While Yu Jin and Xiao were chatting atop the large flower at the Northland Bank, the various factions in Liyue finally began to move due to the arrival of the Adepti.
The biggest commotion came from the Fatui, who had been preparing for a long time... "The Golden House, it should be here." Childe looked up at the archway, a smile playing on his lips.
The arrival of the Adepti had drawn most of the Qixing's attention. It was precisely because of this that the Fatui could proceed with their next move.
Thinking this, Childe strode into the archway. He no longer cared about concealment; as long as he could get the Gnosis, he would run straight back to Snezhnaya, and Liyue wouldn't be able to do anything to him.
"Stop right there! The Golden House is a restricted area; leave immediately!" Just as Childe expected, the moment he stepped into the Golden House archway, he was discovered by the guards.
Childe looked at the nervous Millelith, his twin blades appearing in his hands, and laughed wildly, "Come on! The Fatui Harbinger is here to challenge you all!"
Childe was incredibly excited. The Golden House, he heard, was guarded by the elite of the Millelith, and he had long wanted to test them. Now, this opportunity had finally arrived.
Childe looked eagerly at the armored soldiers standing guard with their spears, seemingly waiting for them to make a move. However, what he didn't see was the Millelith all winking at each other.
"Is it him?"
"I've seen the picture, yes."
"Who goes first?"
... "Go! Brothers!"
After what seemed like a finished exchange, the Millelith in the front roared and charged towards Childe.
"Hahaha, excellent!" Childe watched the charging Millelith and eagerly met them.
The armored soldier thrust his spear, which Childe easily dodged. Instantly, he appeared beside the soldier and swung a blade.
"Ah! I'm dead!"
Just as Childe expected, a single Millelith was no match for him. A simple slash sent the soldier flying.
But why did this guy fly so far?
Childe looked at the Millelith who had flown directly out of the Golden House, raising his hand in surprise to look at the weapon in his hand.
Could it be that his strength had grown so rapidly that he could no longer control it?
"Captain—dammit, brothers, avenge the captain!"
But before Childe could think further, he saw more guards rushing towards him.
He showed no fear, his twin blades creating ripples of water as he began to slaughter among the crowd.
"Pfft! So strong!"
"The Harbinger is terrifying!"
"He's flying!"
... A moment later, Childe looked at the empty Golden House and fell silent.
As for the Millelith? They had long been "knocked out" of the Golden House by Childe's formidable strength.
Childe pinched his wrist; the pain told him he wasn't dreaming. Teyvat's financial heart, the Mora mint, had been breached by him just like that.
"Are the Millelith too weak, or am I too strong?" Childe felt something was off, but then he thought of his trump cards and strength, and his chest puffed out again.
Any schemes or tricks were useless in front of him, Childe!
So, he stopped thinking about such things and ran directly into the Golden House.
"Screech—"
The Golden House's doors were very heavy; even someone as strong as Childe had to use both hands to push them open.
Inside the Golden House, apart from the dazzling golden color, there was nothing else.
"Hidden, huh? No matter, I'll find it." Childe felt no surprise; he had long expected the Qixing to hide the Exuvia. But since he had entered the Golden House, he certainly wouldn't leave empty-handed.
As soon as Childe finished speaking, he transformed into a flash of light, moving through the Golden House.
After a long while, the flash dissipated, and Childe's figure reappeared on the central platform of the Golden House.
"Where's such a large Exuvia?" Childe scratched his head, looking at the empty Golden House, muttering to himself.
Damn it, he could guarantee that he had just searched every corner of the Golden House, but he hadn't seen anything.
Moreover, wasn't the Golden House the Mora mint? Where was the Mora? How come he didn't see any?
Childe felt very puzzled. He looked around, and his gaze finally fell on the huge pill furnace in front of him.
"The Qixing... they wouldn't be so blasphemous, would they?" An unpleasant thought surfaced in Childe's mind, making him somewhat disbelieving.
Childe slowly walked to the pill furnace, transforming his blade into a bow. Then he drew the bow, aiming, and a faint blue light gathered into a thick arrow.
"Bang! Clang!"
Childe released his fingers, and the arrow on the bowstring shot out like a cannonball, knocking off the furnace lid, which was larger than Childe himself.
"It's so big." Childe looked up at the huge pill furnace and lunged towards the open furnace mouth.
Lying on the furnace mouth, Childe poked his head inside the pill furnace. Then he saw a chunk of meat rolling in a golden solution.
From the appearance of that chunk of meat, it was exactly like the Exuvia.
"Hiss—" Childe immediately let go of his hands and jumped down from the pill furnace. He hadn't expected the Qixing to be so deranged, even stewing their own god's Exuvia in a pot.
But Childe's eyes darted, and he felt there was still a chance. Something like the Gnosis shouldn't be stewed away; perhaps he could try to fish it out.
So, Childe jumped back onto the opening of the pill furnace. This time, relying on his excellent body control, he stood directly at the furnace mouth.
Looking at the boiling golden unknown liquid below his feet, Childe wisely dismissed the idea of reaching in to fish.
Although his body was also very strong, if compared to a god's body, Childe felt he was still a bit inferior.
Since this golden liquid could stew away the Geo Archon's Exuvia, stewing his own body should be no problem.
"Sizzle—"
Childe's bow turned back into twin blades, but this time, the water blades on them were more solid, looking like real objects.
The aqua-blue twin blades plunged into the scalding golden liquid, and Childe struggled to fish in it. For a moment, he almost felt like he was using oversized chopsticks.
After stirring for a while, Childe noticed that the feel was a bit off. He lifted his twin blades and saw the cleanly broken water blades—it turned out his elemental blades had long been stewed away.
"..."
"It seems I can only use that." Childe nervously glanced around, as if worried about something.
Then he took a deep breath, and large swaths of dark purple light gathered on Childe's body.
"Hmph!"
A slightly hoarse roar came out, the purple light exploded, and Childe activated his Foul Legacy Transformation for the second time in Liyue.
Wielding his cosmic-entwined twin-headed blade, a streak of light flashed across the single eye of Childe's mask. Then he unhesitatingly plunged the twin-headed blade into the pill furnace.
It looked like a person brewing medicine. However, the person was a bit small, the medicine furnace was a bit large, and the stirring stick was too dazzling.
This time, Childe felt obvious resistance, so it seemed his Foul Legacy Transformation was still useful. At least for a short time, he didn't have to worry about his weapon being stewed away.
But why did he feel a strange sadness in his heart? The Foul Legacy Transformation, meant for battle, was now being used to fish for things.
When had he fallen so low?
After a moment of random thoughts, Childe shook his head. What did it matter what it was used for? As long as he could complete the Tsaritsa's mission, it wouldn't be a disgrace to this skill.
Moreover, no one saw it here, and if no one saw it, it didn't count!
"Bang!"
Light spilled into the Golden House as the previously closed Golden House doors were opened.
Lumine and Paimon strode into the Golden House. Whatever Childe intended to do inside the Golden House, they couldn't let him succeed!
Upon entering the Golden House, Lumine and Paimon saw Childe in his Foul Legacy Transformation state, squatting at the pill furnace mouth, still holding his weapon and continuously stirring the golden liquid in the pill furnace.
Childe noticed someone had intruded. He turned his head and saw the dumbfounded Lumine and Paimon.
A cold glint flashed from the single eye of Childe's mask. He now wanted to kill them to silence them.
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