Yelan took the Fantastic Compass and stepped aside alone.
No one disturbed her.
Lumine, meanwhile, started talking to Mu Yang about their experiences in the secret domain.
Although Mu Yang had already watched everything through the livestream,
he was an excellent listener,
responding appropriately and providing full emotional support.
Of course, he also noticed that Paimon, usually so lively, had been unusually quiet since the Fantastic Compass appeared.
When Lumine had emerged from that space earlier,
she had been weak for quite a while,
only recovering after a long nap.
Now, with the appearance of the Fantastic Compass and Paimon's renewed weakness,
was it really just a coincidence?
"What's wrong, Mu Yang? Is there something on my face?"
"No, I was just wondering if Paimon is feeling sleepy again."
"A little. I'll be fine after some rest."
Paimon didn't seem inclined to say more.
She snuggled into Lumine's arms and fell asleep.
On Yelan's side:
"…Within yin and yang, amidst the five directions."
"Water, fire, wind, thunder, cycling endlessly."
"Holding the seven gates on the earth, three gates open, paths of warp and weft unobstructed…"
[Zhang San, open the door! It's Yanfei!]
[You're not even in Liyue Harbor! Where are you hiding, legal master?]
As Yelan manipulated it, the Fantastic Compass finally activated again,
revealing the hidden information within.
"I see… I didn't expect it to be like this…"
Seeing the commotion, the group gathered around.
— — — — — —
In the livestream, Guinaifen started to liven things up.
Earlier, Mu Yang had been guiding her through the puzzles.
They hadn't gotten stuck once along the way.
Now that they'd reached a part that didn't require puzzle-solving, she naturally wanted to show off a bit.
Otherwise, this livestream would feel too much like freeloading.
Wouldn't that make her like Qingque, who constantly broadcasts her friends playing Mahjong Soul?
That's not something to emulate.
She quickly skimmed through the information in the Fantastic Compass.
Then she began summarizing.
The one who had manipulated the Fantastic Compass and left the information inside was none other than Yelan's ancestor, Boyang.
Five hundred years ago, he and his younger brother Rongzhao, under the orders of the Qixing, brought the Fantastic Compass to the Chasm
to support the Millelith soldiers.
However, unlike Chenyu Vale, which had Mu Yang's power to protect it,
this Millelith troop faced terrifying beasts and suffered heavy casualties.
If not for the intervention of a Yaksha,
the entire troop, including Boyang and Rongzhao, would have perished on the spot.
In one of Boyang's entries, he detailed this Yaksha.
This Yaksha had four arms, a frenzied divine appearance, and could no longer recall his own name.
In his madness, he often referred to those around him as Jinpeng or Menogias.
"Jinpeng here probably refers to Xiao. Mu Yang mentioned him in his stories before."
[Menogias is also one of the Yaksha?]
[What kind of description is 'frenzied divine appearance'?]
[Madness, pure madness. Madness is good!]
[It's a beautiful state of mind. After thousands of years of slaughter, watching your brothers and sisters fight, you'd go mad too.]
Guinaifen continued summarizing the information.
The Yaksha discovered a massive underground palace beneath the Chasm.
The beasts grew weak when they approached this palace.
He speculated that something underground was powerfully suppressing the Khaenri'ah beasts.
As the war grew dire and more people died, they needed to end it quickly.
Thus, they devised a plan.
Boyang would carry the Fantastic Compass and lead a portion of the Millelith soldiers, along with the Yaksha, into the underground palace.
Their goal was to lure the beasts into the deepest parts of the palace
and then seal the palace's exit.
The sealing required Boyang and the Yaksha to work together from the inside,
with Rongzhao assisting from the outside.
This would ensure the seal was foolproof.
If the plan succeeded, it would secure the Chasm's battlefront.
Of course, the cost was that the troop luring the beasts would be forever trapped inside the palace with them.
"This line, 'The gains are great; we must try,' gives off strong vibes."
[Daredevil squad vibes?]
[This is what duty looks like.]
[Someone is carrying the burden for us.]
From the subsequent information, they carried out the plan.
And it succeeded.
The beasts, once inside the palace, were heavily restricted, as if corroded by some force.
But the Millelith didn't fare much better.
Some died, some were injured, and some, in a daze, got separated from the main group and never returned.
After an unknown amount of time, only Boyang and the Yaksha remained in the palace.
By then, the Yaksha was gravely wounded and plagued by madness, likely not long for this world.
Boyang wasn't in much better shape.
He could stay lucid most of the time, but sometimes he felt dazed.
The Yaksha eventually died.
What followed was Boyang's monologue:
… I saw my family, my wife and children…
They walked toward me, passed through me, and vanished.
Perhaps I've gone mad too.
How else could I see my loved ones, so far away in Liyue Harbor?
I want to go home. Can I really still get out?
Rongzhao, sometimes I resent you—why wasn't it you left here to suffer this torment?
But Rongzhao… I'm the elder brother. I'm glad you got to live.
… I'm so tired… I can't think…
Guinaifen, being highly empathetic,
found herself choking up by the end.
"But Rongzhao, I'm the elder brother…"
Those words hit her hard, and her tears were difficult to hold back.
[Don't kill me with family bonds.]
[It feels so hopeless—alone in this vast underground palace, waiting to die, not knowing when it'll happen.]
[This Boyang's mental fortitude must make him a legendary investigator, even more impressive than Bosacius.]
[Yelan's family comes from a line of exorcists, not ordinary people.]
[The most ridiculous part is that if you miss your home or family, it shows you them—but you can only see, not touch. Ultimate torment.]
[This space is kind of nice, in a twisted way.]
— — — — — —
Back in Teyvat,
Mu Yang and the others finished sharing the information,
piecing together the truth of what happened back then.
Yelan spoke, "Hundreds of years ago, a master entrusted the Fantastic Compass to my ancestors."
"The two brothers brought this treasure to the Chasm to join the fight against the Khaenri'ah beasts."
They set out as a pair, but only one returned, and he had gone mad.
Yelan finally understood why Rongzhao had become deranged.
It was likely due to the karmic debt he contracted while fighting alongside Bosacius.
Though they came from a family of exorcists, trained to battle demons and evil spirits,
the millennia of slaughter carried by a Yaksha's karma was not something those without a Vision could withstand.
"According to the records, the one who documented all this… stayed here forever," Yanfei said, her mood heavy.
No one who heard this story could feel at ease.
And now, beyond mourning for Boyang and the others,
there was something even more pressing.
Their current situation was strikingly similar to Boyang's back then.
Similar, but not identical.
Because Boyang knew where the seal on the exit was.
He chose to stay and perish with the beasts to protect Liyue.
Yelan and the others, however, didn't know where the seal was.
Mu Yang, standing nearby, watched as Paimon began to act out.
The little one loudly expressed her fear and tried to burrow back into Lumine's arms.
Then, accidentally, she knocked over the Fantastic Compass…
=====
New Story posted:
Mushoku Tensei: The Imbibitor Lunae Template