The ruined site holding the inverted Statue of the Seven lay to the northeast of Mt. Aozang.
With the group settled, Su Xuan simply lifted his hand, and telekinetic force swept Lumine, Ganyu, and Paimon into the air. He ascended first, the others drifting behind him like feathers in a rising breeze.
Back in the mansion, Liuyun Jiefeng Zhenjun had just heard Ganyu's startled voice vanish outside the window.
"…That sounded like Ganyu…?"
Her diary replica lit faintly.
She narrowed her eyes.
"So. He really is acting."
The ruins were quiet. Too quiet. Not an Abyss creature in sight—only the hurried scuffs of Treasure Hoarder footprints.
Ganyu crouched to examine one.
"They drew the Abyss guards away. Successfully."
The group continued deeper into the strange silence.
And then—
They found it.
The Statue of the Seven, suspended upside-down, bound in heavy chains.
Where the radiant orb should have rested in its palms, there pulsed instead a dark, violet-black sphere of corrupted energy.
Ganyu exhaled slowly. "…An unsettling sight."
Below the statue, a man knelt motionless.
Still. Silent. Like he'd been there for days.
"That's him," Su Xuan said calmly. "The famous Treasure Hoarder from Fontaine."
Both Lumine and Ganyu remembered the diary line:
—He had died long before anyone arrived here.
"The Abyss doesn't just rot the body," Su Xuan explained.
"It corrodes the mind. The soul. What you're seeing is just a shell that broke, clinging to prayer in fear."
Paimon shuddered. "Why would anyone follow the Abyss by choice…?"
Lumine didn't respond.
She wanted answers too.
But Su Xuan simply stepped forward and—took a picture.
The tension in the room cracked just a bit.
The diary's words appeared:
[Image Saved: Inverted Statue – "Defiled Effigy"]
Honestly, I still don't understand what Kong is trying to accomplish.
In Mondstadt, instead of using Dvalin properly, he tried to lure Barbatos away, then ordered hilichurls to attack.
Now he steals Barbatos' statue, drags it to Liyue, and wants to build a mechanical god?
And the key component he needs—the First Ruin Guard's energy core—
is in my pocket.
Lumine and Paimon stared at each other.
"…Kong may not be very good at strategy," Paimon whispered.
Before frustration could set in, Lumine raised her voice:
"Hey! Abyss people! We know you're here! If you don't come out, we're taking your statue back!"
On cue, Abyssal energy erupted like mist rolling across the chamber.
Ganyu's breath tightened—but Su Xuan flicked a finger and wrapped her in a shield of light.
"It's Abyssal miasma," he said.
And then—
A rent in space tore open.
A blue-skinned Abyss Apostle emerged, eyes glowing cold.
"Is… is that Lumine's brother!?" Paimon squeaked.
Lumine tensed—
But Su Xuan rested a hand on her shoulder.
"No. That is Riptide—an Apostle."
Riptide leveled his staff.
"You who trespass upon the Abyss—prepare for judgement—"
CLANG—chains rattled.
Su Xuan reached out—
—and crushed the inverted statue with one hand.
Stone became dust.
The Abyssal core dissolved under crushing energy and vanished completely.
Riptide froze.
Paimon threw both fists up.
"Boss!! TOO STRONG!!"
Then Su Xuan grabbed Lumine by the waist and set her directly in front of Riptide.
"Look closely. Golden hair. Golden eyes. The flower in her hair. Does she remind you of anyone?"
Riptide's expression changed instantly.
"…The Prince's—"
He spun, ready to escape.
But Su Xuan's power snapped—time folded—
—and Riptide was dragged to the ground, pinned under Su Xuan's boot.
"Tell your Prince this," Su Xuan said quietly.
"His only living family is with me.
If he wants her back, he will come to me himself."
"And if he wants the Ruin Guard's energy core—
he knows where to find me."
And that was when—
A blade of Abyssal light cut through the chamber.
Lumine reacted instantly.
"SU XUAN!!"
She lunged—sword raised—
—and the world froze.
Color washed out.
Motion halted.
Even sound disappeared.
Suspended mid-air stood Kong—golden braids, golden sword, expression unreadable.
And Lumine's blade—
was one breath away from skewering her brother.
The diary flickered:
[Snapshot: "Lumine Nearly Performs Righteous Justice on Brother.jpg"]
Good thing I froze time. Otherwise Lumine would've impaled her own brother.
But hey, loyalty to the boss, even above family—commendable.
Lumine: "......…."
Everyone reading:
He 100% did that on purpose.
Far away in Natlan—
A tall woman with fire-red hair and ember-bright eyes paced restlessly.
"…He already surpasses the Abyss. He could suppress it entirely."
"If he ever steps foot in Natlan—"
She paused, jaw set.
"No matter the price… I will pay it."
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