Liyue, Stone Gate.
Lumine stared warily at the glowing screen before her.
"Lumine, could that Prince guy really be into you?" Paimon asked.
Bad move.
The instant she said it, Lumine's expression twisted in disgust, as if a chill had rushed straight up from her heels to her skull.
"Lumine, are you okay?"
"I'm— I'm fine!" Lumine shook her head and took a deep breath.
[Lumine]:@[Prince] Please don't get any weird ideas. There's no way anything could ever happen between us! (warning)
[Prince]:…
Kong was speechless.
Utterly, completely speechless.
He couldn't even reveal that he was her brother.
He just felt… tired.
[Kaeya]:Ms. Lumine, you really won't reconsider? (Hu Tao·smirk)
[Furina]:Darling, anyone with eyes can see that Mr. Gu Chen and Ms. Lumine are the perfect match!
[Charlotte]:@[Lumine] A quick interview, if you had to choose—would it be Mr. Gu Chen or Prince?
[Lumine]:I'd pick Gu Chen with my feet!
[Gu Chen]:(Kaeya·rose-in-mouth, "Heart Thief" pose)
[Lumine]:For the record, I was only answering Charlotte's question. Also—past life means past life!
[Hu Tao]:Really?
[Lumine]:Really really!
[Yae Miko]:"The Beautiful Maiden's Secret Crush on the Handsome Hero", coming soon~ (Hu Tao·grin)
[Raiden Ei]:@[Yae Miko] Editor-in-Chief, I'd like to read that right now.
[Xingqiu]:I'll preorder two copies!
[Jean]:Um… I kind of want to read it too. (期待)
[Lumine]:Heh. So we're in fantasy hour now, huh?
Lumine gave a bitter laugh.
"Paimon, do you think I'd ever fall for Gu Chen?" she asked, tone dripping with sarcasm.
Paimon glanced at her face—clearly not in the best mood—and carefully replied,
"Well… your past-life self definitely liked him. But in this life… um, it's fine, just think of him as a stranger!"
"That's what I'm thinking!"
Just a stranger… right?
But something tugged faintly at Lumine's heart.
Before these videos started, Gu Chen had been just a stranger.
But now, it didn't feel that simple anymore.
Even saying words of denial made her chest tighten.
Do I actually like Gu Chen?
No way. Absolutely not!
"I'm a traveler, just a fleeting visitor to this world! My heart is free!" Lumine said firmly, patting her chest.
Paimon watched her mumbling self-convincingly and sighed inwardly.
After a while, when Lumine finally calmed down, Paimon quickly changed the subject.
"We've already wasted a lot of time on the road. Should we ask someone from Liyue in the group when the Rite of Descension is happening? You can't miss the chance to meet the Geo Archon and ask about your brother!"
"Right!" Lumine nodded hard.
[Transcendents Group Chat]
[Lumine]:Hi, friends from Liyue—I'm at Stone Gate now. When is the Rite of Descension? Will I make it in time?
[Yae Miko]:Smooth topic shift there. (Yae Miko·smirk)
[Ningguang]:There's still about half a month to go. Normally, you'd make it in time, but with all these video interruptions, it might be tricky.
[Lumine]:I don't want to miss it! Paimon, let's watch while we travel!
[Noelle]:Honorary Knight-senpai, please watch your step and stay safe!
[Lumine]:Don't worry! I'm a traveler—I can multitask with my eyes closed!
[Signora]:You mean, like when you were pinned down by two debt collectors and couldn't move?
[Lumine]:If you can't say something nice, then shut it!!
Lumine broke.
Sure, her memories were fuzzy, but she was someone who could fight gods!
To be mocked over a couple of debt collectors—unacceptable!
Just wait till I get my powers back!
[Zhongli]:The Rite of Descension is a grand festival. The Traveler must not miss it.
At Wangsheng Funeral Parlor, Zhongli set his teacup down, deep in thought.
The Traveler—Lumine—was an indispensable piece in his plan.
If she failed to reach Liyue in time, the entire scheme could collapse.
"Her goal is her blood relative. She'll make it before the ceremony, certainly. But these videos…"
His gaze shifted to the screen.
At that moment in the video, Venti was giving directions—to head for Liyue, just in time for the Rite of Descension, and meet the Geo Archon.
Gu Chen and Lumine made their decision: travel to Liyue!
Seeing that, Zhongli grew restless, uneasy.
"If my old friend's identity is revealed… then perhaps I, too, followed the same path in that past life?"
For the first time, Zhongli began to worry.
[Yoimiya]:Gu Chen's trio is heading for Liyue! After Liyue, maybe Inazuma next?! Will I finally appear?! (Xiangling·sparkling eyes)
[Tighnari]:Sumeru is right next to Liyue's Chasm. Logically, they'd head there first.
[Nahida]:(excited emoji)
[Furina]:Can they just skip to Fontaine already? I want to see me!
[Raiden Ei]:(Shenhe·stare)
[Beidou]:If it's Inazuma, then you'll have to pass through me! My ship, the Alcor, is the only one that can cross the storm! (proud)
[Lumine]:Hold on—why do they get that kind of treatment?!
In the video—
Upon learning that Gu Chen's group was headed to Liyue, Acting Grand Master Jean offered them horses to make the journey faster.
[Paimon]:Wait, there are horses in Mondstadt?!
[Kaeya]:Is it really that surprising? I'm a Cavalry Captain! What else would I be riding—people? (sarcastic)
[Lumine]:@[Jean] Jean, I must protest! Why didn't I get one?! (pointing)
[Jean]:Didn't you say you wanted to climb mountains, travel the land, and truly experience the world's scenery? (confused)
[Lumine]:Did I? (blank stare)
[Paimon]:I think you did say something like that…
[Lumine]:Fine, whatever—wait, why are they going to the snow mountain? Weren't they headed to Liyue?!
In the video—
As the trio prepared to leave, they spotted a distant snowy peak.
Then and there, they changed plans—deciding to visit it first.
Gu Chen explained,
"Since this is a journey, there's no need to rush. If time runs short, I can just fly us straight to Liyue."
"So far? You can fly there?" Paimon gawked.
"Of course," Gu Chen nodded. "It'll just be tiring. But missing a beautiful sight right before us would be the real regret."
Paimon turned to Lumine. "What do you think?"
Lumine smiled softly. "Let's do as he says."
[Yae Miko]:Aww~ Lumine's smile is so sweet!
[Nilou]:Past-life Lumine, please—marry Gu Chen!
[Lumine]:My heart is cold as ice! And seriously—why go to the snowy mountains? It's freezing! @[Gu Chen]
[Gu Chen]:How should I know?!
Thinking back, he vaguely recalled a quest—something about collecting Durin's dragon bones to forge a stronger weapon.
If that was the case, it made perfect sense.
With his grind-addict personality, there's no way he would've left an unfinished quest sitting on the screen!
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