Lumine and Keqing embarked on a journey to seek the wisdom of the adepti, though Lumine herself was more focused on sightseeing and enjoying the scenery.
As for what Ye intended to do, Lumine couldn't care less.
The man she had come to understand in her dreams—she couldn't even be bothered to ponder his thoughts. After all, even to someone like Lumine, who had traveled across countless worlds, he was undeniably an existence best left undisturbed, if not entirely avoided.
To say he was ten steps ahead would be an understatement. He was the kind of monster who could see the endgame the moment he took his first step.
Even Lumine had never encountered such a creature before.
Compared to such a monster, overthinking was utterly meaningless.
Because, to put it bluntly, every single one of your thoughts was likely already within his calculations.
Thus, the best way to deal with such a creature was to remain indifferent—indifferent to his presence, indifferent to his schemes, and simply focus on what you wanted to do.
Or, in other words, the smartest approach.
Lumine was by no means a fool, though she wasn't entirely shrewd either.
Still, as long as their paths didn't cross, she was content to play the part of the wise one.
Of course, on the other hand, if their paths did cross, Lumine wouldn't shy away from playing the fool if necessary.
But for now, Ye's actions hadn't reached that point, had they?
So, as things stood, the ever-wise Lumine paid no mind to Ye's intentions.
She would focus on her own affairs, and the rest didn't matter.
And what Lumine wanted to do now was take Keqing on a scenic tour.
Thus, even as every adeptus who received a gift mysteriously vanished without a trace, Lumine remained unfazed, continuing to guide the increasingly suspicious Keqing to visit the next adeptus—all while never forgetting to enjoy the sights along the way.
Then, in the blink of an eye, they finally arrived at the last adeptus.
Shenhe watched as Keqing set sail, eventually arriving at the Shan Hai Jing, the domain of the Mountain and Sea Fairy, Longhua.
"He sent me a gift?"
Longhua stood in the courtyard, holding an oil-paper umbrella, her brows faintly furrowed as she eyed the gift box in Keqing's hands.
At first, she had been delighted to see the Traveler, whom she hadn't met in so long—after all, she considered Lumine a friend. But the joy quickly evaporated when she realized the Traveler had come merely to deliver a gift from that Supreme Bishop of Fontaine.
Longhua hadn't forgotten about that man. There was still a score to settle between them.
And lately, that debt had only grown larger. Because, for some unfathomable reason, these past few months, in her dreams—
At that thought, Longhua gritted her teeth imperceptibly.
Yet her expression remained unchanged.
"The Supreme Bishop asked me to convey his apologies through this gift," Keqing said. "He believes you will like it."
"Is this truly an apology… or just another provocation?"
Longhua's voice was light and indifferent as she took the box and opened it without hesitation.
Inside, as before, lay a card and a letter.
Longhua tilted her head slightly, glancing at Antei. "This is one of those Yu-Gi-Oh! cards, isn't it?"
"You know about Yu-Gi-Oh!, Longhua?" Lumine raised an eyebrow in surprise.
It was surprising. After all, the Shan Hai Jing had been in a state of isolation, and the last time Longhua ventured to Liyue Harbor, Yu-Gi-Oh! hadn't even existed yet.
"Over the past few months, I've been sending Xuanqing out to purchase Crystal Marrow," Longhua explained. "Aside from that, she's also brought back things she found interesting—including Duel Disks and Yu-Gi-Oh! card packs. Now, quite a few people in the Shan Hai Jing enjoy the game. I've even played a few rounds with my disciples."
As she spoke, she picked up the card and examined it calmly, her expression unreadable.
Longhua silently studied the woman depicted on the card.
The card's name was "Haagentus."
Then, in that same detached tone, she said, "Does he think sending me this will make me forgive him?"
"Who is this?" Paimon floated over, peering at the image from behind Longhua.
"The God of Dust, Haagentus. Another name she went by was Guizhong—an old friend I once told the Traveler about."
Longhua tucked the card into her own card holder before answering Paimon's question. "That man certainly knows how to pick a gift. But it's not enough to earn my forgiveness. At most… I'll spare his life when the time comes."
"Longhua, there's also a letter here."
Hearing this, Longhua unfolded the letter and read its contents.
"Do you wish to bring Guizhong back to life? Win the Dueling Championship with her deck, and Guizhong shall be revived."
BOOM!!!
"WAAAH—!!"
Longhua's serene expression shattered in an instant. The Geo Vision at her waist flickered with a crimson glow, its emblem morphing into something entirely different.
At the same time, the once-clear sky darkened—no, not darkened. The sun itself intensified, scorching the earth with unbearable heat as radiant halos expanded across the horizon. The very ground trembled in unison, resonating with an ominous hum.
Then, just as quickly, Longhua regained her composure. "My apologies. I lost control for a moment."
As she spoke, the sun's blistering heat gradually receded, and the tremors beneath their feet subsided.
Paimon clutched her chest, panting. "S-So scary… What was that just now?!"
Lumine, too, stared at Longhua in shock, while Keqing's heart pounded violently in her chest.
Longhua offered a faint, apologetic smile. "Ever since that last battle… though the reason remains unclear, I've finally gained some control over the Destiny (Lust) within my Vision. You may simply think of it as my power growing stronger. However, precisely because it's become so overwhelming, even the slightest emotional fluctuation can trigger… abnormal phenomena."
"Lust?"
Before her computer screen, Elysia widened her eyes, pausing the auto-play to scrutinize the tiny subscript beside the word "Destiny."
"So it's finally confirmed—the sect master's Path of Original Sin is Lust… Huh, that actually makes a lot of sense!"
Just look at Longhua's thighs, her face, her chest—that irresistibly alluring character model. Suddenly, Elysia found it perfectly reasonable that the sect master embodied Lust.
While other players might not know what a Path was, Elysia did. Honkai had already introduced the concepts of Aeons and Paths, with plans to develop a whole new game around them. The Supreme Bishop was the Aeon of Original Sin.
And though players weren't fully aware of these settings—nor did they understand what a Path truly entailed—they did know that the Supreme Bishop wielded a power from beyond Teyvat: the Path of Original Sin.
The concept of Original Sin was easy to grasp. Combined with Astrea's Pride and Themis's apparent Envy, it wasn't hard to deduce that the Supreme Bishop's power was divided into seven forms: Pride, Envy, Wrath, Greed, Sloth, Gluttony, and Lust.
But…
"So not all seven sins are tied to the Supreme Bishop's Holy Knights' puppets, huh?"
Muttering to herself, Elysia clicked the auto-play button—a habit of hers, as she preferred not to manually advance the text.
"The Path… That's Ye's power, right?" Paimon mused before gasping in awe. "It sounds ridiculously strong!"
"His power is indeed unfathomable," Longhua agreed with a nod. "What I possess is but a fragment of the Path of Original Sin."
"Then… do you still plan to settle the score with him?" Paimon asked worriedly. "The more I learn, the more Ye seems… well, even stronger than the gods?"
"No matter how strong he is, it changes nothing. That's no reason to let him off the hook."
Longhua's expression remained unshaken as she spoke coolly:
"Using the power he once wielded to defeat him—isn't that the perfect revenge?"
Longhua knew that the reason she had managed to gradually control Lust without being consumed by its overwhelming desires was largely thanks to that man's actions in her dreams.
But that didn't mean she felt grateful.
If Longhua had been willing to submit to the sin's nature, she wouldn't have struggled so hard to suppress its influence with her Vision.
That bastard had taken advantage of her vulnerability. Who knew what depraved thoughts lurked in his mind?
And so, this debt would be repaid—no matter what.