The fact that they were offering free coffins before anyone had even died left Nekomata feeling thoroughly depressed. Nearby, Nicole and Anby were equally speechless.
It seemed they had finally met a worthy opponent.
Compared to Caesar, this Hu Tao was far more difficult to deal with.
After a moment of silence, Nicole gave a polite smile.
"I'll leave you all to chat. I have something to take care of."
With that, she got up and left, giving Ann, Billy, and Nekomata a subtle look, signaling them to follow.
In an instant, the living room of Hare's House was left with only Sam Li, Hu Tao, Keqing, the Traveler, Xiao, and Paimon.
...
For Keqing, finding Sam Li was just one part of the mission. The other objective was far more important—investigating the nature of this unknown territory.
She needed to find out which nation this place belonged to, and more importantly, why statues of the Geo Archon from Liyue were here.
Could it really be, as some speculated, that this land was once an ancient territory lost by Liyue?
Or perhaps the Geo Archon himself had secretly established a Liyue outpost here, without informing the Liyue Qixing?
There was a brief silence.
Keqing looked directly at Sam Li.
"You arrived before us—you must know more than we do. Please, tell us what this place is."
As soon as she spoke, all eyes turned to Sam Li—Keqing, Hu Tao, the Traveler, Xiao, and Paimon.
Sam Li didn't hold back. Just as Nicole had once explained things to him, he now passed that knowledge on to them.
He explained New Eridu's Hollow Crisis...
The Ethereal monsters within the Hollows, the resistance from New Eridu's government, the roles of the Hollow Raiders and Agents...
The purpose of Drive Discs and W-Engines...
All of it was completely foreign to Keqing and the others—things they had never seen or even heard of before.
Sam Li continued, "You mentioned you've already been inside a Hollow, so you've probably seen firsthand how dangerous it is. Ordinary people can't survive in there. Even those with Visions will be affected if they stay too long."
Unless someone reached Sam Li's level, able to completely ignore the effects of Ether erosion, any outbreak of a Hollow disaster would threaten to wipe out the entire world.
Over ten years ago, when Hollow Zero expanded, Old Eridu fell. More than half the city was consumed by the Hollow. It was only under the leadership of New Eridu's upper ranks that the city was rebuilt.
If a disaster like that happened again—worse still, if Hollow Zero expanded again—then even New Eridu would be doomed.
After Sam Li's explanation, everyone was stunned—Keqing, Hu Tao, the Traveler, Xiao, and Paimon.
They had seen the horrors of the Hollows: chaotic space, corrosive energies, and terrifying monsters...
But they hadn't realized just how severe this world's crisis really was.
The Traveler frowned in thought.
"It feels like there's more to this. The pitch-black Hollows... the pitch-black Abyss... Could it be that the Hollows are another product of the Abyss? That the Ethereals are Abyssal creatures? That Ether energy comes from the Abyss?"
Paimon spread her arms. "No way... that can't be true."
Xiao mused, "Not necessarily..."
Hu Tao looked at Paimon. "How do you know it's not true? The Traveler's theory makes a lot of sense."
Paimon looked away. "I... I don't know. It just can't be."
As the discussion continued, Keqing suddenly said, "We don't have enough information right now. Let's set that aside for now. Whether the black Hollows are connected to the Abyss or not, we should first investigate how this place is connected to Liyue..."
That was one of the key goals of her mission.
Then she turned to Sam Li again, her expression serious.
"About those two Statues of The Seven—do you know anything about them?"
Sam Li nodded. "I do."
"Then tell me," Keqing pressed, "why are the Statues of The Seven—the ones dedicated to Liyue's Geo Archon—here in this place?"
Hearing that, the Traveler, Paimon, and Xiao all looked to Sam Li.
The three of them knew his identity as the "Geo Archon" and were curious whether he had brought those statues here himself.
Of course, Sam Li wasn't about to admit that.
He calmly shook his head. "As a matter of common sense, since I am not the Geo Archon, I have no idea why those statues are here."
Paimon squinted at him. "You really don't know?"
Sam Li shook his head again. "I don't."
He certainly couldn't say he exchanged them through the system and placed them here himself.
Still, Paimon didn't believe him. How could the Geo Archon possibly not know where those statues came from?
But Keqing, unaware of Sam Li's identity, didn't suspect anything.
"Zhongli—no, I suppose I should call you Sam Li now—could you take us to those statues? We'd like to see them for ourselves."
"Of course. Give me a moment—I'll go ask Billy to drive us."
...
Soon, Sam Li brought Billy over and had him drive them to the Federer District to see the statues.
Just before they left, the Traveler suddenly pulled Sam Li into the car as well.
Paimon said seriously, "You're coming too—after all, it's your... uh, the statue you discovered."
She'd almost slipped up again.
Sam Li sighed and climbed in without protest.
...
On the way to the Federer District, Paimon, the Traveler, and the others sat in Hare's House's SUV. It felt much more spacious and comfortable than the video store's small car.
Paimon looked around and asked, "This kind of car must be expensive, right?"
Sam Li shook his head. "Not really. About two million Dennies. If you pull out the two or three hundred thousand Mora you've got stashed in your shoes, that should cover it."
Paimon nearly jumped out of her seat. "Hey! How did you know I hid Mora in my shoes?!"
The Traveler gave her a sideways glance. "Paimon, you said you didn't have any Mora... Turns out you were hiding two or three hundred thousand?"
Paimon panicked. "I wasn't! Zhongli—no, Sam Li—he's just making things up!"
Sam Li: "..."
Traveler: "..."
...
As they drove toward the Federer District, Hu Tao remained glued to the window, curiously taking in the rows of tall buildings, the traffic on the roads, and the wide variety of citizens.
She even spotted several Thirens.
Hu Tao grinned and nudged Paimon. "Hey, look over there."
Paimon blinked. "What? Did you find something interesting again?"
Hu Tao laughed. "There are a few big Guobas over there—with thick gold chains around their necks. I wonder if they can breathe fire too."