Episode 166: To clear her name, Lumine embarked on the path of the Immortal.
『 Although Lumine didn't know the identity of this sudden savior, she knew she couldn't repay the life-saving kindness, so she decided to follow him. 』
『 .....』
〜Dimensional livestream, Chat Room〜
[ Tartaglia (Genshin Impact): "Oh my, oh my." ]
[ Rosalyne-Kruzchka Lohefalter (Genshin Impact): "Hmph!" ]
[ Umaru Doma (Himouto): "They just ran off with him like that." ]
[ Tartaglia (Genshin Impact): "Oh dear, I'm not a bad guy, you have to believe me," ]
[ .....]
『 ...On the run
Following the person in front, they jogged until they ducked into a hidden corner. Only then did he stop, panting heavily.
Paimon put one hand on her hip and gesticulated wildly with the other in the air, complaining incessantly, "Huff, puff, I, I'm absolutely exhausted!"
Seeing this, Lumine playfully tugged at Paimon's round little head, muttering, "Hey, speaking of which, shouldn't I be the tired one? You don't even walk with your feet."
"You fly around, how could you possibly be tired?!" Lumine looked puzzled, secretly wondering, this guy was floating in the sky the whole time, and he's still complaining about being tired?
In Lumine's heart, Paimon was just making a fuss over nothing; it was simply—
"You, you're so unsympathetic! Running with phantom limbs is exhausting, okay?" After protesting, Paimon also noticed the person who had saved her and the other person in front of her. "Oh, by the way, who are you, young man?"
To their surprise, the other party reported his name nonchalantly: "You can call me whatever you like, 'Childe' is a pretty good title~!"
Paimon's fur immediately bristled upon hearing the name: "Oh, you, your personality is so unlikeable! You only helped us once, and you already want us to be your little followers?"
It was their first meeting, and he had merely lent a hand. With Lumine's strength, dealing with those ruffians would have been a piece of cake.
With such a small favor, he actually wanted to be their leader and be called Childe. Paimon inwardly scoffed. This guy must be daydreaming!
"Haha, you misunderstood, I didn't mean what you think. A name is just a personal code, after all." The self-proclaimed Childe then threw out another familiar name: "Speaking of which, you must have experienced that Lady's methods in Mondstadt, haven't you?"
Upon hearing the words "that Lady," Lumine and Paimon instantly tensed up.
"That Lady's methods are simply those of a master among the Fatui!"
Seeing their reaction, Childe's usual smile mixed with a hint of helplessness, and he quickly explained:
"Relax, I'm not a man-eating tiger."
Paimon hid behind Lumine, her eyes vigilantly fixed on this dangerous Fatui Harbinger.
"As a high-ranking Fatui official, what are your intentions?"
"Oh, don't misunderstand, I'm not looking for a fight with you; otherwise, why would I have saved you just now?" Childe quickly clarified when he saw the situation was going south: "But judging by your tone, that Lady seems to have left a very bad impression on you. Honestly, I'm not too fond of her methods either."
As soon as "that Lady" was mentioned, Childe's face was filled with helplessness.
Lumine looked at him like this and found it both annoying and amusing—were the Fatui colleagues really so at odds with each other?
Seeing that Childe seemed to be hiding something, Lumine unhappily raised her weapon:
"What exactly are you plotting?"
"Alright, alright, let's put that annoying person aside for now." Childe Tartaglia sighed and said seriously, "My purpose here is to help you."
Facing Tartaglia's somewhat helpless expression, Lumine shook her head firmly:
"Help? We don't need the Fatui's interference!"
