The moment she was enveloped by adeptal energy, it felt like falling into a warm cloud wisp. A soft sensation spread through every fiber of her being, her vision filled with a hazy golden light, and even her breathing grew light.
This wondrous experience lasted only a few seconds before a flood of unfamiliar images suddenly surged into Lumine's mind, violently assaulting her consciousness and forcing a muffled groan from her lips.
The images depicted Liyue Harbor late at night. The inky black sea churned under the moonlight, shimmering with an eerie phosphorescence.
A colossal monster, large enough to blot out the sky, stirred in the deep sea. Countless thick, black tentacles stretched from the ocean's surface to the heavens, shrouding the entire night sky.
At the center of the tentacles, a "bright moon" radiating a blue glow hung suspended in the air.
And beneath this "moon," a young woman quietly gazed down—her eyes, the faint blue Hydro Element swirling at the tips of her hair, even the subtle curve of her lips...
...were identical to the other form Yunqin had taken when she lost control!
"Ugh!" Lumine clutched her head abruptly.
When she opened her eyes, she was already standing inside the Serenitea Pot.
Paimon floated curiously in mid-air, poking a nearby old clay pot. Yunqin stood beside her, silently watching over them both to prevent any accidents.
"Lumine! You're awake!" Yunqin was the first to notice her stirring. She cried out in surprise and hurried over. "You suddenly fainted just now—you scared me half to death! Did the adeptal energy teleportation make you feel unwell? Do you need to rest for a bit?"
Paimon quickly floated over too, her little head hovering extremely close.
Lumine shook her head, her gaze lingering deeply on Yunqin.
The image of the young woman overlooking Liyue Harbor replayed endlessly in her mind.
Should I tell Yunqin?
But it was just a sudden vision, with no basis in reality. What if it was just a hallucination caused by exhaustion? It would only make Yunqin worry for nothing.
After careful consideration, she swallowed her words and forced a smile. "I'm fine. I probably just got a little dizzy from the teleportation. I'll be okay after a short rest."
Seeing that Lumine truly seemed alright, the three of them began cleaning the Serenitea Pot.
With Yunqin leading the way, they progressed much faster than in the original storyline.
She navigated the realm with practiced ease, clearly having played here often as a child.
Halfway through their cleaning, a sudden, excruciating pain shot through Lumine's head. Her vision blurred, and even the sound of Yunqin and Paimon's laughter grew distant.
"Lumine! What's wrong?" Yunqin rushed over immediately, reaching out to steady her arm.
The moment she touched Lumine, the piercing pain miraculously subsided. The blurriness in Lumine's vision gradually cleared, and the sounds around her returned to normal.
"I'm fine," Lumine quickly straightened up, hiding the confusion and anxiety in her eyes. "It's probably just low blood sugar. I didn't eat much this morning, so I'm a little dizzy. I'll be okay after a short rest."
Paimon circled her worriedly, her little face almost pressed against Lumine's. "Are you really okay? You looked so pale just now! Maybe we should find a place to sit down and wait until you feel better before we continue looking for the Cleansing Bell?"
"I'm really fine," Lumine waved her hand dismissively, forcing herself to stand straight. "The sooner we find the Cleansing Bell, the sooner we can go back."
Though she said this, her heart grew increasingly uneasy.
This was definitely not just ordinary dizziness.
The bizarre visions, the images related to Yunqin, and the pain that eased whenever Yunqin was near—it all seemed to be hinting at something.
As they continued, Lumine's headache struck again several times.
Each time, it came without warning, the pain so intense she could barely stand, her vision going black. Yet, as long as Yunqin drew near—even if she just accidentally brushed against the hem of Lumine's clothes—the pain would rapidly subside.
Lumine brushed it off each time with excuses like "I'm just dizzy" or "I'm tired."
Seeing the worry in Yunqin's eyes deepened Lumine's guilt, but she had no idea how to explain the strange situation.
Finally, after clearing the last area of slimes, the three of them reached the highest point.
A bell rested silently in the center of the table before them.
Though slightly dusty, its ancient and exquisite craftsmanship was still visible—it was the Cleansing Bell they had been searching for.
What's going on?
Doubt flickered in Yunqin's mind, and she hesitated to pick it up.
Since entering the teapot, Madame Ping hadn't said a single word. This was completely out of character and didn't match the original plot.
Yunqin remembered that even when she and Yanfei used to play in the teapot as children, Madame Ping would worry about them getting into trouble and would occasionally use her adeptal energy to send messages and chat with them.
But it was so quiet now... Could something have happened?
Yunqin shook her head slightly, trying to calm herself.
As Streetward Rambler, Madame Ping would never let anything happen to people in her domain. Maybe she just thinks that since I'm a regular visitor, she doesn't need to guide us.
