Liyue — Wangshu Inn.
A gentle breeze passed by.
Xiao appeared beside Zhongli on one knee. After scanning the surroundings and confirming no one was nearby, he spoke quietly.
"Rex Lapis."
Zhongli gave a slight nod but did not reply. His deep gaze withdrew from the light-screen and shifted toward the direction of Celestia.
"So… that one had already considered Teyvat's fate to the very end."
If the Heavenly Principles were to lose to the Abyss, and Teyvat were drowned in calamity—
The Fourth Descender would carry the Primordial Loom of Fate, open up a new world, and concretize the people of Teyvat within it.
Under the Fourth Descender's guidance, those recreated beings would begin a new chapter and welcome a new future.
But—
Zhongli let out a long sigh.
No one could predict a Descender's choices or their future.
Just like the Fifth Descender mentioned by the light-screen.
Clearly, an existence that lay beyond both the plans of the Heavenly Principles and the Abyss.
And yet this light-screen was capable of exposing even the futures of the Heavenly Principles, the Abyss, and the Descenders themselves.
The authority behind it was unfathomable.
"It seems… I won't be able to retire after all."
Morax, the Geo Archon who had protected Liyue for thousands of years, had already made plans.
At the upcoming Rite of Descension, he intended to announce Liyue's transition into an era of human governance.
Now?
Every plan had been disrupted by the appearance of the Fifth Descender.
Really—if you had nothing better to do, why involve yourself in the struggle between the Heavenly Principles and the Abyss? Wouldn't it have been enough to leave everything to the Fourth Descender?
Was the title of savior really that tempting?
Or was the Fifth Descender simply looking to stir chaos?
Still, Zhongli couldn't help but feel curious.
After all, no one was indifferent to the future—
Especially when it concerned the fate of the world itself.
"Hm?"
Mid-thought, Zhongli sensed someone calling his name.
Looking closely, he saw a familiar name speaking in the chat space created by the light-screen.
[Hu Tao]: "Consultant Zhongli, are you there? Hurry up, business has come knocking at Wangsheng Funeral Parlor."
[Zhongli]: "Director Hu… are you suggesting I advertise our services here, in front of everyone?"
[Hu Tao]: "Of course! Haven't you understood the hint about the future yet?"
[Venti]: "Hehe~ Director Hu, sounds like you've figured something out."
[Hu Tao]: "The light-screen already said it—the Fifth Descender believes many people don't qualify to be rewoven."
[Hu Tao]: "Which means, before the world ends, he'll first erase those he deems unqualified."
[Ningguang]: "No wonder you're excited, Director Hu. You're planning to let those people reserve Wangsheng's funeral rites in advance."
[Hu Tao]: "As expected of Lady Ningguang—straight to the point."
[Hu Tao]: "But I'm curious. The world's ending isn't even certain yet. Why would the Fifth Descender do this?"
[Hu Tao]: "And what exactly is a Descender?"
[Zhongli]: "..."
[Childe]: "This Director of Wangsheng seems pretty open-minded. You don't look worried at all."
[Hu Tao]: "I'm the seventy-seventh Director of Wangsheng Funeral Parlor. I deal with death every day."
[Hu Tao]: "After seeing so much life and death, I've long developed a new perspective."
[Hu Tao]: "The future is just death anyway—only the manner changes. Nothing to worry about~"
Fontaine — Palais Mermonia.
Furina swallowed nervously, over and over.
"Death…?"
There were actually people in this world who weren't afraid of dying.
You might not be scared, she thought, but I definitely am.
Like Hu Tao, Furina didn't fully understand what a Descender was.
But the fact that the Fifth Descender dared to directly erase those he deemed unqualified meant one thing—
He had no fear of the gods who protected the nations.
"Isn't this completely over…?"
Furina, the false Hydro Archon, had deceived Fontaine's people for five hundred years.
That deception alone would certainly count as a grave sin.
If the Fifth Descender exposed her crimes, the people of Fontaine would undoubtedly rise up together and send her to the Fortress of Meropide for the rest of her life.
No—
Based on what the Fifth Descender implied, people like her wouldn't even be imprisoned.
They would be destroyed.
The more Furina thought about it, the more terrified she became.
This wasn't about lifelong imprisonment anymore.
In the future, the Fifth Descender might lead Fontaine's own people to send her straight to the guillotine.
["Traveler, Paimon—this time, it's all thanks to your help."]
["We successfully repelled the large-scale Hilichurl assault."]
"What… what was that voice?"
The sudden dialogue snapped Furina out of her spiraling fear.
Only then did she realize that, at some unknown point, images had already begun appearing within the light-screen.
[A fiery-red scarf, a short skirt, and white knee-high boots outlined the girl's long legs.]
[The red bunny-ear headband atop her head made her cuteness unmistakable.]
[In Mondstadt City, Outrider Amber danced with joy.]
["Thanks to you, we managed to repel the Hilichurl army attacking Mondstadt so quickly!"]
["Amber did great too!" Paimon floated proudly, hands on her hips.]
[Lumine mirrored the pose but praised sincerely, "This time, it was thanks to Amber discovering the Hilichurls' movements early."]
["Under Acting Grand Master Jean's command, Mondstadt was able to respond in an orderly manner."]
[Lumine was introduced to Jean by Amber.]
[She explained her purpose—searching for her missing brother.]
[Unfortunately, due to the ongoing dragon crisis, Jean needed to lead others to the abandoned Four Winds temple to deal with ley line disturbances.]
[Only after resolving that could she spare time to help investigate Lumine's brother.]
[With nothing better to do, Lumine and Paimon followed Jean, Lisa, and Kaeya to the abandoned Four Winds temple.]
[After the matter was resolved, Mondstadt indeed saw no further dragon attacks for a time.]
[But instead, a large-scale Hilichurl assault followed.]
[Fortunately, as a scout, Amber was highly responsible. From the very first day she brought Lumine to Mondstadt, she remained alert after noticing nearby Hilichurl tribes.]
[She discovered traces of a massive Hilichurl force advancing toward Mondstadt ahead of time.]
[This allowed the city to prepare its defenses in advance.]
[While waiting in Mondstadt for news of her brother, Lumine joined the fight against the Hilichurls.]
["Kaeya said this matter is related to the Abyss Order," Amber said, chin in hand, expression serious.]
["I don't know what the Abyss Order is planning."]
["Looks like I'll need to keep a closer eye on those Abyss guys from now on."]
[Amber muttered to herself, then suddenly looked up apologetically at Lumine.]
["I'm really sorry."]
["I've been so focused on Mondstadt that I already posted notices to look for your brother."]
["But so far… there's been no news."]
["You helped Mondstadt a lot this time. I don't have much to repay you with—so let me treat you to a meal."]
[At the mention of food—]
[The already starving Paimon's eyes instantly lit up.]
["Really? I've been hungry for ages! Can I eat a lot?"]
["Of course! Eat as much as you like—you're heroes of Mondstadt!" Amber laughed, patting her chest.]
[Just as the three were about to head off to eat, a cold breeze swept by.]
[Amber shivered, a subtle sense of unease rising from deep within.]
[She couldn't help but glance toward the forest outside the city, where several birds suddenly burst into flight.]
[Amber's brows furrowed almost imperceptibly.]
[Years of scouting told her something was wrong.]
[There must have been a sudden disturbance in the forest—enough to send the birds fleeing in panic.]
To read advanced Chapters, head over to p@treon:
patreon.com/nani_kaito