Arriving at her doorstep, Mu Qingge was surprised to see that the lights were still on inside.
Usually, at this hour, everyone in the house would have already retired. In fact, even before she was elected as the Kaiyang Star, her parents would have risen an hour or two later to prepare goods for early morning sales.
Gently pushing the door open, just like always, the main door was unlocked.
Mu Qingge didn't look at the lit room. Instead, she used her key to open the door to her own room and, from a shelf at the foot of her bed, fumbled for a box.
Opening the box, inside was a stone wrapped in cloth, emitting a faint glow through the fabric.
Pulling off the cloth, the Night Lapis illuminated an even larger area.
After checking it to ensure there was no damage, Mu Qingge rewrapped it in cloth and placed it back into the box.
Turning around, Mu Qingge froze, somewhat surprised:
"You're still awake?"
"Sister, aren't you also awake?"
Standing in front of Mu Qingge's room was none other than her younger sister, Mu Qingxu.
"Get some rest soon."
Mu Qingge gently stroked her sister's head, her voice soft.
"Sister, the Archon—is he truly—"
"No one lives forever. Even the Archon, that old man, will eventually pass away. For over three thousand seven hundred years, Liyue has been under the Archon's protection. Now, it's time for it to grow up."
Mu Qingge chose not to tell her sister the truth. This was the Archon's plan, and she ought to comply.
Although she had been mentally prepared, hearing it directly from her sister's mouth still caused Mu Qingxu a heart-wrenching pain.
Archon—fallen—how could these two words be connected!?
"Sister, are you leaving?"
Mu Qingge placed her hand on her sister's face. At fourteen, she still had some baby fat and was very cute.
"Don't worry, just leave these matters to your sister. For a child like you, the most important thing is to get a good night's sleep. No staying up late, okay?"
Knowing that her parents hadn't come yet, Mu Qingge realized that her sister was probably the one who hadn't slept until now.
"Be good, go to sleep quickly. I'll come to see you after I've handled these matters."
Mu Qingge took her things and left the house, stepping out into the night.
Mu Qingxu watched from behind, her eyes filled with worry.
"You tell me not to stay up late, but what about you, Sister? At least I slept for a while during the day, but you've been busy until now~"
She always felt that the burden on her sister was too heavy. Although her sister was very capable, ultimately, she was only three years older than herself.
"Sister, I'm not a child anymore."
--- Livestream Room.
Over a day had passed in Teyvat, while only a dozen seconds had passed in the players' world, as if a clock had simply been adjusted.
After Lumine and Paimon parted ways with Mu Qingge, they were invited by Childe to the Northland Bank. Under Childe's deliberate persuasion and guidance, Lumine and Paimon also began to feel that the Qixing's actions were problematic.
However, due to Mu Qingge's earlier reminder, Lumine and Paimon didn't suspect Mu Qingge. After all, even though they were on the same side, Mu Qingge didn't seem like the cunning and manipulative person Childe described.
As in the original story, Paimon and Lumine set off for Jueyun Karst to seek out the Adepti after dinner.
During this time, Tartaglia also gave Lumine the "Talisman of Imperviousness."
Only this time, without the Millelith's pursuit, Lumine and Paimon's journey went much smoother.
Following the system's mission instructions, Lumine successively sought out Moon Carver, Xiao, Cloud Retainer, and Mountain Shaper. When conversing with Cloud Retainer, that fellow even clamored about suppressing Liyue Harbor.
The abodes of the various Adepti were all extraordinary, requiring players to do quite a bit of mountain climbing in this upgraded version of the game.
Lumine handed the token given by Mu Qingge to Cloud Retainer. After seeing it, Cloud Retainer indicated that she understood what the girl meant and would exercise maximum restraint, and would set off for Liyue Harbor in a few days to meet with the Qixing.
The might of the Adepti was still considerable. Aside from anything else, the sheer size of the three Adepti's bodies alone was enough to awe the players (ahem, upgraded version, last time I'll say it).
Returning from her Adepti visit, Lumine teleported back. Fortunately, she had activated several Waypoints within Liyue Harbor before she set off, otherwise, she would have been exhausted if she had to run all the way back!
Speaking of which, these Waypoints seemed to be activatable only by her. So far, she hadn't seen anyone else use them.
Unlike in the game, in Teyvat, even Lumine needed a Waypoint at both the departure and destination points to teleport.
However, this wasn't a problem. These Waypoints were spread across Teyvat, so once Lumine activated them, getting to them later was instantaneous.
This way, even when in Liyue, she could visit Mondstadt during her free time.
Lumine had already returned to Liyue Harbor and found Tartaglia, describing her Adepti-seeking endeavors.
"Hehe, actually, the Fatui aren't all bad. See, like Childe here, he's been helping us."
[Streamer, wake up! I bet a pack of spicy strips that Childe will definitely betray them later!]
[These Harbingers are all quite good-looking, but my favorite is the one under the snowy mountains!]
[Will the Qixing be the final villains?]
[What are you thinking? How is that possible? My wife Mu is clearly a good person, beyond good!]
[---]
--- Teyvat.
Tartaglia told Lumine about the Qixing's concealment of the Exuvia, leaving Lumine and Paimon in confusion.
"Things seem to be like this, but I don't think Mu Qingge is that kind of person."
Paimon had her own set of criteria for judging people, and most of the time, it was quite accurate.
"Who knows? I'm somewhat acquainted with this generation's Kaiyang Star and know her character, but when it comes to such a significant matter, perhaps she too is shrouded in mist."
"Rumors of the Archon's demise have already spread through the streets. The Qixing tried to block the news, but after all, the Rite of Descension sees many people coming and going, making it difficult to completely suppress the rumors."
"According to what you said, the various Three-Eyed and Five-Manifested Adepti will soon descend upon Liyue Harbor. The Qixing's concealment of the Exuvia and their strange behavior will surely displease the Adepti. Their intentions are likely not too friendly."
Paimon interjected, "That's not necessarily true. We gave Mu Qingge's token to Cloud Retainer, and she told us she would exercise restraint and sit down to discuss things with the Qixing."
Tartaglia was noncommittal:
"The Geo Archon and the various Adepti have a deep relationship. In my opinion, his death not causing the Adepti to immediately rush to suppress Liyue Harbor is already a great display of restraint."
"How do you know?"
Lumine didn't understand; Tartaglia didn't seem to be from Liyue.
"Haha, in Liyue, you can learn a lot about the Geo Archon by simply finding a storyteller, and you can even make good friends. Although much of the storytelling is artistically embellished, ignoring that, most of it is adapted from real events."
"Ladies, if you want to know the truth, I can introduce you to a capable person—someone who can help solve the problem of 'the Qixing concealing the Exuvia.'"
"This—"
Paimon pulled Lumine aside and whispered:
"Lumine, should we trust him? If the Adepti really come to Liyue Harbor and confront the Qixing, that would be terrible!"
Lumine looked at the anxious little fellow with some helplessness.
To be honest, this matter had nothing to do with them. Mu Qingge had also said she wouldn't pursue her and Paimon anymore, so they could completely withdraw and remain uninvolved.
But—through her understanding of the Geo Archon these past few days, Lumine knew he was most likely not the god who separated her from her brother.
After thinking for a while, Lumine finally nodded.
Who made her such an out-and-out good person? Who made her so curious about this matter?
Mu Qingge was also their friend. If a friend was in trouble, how could she not help?
Especially such a beautiful friend!
Also, Lumine's guard against the Fatui had never dropped. Her intuition told her that the Fatui were definitely brewing something big.