Yunqin took a deep breath, her gaze returning to the Cleansing Bell.
"We found it!" Back to her usual self, Yunqin and Paimon excitedly rushed over, reaching for the Cleansing Bell.
Just as they were celebrating, Lumine let out a muffled groan. Her body swayed violently before she collapsed heavily to the ground.
This time, the searing pain was more intense than ever before, as if countless needles were simultaneously piercing her temples.
The world spun violently before her. Amid the dizziness, she saw the Hydro girl again—the girl stood within the illusion, her lips moving as if trying to tell her something.
Though the wind and the ringing in her ears drowned out most of the words, a few phrases still reached her clearly: "Return what does not belong to you... to the god..."
"!!!"
Lumine's pupils shrank, and she instinctively gripped her Dull Blade.
Just then, an Abyssal aura erupted from the blade, swiftly coiling around the entire sword.
The Dull Blade was instantly engulfed in black mist. The blade began to twist and warp, emitting a sizzling sound, before finally transforming into a longsword gleaming with a cold, sinister light.
Black patterns coiled around the blade, and a strange eye motif was faintly visible on the hilt—it was the Festering Desire!
"Lumine! What's wrong?!" Yunqin's shocked cry echoed, laced with disbelief.
Lumine felt her arm move against her will, as if controlled by an invisible force. The Festering Desire guided her hand, swinging viciously at Yunqin!
A slash of dark sword energy tore through the air, carrying the acrid stench of the Abyss as it shot toward Yunqin like a dark shadow.
Yunqin never expected Lumine to attack her. She instinctively dodged backward as Geo energy instantly materialized before her, trying to block the strike.
But she was a step too slow—the sword energy grazed her sleeve. With a shhhlick, it tore a large gash in her form-fitting garment, leaving a shallow, bloody line on the fair skin beneath.
Blood seeped from the wound, trickling down her arm.
"Lumine! Have you gone mad?!" Paimon cried, stumbling back two steps in terror. She stared at Lumine in disbelief. "Why did you attack Yunqin? Aren't we friends?!"
Yunqin was frozen, clutching the wound on her arm. Blood seeped through her fingers, staining them red.
Her expression turned grave as she stared at the Festering Desire in Lumine's hand. The Abyssal aura coiling around the blade made her skin crawl.
Yet, deep within her, she felt a strange pull, as if something was calling to her.
Black vines sprouted from the hilt of the Festering Desire. Like living things, they swiftly wrapped around Lumine's arm, tightening their grip and slowly creeping up toward her shoulder.
The dark light on the blade flared wildly, and a dense black mist swirled around Lumine, spreading outward.
Wherever the mist touched, the stone pavement turned black and cracked.
Even the air grew bone-chillingly cold, making it hard to breathe.
"Paimon, get over here!" Yunqin snapped out of her daze, grabbing the still-stunned Paimon and pulling her behind her for protection.
Simultaneously, she raised her hand and summoned her "Little UFO"—the Geo element rapidly coalesced in mid-air, forming a flat rock platform.
She pushed Paimon onto the platform and, with a thought, sent it soaring upward, narrowly avoiding the spreading black mist below.
"Hold on tight! Don't fall!"
Within the black mist, the remains of the slimes they had cleared earlier began to reassemble. The slime goo converged, forming larger Abyssal Slimes with glowing red eyes.
The withered trees nearby seemed to come alive. Their branches twisted and stretched upward like countless black hands tipped with sharp wooden thorns, clawing at the Geo platform.
"Hold on!" Yunqin shouted, maneuvering the platform nimbly to dodge the attacking branches while conjuring Geo spikes with her other hand.
The spikes precisely pierced the lunging Abyssal Slimes, their black goo splattering against the platform with a sickening sizzle.
The platform was small, and the two were crammed together with almost no room to evade. They had to constantly guard against attacks from below, leaving them in a dangerously passive position.
Yunqin's arm was still bleeding, the wound stinging sharply as the Abyssal aura aggravated it.
She shielded Paimon fiercely, refusing to let any danger near her.
-
Meanwhile, in front of their screens, the players were losing their minds.
"Holy shit! What's going on? Did Festering Desire turn on its master?"
"The Abyss! Am I being controlled by the Abyss now?!"
"Damn it, it's the fucking Abyss again! Killing Lydia wasn't enough, now they're coming after me?!"
Inside the Serenitea Pot, the black mist continued to spread relentlessly.
Lumine's eyes grew increasingly vacant. Her once-clear gaze was now shrouded in the black Abyssal aura, as if her soul had been extinguished.
Slowly, she raised Festering Desire. The dark light emanating from the blade intensified, and a sword aura far more powerful than before coalesced along its edge. With an aura of world-ending destruction, she swung the sword toward the two figures on the Geo platform.