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"Ha… does this mean the purification device is completely shut down now?"
Dainsleif's body had already given him the answer, and he relayed it to Paimon: "I believe so. The burning pain has vanished."
"Great, we stopped the Abyss Order's plan! Though poor Victor had to hold that thing the whole time."
"…Not hard."
Victor Wang shook his head.
Not hard—just painful. Being this close, even with the device's core wrapped in a rock construct, he was still affected… and this was after erasing four-sevenths of his curse. It was impossible to imagine what Halfdan would have felt if he had held it defenselessly.
"That's good then!" Her acting was impeccable; at least Paimon noticed nothing. She excitedly continued, "Oh right, Victor, Xiangling asked us to bring you a message this time."
"Ahem. Liyue's grand autumn moon festival, the Moonchase Festival, is almost here. Every year it has a different theme chosen by the Qixing. This year's theme is Food and Land. Basically, the Qixing are hosting a chef's competition, and Xiangling is participating. She's been collecting ideas about cuisine these days. She said you have unique taste and fresh ideas, and she wants you to give her some reference suggestions."
"The Moonchase Festival… I suppose it's about time I leave The Chasm."
"Mm, our commission is done too, so we should leave. Want to go together?"
"I need to return and notify the Exploration Team. There might still be things to settle. You two go ahead."
"Then, Dainsleif, you're leaving too, right?"
"That device inflicted significant damage on me. I need time to recover, so I won't be accompanying you."
"Everyone has things to do…" Paimon sighed helplessly. "Lumine, looks like it's just us."
After watching Lumine and Paimon depart in quiet understanding, Victor Wang and Dainsleif remained, neither moving.
Victor Wang looked at Dainsleif. Though he could have disabled the purification device earlier, he had endured the pain for Dainsleif to see. But before he could speak, Dainsleif asked first: "Why did Halfdan tell you 'run'?"
"…Heh. You could hear clearly in that state?"
"I heard what you said to him, and what he said to you."
"You only need to know that I'm not standing with the Abyss."
"Is that so? Even without a direct answer, I have my suspicions. They're simply difficult to accept. Your existence… is too strange."
Suspicions… Of course Dainsleif wasn't foolish. Halfdan's words had likely already led him to connect Victor Wang with the Hilichurls.
Victor Wang sighed. "Then assume your suspicions are correct."
Dainsleif neither confirmed nor denied, instead asking: "You stayed behind. It seems you also have something you wish to tell me alone?"
"Correct. I'll be direct. I want to know the locations of Khaenri'ah's underground bases hidden throughout the Seven Nations. As the Captain of the Royal Guard, you should know these."
"And what use is that to you? Planning to visit ruins and mourn the past?"
Those relics undoubtedly relied on Abyssal power. If he told the full truth, who knew how Dainsleif would react. Better to try something more… persuasive.
"These locations matter greatly to me but mean nothing to you. For the sake of this flower, won't you tell me?"
"…This is—" Dainsleif's pupils constricted.
It was the Inteyvat Victor Wang had obtained from Old Mondstadt. How many people wandering abroad could still take out such a flower casually? This gesture appealed to sentiment and nudged his identity in a favorable direction.
It worked.
Though one more person now knew of his real identity, he had obtained a critical map…
When Victor Wang returned to the Exploration Team's camp, Zhiqiong rushed toward him enthusiastically: "Where's Lumine?"
"She left."
"She already left?!"
Don't worry—Lumine would return. She was destined to come to The Chasm three times.
The first time to resolve the Chasm's anomaly.
The second time for the Hilichurl migration investigation just now.
The third time for the mysterious domain beneath the Bedrock Key, the Perilous Trail.
That domain could trap people in seemingly infinite space, remove the sense of time, read memories, and conjure illusions. Five hundred years ago, during the black calamity at The Chasm, Yaksha Bosacius and the Millelith used that space to defeat many monsters, but Bosacius, those Millelith, and one of Yelan's ancestors all perished inside. It was quite dangerous.
But the suspended time, the infinite space, the reading of memories, the illusions… all felt very familiar.
The problem was, with the Sands of Eon and the Goblet of Eonothem, he probably couldn't even enter that domain. And with Zhongli watching over everything, Lumine's journey there ended safely. Perhaps he wouldn't get involved the third time…?
If he wished to pursue mental refinement, should he experience more unusual events…?
Refinement… After sinking a thousand meters underground, his spiritual bottleneck still showed no response…
Victor Wang, lost in inner thoughts, merely nodded to Zhiqiong.
"That's a pity… I just found a hollow section of mountain wall. A secret, treasure, or traces of that Yaksha—no idea what's inside. Looks like only you and I can check it now."
"A hidden map?"
"Interested? I'm dying to see what's inside. Follow me!"
They hadn't walked far—just north of Glowing Narrows stood a wall barely two meters wide, and striking it produced a slightly different sound.
"…You even found this?"
"You were searching for traces of that Yaksha, right? I wanted to help too. Since there wasn't much to do, I inspected the area carefully."
Inspecting the whole area… easy to say. The Chasm was enormous. For an ordinary person to knock on every mountain wall would take unbelievable effort.
It was clearly just an excuse… and Victor Wang felt a twinge of guilt. He answered with shame: "Well… that Yaksha… sigh… thank you for the trouble."
"No trouble. This is what adventurers do."
"…Step back a bit. I'll blast it open."
Two rounds of Erosion Blast combined with fire particles later, the wall collapsed, revealing a pitch-black narrow passage.
Victor Wang had no idea what lay within, but before he could step inside, a voice called from behind: "Stop."
"Who are you?" Zhiqiong turned, confused.
"I am an employee of the General Affairs Bureau. This is a sealed site recorded in our files. Considering you did not know, I'll overlook it this time. Stop here."
"Uh…"
"This place is not suitable for adventuring. Don't make me repeat myself. Leave."
Zhiqiong wanted to argue, but Victor Wang shook his head and led her away.
"Do you think she was lying to us?"
"I've seen her beside Ningguang before. And she was the one who lured that giant serpent away. No mistake."
"I see…"
"Even with most of the black mud purified, The Chasm is still no safe place. I'm also leaving the Exploration Team now. Zhiqiong, your adventurer life has only just begun—be careful from now on."
The tone was so reminiscent of an elder that she couldn't even refute it. Zhiqiong halted. "You're leaving too?"
"Yes. And stop digging into the missing Yaksha. If you discover another sealed site, that woman might just throw you into prison."
"Don't worry… I won't gamble with my life."