"Hey, I really don't have any ill intentions. Well, even though I might not be a good person, I'm really not here to cause trouble this time." Tartaglia had just finished speaking when he felt their sharp gazes and quickly pleaded, "Can you two please stop looking at me like you're ready to beat me down at any moment?" 』
『 .....』
〜Dimensional livestream, Chat Room〜
[ Busujima Saeko (High School of the Dead): "Hehehe, how interesting. That look, it's as if they're about to strike." ]
[ Ash Ketchum (Pokémon): "Isn't that a bit much?" ]
[ Paimon (Genshin Impact): "There's nothing wrong with it." ]
[ Paimon (Genshin Impact): "You don't know what they did in Mondstadt." ]
[ Tartaglia (Genshin Impact): "That was done by the Lady, what does it have to do with me, Childe—? Ops, forgot it show the real name here in chat...." ]
[ Rosalyne-Kruzchka Lohefalter (Genshin Impact): "...." ]
[ Lumine (Genshin Impact): "None of the Fatui are good." ]
[ Tartaglia (Genshin Impact): "I admit I'm a bad guy, but I'm pretty good to my friends." ]
[ Tartaglia (Genshin Impact): "Mr. Zhongli can vouch for me!" ]
[ Zhongli (Genshin Impact): "According to universal rationality, one should not judge people with colored glasses." ]
[ .....]
『 Seeing the two of them relax, Tartaglia slowly spoke, revealing the reason for his visit.
"Earlier, I heard about your heroic deeds in Mondstadt, so during the recent ceremony, I couldn't help but pay more attention."
"Because of this, I firmly believe that you would never do anything inappropriate."
"The one who wants to scheme against that god must be someone else. How could mere mortals like us have such ability?"
"Unfortunately, as envoys from Snezhnaya—the Fatui—whenever there's any disturbance, we are always the first to be suspected."
"The Liyue Qixing, who govern Liyue, always harbor excessive suspicion towards us."
As he spoke, a flicker of imperceptible crystal light flashed in the corner of Childe's eye, as if he had suffered injustice in Liyue for a long time.
"No, I think this is more of a problem with the Fatui themselves."
"Haha, that's hard to argue with."
"None of that matters anymore. As strangers, keeping some distance is good. Having been in Liyue for so long, I've grown accustomed to these strange looks."
"But if you want to shake off the assassin's suspicion, you'd best go to the Northland Bank to discuss it. It might be inappropriate here."
"Why go to Northland Bank? It sounds like your territory?"
"That's true, but don't forget the old Liyue saying: Walls have ears. It's precisely because Northland Bank is our territory that I dare to speak freely there, isn't it?"
Looking at the sincerity in the eyes of the man who called himself Childe, Lumine gradually let down her guard. After getting Paimon's consent,
The two decided to follow Tartaglia to the so-called Northland Bank.
After traversing the bustling streets, the group finally arrived at a magnificent building.
Above the lintel, four vigorous characters were prominently displayed—
( Translator-kun: It was four characters in CN '北國銀行' )
⟦ Northland Bank ⟧
"Alright, we've arrived at our destination. This is the bank our Snezhnaya opened on Liyue's territory." Standing before the grand entrance of the magnificent building, Childe turned around and spoke eloquently to everyone.
"Although Liyue's economic strength is among the best in Teyvat, our Snezhnaya is also quite wealthy."
"That's right, that's right. If Snezhnaya was a poverty-stricken place, how could it possibly cultivate those diplomats who were so rude to the Knights of Favonius in Mondstadt?"
Paimon said, recalling the Fatui she had encountered in Mondstadt; they were indeed very arrogant back then.
In comparison, the current Childe seemed remarkably normal, and this contrast made people curious.
Tartaglia simply chuckled at Paimon's words, appearing very composed. "Haha, you're right, you've hit the nail on the head." He pulled out a talisman from behind his back and handed it to Lumine, "Here, this is for you."
Lumine took the golden, rectangular paper talisman, feeling both strange and novel.
An indescribable, peculiar aura emanated from the talisman, making her point at it and ask Childe, full of questions:
"What is this thing?"
After taking the item, Lumine examined it carefully but still didn't understand, so she had to turn her pleading gaze to Childe.
Tartaglia then explained that the talisman was related to the Liyue Adepti.
One must know that if they wanted to seek an explanation while the Qixing had issued a warrant, they would have to go to Jueyun Karst to find those legendary Adepti.
The talisman Tartaglia had given them earlier was precisely a token that would prevent the Adepti from attacking them, a pass to meet the Adepti.
Finally, after some hesitation, Lumine and Paimon decided to follow the plan and head to Jueyun Karst to find the legendary Adepti and seek justice for themselves.
