Boom—
As a deafening boom echoed through Liyue under the night sky, Liyue, which had been shrouded in darkness, saw lights flicker on one after another.
Those who hadn't been disturbed remained peacefully immersed in their slumber, while those who had awakened wondered what on earth had happened.
Soon after, Liyue, which had quieted down with the arrival of night, seemed to come alive again as the awakened residents stepped outside, huddling together and whispering about the recent loud noise.
Even more, some, unable to contain their curiosity, directly ran towards the source of the explosion, eager to find out what had happened.
However, these were ultimately the actions of a minority; most people remained rooted to the spot, and among them was a handsome man.
"Mr. Zhongli, do you know what happened? Why was there suddenly such a loud noise? It startled me quite a bit. Could something from the sea be emerging?"
As the man looked up towards the source of the sound, someone suddenly approached him, respectfully addressing him as "Mr. Zhongli" and asking if he knew what had caused the recent deafening boom.
"Like all of you, I too was just awakened by that great sound, and I do not know what has occurred."
Turning to look at the person who had questioned him, Zhongli slowly shook his head.
To be honest, he hadn't initially intended to get up, as he knew someone would handle such matters.
Yet, for some reason, he felt he had to come out and observe the situation, so he followed his intuition and stepped outside.
Even so, he did not walk towards the source of the loud noise.
Although his identity was that of the Geo Archon, Morax, he knew that Liyue ultimately had to be governed by the Qixing and its residents themselves.
Whoosh—
Just then, a gust of fierce wind swept through above the crowd.
However, at this moment, everyone's attention was still focused on the recent boom, and no one paid any mind to this seemingly ordinary gust of wind.
Zhongli, however, was an exception; he noticed the unusual nature of the wind that had just swept by, and then he swiftly vanished into the crowd.
Mt. Tianheng.
"Such speed."
Standing atop Mt. Tianheng, letting the night wind ruffle his hair, Zhongli, who was usually unperturbed, was uncharacteristically surprised at this moment.
Just now, the moment he noticed the other party, they had vanished without a trace; he hadn't even caught sight of their shadow.
Barbatos?
No… he doesn't possess such speed…
Pondering the possible identity of the other party, Zhongli fell into deep thought; his memory seemed unable to recall any suspicious individual.
Possessing a speed he couldn't match, yet knowing not even a shred of information about the other party, made Zhongli increasingly feel that the matter was not simple.
Originally, he had thought this was something the Qixing could handle, but he had clearly been mistaken.
Since he couldn't catch them…
Then… what was their objective?
What exactly had caused that loud boom just now?
Thinking this, Zhongli turned around and looked down at Liyue.
If he had just now considered leaving it to the Qixing to resolve, now he absolutely had to understand the situation himself.
Afterwards, Zhongli's figure vanished once more.
Liyue.
Northland Bank.
"Should we… go inside and take a look?"
"…Wait for Lord Childe to return."
"But Lord Childe…"
"Shut up!"
...
Due to Lord Childe being blasted away just now, none of the surrounding Fatui dared to venture inside Northland Bank to investigate.
Although it was now remarkably quiet inside, no one dared to enter.
Clip-clop, clip-clop—
Just then, a flurry of footsteps sounded, and Ningguang arrived, leading the Millelith.
Ningguang…
Watching Ningguang approach with the Millelith, Ekaterina, the receptionist of Northland Bank, frowned.
No matter what, she couldn't allow Ningguang to enter Northland Bank during this chaotic time.
This was not only about the Fatui's reputation but also because she was well aware of Ningguang's formidable nature.
"It seems there's something inside."
Upon arriving in front of Ekaterina, Ningguang looked at the gaping hole in Northland Bank and said this.
"We Fatui will handle it, Lady Ningguang; there's no need for you to trouble yourself."
Glancing at where Ningguang was looking, Ekaterina quickly stated that the Fatui themselves would take care of it.
Although Ningguang hadn't directly expressed a desire to go inside and look, she knew Ningguang had that intention.
"Indeed, but…"
"But we will handle it."
At that moment, Childe's voice came from behind them.
"Lord Childe, are you alright?"
Seeing Childe return, Ekaterina, who quickly went to greet him, breathed a sigh of relief.
If Lord Childe hadn't returned, she likely wouldn't have been able to stop Ningguang from entering Northland Bank.
"A small matter; I was merely careless just now. However, that person has probably already left by now."
Looking up at Northland Bank, Childe's tone was filled with regret.
If he hadn't been so careless, he would certainly have had the chance to fight the intruder who broke into Northland Bank.
Honestly, he was almost blown out of Liyue by the wind just now, something he hadn't anticipated at all.
Therefore, without a doubt, the mysterious person who broke into Northland Bank was certainly a very powerful opponent.
Hmm? Zhongli…
Suddenly seeing Zhongli also among the onlookers, Childe nodded at him, then with a leap, arrived at the entrance of Northland Bank on the upper floor.
"Lord Childe…"
Seeing Childe intending to go inside, Ekaterina was also worried that the events from earlier would repeat.
"Don't worry, this time I'm prepared."
As soon as he finished speaking, Childe directly kicked open the door in front of him and walked inside.
It's not messy at all…
Upon entering, Childe, who had expected the interior to be a mess, realized he had been mistaken.
However, before he could ponder further, he suddenly noticed that something seemed to be missing from a certain spot.
Damn it… my stored items?!
Hastening to the area where the safe deposit boxes were kept, Childe's expression turned grim.
However, he wasn't distressed about the money, but rather about another item stored inside.
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