After walking for a while, Qiu Nian suddenly stopped.
"Have you noticed something strange?"
He turned around and looked at Lumine and Paimon behind him.
"W-What strange thing?"
Paimon asked, confused.
"…Well, even if you actually find the person suspected of assassinating Rex Lapis, what would you do?"
"Would you be able to capture them? Or defeat them?"
Qiu Nian turned fully toward them and asked calmly.
Lumine and Paimon's eyes widened.
Right…
Even if they found that person… what then?
Someone capable of silently assassinating the Geo Archon would possess power far beyond that of Rex Lapis himself.
The adepti couldn't defeat the Geo Archon.
And right now, no one in Liyue could defeat the Geo Archon.
If no one could even defeat the Geo Archon…
Then how could they possibly deal with someone capable of assassinating him?
Besides, that half-dragon, half-serpent body had fallen from the sky with a loud crash.
Who even knew if Rex Lapis had truly been assassinated or had fallen for some other reason?
For a moment, Lumine and Paimon looked like their brains had just started working.
"Then… why have we been searching for so long?"
Paimon asked blankly.
"I… don't know."
Lumine replied just as blankly.
The livestream chat exploded.
[Damn, he's absolutely right!]
[Wait… yeah, why are we searching?]
[You're asking me?]
[If Qiu Nian didn't say that, I would never have realized it]
[LMAO the entire chat's brain combined can't match Qiu Nian]
[My brain itches… I think it's growing]
[Blondie and Emergency Food are killing me]
"Yeah…"
"Why are we looking?"
Even Xuehua's brain froze for a moment when she heard Qiu Nian's reasoning.
Qiu Nian looked at Lumine and Paimon's stunned faces and chuckled.
"Seems like you hadn't thought about that."
"At this point, continuing the search doesn't really have much meaning."
"Why don't we just go find the Fatui Harbinger you mentioned—Childe?"
After hearing this, Lumine and Paimon nodded.
But…
What had they been searching for all this time?
Were they really just going back empty-handed?
Still, their mission had technically been completed—they had cleared their names.
As for the mysterious "that one" the adepti mentioned, they had tried their best to search.
Not finding anything couldn't really be blamed on them.
After all, as Qiu Nian said—
Even if they found that person… what could they possibly do?
"Let's go find Childe."
"But Qiu Nian, are you coming with us?"
Paimon asked.
"I'd like to take this opportunity…"
"To see what Liyue looks like after losing its Archon."
Qiu Nian nodded slightly.
With that, the three of them set off toward Liyue Harbor.
After arriving in the harbor, Qiu Nian quietly observed the reactions of the people around them.
Most of the citizens looked dejected.
As if they had completely lost their smiles.
But there were also some who weren't as pessimistic.
They still believed that Rex Lapis hadn't truly fallen.
The atmosphere was completely different from the lively scene Qiu Nian had seen when he came here earlier to buy furniture.
But that was only natural.
Following Lumine and Paimon, the three of them soon arrived at the Northland Bank.
Standing at the entrance was a tall, slender, handsome man with brownish-yellow hair.
His eyes lacked any shine.
He wore a gray outfit, and a Hydro Vision hung from his belt.
"You've finally returned. How was your trip to Jueyun Karst?"
"And… who is this gentleman?"
Tartaglia looked curiously at Qiu Nian.
"His name is Qiu Nian."
Lumine introduced him.
"Here's what happened."
Lumine and Paimon then explained everything—the adepti they had met and Qiu Nian's involvement.
"…I see."
"Moon Carver, Mountain Shaper, Cloud Retainer, the Conqueror of Demons…"
"And… that one…"
Tartaglia folded his arms.
When he mentioned that one, his brows furrowed slightly.
Even he couldn't understand what kind of existence that was.
Someone who, in the eyes of the adepti, possessed the ability to assassinate Rex Lapis.
"Hmm… some of those titles don't even appear in the Fatui's intelligence records."
"But this that one… who could it be?"
Tartaglia rubbed his chin thoughtfully.
"Well, never mind that for now."
"Like Mr. Qiu Nian said."
"Even if we found them, we probably couldn't do anything about it."
Tartaglia shook his head.
Still…
He was quite curious to meet this mysterious figure.
The one whom the adepti believed capable of killing the Geo Archon.
"As thanks, I also have some information for you."
"The Liyue Qixing's reaction to the death of a god is quite… intriguing."
"They have announced that since the true culprit has not been found, no one is allowed to approach the Exuvia of the Geo Archon."
"They even tried to suppress the news… though with so many people attending the Rite of Descension, rumors inevitably spread."
Tartaglia explained.
"Exuvia?"
Paimon tilted her head.
"Well, according to Liyue tradition, Rex Lapis is also considered an adeptus."
"He is the God of Contracts, but also known as the ancestor of the adepti."
"All of the Three-Eyed Five-Manifestation Adepti once formed contracts to protect Liyue."
Tartaglia explained patiently.
"I see…"
"No wonder they care so much about what happens in Liyue."
Paimon nodded.
"Exactly."
"They have both the responsibility and the authority."
"If something goes wrong with the Qixing who govern Liyue, the adepti have the right to question them."
"But why would the Qixing hide the body of the Geo Archon after his soul has ascended to the heavens?"
"It's very suspicious."
Tartaglia crossed his arms again.
"This is also troublesome for me."
"I can't accept that either."
Lumine frowned slightly.
Her goal was to find the Geo Archon.
Technically, she had found him.
But he had already fallen.
And now she was even wanted by Liyue.
Where was the justice in that?
"The Geo Archon's body being hidden by the Qixing…"
"That is rather strange."
"Why would they do that?"
Qiu Nian held his chin, pretending to look puzzled.
Of course, he already knew the answer.
It was because of the Fatui.
"That's exactly what confuses me."
Tartaglia nodded.
"We came here specifically to meet the god of this land."
"If the Qixing hide the Exuvia and prevent anyone from approaching…"
"Then the Traveler's goal of visiting all seven Archons will completely fail!"
Paimon said, suddenly realizing the seriousness of the situation.