The players' side of the story came to an end.
Guinaifen was still savoring it.
"That was thrilling! Liyue's storyline is always so engaging."
"Pretty soon, we'll get to binge-watch streamers reacting to the highlight moments."
'Thanks to I'm Mu Yang's Sword Sheath for the paid message': When Mu Yang had his moment, a certain big streamer was caught turning off their camera to sniffle (100 yuan).
Guinaifen responded, "That was genuine emotion. This streamer only plays it real."
[Mu Yang said he knows his limits, but it feels like Little Gui's been doubting him lately.]
[Heard the story of the boy who cried wolf?]
[I want to believe him, but with one animated short after another, how am I supposed to believe he's fine?]
Guinaifen stepped in to smooth things over, "Say what you will, this new look is undeniably cool—kinda edgy."
"I'm buying it the moment it's out."
[Character not even released yet, but the outfit's already stealing the show. Unbelievable.]
[Am I the only one who thinks he's wearing a bit too much?]
[Exactly! Isn't the next version the summer event? Any chance for a swimsuit Mu Yang this year?]
[Oh, that's a must! Slurp slurp]
…
Today was, as always, a day of maxed-out popularity points.
——————
Back in Teyvat,
Lumine and Paimon had already gone to rest after dinner.
Zhongli and Mu Yang remained.
Or rather, to be precise,
Morax was still there drinking with Mu Yang.
As old friends, he no longer bothered to hide his identity.
He asked about Mu Yang's current situation.
Regarding the source of Mu Yang's power,
Morax was almost certain it came from Her above.
But now, he was a bit puzzled.
Aside from the Heavenly Principles and Clarisse, there was another, more hidden, more powerful presence within Mu Yang.
Mu Yang's response, naturally, didn't mention the system.
He only spoke about his recent investigations and Clarisse's situation.
"Perhaps it was the seal that isolated my consciousness, giving it an opportunity to take hold. It's not a big deal."
Zhongli thought the same, but in this matter, he couldn't offer much help.
During the Cataclysm, he was a firsthand participant on the frontlines.
He knew the consequences of being tainted by forbidden knowledge.
The Scarlet King of the desert and Sumeru's Greater Lord Rukkhadevata both had to face it with their own deaths.
Mu Yang's ability to suppress forbidden knowledge was already a blessing for Chenyu Vale.
Though he couldn't assist directly, Zhongli suggested that Mu Yang visit Sumeru.
The Little Auspicious Grass King, though only five hundred years old,
was the God of Wisdom connected to the World Tree. She might find answers within it,
potentially resolving Clarisse's affliction with forbidden knowledge once and for all.
Mu Yang thanked Zhongli for the suggestion and went upstairs to rest.
He didn't mention the Little Auspicious Grass King's predicament.
From the events of version 2.8, it seemed neither Zhongli nor Venti knew Nahida was imprisoned.
Otherwise, the two wouldn't have allowed the Akademiya and the Fatui to pull off something as outrageous as "creating a god."
They surely understood the importance of the World Tree.
Mu Yang kept quiet, as he was still focused on racking up popularity points.
Besides, Nahida's journey from self-doubt to isolation
was something she needed to resolve on her own.
The next morning,
his disciple Shenhe came to call her Master for breakfast.
She hadn't seen Mu Yang's new look the previous night.
This threw the young girl off completely. "Master, is this… trendy?"
"It's a long story. I'll have to leave again for a while, but I'll tell you everything once I've figured it out."
"You're leaving again so soon after coming back?"
Shenhe sounded a bit aggrieved.
Mu Yang had been gone for over two months, only just returned, and now he was leaving again?
"I'm just heading back to Chenyu Vale. It won't take long. I'll bring you some tasty specialties when I return."
With that, he patted Shenhe's head, praising her for managing the tavern so well.
The young girl was satisfied and felt appreciated.
After eating the breakfast Shenhe prepared, Mu Yang set off.
He thought dealing with Clarisse wouldn't take much time,
so he didn't wait for Lumine to wake up.
Unlike Mu Yang, who was practically coasting,
Lumine and Paimon had accumulated a lot of fatigue.
They'd probably need a day or two of sleep to recover.
On the road, Mu Yang summoned the system.
"System, channel the popularity points into the portion of power from the Heavenly Principles to boost my strength."
He had asked the system about this before, and it confirmed it was possible.
This was the source of Mu Yang's confidence in quickly resolving Clarisse's issue.
It was precisely because of the Heavenly Principles' power that he could suppress forbidden knowledge.
Now, with a boost from popularity points, the suppression should happen even faster.
System: "Received. Popularity points have been allocated to strength enhancement."
After hearing the system's report, Mu Yang tried sensing the change.
It wasn't exactly a massive leap in power—just a feeling like a drop of water falling into the sea, creating faint ripples…
Mu Yang: "Explain this. That wasn't a small amount of popularity points. Why such a minor boost?"
System: "You know how it is. Precise allocation takes a bit more, right?"
"The system's suggestion: instead of spending popularity points, why not drain those two Nails of the Cold Sky?"
Mu Yang thought the suggestion wasn't bad. It might take longer, but it was effective.
"It's been a while. Any changes in the Snowy Mountains?"
Mu Yang was concerned that absorbing the Nail's power might cause Teyvat to collapse.
Last time, he'd been cautious and didn't absorb much.
He wasn't strong enough yet to risk quenching his thirst with poison.
The system replied, "No changes at all. Based on this system's calculations, the host can absorb it all and allocate a bit of power to maintain stability."
And so, Mu Yang's plan was set.
First, he'd suppress Clarisse, then go absorb the Nail's power.
After that, he'd head to Sumeru with more confidence.
At the peak of Mt. Mingyuan, by the Sword Pool,
a visible black mist was swirling.
Though it hadn't spread to the surroundings, it still needed to be dealt with quickly.
Mu Yang focused his mind, his consciousness returning to his body.
This time, the scene he saw was more complex than before.
It was the landscape of Chenyu Vale, complete with that familiar little wooden cabin.
Before moving to Yilong Wharf, Mu Yang had lived in that cabin.
He had a bad feeling.
Sure enough, Clarisse opened the door and stepped out.
"You're back?"
Compared to the others, Mu Yang's relationship with Clarisse wasn't particularly close.
They were friends, but not intimate.
Ever since he saw her cut down Yaojun,
Mu Yang harbored only resentment toward her.
Even though he knew it was the result of forbidden knowledge's influence.
Mu Yang didn't bother with small talk, treating her like a heart demon.
He drew Withering Glory and charged.
Clarisse shook her head helplessly, summoning her Raven Feather Sword to counter.
"You've improved again…"
During the fight, Clarisse spoke a lot,
repeating things she used to say during their past sparring sessions.
Mu Yang didn't respond once.
The two fought for an unknown amount of time.
At one point, Clarisse's power surged, briefly overwhelming Mu Yang.
They were locked in a stalemate, fighting on and on…
Until Clarisse could no longer maintain her human form, transforming back into a raven and landing on Mu Yang's shoulder.
Mu Yang let out a long breath, sat cross-legged, and began to rest…
Emerging from the Sword Pool, Mu Yang confirmed the time with the system.
Only then did he realize their battle had lasted until after the version 3.4 Lantern Rite…
Mu Yang roared internally: "Gaia—! My 2.5-hour Sumeru master plan!"
Without Sumeru's main storyline,
he'd need to prepare for Natlan early, as he knew nothing about it.
He'd at least need to familiarize himself with the people and see what they were up to.
But that wasn't the most pressing matter.
Having disappeared for so long, there were surely many people waiting for his explanation.
Like Lingyuan, standing behind him…