And after they left, a meaningful smile appeared on Tartaglia's face.
If the two of them were still present at that moment and saw that smile, they would probably have given him a piece of their mind.
After leaving Northland Bank, the two embarked on their journey towards Jueyun Karst, following the map provided by Childe. 』
『 .....』
〜Dimensional livestream, Chat Room〜
[ Sun Rong (Daily Life of the Immortal King): "Adepti? Are they the same kind of existence as that god before?" ]
[ Ningguang (Genshin Impact): "No, Rex Lapis is the one who governs all Adepti." ]
[ Paimon (Genshin Impact): "Can we really find the Adepti this time?" ]
[ Ganyu (Genshin Impact): "You have the Sigil of Permission, so it should be fine." ]
[ Haibara Ai (Detective Conan): "Can such a small paper talisman really have special abilities?" ]
[ .....]
『 The scene shifts, and three large characters appear on the screen—Jueyun Karst. Lumine and Paimon are in its midst, their eyes filled with curiosity as they survey the surrounding scenery.
Just then, a peculiar platform suddenly appeared before them, upon which lay a censer, its incense long since extinguished.
As they were about to approach and investigate, a solemn voice abruptly resounded in their ears:
"Who dares trespass upon Jueyun Karst?"
The two looked up in the direction of the voice, only to see a deer-like creature standing by the censer, having appeared at some unknown moment. 』
『 .....』
〜Dimensional livestream, Chat Room〜
[ Xiangling (Genshin Impact): "A big, deer?" ]
[ Utaha Kasumigaoka (Saekano): "Is this the legendary Adeptus? It's not even human." ]
[ Moon Carver (Genshin Impact): "This Adeptus can also transform into a mortal, but I still prefer this form." ]
[ Umaru Doma (Himouto): "Caught a main character!" ]
[ .....]
『 Lumine looked at the creature, inexplicably feeling that it might be one of the Adepti Childe had mentioned.
So, they quickly pulled out the item Childe had given them from their backpack.
"This item has not appeared for many years, yet it remains in your mortal hands." The mysterious creature, after identifying the item in their possession, introduced itself, "I am one of the Adepti, Moon Carver. Stranger travelers, state your purpose."
Overjoyed after finding an Adeptus, the two were about to recount their experiences when an exclamation suddenly rang out not far behind them:
"Look, it's the fugitives! They really did hide here!"
Turning back, a squad of Millelith had quietly approached at some unknown point.
Although the dangerous situation made them fearful, the fear of being pursued as fugitives forced them to continue forward. This action displeased Moon Carver greatly.
"Cease disturbing my peace!" The Adeptus gently waved his immortal finger at Lumine and Paimon, giving an instruction: "Just expel them, do not harm their lives."
This was the permission Lumine had been waiting for. Although she didn't want to fight the official army, facing these repeated pursuits, Lumine also felt a surge of anger. Now, with the Adeptus's authorization, it was time to act.
...Fighting...
How long could a few mere Millelith last against Lumine, who had once defeated Dvalin?
Soon, the soldiers were defeated one by one.
Once everyone had dispersed, Paimon remained, beginning to meticulously recount their journey to Moon Carver.
"This is Preposterous! Absolutely PREPOSTEROUS!!!" The Liyue Adeptus was furious, and the very ground beneath his feet seemed to tremble in response to his emotions.
"Liyue Qixing, you are truly disappointing!"
"How could someone possibly assassinate Rex Lapis during the Rite of Descension..."
"With Rex Lapis suffering this misfortune, how can you hastily point suspicion at innocent onlookers?!" 』
『 .....』
〜Dimensional livestream, Chat Room〜
[ Paimon (Genshin Impact): "Exactly, exactly! How can they pin this on us?" ]
[ Umaru Doma (Himouto): "That's what I'm saying, how can they do that?" ]
[ Chika Fujiwara (Love Is War): "It's so mean~!" ]
[ Moon Carver (Genshin Impact): "Is this how Liyue Harbor is governed?" ]
[ Oyama Mahiro (Onimai): "Maybe they're just suspects, this kind of thing is very normal." ]
[ Oyama Mahiro (Onimai): "Maybe they miss that god too much, so they want to find the culprit who killed that god. That's also very normal, right?" ]
[ Cloud Retainer (Genshin Impact): "Hehe, no need to say more. Once we get the news from this livestream, we'll go back to Liyue Harbor to settle accounts." ]
[ Cloud Retainer (Genshin Impact): "Before things happen, we must nip them in the bud. Shenhe, you must also watch carefully." ]
[ Shenhe (Genshin Impact): "Yes, Master." ]
[ Shenhe (Genshin Impact): "I will observe when the time comes." ]
[ .....]
