Across Teyvat, the Statues of the Seven stood tall—symbols of the Seven Archons who watched over the world.
Each nation had its own sacred statue, representing its god.
The Anemo Archon's statue in Mondstadt depicted a hooded, androgynous figure with wings unfurled, cradling a glowing orb in its hands.
But now—
In the video, that sacred orb was gone.
In its place rested a dark, pulsating sphere radiating a sinister, unholy energy.
And worse yet—
The statue had been hung upside down by chains!
Before the desecrated statue knelt a man dressed in the garb of the Treasure Hoarders. His body was lifeless, his hands grotesquely twisted as if bound by rope before death.
From one angle, he looked as though he were praying.
From another—confessing.
The entire scene was steeped in a suffocating, dreadful air.
Paimon had already hidden behind Gu Chen's back. Lumine's expression had turned grim.
Even through the screen, the oppressive aura made the viewers uneasy.
[Barbara]:Who would do this?! That's blasphemy! Hanging the Wind God's statue upside down is a heinous sin! (Xinyan·furious)
To Barbara, a devout follower of Barbatos, the sight was like a stab to the heart.
Even if her god's current appearance didn't match the scriptures exactly, such sacrilege was unforgivable.
A violation of the divine!
[Venti]:Wait, what the heck?! Who stole my statue?! (Ayaka·confused)
Even Venti himself was dumbfounded.
From the oppressive vibe alone, it was obvious that this was the work of the Abyss Order.
Still—why would they steal his statue of all things?
And worse—why hang it upside down with chains?!
[Ningguang]:I've already dispatched the Qianyan Army to investigate the site shown in the video.
[Ganyu]:What a disturbing scene… even through the projection, I can feel the oppression.
[Lumine]:Who on earth did this?!
[Dainsleif]:Without question—the Abyss Order.
[Paimon]:Eh? Dain, you're in this chat too?! (Paimon·surprised)
[Dainsleif]:Naturally. I've been observing this system for some time. And I'm not the only one. There are others watching from the shadows. @[Prince] Wouldn't you agree?
[Prince]:Heh…
In the depths of the Abyss, Aether chuckled coldly.
He had long expected Dainsleif to appear here.
After all, Dain possessed extraordinary power—it was only natural he'd be part of this so-called "Transcendent Group."
But Aether couldn't care less about Dain right now. His gaze was fixed firmly on the image of the inverted statue.
After a moment of contemplation, he sighed and waved a hand.
"Withdraw. Now is not the time to make an enemy of Liyue."
"Yes, my lord."
The Abyss Heralds obeyed immediately.
Back in the video—
Gu Chen and his companions turned to leave.
But suddenly, the ruins began to tremble violently.
Exchanging a quick glance, the three dashed into a nearby passage.
And there—blocking their path—stood a tall, shrouded figure whose face was hidden in shadow.
"The secrets of the Abyss are not for mortal eyes."
Its voice was deep and distorted.
"You have come unbidden. You have gazed upon the forbidden.
Therefore, you must pay the price."
"Judgment—descends by the hand of the Apostle!"
The figure drew its weapon, dark energy crackling around it.
"Wha—what is that thing?!" Paimon yelped.
[Paimon]:That's gotta be an Abyss Herald, right?! (Paimon·shocked)
[Kaeya]:Interesting. Present-day Paimon clearly knows what it is, but past-Paimon doesn't. Seems Mr. Gu Chen's influence runs deep.
[Yae Miko]:Of course! The heroine's already halfway fallen for him. (Yae·mischievous smile)
[Dainsleif]:As expected—it's the Abyss Order. Heh.
[Zhongli]:...
[Venti]:...
In Teyvat, there was an unspoken rule of thumb—
If something bizarre and sinister happened, it was probably the Abyss Order's fault.
If something disastrous yet less eerie occurred, it was probably the Fatui.
Both were infamous.
But between the two, the Fatui were only slightly less awful.
In the video—
Gu Chen didn't bother wasting words.
He lunged, thrusting his silver spear straight through the Herald, pinning the creature to the wall like an insect on display.
The Abyss Herald couldn't even finish its curse before being silenced.
At that moment, a new figure appeared behind Gu Chen and his party.
[Paimon]:Huh?! It's Dain!
[Dainsleif]:So, that's how it is. I see… our first meeting, in another life.
[Lumine]:Let's just hope Gu Chen doesn't kill him outright.
[Gu Chen]:?
[Prince]:Gu Chen, attack him!
[Kaeya]:You can tell the history between Dainsleif and our mysterious Mr. Gu Chen. (Hu Tao·snicker)
[Dainsleif]:Our paths differ—we cannot walk together.
[Prince]:We'll see about that.
In the video, Gu Chen merely glanced at Dainsleif.
Dain showed no hostility.
He studied Lumine intently, then began to speak in cryptic hints and half-truths.
He clearly knew much—but refused to say anything plainly.
[Lumine]:I knew it! Another cryptic weirdo! Can you "mystery men" just get out of Teyvat already?! (Qiqi·collapse)
[Paimon]:I've figured it out! First the singing bard, then Dain, then pre-exposure Zhongli, and Gu Chen—
every single one of you knows everything but won't say a word!
Even when you do, it's wrapped in riddles and metaphors!
Is this some ancient-man hobby or what?! (Nahida·pointing)
[Kaeya]:Paimon seems… emotionally invested. (funny)
[Paimon]:Don't you dare laugh! You're one of them too, Kaeya! (Xinyan·furious)
[Furina]:Aaaaaaah! Can someone please just explain things clearly for once?!
[Raiden Ei]:I don't get it. (shakes head)
[Venti]:Ehe~ Don't lump me in with them! I only half-understand most of this myself!
[Mona]:Wait—what's this "Loom of Fate" they're talking about? (Keqing·question)
In the video:
"The 'Sky-Faring Project'… to put it simply," said Dainsleif,
"the preliminary stage involves the Vortex God—Vortex God."
"Vortex God?"
Lumine blinked, turning to Gu Chen.
"We didn't destroy him last time—just sealed him back under the sea…"
Gu Chen nodded.
"What does the Abyss Order plan to do with Vortex God?"
"According to the documents—they intend to use that defiled, inverted statue as a base.
Then fuse it with parts of Vortex God's body to create a mechanical god.
The new core replacing the statue's orb… is the eye of the world's first plow machine.
Once embedded in the defiled idol's hands, it will grant this artificial god power strong enough to shake the thrones of Celestia."
[Zhongli]:Power that can shake Celestia's thrones…
[Venti]:That sounds… wildly implausible, don't you think?!
[Vortex God]:Excuse me, WHAT?! The Abyss Order's insane! First Morax exploits me, now you lunatics want to use my body parts to make some mechanical god?!
Is there no one else in Teyvat you can harvest from?! (furious)
Vortex God was livid.
He had never felt such collective persecution in his long existence.
Everywhere he turned, it seemed Teyvat was filled with schemers trying to exploit him for their grand plans.
And now—they even wanted his body parts?!
Truly outrageous!
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