"Why do you think changing fate requires moving the stars?" Dain found Ember's thought process quite abnormal.
"Otherwise? Then what do you suggest we do?" Ember responded as if it were obvious.
"..."
Dain glanced at Ember and decisively chose to remain silent. If he knew how to change fate, he wouldn't be in such a miserable state.
"Then what about the Sinner? Who is he?" Lumine's confusion didn't lessen much; instead, it grew.
"That, I know even less about. In some ways, discovering him is even more difficult than finding the threads of fate." Dain shook his head.
His initial understanding of the Sinner only came from that inverted, dark purple crystal.
More information about the Sinner simply didn't exist in Teyvat. Perhaps, a being of his stature wouldn't leave any records in the world if he didn't wish to.
Just thinking about the Sinner's authority over "fate" made Dain shiver. Perhaps, he had already seen him.
"Also, regarding that guy, it's better if we don't call him by his name. Perhaps the moment we mention his name, he will already know of us."
"Even if that name is just a title."
Dain paused, then didn't want to discuss the Sinner any further.
"I think the guy you call the Sinner should have a desensitized constitution." Ember leaned in and speculated, as if it were a serious matter.
Ember used to be like that too; whenever someone called him, no matter how far away, he would always get a jolt.
The consequence of this phenomenon continuing was that Ember was either constantly getting jolts or on his way to getting one every day.
So later on, Ember actively blocked this passive skill. Otherwise, he felt he would eventually suffer from mental exhaustion.
But judging by Dain's words, the guy named the Sinner was incredibly thick-skinned. This passive skill had been active for hundreds of years; without strong mental fortitude, he couldn't have done it.
"By common rationality, it shouldn't be like that. The number of people who know the title 'Sinner' shouldn't exceed ten fingers. Even if they don't shy away from it, it shouldn't cause much of an impact."
Dain held up his ten fingers and gestured as he spoke.
"Then I now think he has a hypersensitive constitution. Look at how he's cowering; he must be afraid that too many people will call him every day, making him unable to sleep soundly."
"If you put it that way, there's actually some... no, there's no sense to it!" Dain was about to nod in agreement with Ember.
But then he suddenly realized, had he been led astray by Ember?
Dain recalled the frequency of the word "Sinner" in their recent conversation and immediately became alert.
"Be careful, don't speak!" His eyes darted around, fully alert, sensing any potential gazes.
But after a long time, the Domain remained in its deathly silence, completely unchanged.
This made Dain's recent behavior look like a startled bird.
"Hehe, how about that? I told you he isn't that idle. Think about it, if he had to look every time you said something, how busy would he be all day?"
Ember chuckled and said to Dain.
"Perhaps, but don't let your guard down. Being targeted by someone like that is not a good thing." Dain saw that there had been no movement for a long time and gradually relaxed.
However, he still didn't forget to warn everyone. Just because he didn't look through this time didn't mean he wouldn't next time.
"Understood. I don't know why Dain is so afraid." Paimon nodded in agreement.
Ever since the topic shifted to the Sinner, Dain had lost his previous composure and confidence.
This made Paimon wonder if Dain had been bullied into submission by the guy named the Sinner.
"Alright, then let's not talk about this anymore." Lumine, seeing Dain's demeanor, wisely changed the subject.
"Why are the Abyss Order and her brother weaving fate? What are they doing it for?" Paimon naturally started the next topic.
Her cooperation with Lumine had reached a seamless level!
"Weaving fate... what a beautiful wish." Dain's eyes narrowed slightly, seemingly drawn in by the vision that "weaving fate" brought.
But soon his eyes regained clarity. Dain shook his head and asked Lumine, "Khaenri'ah, do you know this nation?"
As he spoke, Dain didn't forget to observe everyone's reactions.
Shenhe and the others looked bewildered, which was normal. A nation that fell five hundred years ago, even if not deliberately buried, would have fewer and fewer people who knew about it.
What truly surprised Dain was Paimon and Lumine. Firstly, he hadn't expected the small white Seelie beside Lumine to seemingly know something; secondly, he hadn't expected Lumine to show no surprise upon hearing the word "Khaenri'ah."
As for Ember... Dain naturally ignored him. Dain felt that whether he knew about Khaenri'ah or not would have no impact on Ember's behavior.
"Khaenri'ah... Oh, that's right, as a guide, I haven't introduced this nation to you yet!" Paimon suddenly remembered her primary job at this moment, so she rolled up her sleeves, eager to show off her skills.
Unfortunately, Lumine didn't give her the chance. She shook her head at Paimon and said, "I know Khaenri'ah."
"Huh?" Paimon's excitement immediately deflated. This was the first time she wanted to fulfill her duty, but it ended before it even began.
"Why are you so deflated? Aren't there still a bunch of people who don't know?" Ember patted Paimon's head and pointed to the bewildered trio of Shenhe.
"Alright... alright, I don't know much either. Dain, don't make fun of me." Paimon covered her head, feeling a bit guilty.
It didn't matter if she said something wrong to Lumine, because she and Lumine were the best partners! But if she said something wrong to others, that would be embarrassing.
"Ahem!" Clearing her throat, Paimon imitated a Liyue storyteller, speaking with dramatic inflections: "Speaking of Khaenri'ah, that was a nation that fell five hundred years ago..."
"Uh... uh..."
After only a few sentences, Paimon started scratching her head.
"Uh what? What's next?" Ember asked with interest.
"That's all." Paimon spread her hands. She had searched her brain thoroughly, but that was all she could come up with.
"You're such a useless guide." Ember couldn't help but complain. Lumine beside him nodded in deep agreement.
This made Paimon stomp her feet in anger. Was it her fault she was useless? It was clearly just that her head was too small to remember so many things!
She completely forgot the fluency of her thoughts when reciting menu items.
"A nation that fell five hundred years ago... what does that have to do with the Abyss Order?" Xingqiu pondered for a moment and said. This nation called "Khaenri'ah" was probably not within the borders of Liyue and Mondstadt.
Liyue and Mondstadt had been unified a long time ago, with no other nations within their territory. Xingqiu guessed it was most likely in Sumeru.
Because some books he had read before would mention the situation in Sumeru, saying that the rainforest and Desert there were severely divided.
Although the Desert nominally belonged to Sumeru's territory, in reality, the Akademiya's reach simply couldn't extend there.
In this situation, the appearance of a nation called "Khaenri'ah" in the Desert seemed quite reasonable?
Xingqiu combined his knowledge and speculated in his mind. As for why they were involved with the Abyss Order, Xingqiu didn't know.
Because he had only just learned about the Abyss Order; before, he thought Abyss Mages were like Hilichurls, popping out of rocks!
"The connection is immense." Dain closed his eyes. After a moment of contemplation, he continued, "Do you know why Abyss Mages always like to bewitch Hilichurls?"
"Because Hilichurls are the most common?" Xingqiu speculated.
"Partially, but more importantly, most Hilichurls were once people of Khaenri'ah."
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