Arriving at her doorstep, Jade was surprised to see that the lights were still on inside.
Usually, at this hour, everyone in the house would have already retired.
In fact, even before she was elected as the Kaiyang, her parents would only rise an hour or two later to prepare goods for early morning sales.
Gently pushing the door open, just like always, the main door was unlocked.
Jade didn’t look at the lit room.
Instead, she used her key to open the door to her own room and, from a shelf at the foot of her bed, fumbled for a box.
Opening the box, inside was a stone wrapped in cloth, emitting a faint glow through the fabric.
Pulling off the cloth, the Noctilucous Jade illuminated an even larger area.
After checking it to ensure there was no damage, Jade rewrapped it in cloth and placed it back into the box.
Turning around, Jade froze, somewhat surprised: “You’re still awake?” “Sister, aren’t you also awake?” Standing in front of Jade’s room was none other than her younger sister, Mu Qingxu.
“Get some rest soon.” Jade gently stroked her sister’s head, her voice soft.
“Sister, Rex Lapis—is he truly—” “No one lives forever.
Even Rex Lapis, that old man, will eventually pass away.
For over three thousand seven hundred years, Liyue has been under his protection.
Now, it’s time for it to grow up.” Jade chose not to tell her sister the truth.
This was the Archon’s plan, and she ought to comply.
Although she had been mentally prepared, hearing it directly from her sister’s mouth still caused Mu Qingxu heart-wrenching pain.
Rex Lapis—fallen—how could these two words be connected!?
“Sister, are you leaving?” Jade placed her hand on her sister’s face.
At fourteen, Mu Qingxu still had some baby fat and was very cute.
“Don’t worry, just leave these matters to me.
For a child like you, the most important thing is to get a good night’s sleep.
No staying up late, okay?” Knowing that her parents hadn’t woken up yet, Jade realized that her sister was probably the one who hadn’t slept until now.
“Be good, go to sleep quickly.
I’ll come to see you after I’ve handled these matters.” Jade took her things and left the house, stepping out into the night.
Mu Qingxu watched her leave, her eyes filled with worry.
“You tell me not to stay up late, but what about you, Sister?
At least I slept for a while during the day, but you’ve been busy until now~” She always felt that the burden on her sister was too heavy.
Although her sister was very capable, ultimately, she was only three years older than her.
“Sister, I’m not a child anymore.” — Livestream Room.
Over a day had passed in Teyvat, while only a dozen seconds had passed in the players’ world, as if a clock had simply been adjusted.
After Lumine and Paimon parted ways with Jade, they were invited by Childe to the Northland Bank.
Under Childe’s deliberate persuasion and guidance, Lumine and Paimon also began to feel that the Qixing’s actions were problematic.
However, due to Jade’s earlier reminder, Lumine and Paimon didn’t suspect Jade.
After all, even though they were on the same side, Jade didn’t seem like the cunning and manipulative person Childe described.
As in the original story, Paimon and Lumine set off for Jueyun Karst to seek out the Adepti after dinner.
During this time, Tartaglia also gave Lumine the “Sigil of Permission.” Only this time, without the Millelith’s pursuit, Lumine and Paimon’s journey went much smoother.
Following the system’s mission instructions, Lumine successively sought out Moon Carver, Xiao, Cloud Retainer, and Mountain Shaper.
When conversing with Cloud Retainer, that Adeptus even clamored about flattening Liyue Harbor.
The abodes of the various Adepti were all extraordinary, requiring players to do quite a bit of mountain climbing in this upgraded version of the game.
Lumine handed the token given by Jade to Cloud Retainer.
After seeing it, Cloud Retainer indicated that she understood what Jade meant and would exercise maximum restraint, and would set off for Liyue Harbor in a few days to meet with the Qixing.
The might of the Adepti was still considerable.
Aside from anything else, the sheer size of the three Adepti’s bodies alone was enough to awe the players (ahem, upgraded version, last time I’ll say it).
Returning from her Adepti visit, Lumine teleported back.
Fortunately, she had activated several Waypoints within Liyue Harbor before she set off, otherwise, she would have been exhausted if she had to run all the way back!
Speaking of which, these Waypoints seemed to only be activatable by her.
So far, she hadn’t seen anyone else use them.
Unlike in the game, in Teyvat, even Lumine needed a Waypoint at both the departure and destination points to teleport.
However, this wasn’t a problem.
These Waypoints were spread across Teyvat, so once Lumine activated them, getting to them later was instantaneous.
This way, even when in Liyue, she could visit Mondstadt during her free time.
Lumine had already returned to Liyue Harbor and found Tartaglia, describing her journey to find the Adepti.
“Hehe, actually, the Fatui aren’t all bad.
See, like Childe here, he’s been helping us.” [Chat] Streamer, wake up!
I bet ten bucks that Childe will definitely betray them later!
[Chat] These Harbingers are all quite good-looking, but my favorite is the one at the foot of Dragonspine!
[Chat] Will the Qixing be the final villains?
[Chat] What are you thinking?
How is that possible?
My Wifey Jade is clearly a good person, beyond good!
[Chat] — — Teyvat.
Tartaglia told Lumine about the Qixing’s concealment of the Exuvia, leaving Lumine and Paimon in confusion.
“Things seem to be like this, but I don’t think Jade is that kind of person.” Paimon had her own set of criteria for judging people, and most of the time, it was quite accurate.
“Who knows?
I’m somewhat acquainted with this generation’s Kaiyang and know her character, but when it comes to such a significant matter, perhaps she too is kept in the dark.” “Rumors of Rex Lapis’s demise have already spread through the streets.
The Qixing tried to block the news, but after all, the Rite of Descension sees many people coming and going, making it difficult to completely suppress the rumors.” “According to what you said, the various Mighty and Illuminated Adepti will soon descend upon Liyue Harbor.
The Qixing’s concealment of the Exuvia and their strange behavior will surely displease the Adepti.
Their intentions are likely not too friendly.” Paimon interjected, “That’s not necessarily true.
We gave Jade’s token to Cloud Retainer, and she told us she would exercise restraint and sit down to discuss things with the Qixing.” Tartaglia was noncommittal: “Rex Lapis and the various Adepti have a deep relationship.
In my opinion, his death not causing the Adepti to immediately rush to flatten Liyue Harbor is already a great display of restraint.” “How do you know?” Lumine didn’t understand; Tartaglia didn’t seem to be from Liyue.
“Haha, in Liyue, you can learn a lot about Rex Lapis by simply finding a storyteller, and you can even make good friends.
Although much of the storytelling is artistically embellished, putting that aside, most of it is adapted from real events.” “Ladies, if you want to know the truth, I can introduce you to an expert—someone who can help solve the problem of ‘the Qixing concealing the Exuvia.'” “This—” Paimon pulled Lumine aside and whispered: “Lumine, should we trust him?
If the Adepti really come to Liyue Harbor and confront the Qixing, that would be terrible!” Lumine looked at the anxious little one with some helplessness.
To be honest, this matter had nothing to do with them.
Jade had also said she wouldn’t pursue her and Paimon anymore, so they could completely withdraw and remain uninvolved.
But—through her understanding of Rex Lapis these past few days, Lumine knew he was most likely not the god who separated her from her brother.
After thinking for a while, Lumine finally nodded.
After all, she was simply too soft-hearted, and far too curious about this matter to just walk away.
Jade was also their friend.
If a friend was in trouble, how could she not help?
Especially such a beautiful friend!
Also, Lumine’s guard against the Fatui had never dropped.
Her intuition told her that the Fatui were definitely brewing something big.