Chapter 56: Lumine: Spill it or else!

More than an hour later.

Aether slowly regained consciousness from his daze. As soon as he opened his eyes, he saw Lumine, Stelle, and March 7th looking down at him with mischievous grins.

Stelle chuckled wickedly, holding a can of Surströmming she had pulled from a gacha draw earlier.

"Hehe, you're finally awake?"

When Aether caught sight of the label on the Surströmming can, his eyes widened in sheer horror. He knew all too well what this abomination was.

"You... what do you people want?"

Lumine pulled out a writing brush and dipped it into some ink.

"Talk! What other plans do you Abyss Order scoundrels have?!"

Aether turned his head away stubbornly.

"Don't waste your breath. I won't tell you anything."

Hearing this, March 7th scattered the durian shells left over from yesterday's snack across the floor and gave a dramatic wave of her hand.

"Administer the punishment!"

Stelle and Lumine exchanged cunning grins, stepped forward, grabbed Aether by his arms, and hoisted him up.

Aether instantly realized what they were about to do.

*Kneeling on durian shells! I'm not afraid! Bring it on! I am an esteemed prince! Why should I fear a mere durian?*

"Squish!" The sound of durian spikes piercing through fabric echoed in the air, followed immediately by Aether letting out a muffled groan.

"Hmph."

Seeing that Aether hadn't cried out, Stelle raised an eyebrow.

"Oh ho, not bad at all. You passed the first trial quite easily. Well then, try tasting this!"

Without a second word, Stelle popped open the can of Surströmming.

Instantly, a wave of gut-wrenching stench billowed out into the surroundings. Stelle, standing closest to the open can, almost passed out from the sheer potency of the odor. She hurriedly pinched her nose.

"Good grief! This smell is straight-up apocalyptic!"

March 7th and Lumine quickly pinched their noses as well.

Aether caught a whiff of the foul air and felt a wave of nausea so intense that he almost threw up on the spot.

Stelle caught her breath and, noticing Aether's constipated expression, devilishly thrust the can of Surströmming right under his nose.

Aether's face instantly turned a sickly shade of green, looking as though he had just been heavily poisoned.

He struggled frantically, desperately trying to distance himself from the canned nightmare, but Lumine and March 7th held him down with iron grips.

Finally, Aether's stomach revolted completely, and he heaved violently.

"Ugh—!"

The three girls recoiled in disgust, covering their noses and glaring at Aether with utter disdain.

Lumine couldn't resist mocking him.

"Ew— and you call yourself a big man? You can't even handle a single can of fermented herring. Pathetic."

Regaining a shred of composure, Aether burst out into an angry tirade.

"You bratty sister! You try it then! If you've got the guts, let go of your nose!"

Seeing that Aether still dared to talk back, Lumine narrowed her eyes.

"Oh ho! You still have the nerve to fight back! You're forcing me to use my ultimate move! March!"

Hearing Lumine call her name, March 7th promptly produced yet another fresh, unopened can of Surströmming.

Lumine unsealed it and held it directly beneath Aether's nose. Aether instantly began dry-heaving again.

Lumine pressed on with her interrogation.

"Are you going to talk or not?! What other schemes does the Abyss Order have up its sleeve?"

Aether shook his head stubbornly, refusing to utter a single word.

Lumine sighed dramatically.

"Brother, don't blame me."

With that, Lumine picked up a pair of chopsticks, clamped down on a piece of the fermented fish, and threatened to shove it straight into Aether's mouth.

Aether's eyes bulged in pure terror. The smell alone was already lethal; if he actually ate it...

*No! No! Absolutely not!*

"Bad sister! Stop! Stop right now! I'll talk! I'll tell you everything!"

Hearing this, Lumine pulled her hand back with a satisfied smirk.

"Was that really so hard? You just had to make us resort to corporal punishment. Go on, spill."

And so, Aether spilled every single detail of his plans to Lumine.

............

Another hour or more drifted by.

Atop Stormterror's back, Lumine held a Dull Blade, occasionally waving it threateningly close to Aether.

"Get to work and chop faster!"

Aether wore a look of profound speechlessness. How on earth had he managed to get captured by this mischievous sister of his?!

Clutching a Dull Blade of his own, Aether struck viciously against the venomous spikes embedded in Dvalin's back.

Lumine was making Aether experience firsthand the very same "suffering" she had endured.

