As Mu Qingge approached her home, she was surprised to see a light still on inside.
Usually, her family would have been asleep by this hour. Even before she was chosen as Kaiyang, her parents would wake up in a couple of hours to prepare their wares for early morning sales.
She gently pushed the door open; as usual, it wasn't locked.
Instead of checking the lit room, Mu Qingge unlocked the door to her own room and entered. She reached for a chest on the shelf at the foot of her bed.
Inside the chest was a stone wrapped in cloth, emitting a faint glow through the fabric.
She tore off the cloth, revealing a Noctilucous Jade that illuminated a much wider area.
After inspecting it for damage, Mu Qingge rewrapped the jade and placed it back in the chest.
Turning around, Mu Qingge froze, surprised. "You're still up?"
"Sis, aren't you still up too?"
Standing in the doorway of Mu Qingge's room was none other than her younger sister, Mu Qingxu.
"Get some rest," Mu Qingge said softly, gently patting her sister's head.
"Sis, the Geo Archon... is he really...?"
"No one lives forever. Even the Geo Archon, venerable as he was, had to pass eventually. For the past 3,700 years, Liyue has been under his protection. Now, it's time for us to grow up."
Mu Qingge chose not to tell her younger sister the truth. This was the Geo Archon's plan, and she must obey it.
Though Mu Qingxu had been mentally prepared for this, hearing the words from her sister still pierced her heart like a sharp blade.
The Geo Archon... has fallen...
How could those two phrases ever be connected?
"Sister, are you leaving?"
Mu Qingge placed her hand on her sister's face. At fourteen, Mu Qingxu still had a hint of baby fat, making her utterly adorable.
"Don't worry. Leave everything to your big sister. For a little kid like you, the most important thing is to get a good night's sleep. No staying up late, understand?"
Realizing that their parents hadn't returned yet, Mu Qingge was certain her sister hadn't slept at all that day.
"Be good and go to bed now. I'll come check on you after I finish handling these matters."
Mu Qingge gathered her belongings and left the house, disappearing into the night.
Mu Qingxu watched her go, her eyes filled with worry.
You tell me not to stay up late, but what about you, Sister? At least I managed to nap during the day. You've been working non-stop since morning!
She had always felt the burden on her sister's shoulders was too heavy. Though Mu Qingge was exceptionally capable, at the end of the day, she was only three years older than her.
"Sister, I'm not a little kid anymore."
-
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Over a day had passed on Teyvat, while only a few seconds ticked by in the player's world—the clock having been toyed with.
After parting ways with Mu Qingge, Lumine and Paimon accepted Childe's invitation to visit the Northland Bank. Through his subtle manipulation and guidance, they began to question the Qixing's actions.
However, recalling Mu Qingge's earlier warning, Lumine and Paimon harbored no suspicions toward her. After all, despite being on the same side, Mu Qingge seemed nothing like the cunning and treacherous figure Childe described.
Following the original storyline, Paimon and Lumine set out for Jueyun Karst to seek out the Adeptus after their meal.
During their journey, Tartaglia handed Lumine the Sigil of Permission.
Without the Millelith's pursuit this time, their journey proceeded much more smoothly.
Guided by the System's mission prompts, Guojia visited Moon Carver, Xiao, Cloud Retainer, and Mountain Shaper in turn. During her exchange with Cloud Retainer, the Adeptus even clamored about suppressing Liyue Harbor.
The residences of these Adeptus were truly extraordinary, requiring players to traverse treacherous mountains and valleys in this enhanced version of the game.
Lumine delivered the letter given to her by Mu Qingge to Cloud Retainer. After reading it, the Venerable Adeptus declared that she understood the young woman's intentions and would exercise utmost restraint. She also vowed to depart for Liyue Harbor without delay to negotiate with the Qixing.
The Adepti's aura remained overwhelmingly imposing. The sheer scale of the three Venerable's divine forms alone left the players awestruck. (Ahem, upgraded version, last time I'll mention it.)
