Time flowed slowly, with just two days remaining until the Lantern Rite.
A festive atmosphere permeated Liyue Harbor. Already a bustling commercial hub, the streets were even more crowded than usual in the lead-up to Liyue's most cherished holiday.
Countless vendors hawked their wares, and Lumine and Paimon navigated the crowded streets, shopping for festival necessities.
"Traveler, look! Over there are the ingredients Xiangling wanted us to buy. Let's go check them out!" Paimon chirped.
"Not just ingredients," Lumine reminded her. "We need to get some of those red paper decorations too."
As they headed toward a stall, they suddenly heard a familiar voice:
"Boss, I'll take all of these."
Turning toward the voice, they spotted an elderly man browsing the stalls.
"Zhongli!"
Zhongli turned, a smile spreading across his face as he recognized Lumine and Paimon. "What a pleasant surprise to run into you both here. Are you also shopping for the festival?"
"Mm-hmm! Xiangling's Wanmin Restaurant is swamped with orders. We're helping her with the shopping."
Paimon shook the pastries she'd just casually bought. "Zhongli, you said 'also'? Does that mean you're here to shop too?"
The Geo Archon shopping?
Zhongli chuckled. "The Director gave me a list and asked me to procure everything on it."
Paimon nodded her little head. Ah, it's Hu Tao! No wonder.
"By the way, Zhongli," Paimon whispered, leaning close to his ear, "Qingge said she has to stay on guard at The Chasm for the entire Lantern Rite. Is there some huge crisis down there?"
Zhongli replied, "Each of the Qixing has their own duties. Those who hold such positions must shoulder their responsibilities. Personally guarding a key location until all threats are eliminated is entirely in character for Kaiyang."
"So that means she'll have to spend the entire Lantern Rite in The Chasm..." Paimon frowned. "Lumine, let's go visit her later! Qingge must be so lonely all by herself."
Besides, we can teleport. A quick trip back and forth would be easy.
Zhongli bid farewell to the pair and continued his shopping, following the list on the paper.
-
Below Guyun Stone Forest, at Osial's sealed location, Malice arrived silently, carefully channeling Abyss Energy from within her body into the seal. Her movements were meticulous, leaving not even a ripple on the sea's surface.
The God of the Vortex, sealed for millennia, had long since lost much of its power. But no matter—the Abyss would grant it strength, as long as its hatred for Morax and the people of Liyue persisted. This hatred would make it a formidable ally for Malice, a key force in plunging Liyue into chaos.
-
Qingce Village, in a dark underground chamber.
The legendary Vicious Chi had fully materialized, its colossal form even larger than before its initial defeat.
Now, it lurked beneath Qingce Village, flicking its pitch-black serpentine tongue.
This creature was entirely constructed from malice, the monster that had consumed the most Emotional Feedback, completely controlled by Malice.
-
Beneath the Dragon-Queller Tree.
The mountain-shaking Dragon Sovereign lay dormant within its seal, seemingly oblivious to the approaching malice.
Slowly approaching the seal, a pitch-black hand reached out to touch the rocky pillar. Azhdaha's crimson eyes finally snapped open.
But he only managed to glimpse the figure before his consciousness plunged into endless darkness.
Malice gazed upon her masterpiece: the colossal Dragon Sovereign sprawled on the ground, its body wreathed in the pitch-black Abyss Power. Yet the seal remained intact, not a single crack marring its surface.
"Now is not your time to rampage," she hissed. "Wait just one more day. In just one day, you can unleash your millennium of pent-up resentment upon Liyue!"
Malice spread her arms wide, her voice a feral roar, no longer the fragmented whispers from before.
I must say, Emotional Feedback really works wonders.
So many things Malice couldn't accomplish alone... it's the key to making them reality!
-
The Chasm.
With only one day left until the Lantern Rite, Yelan had already returned.
Today, Paimon brought the delicious pastries she had mentioned earlier.
"Qingge, you have to try these! Yuna made them specially for you!"
"Specially for me?" Qingge asked, surprised.
Lumine smiled. "We told Yuna about everything that happened in Liyue. She was really intrigued by you, and when Paimon asked her to make these, she immediately agreed."
Qingge chuckled. "Then please thank Yuna for me when you see her again. I never expected to make such a friend before even visiting Inazuma."
As Lumine and Paimon described Yuna's personality, Qingge's curiosity grew.
"From what you're saying, Yuna sounds a lot like my younger sister," Qingge remarked.
Paimon tilted her head. "But Qingxu doesn't seem like the outgoing type?"
"Hehe, Paimon, you misunderstood," Qingge chuckled. "I wasn't talking about that. I meant they're both easy to get along with and very understanding."
Qingge pulled a stone from her robes and handed it to Paimon.
"Little Paimon, you've been so kind to me, even bringing me delicious food. Consider this a return gift."
"What... is this?"
"A little object for storing things. It's a treasure I received from Cloud Retainer a while back. It works wonders for preserving food!"
Paimon held the stone up to her eye, examining it closely, but couldn't discern anything special about it.
Seeing her puzzled expression, Qingge smiled and explained how to use it:
"Paimon, just imagine these pancakes being stored inside."
Paimon followed Qingge's instructions and visualized the pancakes disappearing into the stone. They immediately vanished.
Then she retrieved them, stored them again, and retrieved them again...
She repeated this several times, her little face beaming with delight.
"It's said that Cloud Retainer specifically created this for storing food. If you put a freshly cooked dish inside, it will still be steaming hot even days later!"
"Wow!"
Paimon's eyes sparkled like tiny stars. This treasure was perfect for her!
"Qingge, you're too good to Paimon! Paimon has decided—from now on, you're third on my list of good people!"
"Oh? Who's second?"
"Hehe, second place goes to Yuna!"
Qingge didn't bother asking who was first; she already knew.
Paimon finally brought out all the biscuits, and the three of them ate together.
Just then, a Millelith soldier entered the room.
"Lady Mu, your sister is here to see you. She's waiting outside."
"Qingxu?!"
Before Qingge could finish speaking, a figure dashed into the room and threw herself into Qingge's arms.
"Sis!"
Feeling the warmth in her embrace and gazing at her sister before her, Qingge struggled to speak for a long moment.
"Qingxu, what... what are you doing here?"
"Sis, you didn't come home for the Lantern Rite, so I missed you and came to find you!"
"Mom and Dad..."
"Sis, I left them a note! They won't be worried!"
Qingge: "..."
-
Player World.
More than a month had passed since the last mission to The Chasm, and the Lunar New Year was fast approaching.
This was the first Lunar New Year since Genshin Impact's launch, and online forums were buzzing with speculation about what rewards Mihoyo might offer players during the holiday.
The game's latest update introduced a new quest series titled "Steadfast Bedrock."