"What was that just now?!"
Even recalling the sight of the Ruin Serpent disappearing into the depths made Clitopho break into a cold sweat. He wasn't the only one—Khedive and Taliesin were both tense, foreheads beaded with perspiration.
"That was the mechanical serpent buried beneath the mines," Victor Wang explained calmly. "It's my first time seeing it with my own eyes… Zhiqiong had recorded its location before—it should've been to the southwest of us. Never thought it'd show up here. But why did it leave so suddenly?"
Noticing Jinwu's gaze, Zhiqiong answered, "Someone shot an arrow at it—and lured it away."
"There are others here in the Chasm besides us?"
Zhiqiong rolled her eyes at Clitopho. "Don't sound so surprised. Before we ran into your Treasure Hoarders, we thought the same thing—that nobody else was down here."
"Alright, alright," Paimon yawned, rubbing her eyes, "at least whoever it was seems nicer than the Treasure Hoarders. Such a pity, though—my dream was so close… ahh… that bubblegum… I was just about to eat it… Can I go back to sleep now?"
Her words made the tense group stare at her in disbelief—how could anyone sleep at a time like this?
But the experienced Jinwu nodded in agreement. "Paimon's right. We've all been working nonstop all day. If we don't rest, we'll just tire ourselves out further. We've got people standing watch—if there's danger, we'll have time to react."
"Yay! Then it's bedtime! We can deal with everything once it's daylight," Paimon declared, tugging Lumine—who was also clearly sleep-deprived—back toward the tents.
"I'll skip sleep," Khedive said. "My work doesn't require much physical energy anyway."
"Can't say the same for me," Clitopho muttered. "I'm just too scared to close my eyes."
Taliesin immediately chimed in. "Then I'll stay up too! I'm a bard—I'm gathering tales worthy of being turned into songs. How about we three chat for a while? Share our stories and adventures… What do you say, Mr. Wang?"
"No, no. I'm turning in," Victor waved them off.
Two tents had been pitched. He headed into the smaller one—the men's—knowing that rest was the quickest way to recover his mental strength. And with his personal night watch spirit on duty, there was little reason to worry about safety anywhere.
He drifted quickly into a half-conscious haze. The last thing he heard before sleep claimed him was Jinwu's voice outside the tent: "Then the second half of the night's watch is on you three."
Everyone seemed to have settled down at last…
As a safety engineer, Jinwu had done her duty. And only when everything was in order did she turn to Zhiqiong and say softly, "Come with me for a moment."
Oh no, here comes the scolding.
Zhiqiong's stomach tightened as she followed her out of sight of the campfire—but the moment they were alone, Jinwu suddenly pulled her into a tight embrace.
"Jinwu…?"
"When I woke up and realized you were gone… do you have any idea how terrified I was?"
"Jinwu…"
"You have to stay alive…"
"Jinwu— please, don't cry… I— I…"
"I've worked in the mines for over twenty years," Jinwu said hoarsely. "I've seen so many kids like you—chasing dreams, chasing adventure. But who am I to judge? You're an adult now—capable of making your own choices. I was wrong to try to stop you."
"Don't say that… If I ever had a family, you'd be the closest thing to it. You're my dearest elder… I don't want to see you cry… you'll make me cry too…"
"I won't hold you back. Do what you must… but promise me this—live."
…
"Whoa! The black mist down here's even thicker than above! And that— that's not just ooze anymore, those are hills made of solidified Dark Mud!"
"The Abyssal reaction is strong," Victor said, eyes narrowing. "To clear it completely, we'd need a Lumenstone as large as the one that fell earlier." He glanced meaningfully toward Zhiqiong, who was sketching on her map. "Until it's dispersed, this place isn't safe for ordinary people."
Zhiqiong, uncharacteristically candid, replied, "I won't linger. I'll finish mapping and head out. During the morning's water check, I noticed a passage beside the temporary main mine's water source. If we follow the current downstream, I don't know where it leads—but it's worth checking out."
Lumine and Paimon exchanged surprised glances—they didn't know what had changed in her, but they were glad to see it.
"Then let's explore a bit too!" Paimon said eagerly. "There might be treasure—especially up there, in that upside-down city!"
She looked up in wonder at the ruins overhead. Victor followed her gaze—that was where the purifying pool capable of lifting the Immortality Curse was hidden.
He had already visited it in secret. The Abyss Order hadn't yet set up the device that would amplify its purification field. The pool itself emanated serenity—enough to soothe the heart—but perhaps because his curse was already partly lifted, it didn't affect him much. Testing a theory, he even dipped his restored hand—the one tied to [The Two Ends of Beginning and End]—into the water. Nothing happened.
Leaning into Paimon's natural curiosity, he suggested lightly, "If that city was inverted by human hands, then wouldn't all the treasures have fallen down here already?"
"Oh! You might be right! Then we've got to explore the ground too!"
Lumine nodded. "This place… it reminds me of the 'Defiled Statue.' We should investigate carefully—let's hope it's not tied to the Abyss Order again…"
They didn't have to go far before they stumbled upon a worn journal—left behind by the Fatui—and a map.
"'Ring the two bells, and the black mist will clear'… Could that really work?"
While Lumine hesitated, Paimon was already making plans. "If we clear the mist, the surveyors might not be able to come through, but we can! There might be treasure—ahem—I mean, the cause of the Chasm's anomalies could be right beyond it!"
"Then…" Lumine looked to Victor and Zhiqiong. "Let's split up. We'll follow this clue downward. You two check the water passage."
The path Zhiqiong found led along the underground waterway to the Glowing Narrows. It was relatively clean—little to no Dark Mud. Only two Black Serpent Knights blocked the way, but the corridor was wide enough to slip past without fighting.
Lumine's path, meanwhile, required crossing vast chasms and several battles. Only after ringing both bells and dispelling the mist could they reach the Narrows.
So when she finally returned, exhausted but triumphant, she looked up to see Victor already ahead—standing beyond the now-cleared fog—with Zhiqiong beside him. Between them stood two newly appeared Abyss Lectors, their forms shimmering in the darkness.
Together, they struck the finishing blows—and at last, they obtained the key to the Chasm's final depths.