Diluc raced from Dawn Winery to Mondstadt, heading straight for the cemetery behind Favonius Cathedral.
"Master Diluc..." Donna watched his retreating figure, tears welling in her eyes. She had only just learned that someone had desecrated the Hero Knight's grave in the early hours of the morning, stealing even her remains.
Master Diluc had already lost his father and mother. Recently, his sister had also passed away. What kind of monster would desecrate even the dead?
"Lord Barbatos, please punish this grave robber and corpse thief severely!" Donna prayed fervently, hoping Master Diluc wouldn't be too heartbroken.
Behind Favonius Cathedral, Diluc finally arrived. The area had been cordoned off by the Knights of Favonius, preventing ordinary Mondstadt residents from approaching.
Diluc knelt before his sister's desecrated grave, his face trembling with fury at the chaotic scene before him.
This was an unspeakable desecration of the dead!
His sister's death had already filled Diluc with hatred for the Abyss. Now they had dared to dig up her grave...
Diluc's fists clenched so tightly that his fingernails dug into his palms.
Jean stood beside him, not daring to speak.
"What... is the situation?" Diluc forced out the words, his face taut with barely contained rage.
"There are no leads on the corpse thief within Mondstadt," Jean replied. "Eula, Amber, and Rosaria have already begun searching outside the city."
"I'm sorry, Mr. Diluc. I..."
Diluc's eyes burned crimson. Noticing something out of the corner of his eye, he crouched down and picked up a half-eaten Sunsettia.
Seeing the teeth marks on the sunset fruit, Diluc said nothing. He crushed it forcefully, juice dripping down his hand.
"Where did they go?"
Diluc's demeanor remained calm, but beneath the surface, a volcano threatened to erupt.
Diluc nodded and sprinted out of Mondstadt with the same speed he had arrived.
-
Having just enjoyed a hearty meal at Yuna's, Lumine and Paimon were preparing to return to Mondstadt.
Yuna wanted to join them, but couldn't. As the chef, she couldn't possibly cook the meal and then not clean up afterward, could she?
The main reason for their return was that Qingge and Lumine had witnessed Rola's burial, but they hadn't visited her grave in a long time. They had promised to visit often when they stood before her tomb.
Before leaving for Mondstadt, Lumine and Paimon asked Yuna to prepare some delicious snacks.
Paimon remembered how much Rola loved good food. She often carried some with her, and whenever Paimon got hungry, Rola would pull out something tasty from her Vision.
The thought made Paimon feel dejected, and she grew even more eager to visit Rola's grave.
After assuring Yuna they would return soon, Lumine and Paimon headed to the Teleport Waypoint and teleported directly back to Mondstadt.
Once they were gone, Yuna returned to the Arataki Gang's hideout, gathered a pile of supplies, and set off toward the Chinju Forest.
Ioroi didn't eat, but the Little Tanuki could.
Maybe they'd even run into Sayu, who often escaped to sleep.
The Lantern Rite had ended. Players weren't entirely satisfied with this year's storyline, mainly because their favorite characters were absent. The plot itself was decent, and the grand scale of the Archon War kept them engaged.
Seeing Zhongli and Venti's Divine Regalia, witnessing the majesty of Morax and Barbatos, would have been perfect if not for Qingge's death.
But Qingge's death couldn't be ignored. It had become a thorn deeply lodged in players' hearts, each memory causing a sharp pang of pain. Only flooding Mihoyo's official website with complaints offered temporary relief.
Thus, players relentlessly condemned Mihoyo online, and in response, Mihoyo reissued another ten-pull after the Lantern Rite event concluded.
This wave of compensation silenced some critics, but others persisted in their tireless complaints.
After that, Mihoyo remained silent.
Over a month had passed since the last update, an unusually slow pace that led many to speculate whether Mihoyo had retreated into self-imposed isolation after being bombarded with criticism.
Today, Genshin Impact received its latest update:
[Like Old Friends Returned] and [The Morn a Thousand Roses Brings].
After waiting for over a month, Chen Xiyao could finally play the new story content.
"Holy crap, what's going on? Did Mihoyo just drop two versions at once?"
After a closer look, Chen Xiyao realized it wasn't two full updates, but rather an Archon Quest added before the version number.
"Like Old Friends Returned?"
Chen Xiyao pointed to the black-robed figure on the quest interface and asked her live stream audience, "Is this the guy they're talking about?"
[Yeah, that's him, sis.]
[Is Diluc going to be in this story too?]
Chen Xiyao clicked to start the quest.
The initial objective was to find Yuna in Inazuma. After being warmly welcomed and treated to a feast, Paimon suddenly brought up Rola, suggesting they go back and check on her.
Lumine agreed they should visit. After obtaining some delicacies from Yuna, the quest marker shifted to Mondstadt.
Lumine and Paimon teleported directly to Mondstadt. As soon as they arrived, they sensed something was off about the city, though they couldn't immediately pinpoint what it was.
As Lumine and Paimon walked a few steps further, they overheard two Fatui agents whispering.
"Did you hear? Heroic Knight Rora's grave in Mondstadt was dug up, and even her body was stolen!"
"How could I not know? Almost everyone in Mondstadt knows by now!"
Lumine's eyes widened at this shocking news, her face filled with disbelief.
Paimon grew anxious. "Lumine, we have to go check it out right away!"
Lumine and Paimon hurried toward the Favonius Cathedral, running around to the back. The Knights of Favonius guarding the area recognized the Honorary Knight and her fairy companion and didn't stop them.
Arriving at the cemetery, Lumine stared at the dug-up grave and the open coffin, her delicate face instantly turning icy.
Paimon blinked her large eyes, on the verge of shedding tears.
[Holy crap, it really was dug up!]
[My Rora, even in death, she can't rest in peace! Who would do something so cruel?!]
[Grave robbing? Damn, Master Diluc is going to lose it!]
[Could this be the Abyss again?!]
[Barbatos, do something useful for once!]
Lumine glanced around and spotted Noelle standing nearby, looking dazed. She immediately approached her.
"Noelle, do you know what happened here?"
Noelle's eyes were red, as if she had just been crying.
She shook her head. "I don't know. I only came here after hearing about what happened. Rola... how could this happen?"
Paimon: "Lumine, let's go find the bard! He must know something!"
Lumine knew they needed to find Venti, but where could they even start looking?