Mu Yang temporarily set aside thoughts of Greater Lord Rukkhadevata's voice.
He steadied Collei and asked with concern, "Are you hurt?"
"I'm fine, sorry… I bumped into you." Collei apologized after regaining her composure.
Once Collei was steady, Mu Yang let go of her arm.
The voice of Greater Lord Rukkhadevata instantly vanished.
Why did touching Collei trigger such a strange phenomenon?
"Collei, did something happen?"
Tighnari emerged from inside, holding one of Mu Yang's mechanical creations, upon hearing the commotion at the door.
He cared deeply for Collei.
His assistant and disciple was diligent and eager to learn, a bright and ambitious child.
Unfortunately, fate had been unkind to her.
At such a young age, she had endured inhumane suffering.
Though she had moved past that pain, the root cause—Eleazar—still plagued her.
Normally, Tighnari didn't want Collei straying too far when she wasn't in good condition.
An Eleazar flare-up could be dangerous.
Today was no different.
Tighnari had come to Sumeru City at Faruzan's invitation.
Collei had been doing well lately with no signs of a flare-up, so he brought her along.
Just moments ago, Collei had suddenly left, and there was a strange noise at the door.
Tighnari thought something had happened to her and rushed out to check.
"I'm fine, Master Tighnari. I'm much better now…"
Earlier, while Collei was examining Dori's goods, she suddenly felt off.
Her chest felt tight.
But it wasn't quite like the usual Eleazar flare-ups.
Thinking she'd been in the palace too long, Collei decided to step outside for some air.
In her haste, she collided with Mu Yang.
Tighnari, being sharp, quickly assessed the situation.
He apologized to Mu Yang as well.
Mu Yang brushed it off, saying it was fine since neither of them was hurt, which was the best outcome.
That's what Mu Yang said, but it wasn't what he thought.
Things might be getting out of hand.
The phrase "The world forgets me" was Greater Lord Rukkhadevata's line.
Why did Mu Yang hear it after touching Collei?
Mu Yang had a habit: to maintain his Adeptus aura, he rarely made physical contact with others.
The exceptions were close friends in Liyue and Lumine.
Of course, unavoidable situations, like with Mona earlier, were different.
Because of this habit, Mu Yang usually greeted people with a nod.
He recalled the Sumeru people he'd had physical contact with.
He'd shaken hands with Dori and Dehya, and now Collei.
When he touched Dori and Dehya, he didn't hear Greater Lord Rukkhadevata's voice.
With that, Mu Yang nearly pieced it together.
At that moment, Tighnari suddenly exclaimed, as if realizing something, "You're Mr. Mu Yang, aren't you?"
Mu Yang assumed Dori had mentioned him, since she often dealt with Tighnari for supplies.
To his surprise, Tighnari said, "You look just like how Amber described in her letters."
Collei, hearing her master's words, immediately reacted.
She tried hard to recall the contents of Amber's letters.
Though she hadn't been literate for long, she could recite Amber's letters by heart.
"It's true, exactly like Amber described!"
Mu Yang was speechless. What on earth had Amber said about him?
Though he was grumbling internally, Mu Yang remained composed.
"I do have a friend in Mondstadt named Amber."
Hearing this, Collei became incredibly excited.
She grabbed Mu Yang, eagerly asking about Amber's recent well-being and if there was any new news about her.
At that moment, Mu Yang heard it again:
"The world… forgets me…"
Tighnari rubbed his forehead. He knew Collei idolized Amber, but she should at least mind the occasion.
This gentleman didn't even know their names yet.
Couldn't she see he was confused?
He pulled Collei back, telling her to calm down for a moment.
Then he apologized to Mu Yang.
"Sorry, Collei gets like this whenever Amber is mentioned."
"It's fine. It's just that she suddenly seemed like a different person, which startled me a bit."
Mu Yang was friendly, extending his hand. "Amber's friend, Mu Yang. Nice to meet you."
Tighnari shook his hand. "Tighnari. Pleased to meet you."
No voice.
After shaking hands with Tighnari, Mu Yang was even more certain.
Greater Lord Rukkhadevata's voice was tied to Eleazar.
Among those he'd touched, only Collei suffered from Eleazar.
This wasn't good news for Mu Yang.
He struck up a conversation with Tighnari, and they walked toward Dori's base.
It turned out Tighnari was here today because Faruzan, the sweet senior, had called him over.
As expected, she'd become obsessed with studying mechanical creations.
She'd even lost interest in taking disciples or applying for research funds.
She just wanted to figure out what made Liyue's mechanisms so ingenious.
Previously, her research focused on King Deshret's technology.
Switching tracks wasn't easy, so she sought Tighnari's input for a discussion.
Due to Faruzan's personality, she had few friends in the Akademiya.
Of course, few met her standards, but Tighnari was one of them.
If possible, Mu Yang would've loved to stay and see the sweet senior's expression.
Talk about staying true to herself.
However, after hearing "The world forgets me" and observing Collei's subsequent reactions, that wasn't realistic.
He needed to leave Sumeru as soon as possible.
Mu Yang quickly greeted Dori, then bid farewell to the group.
He crossed the Chasm's upper reaches at top speed, returning to Liyue Harbor.
That afternoon, Tighnari noticed something was off.
Collei was unusually excited on the way back to Gandharva Ville from Sumeru City.
No, she'd been excited ever since Amber was mentioned.
That was understandable, but would Eleazar see it that way?
Back in Gandharva Ville, Tighnari examined Collei.
Her condition had improved significantly; the marks on her back had faded.
Tighnari frowned. How had this happened?
If he kept analyzing, he'd deduce that Mu Yang was the variable.
Meanwhile, Lesser Lord Kusanali, Nahida, had already reached that conclusion.
So, Mu Yang's quick escape was the right move.
Sumeru's current situation, with the Withered Zones and Eleazar at their peak, was on the verge of erupting.
All it needed was the Traveler's arrival to resolve everything.
Mu Yang only wanted to sip some of the Character Popularity System's soup.
But with this ability, if he got involved in Sumeru's plot, things would change drastically.
He'd no longer be sipping soup but would become the main force.
His previous plans for Sumeru were clearly obsolete.
Mu Yang might need a new approach—or to abandon it entirely.
Lesser Lord Kusanali's actions were unpredictable.
For Mu Yang, that could be a big problem.
Even if she was only five hundred years old, she had the World Tree backing her.
Besides, Mu Yang wasn't close to her.
She wouldn't trust him like Zhongli or Ei did.
When the time came, Sumeru would be impossible to navigate…