"Ah, it's always like this."
Kuki Shinobu helped Itto sit against the wall. Paimon asked anxiously, "Itto, what's wrong with him? Did he pass out?"
This was the first time Paimon had called Itto by his real name instead of his nickname since they descended.
Kuki Shinobu: "That punch Boss threw must have exhausted all his strength. Maybe that's why he was able to tear open the passage."
Yelan: "I'll go check if there's a way to stabilize the passage."
Yanfei: "He probably chose to do this because of our argument earlier."
Kuki Shinobu: "Boss has always hated infighting among his companions. Whenever there's a dispute within the Arataki Gang, he'll do something drastic to calm everyone down."
"Even though he's only known you for a short time, he genuinely considers you his comrades."
"Come to think of it, Boss despises sacrifices, yet he unconsciously makes similar gestures himself... But there's one crucial difference."
"He doesn't do these things to give up on himself. Instead, he believes he can overcome any obstacle. I bet that's what he was thinking when he threw that punch."
"He believes we can get him out of here, so let's keep searching for an exit."
Xiao stepped forward and apologized, acknowledging that the earlier argument had mainly been between him and Yelan.
"No need to apologize," Kuki Shinobu said. "Both you and Miss Yelan made valid points. But if we were at the Arataki Gang's base today, and if you were one of us, I would side with Miss Yelan."
"After all, your life is very important to someone... no, to some people."
Just then, Yelan returned. "Everyone, the newly opened path isn't an exit. It leads deeper into the depths."
"Ah~" Paimon felt deflated. Had Itto's efforts been for nothing?
"Paimon, cheer up! At least we don't have to sit here waiting anymore. We can keep exploring deeper," Qingge reassured.
As soon as Qingge finished speaking, Yanfei added, "Remember? The Mystic Treasure I'm looking for hasn't appeared yet. If this place can manifest our thoughts and desires into real objects, we can use that to find it."
Upon hearing this, Xiao immediately vanished, leaving only the words, "I'll go check it out."
Yelan followed him into the depths.
Qingge: "Yelan lost comrades in past operations. As a survivor, she's deeply concerned for her companions' safety and has been avoiding any sacrifices along the way."
Yanfei: "I understand. If I were her, I doubt I could have done any better."
With Xiao and Yelan already gone, the group hesitated no longer.
Kuki Shinobu and Ushi remained behind to care for Itto, while Lumine, Paimon, Qingge, and Yanfei ventured inside to explore.
"Itto can't fight, so he'll be safe inside the barrier," Qingge assured them.
Qingge summoned the Vortex and slammed it into the ground. Geo Elemental Power immediately converged on the ground, forming a circle.
It resembled the circle Sun Wukong drew for his master.
The group then entered the newly revealed path.
At the path's end lay a Domain. They entered together.
As they stepped inside, their vision flashed, and they found themselves in a place surrounded by mountains, with a massive Fantastic Compass looming in the distance.
"There's a huge circular disc in the distance... Wait, is that the Fantastic Compass?"
Lumine: "It's bigger than all our heads combined!"
Qingge glanced at Lumine in surprise, quickly averting her gaze before the latter noticed.
Is this... a limited-time return of Troll Lumine?
Unfortunately, Yanfei and Paimon seemed to have missed Lumine's analogy.
Yanfei: "My sixth sense as a legal consultant tells me this is definitely the Fantastic Compass... But it's so massive! How am I supposed to carry this back?"
"Careful! Over there... Treasure Hoarders?"
Paimon: "What are Treasure Hoarders doing here?"
With her Spear in hand, Qingge made short work of the Treasure Hoarders, swiftly eliminating them all.
"They're not real."
Upon being defeated, the Treasure Hoarders didn't leave corpses behind. Instead, they dissolved into smoke and vanished.
Yanfei: "Same personnel and weapons as before. These are the thugs I encountered the other day! I never imagined this space would replicate them."
"Thugs?"
"I was handling a major commercial case. The perpetrators hired Treasure Hoarders as thugs to retaliate against me..."
Qingge: "Upon our return, the Millelith will conduct a thorough investigation into this matter. We'll also launch a full-scale operation to eradicate Treasure Hoarders operating within Liyue's borders."
Paimon's small eyes gleamed as she gazed at Qingge. Is this Qingge, the one who commands the Millelith?
Qingge approached the device the Treasure Hoarders had been tampering with earlier. "This is a smaller Fantastic Compass. Perhaps we can use it to manipulate this space."
After examining the device, they attempted to manipulate it. A new space immediately materialized before them.
"Let's go," Qingge instructed.
Entering the space, the group found themselves on a rugged path paved with rough stones. At the path's end lay another portal leading to the next space.
After swiftly passing through the portal, they arrived at another location.
No sooner had they arrived than they spotted Fatui ahead.
Yelan then emerged from behind the group.
After dispatching the Fatui, Yelan explained, "When I encountered these guys earlier, they were muttering the same things these Fatui were just saying. I wonder what method this space is using to replay that memory."
Paimon chimed in, "This seems like the place we just left."
Qingge glanced at the peach tree beside the smaller Fantastic Compass and said, "The Fantastic Compass manipulates time. Though we're in the same location, we're clearly on a different timeline."
Lumine approached and attempted to adjust the Fantastic Compass, but the pointer on the dial was stuck.
Paimon stroked her chin thoughtfully. "I remember seeing a small sapling over there when we first came in. If we go back to the timeline before that and chop down the sapling, then when we return here, the tree won't be here anymore, right?"
Has the little one finally grown a brain?!
Lumine was about to praise Paimon when Qingge suddenly swung her spear horizontally, slicing the sizable peach tree clean through and sending it flying.
Lumine: "..."
Paimon: "..."
Yanfei couldn't help but burst into laughter, quickly covering her mouth when she realized she was laughing too loudly.
Lumine stepped forward and adjusted the Fantastic Compass, causing a Spatial Gate to appear ahead.
As before, the group passed through the gate and arrived in another space.
Yanfei: "If this space follows the same rules as the previous one, there should be a Small Fantastic Compass somewhere here too."
Paimon: "Hey, look! Is that Xiao?"
Ahead of them, Xiao stood with his weapon drawn. "Bosacius, even someone like you will become a wandering soul?"
The group scanned their surroundings but saw no sign of enemies. Assuming they were invisible, they immediately moved forward to help.
"Stay back!" Xiao's sharp shout halted them in their tracks. "This is my fight alone. Don't come near me..."
Qingge carefully surveyed the area and indeed detected an anomaly in a certain region.
Malice's concealment is still incredibly strong. Even a God can't see through it.
Speaking of malice...
Among us, I seem to be the only one whose memories haven't surfaced yet. Will they appear later?
If they do...
Could it be that guy?!