*Is this any way for a brother to act? Living it up in the Abyss while leaving your little sister all alone to wander around Teyvat by herself?*

He should remember the days shortly after she had first awakened.

When she was hungry, she could only pick Sunset Corias; when she was thirsty, she had to drink river water. If she hadn't happened to pull a Dull Blade out of a treasure chest later on, she wouldn't even have been able to eat meat.

Aether swung his sword down hard on a venomous spike, chipping off a few tiny fragments.

He stared at the meager debris he had carved off, then looked at the remaining massive spike before him and the completely intact one behind it. His soul left his body.

Ever since he woke up, he discovered that his powers had been sealed away; currently, he possessed little more than a slightly enhanced physical constitution.

Catching Aether letting his mind wander, Lumine promptly delivered a flat-handed swat to his backside with the flat of her blade.

"What are you staring at? Get back to work!"

Aether's fists clenched instinctively. *I quit! I'm not doing this anymore!*

Just as he was about to toss the Dull Blade away in defiance, he saw Lumine reach behind her back with her left hand and produce a familiar can of Surströmming.

Aether gasped sharply, swallowed his pride, and redirected all his accumulated rage entirely onto the venomous spikes on Dvalin's back.

In the distance.

Ye Yun, Welt, Jean, Diluc, and Venti were leisurely sipping tea and chatting as they watched the spectacle unfold from afar.

Jean looked somewhat concerned.

"Um... shouldn't we go over and stop them? It feels... a bit too cruel."

Ye Yun chuckled softly.

"No need, those two siblings are always like that. There's a saying in my hometown: when there are no external threats, siblings are each other's greatest hazard. But when an external threat appears, siblings become each other's greatest reliance. Rest assured, everything is fine."

After pondering his words for a moment, Jean conceded that Ye Yun made a fair point.

With that settled, the group resumed their tea and casual conversation.

Finally.

As the sun began to dip below the horizon, Aether finished clearing away the last of the toxic growths on Dvalin's back.

Physically and mentally exhausted, Aether collapsed onto the grassy ground, wearing the expression of a man whose soul had departed this mortal coil.

Lumine walked over to him.

"Here, catch."

She tossed a bottle of water toward Aether. He caught it, unscrewed the cap, and chugged down a massive mouthful.

The refreshing water immediately brought a measure of comfort back to his battered spirit.

Lumine looked down at him with a mixture of exasperation and disappointment.

"Do you even still think of me as your sister? How could you keep a matter this huge to yourself and try to shoulder it all alone? The next time you go after that woman, you are required to bring me along."

Aether opened his mouth to refuse—he couldn't allow Lumine to put herself in such danger.

Before he could speak, Lumine cut him off completely, sealing all avenues of escape.

"That's final. If I ever find out you went off to deal with that woman on your own behind my back, I'll make sure you go through today's set menu all over again."

Knowing he was beaten, Aether could only nod in weary surrender.

"Fine. I promise you."

Lumine finally looked satisfied.

"Alright, alright. You can head back to your Abyss now; I need to go get some rest myself."

Aether pushed himself up to his feet, nodded, and conjured an Abyssal portal.

"Lumine, take care of yourself."

Just then, a voice rang out from nearby.

"Oh, trying to run away again, are you? The Flaming—"

Stelle drew the Lance of the Flaming Sun, ready to strike, but Lumine hurriedly stepped in to block her, quickly explaining the situation.

Only after hearing the explanation did Stelle put the weapon away.

Aether felt utterly speechless. What kind of friends had Lumine made? They were ready to throw hands at a moment's notice. Incredible!

Aether wasted no time slipping through the portal, terrified that someone might find another excuse to haul him back.

After Aether's departure.

Ye Yun checked the time and decided it was just about time to prepare dinner.

Suddenly, it struck him that their current location was actually the perfect spot for a gathering.

Thus, Ye Yun proposed treating everyone to a meal and hosting an impromptu party right there on the spot.

The others enthusiastically agreed upon hearing the idea.

Even though she still had a mountain of paperwork waiting for her back in Mondstadt, Jean chose to stay.

Now that Dvalin had returned to normal, it was high time they celebrated properly.

And so, Stelle volunteered for the errand duty and headed off to the Honkai Star Rail universe to summon more guests.

Meanwhile, Venti flew off toward the city of Mondstadt to fetch the two youngsters and notify Lisa and the others.