The plaza at Yujing Terrace buzzed with chaos as tens of thousands of spectators broke into loud discussion.
"What an entrance! A boom from the heavens and the Archon descends in style?"
"The Rite of Descension really outdid itself this year!"
"Wait, something's wrong… did the Geo Archon just… get killed?"
"No way! You're kidding, right? The Lord of Geo's a war god! Who could possibly kill him?"
…
At the high platform where the Rite was held, Ningguang had already examined the divine beast's body. Confirming that it was indeed dead, she raised her hand decisively.
"The Archon has been assassinated—seal off the area!"
The venue erupted into pandemonium.
Thousands of Millelith soldiers surged forward, locking down all exits and beginning to interrogate anyone who looked remotely suspicious.
A suffocating unease spread through the crowd like wildfire.
Paimon scratched her head, frowning.
"Uh… come to think of it, aren't we kinda the suspicious people standing way too close to the scene?"
But Bai Hao remained calm as ever.
"Relax. I guarantee you two won't get arrested."
Lumine furrowed her brows.
"Why's that?"
She was already considering running.
The sight of the Geo Archon had triggered certain memories from hundreds of years ago—
memories of old battles between gods.
If the Archon's followers caught her, things could go very wrong.
Bai Hao shrugged.
"Because you two were literally chased around by the Raiden Shogun yesterday."
Paimon nodded thoughtfully.
"Oh… yeah, that's true…"
Their faces had been all over the livestream yesterday, and Lumine was known as Mondstadt's "Honorary Knight."
No one in their right mind would accuse her of assassinating the Lord of Geo.
With that realization, Lumine finally felt her heartbeat slow.
She glanced sideways at Bai Hao.
His easy confidence, his composure under pressure, and his dry humor—
somehow, all of it made her feel… safe. Almost like being with her brother again.
"What's wrong?" Bai Hao asked, tilting his head, hands resting behind it lazily.
"Nothing," Lumine said softly, a faint smile curving her lips.
A trustworthy person, she thought.
That tiny flicker of emotion didn't escape Bai Hao's sharp eyes.
Earning the trust of a millennia-old girl like her wasn't easy—
but clearly, his tactical approach was working perfectly.
Of course, there was a deeper motive:
if Lumine ran off and got close to Childe, that guy would totally steal her affection points!
No way—this pool was already under Bai Hao's management!
No Tartaglia Ducks allowed!
Meanwhile, over at the foreign delegates' section, Childe was staring at the scene in confusion.
"The Archon's… dead? Do we keep going with the plan?"
He messaged La Signora through the livestream channel.
At Guyun Stone Forest, the stationed Millelith soldiers had already been knocked out and tossed onto boats.
La Signora stood with one hand on her hip, brows furrowed.
"Not for now. The Liyue Adepti will be descending to suppress the city soon. Let them fight among themselves first."
Even she hadn't expected that sly old fox, Zhongli, to pull a fake death stunt.
If the Fatui made any moves now, both the Liyue Qixing and the Adepti would surely blame them for assassinating the Geo Archon!
Thanks to the livestreams, the shocking news spread across all Seven Nations within minutes.
[Moon Carver]: The Archon assassinated—during the Rite itself?! Preposterous! (voice shaking)
[Mountain Shaper]: Liyue Qixing, secure the area immediately! If the culprit escapes, you'll answer to us! (wings unfurl)
[Cloud Retainer]: Shenhe, come with me! We'll subdue Liyue Harbor first! (furious.jpg)
[Shenhe]: Understood, Master! (draws her spear)
[Ningguang]: Esteemed Adepti, please remain calm. We're already investigating and detaining suspects. We will not allow the murderer to escape justice! @Cloud Retainer @Mountain Shaper @Moon Carver
[Ajio]: Morax dead? Bullshit. If that old man dies, I'll eat dirt standing on my head!
[Beidou]: Why so worked up?
[Ajio]: Mind your business! (angry.jpg)
[Hu Tao]: Zhongli, hurry up! Time for the all-knowing old fossil to make his appearance! Big business opportunity—sending off the Geo Archon himself! @Zhongli
[Kaeya]: Wait, what? The Geo Archon's dead? (sits up from near-death)
[Dori]: Raiden Shogun died yesterday, Geo Archon today—Teyvat's going through a real bad streak of luck~ (smirking)
[Venti]: Anyone got photos of the scene? I wanna see how the old Rock god went out. (peeking curiously)
[Arataki Itto]: Yeah! Show us, show us! (excited)
[Paimon]: We're at the scene, but sadly… no livestream signal. (shrugging emoji)
[Rosaria]: Could this be the work of that "The Mishearing Maniac"?
[Mona]: Be confident—drop the question mark. It's him.
[Sayu]: Yup, definitely him!
[The Mishearing Maniac]: How's this my fault?! The traitor's in the third row! The enemy's right there at Yujing Terrace! (￣^￣)凸
[Xingqiu]: Uh… what's that supposed to mean?
[Amber]: Yeah, what's this about a "traitor in the third row"? (scratches head)
[The Mishearing Maniac]: Simple. Morax took eight bullets to the back. Autopsy says—suicide!
[Gorou]: That… kinda insults our intelligence, don't you think? (sweat)
[Dehya]: Yeah, the Geo Archon committing suicide? Give me a break! (hands on hips)
[The Mishearing Maniac]: Tch. Believe it or don't! ┐(￣ヘ￣)┌
[Jean]: On behalf of the Knights of Favonius, we offer our condolences for the death of the Geo Archon.
[Kujou Sara]: On behalf of the Inazuma Shogunate, we offer our condolences.
[Alhaitham]: On behalf of the Sumeru Akademiya, we offer our condolences.
[Pulcinella]: On behalf of the Fatui of Snezhnaya, we offer our condolences.
And so—
The death of the Geo Archon became the most-watched event in Teyvat history.
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