『 After venting his anger, Moon Carver's sharp gaze refocused on Lumine, his tone becoming calm.
"Traveler, you have suffered an unjust accusation, and the hardships you have endured, I am well aware of."
"However, this matter is no small affair. My judgment alone might be biased. I will discuss this with the other Adepti shortly."
"Go, take the Sigil of Permission in your hand, and help me deliver a message."
The two looked at each other, full of doubt, and posed a question to Moon Carver.
"May I ask, who should I look for? I have no idea about the Adepti's whereabouts."
Their journey to Jueyun Karst to find the Adepti was already an unknown exploration.
As for the other Adepti, they had no clue whatsoever.
Moon Carver, hearing this, pondered for a moment and slowly said:
"Let me think."
"Mountain Shaper, Cloud Retainer, these two often roam these mountains, but whether you can meet them depends on fate."
"Additionally, there is another Conqueror of Demons, the Guardian Yakshas, who should be at Wangshu Inn now. You might find him there." 』
『 .....』
〜Dimensional livestream, Chat Room〜
[ Paimon (Genshin Impact): "So many gods?" ]
[ Yanqing (Honkai: Star Rail) "Adepti who protect humanity, how wonderful." ]
[ .....]
『 After speaking, Moon Carver flicked his sleeve and, still carrying a hint of anger, left Lumine's side.
Full of questions, the two embarked on Mt. Aocang, where they unexpectedly discovered Mountain Shaper and inadvertently rescued two lost Treasure Hoarder members.
During the process, Lumine was even mistaken for an envoy from the immortal realm. After the misunderstanding was clarified, the people dressed as Treasure Hoarders hurriedly departed.
Then, Lumine conveyed Moon Carver's instructions and the grim news of Rex Lapis's assassination to Mountain Shaper.
Like Moon Carver, Mountain Shaper was also shocked and grieved by Rex Lapis's fate, but he was more rational, agreeing to participate in discussing countermeasures, and then also transformed into a breeze, vanishing without a trace. 』
『 .....』
〜Dimensional livestream, Chat Room〜
[ Mountain Shaper (Genshin Impact): "Alas, I should also go and clear those flowers." ]
[ The Herta (Honkai: Star Rail): "If only I could study these kinds of flowers." ]
[ The Herta (Honkai: Star Rail): "When can this livestream send things?" ]
[ Theresa (Honkai: Impact Third): "That kind of thing should be impossible, right?" ]
[ The Herta (Honkai: Star Rail): "If a livestream can appear, sending things shouldn't be impossible, right?" ]
[ Otto (Honkai: Impact Third): "Hehe, perhaps you're right." ]
[ .....]
『 After leaving Mt. Hulao, the two arrived at the summit of Mt. Aocang, where the last Adeptus resided.
Here, they saw a stone table with three pieces of information carved upon it.
... ⟦ Cloud Retainer resides here ⟧ ...
... ⟦ Rex borrowed here ⟧ ...
... ⟦ Guizhong sat here ⟧ ... 』
『 .....』
〜Dimensional livestream, Chat Room〜
[ Paimon (Genshin Impact): "Cloud Retainer and Rex Lapis are both mentioned, what does the last Guizhong mean?" ]
[ Cloud Retainer (Genshin Impact): "That, that was a very long time ago." ]
[ Cloud Retainer (Genshin Impact): "Guizhong, Rex Lapis, and I often gathered here." ]
[ Shenhe (Genshin Impact): "Master." ]
[ Ganyu (Genshin Impact): "True Monarch." ]
[ Cloud Retainer (Genshin Impact): "It's all in the past, it's all in the past." ]
[ .....]