for why she hugged his leg instead of cuddling him? It's simple. Zhang Chu's towering height of three meters in his Hilichurl Thug form made hugging his neck a difficult acrobatic move for the petite Marani. Hugging his leg, on the other hand, seemed both safe and... full of a sense of dependence?

"You're welcome, it's just a little effort."

Zhang Chu tried to respond in a calm tone, while secretly exerting force to pull his legs out of Marani's seemingly slender but actually iron-like embrace.

One tap, two taps... and it didn't budge!

Isn't this little girl's strength a bit ridiculously strong?!

Zhang Chu inwardly groaned, but on his face he had to maintain a calm and composed expression.

"That's why I'm not good at dealing with girls who are passionate and energetic..."

Zhang Chu sighed helplessly in his heart.

Why a girl?

If any man dared to fawn over him like that, he would have taught him a lesson with a thunder hammer long ago!

He, Zhang Chu, is male, likes women, and his orientation is as straight as the spine of a dragon in Liyue!

But faced with Marani's pure and heartfelt gratitude, he simply couldn't bring himself to harden his heart and could only silently bear this "heavy" thanks.

------

At Marani's warm invitation, the Knights of Honor and Shark Chili arrived at the settlement of her tribe, the Streamers.

"Welcome to the Clan of Flowing Springs—!"

Marani, like the most competent tour guide, jumped high, opened her arms, and showed everyone her home.

Her voice was filled with pride and joy.

The scene that came into view was truly refreshing.

Everywhere you look, there are open-air hot springs of varying sizes, steaming and distributed according to the natural terrain.

The air was filled with a faint smell of sulfur and a moist feeling of moisture.

Beside the hot springs, there are various mouthwatering foods and wines, and the souvenir stalls are filled with surfboards of different shapes, exquisite seashell ornaments and brightly colored tribal fabrics.

The crowds were bustling, and laughter filled the air, creating a relaxed atmosphere typical of a resort.

"I like here."

Shark Chili's arrogant electronic voice softened a bit, and his shark-head camera swept over the steaming hot spring, a satisfied smile seemingly curving his metallic lips.

"Warm and humid, perfect for maintaining my delicate joints."

“What a great place.”

Looking at the lively and pleasant scene before him, Zhang Chu felt that all the effort he had put into building the robot had been worthwhile.

This is what travel should be like!

"Wow! This is what I call enjoying life! No fighting, no being chased by dragons, hot springs, delicious food! Paradise! This is paradise!"

Er Kang jumped up excitedly, raised his hands high, and exclaimed that he had returned to the human world.

Even the usually calm Ying agreed with Erkang, revealing a relaxed smile and nodding: "Yes, it is indeed a good place to relax."

It is truly remarkable to find such a pleasant place during a long journey.

"Hey! You dog of an author! What do you mean by 'rare'?!"

Erkang keenly caught the key words in Ying's words and the narration, and immediately became indignant, jumping up and down and pointing to the sky, cursing: "How is the wonderful enjoyment that I, your Uncle Erkang, approve of 'rare'?! Explain yourself!"

"You still have the nerve to ask?"

Qingyu cast an extremely subtle glance at him, as if he were looking at someone with amnesia.

"Do I need to help you recall who was almost buried alive by dragon dung? Who was beaten so badly by Glow that he was embedded in the wall? And who stuffed fake snakes into the dragon's food bowl and triggered a beast tide? You can count the number of times you've enjoyed a peaceful moment on Paimon's fingers, okay!"

"that……"

Paimon flew over, pointed his little finger at the hot spring, then at himself and Gu Qian next to him, and asked a very practical question.

"Paimon is fine; he can just put on a swimming ring and soak in the hot spring. But what about Gu Qian...?"

Everyone turned to look at Gu Qian, who stood seven meters tall and resembled a small mountain.

For him, a regular hot spring pool would probably only be enough for a foot bath...

Gu Qian's enormous Thunder King head drooped, and he sighed heavily, his voice filled with helplessness and disappointment: "Hmm... I guess... I can't soak in hot springs..."

The thought of everyone else relaxing in the warm spring water while he could only watch from the sidelines made him feel a pang of sadness.

"Do not worry."

Zhang Chu patted Gu Qian's thick, wall-like arm armor.

"No big deal. We'll find a suitable body of water and I'll dig—no, I'll build—a super-sized hot spring pool for you right here! I guarantee you'll be able to soak comfortably to your heart's content!"

"Really?! That's great!"

Upon hearing this, Gu Qian immediately raised his enormous head, his eyes regaining their brilliance, and he was as happy as a child weighing hundreds of tons.

"If that's the case, then what are we waiting for!"

Maranie transformed into a vibrant whirlwind once again, waving her little hand excitedly as she announced.

"Everyone, hurry up and change into your swimsuits! The hot springs are waiting for us!"

Upon hearing this word, the four of them fell silent.

They looked at each other's "equipment":

Zhang Chu and Gu Qian are basically the classic Hilichurl thug/Thunderlord look, almost naked from the waist up and wearing only a wild leather skirt on the bottom... Whether they wear swimsuits or not seems to make much difference? In fact, the leather skirt itself looks a lot like some kind of wild swim trunks?

Meanwhile, Qingyu and Erkang, the two rangers, needed to remove their simple leather armor, gauntlets, leg guards, and their signature tattered cloaks...

But even if they take it off, they are still Hilichurls at heart!

A group of Hilichurls appearing in a hot spring... isn't this a bit too futuristic?

Won't it scare other Nata people soaking in the hot springs into having heart attacks?

"Hey! You guys!"

Seeing the four lost in strange contemplation, Paimon couldn't help but fly over, put her little hands on her hips, and uttered a soul-searching remark: "You guys are Hilichurls now! Hilichurls who have scared people all the way from Mondstadt to Nata! And now you're only thinking about 'being out of place'? Isn't that a little too late?!"

Paimon's words were like a wake-up call, instantly waking the person from their dream!