The promotional video concluded, but everyone remained captivated by its content.
Chen Xiyao replayed the video, this time paying closer attention to Dainsleif's words.
"Mondstadt's dragon subjugation and Liyue's Geo Archon's feigned death align with the video's narrative. Following this logic, Inazuma's God pursues eternity, and Sumeru's God of Wisdom... uh, never mind. Sumeru's still confusing."
"Fontaine's Hydro Archon is a zealous judge, Natlan remains embroiled in war, and as for Snezhnaya..."
"The Tsaritsa is collecting the Gnosis to challenge the Heavenly Principles. Khaenri'ah will be our final destination, and I suspect we'll have to fight Dain there."
[The streamer's right! In Sumeru, aren't some scholars fueling folly while the Dendro Archon remains indifferent? She's probably letting their foolishness run unchecked.]
[If we count Khaenri'ah, that leaves six nations unrevealed. Six more nations... will the game even run smoothly by then?]
[I've decided! I'm hoarding Primogems from now on! I'll marry both those Inazuma girls the moment they appear!]
The "Travail" promotional video sparked fervent discussion, even silencing many of Mihoyo's usual critics.
-
Teyvat, Liyue.
Malice had been acting with extreme caution in Liyue lately. She wasn't sure if Barbatos and Morax had communicated; if they had reached some agreement, exposing herself now would be disastrous.
(Spy-In hindsight, ill use female pronouns for malice since its mc controlling it and it makes it easier.)
But now, it seemed they hadn't.
Unnoticed, Malice had visited Beneath the Dragon-Queller, Qingce Village, Guyun Stone Forest, and finally arrived at The Chasm.
Sitting atop Cliff Peak, the highest point in The Chasm, Malice—or rather, Jiang Mumu—was deep in thought.
Liyue was nothing like Mondstadt. This was the Seven Nations' most terrifying military power, home to not only the War God Morax but also numerous Adepti, and even a nuclear bomb! (Spy-the damn jade bomb...i mean Chamber)
Even her identity here was exceptionally strong. Causing trouble in Liyue would be far more difficult than in Mondstadt.
She could resort to underhanded tactics, but aside from the smaller Emotional Feedback such methods would yield, she couldn't bring herself to do it.
You're saying your strongest persona was killed by an Abyss Monster's dirty tricks?
How utterly pathetic!
Azhdaha, the dragon king; the dragon known in ancient texts as the Lord of Vishaps; Osial, the Overlord of the Vortex from Guyun Stone Forest; and the Abyss beneath The Chasm—all these were within her calculations.
Bringing them all forth wouldn't be too difficult, now that she had amassed sufficient Emotional Feedback.
The real challenge lay in minimizing the devastation they would inevitably unleash. Countless innocents would perish in the chaos, and that simply wouldn't do.
It was strange, really—a monster from the Abyss pondering how to mitigate the damage of such a massive assault.
Never mind. Let the Liyue persona handle this. It would be downright strange for me to dwell on such malicious thoughts.
Unable to come up with a solution, Jiang Mumu tossed the problem back to herself.
So, this is...
Me being lazy with myself?
There was no rush, after all. She didn't want Liyue's persona to log off so soon anyway.
-
Mondstadt, Dragonspine.
Diluc entered a mountain cave and saw a long-extinguished campfire.
He was about to turn and leave when a flicker of movement caught his eye—an inconspicuous wooden plaque stood propped against the cave wall.
Diluc's steps faltered. He retraced his steps to examine the plaque.
Diluc crouched down before the wooden plaque, his gaze locking onto the words etched there.
His expression froze, his pupils trembling slightly.
In clumsy handwriting, the plaque read: "Mondstadt's great heroes, Rola and Noelle, visited here!"
Beneath the words were crudely drawn stick figures—one wielding a claymore, the other a spear.
"Heh..."
The moment Diluc saw the handwriting, he knew it was Rola's. He could almost picture her beaming with pride as she planted this plaque.
She must have been so happy and proud...
As he chuckled, tears welled in Diluc's eyes. The stoic mask he had worn for days cracked, revealing a flicker of grief and heartache.
He stared at the plaque for a long moment before picking up a charred twig from the extinguished campfire. On the opposite side of the plaque, he wrote:
Diluc of Mondstadt visited here...
-
Dragonspine Mountain's foothills, near Liyue.
Diluc had built a small campfire here, roasting wild boar meat.
For weeks, he had scoured Mondstadt and traversed nearly every corner of Dragonspine, focusing his investigation on the site of the explosion caused by the Fell Dragon Durin.
But he found nothing!
He had eliminated countless ordinary monsters, yet discovered not a single clue about the person he sought.
Diluc had anticipated this outcome, but disappointment still gnawed at him. His hatred burned too fiercely; he couldn't bear to wait even a minute longer for revenge!
Behind a massive boulder not far from Diluc, Malice lay concealed.
Originally, Malice had intended to approach Diluc, wanting to check on his condition and ensure he wouldn't be demoralized by this setback.
Malice planned to emerge and provoke him, rekindling his hope for vengeance and fueling his determination to keep fighting.
But just as Malice was about to emerge, a sudden alarm jolted through her, forcing her to retreat deeper behind the boulder.
After a long wait, when nothing happened, Malice stealthily surveyed her surroundings.
Finding nothing and sensing the howling wind around her, she immediately understood.
So, it's you, Barbatos!
You sneaky Venti, you almost made me slip up...
Malice was certain that the moment she emerged, the Anemo Archon would immediately envelop her in a massive barrier, leaving her no chance to escape.
She slowly retreated, intending to wait until Diluc reached Liyue before making her move.
He's come this far. I refuse to believe Diluc isn't heading to Liyue. Who in their right mind would cross Dragonspine just to end up here?
And even if he makes it to Liyue, Lord Barbatos can't possibly keep watching him forever, right?
-
Two days later, just as Malice had predicted, Diluc set foot in Liyue.
Malice, who had been tailing him at a distance, immediately felt that familiar sensation resurface, her entire body twisting with fury.
But just as quickly, the sensation vanished again.
Uncertain, Malice continued tailing him for a while longer, confirming that the sensation was indeed gone.
That Venti bastard is really gone?
To be absolutely sure, she followed Diluc for another day. Only when she was absolutely certain the sensation wouldn't return did Malice finally decide to reveal herself.
Come on, Brother. Let's see how far you'll go for revenge.
Diluc sat by a small stream when he suddenly froze, sensing a presence that was all too familiar.
It's him! ! !
Diluc quickly suppressed his own aura and stealthily moved toward the source of the presence.
-
In a mountain hollow, Malice stood before a newly summoned Abyss Gate, though no Abyss Monsters emerged from within.
Malice spoke in a raspy voice, uttering incomprehensible words:
"Already... acquired... soul... Next... Liyue..."
Hidden in the shadows, Diluc overheard every word.
At first, he didn't grasp the meaning, but in the next instant, Malice extracted a spectral image from the black-purple jade ring at her waist.
The moment Diluc saw the image, his bloodshot eyes widened, burning with a fiery crimson rage.
Malice was currently throttling Rola by the neck, while the struggling child kicked wildly and feebly pounded her tiny fists against Malice's hand.
Without a sound, an enormous, fiery bird lunged at Malice.
Malice swiftly retracted Rola and whirled around, startled.
Since when did Diluc's ultimate skill become this massive?!
"Give me back my sister!!!"
As she gazed at Diluc's face, twisted into a demonic grimace, she thought:
Shit, I think I pushed him a little too far...