"I was terrified at the time. He just touched a statue in Liyue, and then, and then suddenly…"
"Was his reaction very strong?"
"Extremely strong. He became completely manic and abnormal, constantly muttering things like 'Today is the beginning of my sit-ups,' and 'I'll gather thirteen to synthesize a Grand Finale later.' Also, he insisted on taking me directly to Natlan. He said he wanted to touch the Pyro Archon statue right away, awaken Judgment of Shamash, and launch some badass attack. It was really scary!"
"Could you roughly describe Mr. Orion's expression at the time?"
"I can't quite put it… Oh! It was just like when I saw him in his Shota form at night."
"…That's very excited then."
The above is taken from an interview many years later, "Memoirs of the Fourth Descender, Miss Lumine."
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Back to the present, while Skirk was vigilantly watching Orion, making sure he didn't cause another big commotion by touching the statue, and Paimon was hiding behind Skirk in fear, Lumine was experimenting with the power of Wasteland Stars while explaining the healing effect of the statue of the seven to Noelle and Xiangling.
"How amazing! So Mr. Orion can do something like this too! As expected of Mr. Orion! This is simply a divine maid!"
"…Noelle, the maids I know generally don't have healing effects."
Watching Lumine complain about Noelle, Yunli and Clara exchanged glances from behind: "That guy also had a similar effect near the Boundary Anchor, didn't he?"
"Ah, I think so."
Then, at this moment, Orion, who had already touched the statue of the seven, suddenly burst into maniacal laughter.
"Hahahahahaha! Pseudo-Black Hole! Today is the beginning of my sit-ups!
Wait, if this continues, can I gather thirteen clearances to directly synthesize a Grand Finale? Never mind, that's not important!"
"What are you mumbling about?" Lumine walked over and touched Orion's head to see if he was ill, but Orion suddenly grabbed her shoulder.
"My child, you must help Your master become an Immortal!"
"Ah! What are you saying?!"
"Let's go! Quickly follow Your master to Natlan! I want to obtain Judgment of Shamash right now and then launch a badass attack!"
"Be normal!"
In the end, it was Yunli who swung old iron with all her might and hit Orion on the head, which finally calmed him down. Orion's hair was slightly messy, but old iron almost broke.
And when Orion calmed down, he suddenly remembered something: the Ley Lines in Natlan had a problem, so the Traveler didn't immediately awaken the Pyro element after touching the Pyro Archon statue; she only gained the ability during the final decisive battle.
In other words, he temporarily wouldn't be able to obtain Judgment of Shamash no matter what.
Orion, who had figured this out, completely cooled down, his skin turning pale, like a boxer burnt out after a match, or like someone burnt out after launching a badass attack... Soon after, led by Xiangling, the group brought the burnt-out Orion to Wangshu Inn and ordered a table full of dishes in the open-air dining area at the bottom.
Paimon, Yunli, and Clara stood in a row, looking up at the Wangshu Inn, which appeared even more magnificent now that they were closer. Their three small mouths let out exclamations of "Wow," feeling like they could stuff quite a lot in.
Meanwhile, Noelle quickly brewed tea for Skirk, Lumine, and Xiangling, who were already seated. The waiter, who was just bringing over a teapot, was completely stunned.
You've already done it, so what am I supposed to do?
But it didn't matter. A good waiter focuses on a lively atmosphere and clear accounting. He could tell at a glance that these guests, though dressed differently, clearly came from the direction of Mondstadt. He was just about to give a rapid-fire introduction of the delicious dishes and specialties of the restaurant, talking about the flying, running, swimming, and hopping creatures in Liyue cuisine, when the blue-haired girl in a yellow qipao opened her mouth and listed all the restaurant's signature dishes herself.
"Let me tell you! I often come to Wangshu Inn when I go out. The delicious things here are…"
The waiter closed his eyes, biting his lower lip.
She's saying all my lines!
However, a large table of dishes was eventually ordered, and he quickly ran back to tell the kitchen to start cooking.
While waiting for the food, the recovered Orion also generally explained to everyone why he wanted the power of the Pyro element so much.
Lumine nodded after listening: "You mean that the power you've awakened now is the manipulation of fundamental forces like gravity, and you can create a small black hole when you use a skill."
"That's right."
"If you create a black hole the size of a fist, wouldn't its mass equal that of a planet? Wouldn't that directly destroy the world?"
"It's not that powerful. It's a Pseudo-Black Hole, simulated. It can be countered by extraordinary powers."
"And then you deduced your future skill, which is a Pyro element skill where you wield a transforming greatsword, with every strike a blazing explosion."
"That's correct."
"And this greatsword's ability is to burn life, allowing it to unleash a badass attack, after which the user will die."
"No, to be precise, this sword's temperature is too high; once unsheathed, it will burn the user to death. But you know, I'm not afraid of that."
"I feel like you just want to play with a transforming weapon."
"Slander, she is slandering me, hey, she is slandering me!"
Skirk and the others watched Orion's sophistry speechlessly.
They all saw through it; he just wanted to play with a transforming weapon. Why are boys so childish, liking these transforming toys?
The group chatted for a long time until Paimon's stomach rumbled, and only then did everyone realize: why hadn't the food arrived yet?
When they called over the waiter and asked, they saw him stammering, unwilling to speak.
Seeing the waiter's reluctance to speak, Orion suddenly remembered this plotline. This should be considered the first plot segment laying out the Liyue worldview, and also the first plot that let players experience a Chinese flavor firsthand.
Apparently, a ghost of a little girl came out to play hide-and-seek with Chef Yanxiao here, scaring this once-renowned swordsman so badly that he lost his nerve and dared not cook.
Sure enough, shortly after, Chef Yanxiao came before everyone. He had a firm expression, bulging muscles, and spoke with a booming voice.
"Cooking is like a swordsman using a sword. If the mind is unsettled, the hand will falter. And if the hand trembles, then the sword cannot be held steady," Yanxiao said with a serious expression. "And now, whenever I think about that female ghost in the kitchen, my hands just keep shaking…"
Everyone: "…"
Why didn't you just say you're afraid of ghosts?
Yunli nudged Orion with her elbow: "Didn't you, Sushang, Guinaifen, and Huohuo form a Luofu Ghost-Hunting Squad? You go catch the little ghost."
Orion slapped her hand away: "It sounds easy, but when we hunted ghosts, the three of us were only responsible for fighting. Huohuo was the one who actually caught the ghosts."
However, this incident was also relatively easy to resolve. This quest was essentially the first act of Chekhov's gun, intended to introduce everyone to the ghosts of Liyue and the special might of some Immortal talismans.
These talismans were carved onto two stones. As long as the little ghost was lured near the stones, and the user could visually combine the talismans on the two stones, the talismans would automatically take effect, which was very idealistic.
Without much more to elaborate on, Orion quickly dealt with the little ghost, and in the ghost's words before leaving, "Big brother, I'll come find you to play later, hehe," he received the first batch of Primogem rewards in Liyue.
Everyone enjoyed the delicious food as they wished, and even Xiangling praised Yanxiao's craftsmanship.
After several rounds of drinks and dishes, Orion also planned to discuss the subsequent arrangements with everyone.
"Everyone," he said, "I might not be traveling with you, Lumine, in Liyue."
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