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At that moment, a translucent system dialogue box popped up out of nowhere.
[You should go back and find Lumine and Paimon.]
The instant Shao Yun saw the message, he exploded in fury.
He stomped his foot hard against the ground, shouting, "This isn't something I can just let slide! I went through hell and back just to meet the one in charge of Teyvat!"
"I was this close to ending this whole mess once and for all, and now you're telling me to just walk away and start that endless journey again? No way in hell!"
The system, unfazed by his tantrum, replied calmly.
[Then what exactly are you planning to do now? The Sustainer of Heavenly Principles has fallen back into slumber after repairing the sky. What are you even staying here for?]
But Shao Yun wouldn't hear a word of it.
"She stole Lumine's and my brother-in-law's power! If I don't get it back, what am I even doing here—sightseeing? There's nothing worth seeing!"
Another line of text flashed onto the screen.
[She already cleaned up the mess you caused…]
Shao Yun actually laughed out of pure rage.
"Oh, so now I should thank her, huh? If it wasn't for the Ankh Candace gave me, I'd be dead!"
"And my main goal was to make her return what she took from Lumine and Aether—then we'd leave Teyvat for good!"
At that, the system nearly wanted to print the phrase 'insatiable greed' right across his face.
[Do you really think Candace—actually, never mind… I beg you, be content already. You've caused enough chaos as it is. Someone cleaned up after you—just count yourself lucky.]
Shao Yun stiffened his neck and shouted, "I have every right! Why can't I meet the one who actually governs Teyvat?"
The system sighed.
[Have you lost your mind after being sick so long? What if the Sustainer wakes up with morning temper…]
At those words, Shao Yun's eyes suddenly brightened, excitement flaring up.
"That's great news! If the one who truly rules Teyvat is about to wake up, then I can just talk to her directly and get Lumine and Aether's powers restored!"
The more he spoke, the more animated he became, as though already seeing the perfect ending.
The system was dumbfounded by his reckless logic.
[You seriously think you can reason with the Heavenly Principles?]
Shao Yun blinked, then scoffed. "Hmph, then it shouldn't be called Heavenly Principles at all—more like No Principles!"
The system sighed again.
[I was kidding. Think about it—the Hydro Archon smashed her own throne once and still couldn't wake the Sustainer.]
[Now that her underling has already done the cleanup, she's not going to wake anytime soon. You're wasting your breath. Besides, didn't you promise Lumine you'd return? You're not planning to go back on that, are you?]
At the mention of Lumine, Shao Yun clenched his jaw and let out a long sigh.
"Ugh, if only I could eat rocks like Zhongli…"
The system hurried to redirect him.
[You've gathered a lot of intel, haven't you? And there's still the matter in Inazuma that needs to be settled.]
Shao Yun thought it over. Right—he needed to report the Scaramouche incident to Yae Miko. There were also questions only she could answer.
He nodded to himself, but then frowned and muttered, "By the way, do you think the Seven Archons are involved in this? Can those guys even be trusted?"
The system dodged the question entirely.
[Ask your brother-in-law about that. For now, get moving.]
Shao Yun glanced around.
The surroundings were nothing but fragments of ruins floating amid clouds, with a narrow aqueduct-like bridge beneath his feet. There was nowhere obvious to go.
He frowned. "Easy for you to say. How am I supposed to leave? Don't tell me I have to jump."
The system replied confidently.
[You guessed it. Jump down—and yell 'Chelonia.']
Shao Yun almost burst out laughing. "You believe in that ridiculous Turtle Cult nonsense now?"
[Don't you have that Wind Glider for a reason? When you fought the Overlord of the Vortex?]
Shao Yun nodded, stepped to the edge, and peeked down.
All he could see was an endless blanket of thick white clouds.
A chill crept down his spine. He backed away slowly, inhaled deeply, and tried to steady his nerves.
Then he rolled his shoulders, stretched his limbs, and muttered to himself for courage.
"Oh, damn it… I can do this. It's fine. Totally fine…"
After one last breath, he gritted his teeth—then sprinted forward and leapt off the cliff without hesitation.
As he fell, he yelled at the top of his lungs, "Ah! Cheloniaaa!"
…
Shao Yun had no idea how long he'd been falling. Time itself seemed to dissolve into the endless sea of clouds around him.
Then, suddenly, he broke through the heavy, misty layer—light flooded his vision, and below him the outline of Teyvat slowly came into view.
As the land grew clearer, a gentle teal wind wrapped around his body, cushioning his descent.
A familiar voice echoed through the air—Venti's.
"Shao Yun! What happened?! Did you fall from Celestia? And Sumeru—what's going on there? The shattered sky—it's… fixed?"
Venti's tone was sharp with worry, carried swiftly on the wind.
But Shao Yun just bellowed back nonchalantly,
"I heard there was a giant up there with a hen that lays golden eggs! I traded a cow for a seed, grew a sky-reaching vine, climbed up, and went treasure hunting! But all I found were ruins!"
Venti went silent for a moment, clearly exasperated.
"Are you serious right now? What actually happened?"
Shao Yun rolled his eyes and started sharing the intel he had just gained—testing the Archon's reaction.
"The Sustainer told me everything. She and her master planned to use Lumine—to make her fall in love with Teyvat, and then use her like a filter jar to cleanse the Abyss! You Seven Archons knew something about this, didn't you?"
At the words filter jar and use, Venti froze. His voice faltered.
And that brief hesitation was all it took for Shao Yun's temper to ignite again.
"What's that supposed to mean, huh?"
He caught the pause instantly, his instincts razor-sharp.
Still seething from his failure to recover Lumine and Aether's power, Shao Yun erupted.
"Don't play dumb with me, Venti! You know damn well what I'm talking about! You think I can't tell when someone's lying?!"
Venti, used to Shao Yun's outbursts, still found himself taken aback by the intensity this time.
"Wait, I—what's even going on?"
But Shao Yun didn't care about explanations. In his mind, Venti's silence was proof enough.
"I thought you people just wanted me to deliver a message! But you're using Lumine as a tool to purify the Abyss?! All of you—go to hell! The Seven Archons—nothing but hypocrites and liars!"
Venti tried to interject, voice faltering. "Liar? I…"
But Shao Yun cut him off, yelling over him.
"We're rewriting the damn deal, you snakes!"
The situation spiraled. Venti rubbed his temple, feeling more disoriented than after downing ten bottles of Dandelion Wine.
Finally, he sighed and offered weakly, "I can't follow any of this anymore. Let's talk in person. I'll have Dvalin bring you to Mondstadt, all right?"
He added quickly, "Once you're here, we'll sit down in the Angel's Share tavern and talk it through. I'll even pay for the drinks—Dandelion Wine, on me!"
But Shao Yun wasn't having it.
"To hell with your Dandelion Wine! Though… you're right, we will have to talk—but not now!"