[What bold spirit! This is our Marshal of the Millelith from Liyue! No matter how many difficulties and dangers lie ahead, I have the confidence to lead Liyue through them!]
[If one person isn't enough, then two. If two aren't enough, then three. If three aren't enough, then ten, a hundred, a thousand! With united will, there is no obstacle we cannot overcome!]
[Osial: So even if I really come out, I'll still have to lie back down?]
"This one is willing to devote his life to Liyue."
Xuanjian pledged his loyalty to Jun Bai.
Jun Bai ignored Xuanjian and looked at Lumine, saying: "Removing the god residue and Abyss power from the seal can delay the time until the seal fails."
"I already cleared the god residue earlier. As for the Abyss power, Lumine, can I entrust it to you?"
"As for the reward…"
Lumine shook her head and said: "No need. In Liyue, Jun Bai, you have already done a lot for us."
Even the usually money-loving Paimon unusually agreed: "That's right, that's right. Now we can finally do something for you. If we still asked for a reward, it would make us seem too greedy."
Jun Bai was stunned for a moment, then smiled: "It looks like if I insist on treating this as a commission and conducting a transaction, I would appear cold and heartless."
"Then, Lumine and Paimon, may I ask you to lend Liyue a helping hand?"
Lumine put her hands on her hips and smiled as she nodded: "Of course."
"Knowing about something like this and ignoring it would make me feel uneasy." Paimon added.
"Then there's no time to lose. I'll take you to Guyun Stone Forest." Jun Bai stood up and said.
Before leaving, Jun Bai turned around, looked at Xuanjian, and said: "That induced combat plan you came up with was well done."
"I'll say it again: if there is something you want to do, just go ahead and do it. If anyone asks, say that I permitted it."
"This one understands."
Xuanjian bowed and respectfully saw Jun Bai off. His face was hidden in shadow, so no one could see his expression.
After leaving the residence, the three of them headed toward Guyun Stone Forest.
[Um? Normally, shouldn't Brother Bai fly us over?]
[Fly (×) Carry on shoulder (√)]
[Maybe because it's quite close?]
[The problem is, aren't we supposed to be racing against time right now? Flying would take less time, right?]
On the way, Paimon recalled what Jun Bai had said to Xuanjian when they left and said:
"So the plan to use stone statues as bait was an idea proposed by Xuanjian. When I saw Miss Bonanus and the Adepti all mobilized, I thought it was something you came up with, Jun Bai."
Jun Bai said: "I only noticed Osial's anomaly and the appearance of the Scarlet-Eyed Sea Dragons after I returned to the Guili Assembly. Before that, Xuanjian had already made all the preparations."
"Even if I didn't return, the Guili Assembly would not have had any problems. Using a small amount of material loss in exchange for eliminating all the reappeared Scarlet-Eyed Sea Dragons in the Guili Assembly area. Achieving the greatest benefit at the smallest cost is what Xuanjian is best at."
"It sounds like you have a very high opinion of Xuanjian." Lumine said.
Jun Bai nodded: "Although he is full of lies, he is the best Ziwei Star I have ever seen."
"Full of lies?" Paimon frowned, "Jun Bai, the Ziwei Star should be a position similar to the Liyue Qixing, right?"
"Yes, the Ziwei Star is the official position responsible for managing the entire Guili Assembly."
"Since he is a manager, can being full of lies still be considered the best?" Paimon asked in confusion.
Jun Bai thought seriously for a moment and found he couldn't organize suitable words to introduce Xuanjian.
He could only say: "Um… you'll understand what I mean if you interact with him more in the future."
"By the way, Jun Bai, from earlier I've felt like you look very tired."
Lumine looked at Jun Bai, who seemed to be acting as if nothing was wrong, and said.
"Mm… after all, I still haven't fully recovered." Jun Bai let out a long sigh, "Just clearing a bit of god residue already made me feel tired."
[So this is the real reason he isn't flying us? miHoYo is being overly detailed in places where it shouldn't be.]
[Is this part of the Fatui's plan to exhaust Brother Bai's power?]
"If I hadn't said anything, were you planning to keep forcing yourself like this?" Lumine sighed.
"No, it's just that my current condition is serious to that extent, so I feel a bit tired." Jun Bai shook his head.
"If you feel tired, just say so."
"Relax. With Rex Lapis absent, I am currently Liyue's only God-level combat force. So I know my limits and won't force myself." Jun Bai reassured Lumine.
[Uh… in my impression, people who say this are usually the ones with the least self-restraint!]
[miHoYo writing team, watch yourself. This guy's prototype is your boss!]
[My phone screen is currently on booking flight tickets to Magic City. If you dare touch my son, I'll go over there and blow up your office!]
While talking, the group arrived at Guyun Stone Forest.
"Those things on the seal are Abyss power. The rest is up to you, Lumine."
"Leave it to me." Lumine nodded, then opened her hand toward the seal and began purifying the Abyss energy on it.
Before long, the Abyss energy eroding the seal was purified by Lumine, and the seal became effective again.
The sky that had been filled with dark clouds due to Osial's power cleared up, seemingly returning to normal.
But looking at the constantly flickering seal, Lumine understood that things would not end here.
"With this, the seal can hold for a while longer."
Jun Bai looked at Lumine and said: "Lumine, you're going to visit Ningguang tomorrow, right?"
"Yes." Lumine and Paimon nodded.
"Then, please relay everything that happened today to Ningguang. Osial's revival is imminent. The Guili Assembly and Liyue Harbor need to join forces."
"I understand."
——Real World
Little Gui looked at the quest completion screen on the monitor and said: "I feel like every person in the Guili Assembly is very reliable."
"And they're all so lively!"
[You don't say, you really don't say.]
[Xuanjian looks like a die-hard fan of the Marshal, Yunshang is playing the undercover game, Jun Bai is very serious now, but when he was young…]
[Stop talking, those who understand, understand.]
[The Guardian Yakshas all seem quite proper though.]
[The Guardian Yakshas belong to either the Adepti or the Millelith, they have nothing to do with the Guili Assembly.]
"Let me check. The next quest is at 8 a.m. the next day. Watch my Paimon clock!"
Using the system's built-in time adjustment function, she accelerated the game time to the next morning.
The new quest guide directed Little Gui to Yujing Terrace.
When Little Gui controlled her character to reach Yujing Terrace, a cutscene triggered.
Lumine and Paimon arrived at Yujing Terrace and were about to head to the Jade Chamber using the method Ganyu had relayed.
Just as they were thinking of Ganyu, Ganyu and a purple-haired girl with twin tails walked toward them.
"Good morning, you two." Ganyu smiled.
"Good morning, Miss Ganyu." Paimon greeted.
"Hello, Wang Xiaomei." Lumine inexplicably blurted out.
"Eh?" Ganyu was stunned, "Wang Xiaomei? Who is that?"
"Wang Xiaomei and Ganyu don't even share a single syllable. You did that on purpose, didn't you." Paimon looked at Lumine with a deadpan expression.
"Sorry, it slipped out subconsciously." Lumine apologized.
Ganyu did not take this small interlude to heart.
Ganyu said: "You two are very punctual. I was just about to set off to meet you."
Lumine said: "Yes, because there is something important I need to discuss with Ningguang."
At this time, the purple-haired twin-tailed girl beside them spoke: "Are you two the guests Ningguang invited to the banquet this time? Nice to meet you. I am Keqing, the Yuheng of the Liyue Qixing."