"That one? Which one?!"
Lumine and Paimon looked at each other, both confused and shocked.
That was Morax, the Geo Archon.
A god who had existed for more than six thousand years—the terrifying slayer of the Archon War.
Yet his followers, the adepti, actually believed that this mysterious "that one" was capable of assassinating him.
On Blue Planet, in Xuehua's livestream chat:
[Blondie and the Holy Grail just asked the question I wanted to ask.]
[What's a Holy Grail?]
[Never mind, just go play the game.]
"…Hmm."
"It is still too early to reach a conclusion."
"As far as I know, that one should not be an enemy of Rex Lapis."
"However, I may be mistaken. The other adepti must also be informed."
Moon Carver pondered for a moment before looking at Lumine and Paimon.
"Take your Sigil of Permission and deliver my message."
He instructed Lumine.
"Who should I look for?"
"And where should I go?"
Lumine asked with a puzzled expression.
"Mountain Shaper and Cloud Retainer both dwell in this region."
"But you may not encounter them easily. Leave it to fate."
"There is also the Conqueror of Demons, the Vigilant Yaksha."
"Go to Wangshu Inn. You may find traces of him there."
After Moon Carver finished speaking, Lumine and Paimon began searching for the other three adepti.
They first found Mountain Shaper and Cloud Retainer.
After hearing their explanation, both adepti were furious.
Yet at the same time, they found the situation difficult to accept.
However, the two of them also mentioned "that one."
They both believed that only that one possessed the ability to assassinate Rex Lapis.
"So…"
"Who exactly is that one?"
On the road toward Wangshu Inn, Lumine and Paimon discussed it in confusion.
"There really is someone with the power to assassinate a god."
"To kill a god… wouldn't that person at least have to be another god?"
Paimon spread her small hands as she analyzed the situation.
"Not necessarily."
"Just look at Venti."
Lumine shook her head.
Paimon nodded.
Thinking about it that way, it made sense.
After all, Venti had gotten his heart snatched right out by Signora.
In Xuehua's livestream chat:
[HAHAHA the slacker bard is getting roasted behind his back by Blondie and Paimon!]
[But seriously, who is that one?!]
[These three adepti are such trolls.]
[Can they stop speaking in riddles?!]
Xuehua glanced at the barrage of comments.
Then she looked at Lumine bouncing along toward Wangshu Inn on the screen.
For a moment, she felt a little annoyed.
Those three adepti were definitely speaking in riddles.
And she hated riddles the most.
But the moment she met the Conqueror of Demons, she forgot all about that frustration.
She immediately declared to her viewers that she had fallen in love.
However, when Xiao also mentioned that "that one" might be the one who assassinated Rex Lapis—
She nearly lost it.
"MiHoYo! That's enough!"
"Can you stop being cryptic and just tell us who 'that one' is already?!"
Xuehua slammed the desk with both hands while staring at Xiao in the story scene.
But soon after, Xiao delivered a piece of information that made her suddenly excited.
"You may try searching Jueyun Karst."
"You might find traces of that one."
"Though I cannot guarantee it. After all… he has disappeared for a thousand years."
Xiao suggested to Lumine and Paimon.
They nodded.
Next, Xuehua immediately teleported Lumine to Jueyun Karst.
The quest markers showed eight people to talk to.
Meaning she had to search across the mountains to find them all.
First, she encountered a strange man wearing a Hilichurl mask who claimed to be a "Hilichurl Immortal."
She skipped through his dialogue instantly.
Next, she ran into a Wei Hilichurl, defeated it, and then randomly searched for another NPC.
Soon, the screen revealed a small cabin in the forest.
Standing in front of the cabin was an extremely handsome young man.
At that moment, the game automatically triggered a cutscene.
The young man walked over to a patch of flowers he had planted and crouched down to check on them.
Then he picked up a small watering can and began gently watering the flowers.
The watering can had a pink heart on it.
Originally, he hadn't wanted to buy this particular watering can.
But unfortunately, it had been the only one left in the shop.
"…He's so handsome."
"This must be the guy from the PV!"
Xuehua screamed excitedly at the screen.
Just seeing Qiu Nian's face was enough to make her blush.
The chat exploded again.
[No "must be"—it is him!]
[Damn, that face is insane. And that aura… he's almost on Zhongli's level!]
[We finally see him! He's a different type from Zhongli, but he's still ridiculously handsome!]
Bullet comments flooded the screen.
At that moment, the young man seemed to notice Lumine and Paimon.
He stood up awkwardly.
Then he coughed lightly into his hand and took a few steps back.
Finally, he smiled at them.
The whole sequence of movements flowed smoothly like a perfect combo.
Lumine and Paimon stared at him with utterly dumbfounded expressions.
Seriously?
Could you not behave with such ridiculous contrast?
Weren't you supposed to stand there calmly, look dignified, and ask who we were?
Don't use that face, that body, and that elegant aura to perform such goofy actions, damn it!
And what's with the pink-heart watering can in your hand?!
When Lumine and Paimon first saw Qiu Nian, they thought they had finally found the right person.
But after watching that entire sequence…
They felt like their world had collapsed.
Back on Blue Planet, in Xuehua's livestream.
"Guys."
"My expression right now is exactly the same as Lumine and Paimon."
Xuehua looked straight into the camera, perfectly imitating their dumbfounded faces.
"But he's still so handsome~!"
The next moment, she switched to a lovestruck expression.
The chat burst into laughter.
[I'm dying. That smooth combo of movements—MiHoYo really understands meme culture.]
[Now he just needs to spread his arms and start singing.]
[HAHAHAHA]
[The funniest part is the pink-heart watering can.]
[I'm crying from laughing]
[I imagined a lot of possible story developments, but never this one]
[Streamer really knows how to change expressions instantly]
[Wait… could the one capable of killing the Geo Archon be him?]
[Bro, look at him. Does he look like someone who could do that?]
Comments kept scrolling rapidly.
As Xuehua read through them, one particular comment caught her attention.
[Wait… he doesn't even have a Vision. Does that mean he won't be in the banner?]
The moment she saw that message—
She immediately looked back at Qiu Nian in the game.
…He really didn't have a Vision.