"Then... what if the adepti really decide to hold us accountable?" Paimon whispered, her voice trailing off by the end.
The atmosphere in the room grew heavy. Although Lumine and Paimon were not from Liyue and had never met the adepti, they couldn't bear to see Liyue suffer under the wrath of the adepti.
"If it comes to that, I, as the Tianquan, will take full responsibility for all the blame," Ningguang said without hesitation.
A gentle breeze drifted through the half-open window, lifting Ningguang's hair and revealing her resolute crimson eyes.
——————
After leaving the Jade Chamber, Lumine and Paimon walked side by side, preparing to return to the Wangsheng Funeral Parlor to say goodbye to Hu Tao before setting off for Jueyun Karst to seek out the adepti.
Liyue was currently facing both internal and external threats. Internally, there was the uncertain stance of the Divine Lord and the adepti, and externally, there were the Fatui and other forces from the seven nations eyeing Liyue covetously. Whether they could quickly contact the adepti would determine the future direction of Liyue. Thinking about it this way...
"Traveler, Paimon suddenly feels like we're carrying such a heavy burden. This is a matter that concerns the future of Liyue!" Paimon said with a troubled expression. She never expected that she, the mascot, would one day shoulder such a heavy responsibility.
"Yeah, Paimon, we'll have to do our best," Lumine encouraged Paimon, though she herself felt a bit nervous.
"Ugh, if only Yun Fan were here. He'd definitely have a plan," Paimon muttered, scratching her head.
"Yun Fan? Yeah, if he were here, he'd probably have a solution," Lumine thought to herself, feeling a complex mix of emotions whenever she thought of Yun Fan.
"Let's go. Let's not think about him anymore. We'll probably see him again soon."
——————
"Yun Fan, how dare you space out while talking to me, the Director?" Hu Tao stomped over to Yun Fan, her beautiful plum blossom eyes glaring at him.
This guy had quietly run off to Mondstadt under the pretense of training in Jueyun Karst. Now that he was finally back, he had been staring at her in a daze. Who wouldn't be annoyed by that?
"Hu Tao, didn't I leave a million Mora at Wanmin Restaurant before I left? Did you eat well? Please, you must answer my question," Yun Fan suddenly placed his hands on Hu Tao's shoulders and asked in an extremely serious tone, leaving her completely bewildered.
"Why are you suddenly asking this?" Hu Tao was puzzled but answered honestly.
"At first, I forgot about the Mora. By the time I remembered, it had already been spent by that guy Zhongli!" Hu Tao said through gritted teeth.
"Zhongli again?" Yun Fan was speechless. He hadn't even told Zhongli about the prepaid Mora at Wanmin Restaurant. Truly, no matter how much you plan, it's never enough to outsmart Morax.
"Hmph, not only did he spend the million Mora you prepaid, but he also racked up another 500,000 Mora in debt at Wanmin Restaurant. I was so mad I could've died!"
"Tsk, tsk, tsk." Yun Fan clicked his tongue. This Zhongli really didn't do anything decent! He had originally intended to help Hu Tao out, but oh well. If Hu Tao's future child ever went hungry, he'd just make Zhongli feed them. He could be the "dad."
Tap, tap, tap...
The sound of steady footsteps approached from a distance. Yun Fan looked up and saw the unmistakable figure of Zhongli with his dark brown hair and golden eyes.
"Speak of the devil, and he shall appear," Yun Fan said with a chuckle.
"Devil? Who's the devil?" Hu Tao asked, intrigued. She had never heard of this before.
"Uh..." Yun Fan had only said it casually. After all, Teyvat had no such figure. How could he explain it to her? He couldn't very well say that Lucifer was known as "The Devil, could he?
"Ahem, Director Hu, I have some matters to discuss with Yun Fan. Would you mind giving us some privacy?" Seeing Yun Fan's dilemma, Zhongli spoke up at the right moment. After all, he still had some things to discuss with Yun Fan and couldn't let this free-spirited person ruin his plans.
"Huh? Sure, but speaking of which, Zhongli, weren't you supposed to be preparing the Rite of Parting? Why do you have time to come back to the Wangsheng Funeral Parlor? And did you already know Yun Fan was back?" Hu Tao fired off three questions in a row, her eyes narrowing suspiciously at Zhongli. She had a feeling these two were conspiring against her or hiding something.
"There were some matters during the preparation of the Rite of Parting that I couldn't decide on my own, so I came back to seek the Director's guidance. As for whether Yun Fan has returned, of course, I knew."
"Oh, right, I forgot you two are distant relatives," Hu Tao said, suddenly realizing.
"Alright, you two go talk. I'll go handle those matters." Hu Tao waved her hand and skipped out of the Wangsheng Funeral Parlor.
Watching this scene, Yun Fan remembered a line he had once seen on a forum: "All Pyro characters in Genshin are lively and energetic, right? What do you think, Diluc?"
"Long time no see, Zhongli," Yun Fan greeted Zhongli first.
"From a universal perspective, a year is but a drop in the ocean for an adeptus," Zhongli replied indifferently.
"Ha, whatever. What do you need from me this time?" Yun Fan asked. What else could he say? Zhongli had a way of killing a conversation.
"Don't play dumb," Zhongli glanced at Yun Fan, still speaking in a calm tone.
"Sigh, it's about your fake death, right? I have to say, you really know how to put on a show. A dragon just falls from the sky—who wouldn't be shocked by that?" Yun Fan shrugged, his tone laced with a hint of teasing.
"If you had agreed to take over as the Geo Archon, I wouldn't have had to resort to such measures."
'Tch.' Yun Fan smirked. He felt that Zhongli's words were half-truths. The truth was that Zhongli really did want him to take over as the Geo Archon, but the lie was that even if he had, Zhongli still planned to return power to the people. So, this wasn't really a last resort.
"As you once mentioned, I have decided to relinquish all power to the Qixing and the people of Liyue. From now on, Liyue will be protected by its own people."
"Are you really that confident in the Qixing? Do you think they can truly protect Liyue? Without the protection of a god, a land as vast and resource-rich as Liyue is like a juicy steak, constantly emitting an enticing aroma that attracts hungry wolves." Yun Fan spoke candidly about Liyue's current situation.
"I made a deal with the Tsaritsa to use the Fatui as a means to test whether Liyue is truly ready to enter an era of human governance." Three years ago, when Yun Fan first arrived in this world, he told Zhongli about a godless nation from another world and suggested that Liyue might only need a "catalyst" to prove itself.