Returning from her audience with the Adepti, Lumine teleported back. Fortunately, she had activated several Teleport Waypoints within Liyue Harbor before departing. Otherwise, running all the way back would have exhausted her completely!
Come to think of it, these Teleport Waypoints seemed to be accessible only to her. So far, no one else had been observed using them.
Unlike in the game, in Teyvat, even Lumine needed Teleport Waypoints at both her starting and destination points to teleport.
Still, this wasn't much of a problem. Teleport Waypoints were scattered across the Teyvat continent. Once activated by Lumine, traveling between them became instantaneous.
This meant that even while in Liyue, she could visit Mondstadt during her downtime.
Guojia had already returned to Liyue Harbor, found Tartaglia, and provided a rough account of her mission to seek the Adepti.
"Hehe, not all the Fatui are bad people, you know? Take this 'Childe' here—he's been helping us the whole time."
[Streamer, wake up! I bet a pack of spicy noodles that Childe will definitely betray us later!]
[All the Harbingers are so good-looking! But my favorite is still the one beneath Dragonspine!]
[Are the Qixing the final villains?]
[What are you talking about? No way! My waifu Mu is clearly the best person ever!]
[...]
-
Teyvat.
Tartaglia explained to Lumine the Qixing's concealment of the Exuvia. Both Lumine and Paimon were puzzled.
"That sounds about right," Lumine said, "but I don't think Mu Qingge is that kind of person."
Paimon had her own knack for reading people, and she was usually pretty accurate.
"Who knows?" Tartaglia replied. "I'm fairly acquainted with this year's Kaiyang, and I know her character. But when such crucial matters are at stake, even she might be shrouded in mist."
"Rumors of the Geo Archon's death have already spread like wildfire among the common folk," Tartaglia continued. "The Qixing are trying to suppress the news, but with the Rite of Descension drawing crowds from far and wide, quelling the rumors is no easy task."
"According to what you've said, the Adepti will soon descend upon Liyue Harbor. The Qixing's concealment of the Exuvia and their peculiar behavior will undoubtedly displease the Adepti. Their intentions are unlikely to be friendly."
Paimon interjected, "Not necessarily! We gave Mu Qingge's letter to Cloud Retainer, and she told us she'd remain restrained and sit down with the Qixing to discuss matters calmly."
Tartaglia shrugged, noncommittal.
"Rex Lapis and the Adepti share deep ties. In my view, the fact that the Adepti didn't immediately rush to suppress Liyue Harbor upon hearing of his death already demonstrates remarkable restraint."
"How do you know all this?" Lumine asked, puzzled. Tartaglia didn't seem to be from Liyue.
"Ha ha! In Liyue, you can learn a great deal about Rex Lapis and make good friends just by visiting a storytellers' corner. Though many tales are embellished, most are based on actual events."
"If you two truly seek the truth, I can introduce you to someone capable—someone who can help resolve the issue of the Qixing hiding the Exuvia."
"This..."
Paimon pulled Lumine aside and whispered urgently, "Lumine, can we trust him? If the Adepti really come to Liyue Harbor to confront the Qixing, it'll be a disaster!"
Lumine gazed at the anxious little creature with a hint of helplessness.
To be honest, this entire matter had nothing to do with them. Mu Qingge had already assured them that they wouldn't be wanted anymore, so they could easily extricate themselves. It wasn't their concern.
But...
After spending these past few days learning about the Geo Archon, Lumine was fairly certain he wasn't the god who had separated her from her brother.
After a moment's deliberation, Lumine finally nodded.
What else could she do? She was just too good-natured, and her curiosity was too strong to resist.
Mu Qingge was their friend, after all. How could she abandon a friend in need? Especially such a beautiful friend!
Moreover, Lumine's vigilance toward the Fatui had never wavered. Her intuition told her they were brewing some kind of major scheme.