The adepti of Jueyun Karst? Lumine recalled Jun Bai's introduction.
The adepti of Jueyun Karst were known in the mortal world as The Mighty and Illuminated Adepti. They were highly proficient in adeptal arts and possessed profound attainments in the metaphysical realm. They often appeared in beast form and were titled "True Lord."
They had once fought alongside Liyue's three gods in the Archon War, leaving a deep impression in the hearts of Liyue's citizens.
Even though the adepti had already retreated into Jueyun Karst, there were still people who would seek out the adepti to ask for guidance.
To inform the reclusive adepti of the news that Rex Lapis had fallen? Lumine fell into deep thought.
Seeing this, Childe thought she was worried that he would break his promise, so he assured her: "Don't worry. This is Liyue. I, Tartaglia, will never do something like breaking a contract."
"I'm not worried that you will break the contract—unless you want to see the Millelith surrounding the Northland Bank." As Lumine spoke, she took out the military tally and waved it in front of Childe, indicating that her backing was extremely strong and that the price of breaking his promise would be more than he could bear.
The friend of the Sky Phoenix Marshal and the Nirvana God—this identity carried far more weight than that of a Fatui Harbinger.
"That makes sense. So, have you considered my offer?"
"What is your goal? Tell me and I'll agree."
So that was why she hadn't agreed earlier? Childe nodded to himself, then spoke openly: "The Liyue Qixing have never been friendly toward the Fatui. At such a critical moment, even if the Fatui proclaim their innocence, they will still be targeted."
"Since that's the case, I won't be polite either. If the Qixing target the Fatui, then I'll make the adepti target the Qixing. Placing the blame for the Geo Archon's death on mortals is a taboo for the adepti."
Inciting conflict—Lumine instantly understood the man's goal.
"Fine, I agree." Lumine said.
"Then I must thank you very much, partner." Childe smiled. It was clear that he was very happy the deal had been made.
"Don't get familiar. This is nothing more than a transaction."
Lumine said coldly, then left with Paimon.
[I really like Childe's design, but unfortunately he's a Fatui Harbinger.]
[You can still like him even if he's a Fatui Harbinger. Jun Bai, as Marshal of the Millelith, only sees the Fatui as having a different stance and doesn't consider them enemies.]
[Speaking of which, the Fatui all have pretty good looks. From the Agents to the Harbingers, they're all at playable character level.]
[So both the Lady and Childe will be added to the gacha pool, right?]
"The Fatui Agent models look great, it's just that fighting them is a bit troublesome." Silver Wolf sighed. "Especially the Electrohammer Vanguards. If your team doesn't have Kaeya, you have to grind for quite a while."
During her exploration a couple of days ago, what Silver Wolf feared most was an Electrohammer Vanguard guarding a chest. She would rather face the combination of a Pyro Debt Collector and a Hydro Mimic.
After all, she usually didn't bring Kaeya when exploring the open world.
After complaining about the annoying parts of the Fatui, Silver Wolf chose to head straight for Jueyun Karst.
Once she finished the main storyline, she planned to combine the plot text with her own thoughts and make a plot analysis video.
"Brothers, come on. Let's light up the Statue of The Seven in Jueyun Karst right now. It's up there, remember? Don't just click 'track' and then rush straight over."
Silver Wolf moved the camera upward so the viewers in the live stream could see the Statue of The Seven directly above.
"At this point some friends will ask whether they need to climb up. Well, here the streamer must remind you that you can climb up from the nearby cliff…"
"If you're willing to waste nearly half an hour just to light up the Statue of The Seven, and you only want to get Primogems and advance the plot, then you can climb up."
Silver Wolf controlled her character and followed a route that players could not possibly figure out on their own until she found a wind elemental monument.
"Here, there's a wind elemental monument. Switch to the Anemo Traveler and use the elemental skill on it."
"Then you can go straight up."
After lighting up the Statue of The Seven in Jueyun Karst, Silver Wolf activated her wind glider and followed the quest marker to Huaguang Stone Forest.
The cutscene triggered.
Lumine and Paimon walked into Huaguang Stone Forest. According to the information Childe provided, this was the domain of one of the True Lords.
"Who are you? Why have you trespassed into Jueyun Karst?"
A steady male voice echoed from all directions of the domain. A blue-brown Adeptus deer walked out from within Huaguang Stone Forest.
One of The Mighty and Illuminated Adepti, Moon Carver.
"Huh? Could it be an adeptus?" Paimon looked at Lumine. "Lumine, hurry up and take out the military tally Jun Bai gave us!"
Lumine took out Jun Bai's military tally and said:
"Please take a look at this."
"The Marshal's military tally?" Moon Carver's expression changed. "It seems the two of you are people deeply trusted by the Marshal."
"I am one of The Mighty and Illuminated Adepti, Moon Carver. Traveler, state your purpose. Is the Marshal sending important news to me?"
Lumine and Paimon took turns explaining what had happened at the Rite of Descension—how the Geo Archon had been assassinated—to Moon Carver.
"Outrageous! The Liyue Qixing… truly disappointing!"
"How could anyone assassinate the Geo Archon during the Rite of Descension!"
Moon Carver's tone carried a trace of anger.
It looked at Lumine and Paimon, controlling its emotions as it said: "Traveler, thank you for informing me of such an important matter. Next, I would like to ask you to deliver a message for me."
"Deliver a message to whom?" Paimon asked.
"To Mountain Shaper and Cloud Retainer. Those two are often here. Since you hold the Marshal's military tally, they will naturally come forward to meet you."
"There is also the Great Yaksha of Demon Subjugation. Go to Wangshu Inn and use the military tally to give the order; he will appear on his own."
"And the four Guardian Yakshas of Guili Assembly along with the God of Dust." Moon Carver, like a dutiful NPC, gave Lumine and Paimon a task that required running all over the place.
Then it disappeared before Lumine and Paimon's eyes.
"Really efficient, and it didn't even give us any running fees. Are we supposed to work for free?"
Paimon's tone was a little dissatisfied.
Lumine shook the military tally in her hand: "Just treat it as if Jun Bai has already paid the reward in advance. If not for this military tally, we might be sitting in prison right now."
"That's true."
After a simple cleanup, the two set off once again on the road to visit the adepti. After traveling around, they finally arrived at the adeptal domain on Mt. Hulao after rescuing two brothers who were seeking the adepti.
"…Not only did you intrude into Mt. Hulao, destroy the amber on the mountain, but you also recklessly released the criminals who were undergoing punishment."
"Those criminals indeed did not know the might of the heavens, but you two are equally extremely rude."
Mountain Shaper appeared with a heavy smell of gunpowder, then instantly calmed down after seeing the military tally in Lumine's hand.
While Mountain Shaper's anger gradually subsided, Lumine recounted everything that had happened on Yujing Terrace not long ago.
"We adepti have always followed the laws set by the Geo Archon and protected Liyue. Because the mortal realm prospered, we gradually retreated into the mountains and wilderness. This was originally an act of goodwill toward mortals."
"But now… the Geo Archon… the Geo Archon… sigh…"
Mountain Shaper simply could not believe that the Rex Lapis who had dominated the Archon War had met with misfortune. Its tone went from disbelief to gradually becoming sorrowful, even a little dejected.
Still, it gathered some spirit and said to Lumine: "Traveler, I have learned of the matter you described. Moon Carver's intention in inviting us is already very clear."
"Once I finish handling the matters on this mountain, I will go meet the other adepti."
"You two may leave quickly on your own."
With that, Mountain Shaper disappeared before Lumine and Paimon's eyes, just like Moon Carver had.