In the end, Diluc returned the sword to Lumine. He knew his sister would only find happiness by traveling the Seven Nations with her, fulfilling her dearest wish.
After returning, Amber immediately sought out Jean to report everything that had happened. Lisa was also present.
Jean sighed, her expression weary.
Even Lord Barbatos couldn't prevent this?
"How is Mr. Diluc?" Jean asked.
"Master Diluc..." Amber trailed off.
Amber felt a pang of sympathy at the thought of Diluc's shattered state, and she struggled to find the right words to speak.
"Alright, I understand the situation," Jean said. "Go get some rest."
After Amber left, Jean rubbed her forehead, feeling a splitting headache coming on.
Lisa helped Jean sit down and gently massaged her temples. "Don't overthink it," Lisa said soothingly. "If you collapse, Mondstadt will truly suffer."
As Lisa comforted Jean, the sleeping potion she had secretly applied to her fingertips began to take effect, and Jean slowly drifted into slumber.
Lisa adjusted Jean's position to make her more comfortable.
"Rola... what a tragic fate..."
Diluc brought his sister's blood mist sphere back to Mondstadt, intending to choose an auspicious day for her reburial.
Rola would ultimately be laid to rest behind the Favonius Cathedral. Despite the fact that her remains had been stolen from this very place, it remained the safest location in Mondstadt—and also the most bustling.
Moreover... in this state, the Abyss would no longer have any designs on her.
The scene shifted to Qingge's grave on Tianheng Mountain in Liyue. Just as viewers held their breath in suspense, the camera panned to a distant stone table where Zhongli sat, calmly drinking tea.
The quest "Like Old Friends Returned" displayed the completion message.
[Seeing the Old Man finally puts my mind at ease.]
[Come at us again, Abyss! You only bully my Rola!]
[You're not getting away this time!]
Chen Xiyao planned to immediately start the next quest after finishing this one. Next, she would be heading to Sumeru, and like the vast majority of online viewers, she was eagerly anticipating it.
In the game's main storyline, it seemed they needed to visit Liyue Harbor before heading to Sumeru.
After spending two days in Mondstadt and discussing matters with Venti, Lumine and Paimon departed for Liyue.
As always, they first visited Tianheng Mountain to ensure Qingge's grave remained undisturbed before proceeding to Liyue Harbor.
The harbor was as bustling as ever.
"Lumine, are you sure that puppet wasn't the real Rola?" Paimon still remembered the puppet Rola's words.
Lumine shook her head. "She came from the Abyss. She wasn't the real Rola. Rola... she's been with us all along."
Not just Rola, but Qingge too.
Hearing this, Paimon's mood brightened slightly.
"Lumine, where should we go now?"
"We..." Lumine hesitated, lost in thought, when suddenly a young woman bumped into her. Their heads collided, Lumine barely flinched, but the girl stumbled backward and landed hard on the street.
The girl who had fallen was Chu Xi. A red mark on her forehead showed the impact had been severe.
Lumine rushed forward and helped Chu Xi to her feet. "I'm so sorry! I wasn't paying attention to where I was going and bumped into you. Are you alright?"
Lumine felt deeply guilty. She had been talking to Paimon, her mind preoccupied with various thoughts, and hadn't noticed her surroundings.
Chu Xi lowered her hand from her forehead and looked at Lumine and Paimon. Her eyes were slightly teary, her autumn-like gaze framed by delicate features and snow-white skin. She looked utterly vulnerable and pitiable.
The moment players saw Chu Xi, their eyes lit up. Despite the recent emotional turmoil from the story, the sight of such a beautiful character still stirred excitement.
[Liyue's new character?!]
[Another stunning girl? She has that classic Adeptus vibe!]
[She looks so easily bullied...]
[Seriously, she's exactly the kind of girl who lives in my heart! I'm obsessed!]
[I wonder what her strength will be like.]
[Wait, she doesn't seem to have a Vision... Am I seeing things?]
[Huh? You're right!]
Lumine: "Are... are you alright?"
Chu Xi: "I-I'm sorry! I was running too fast. Are you okay?"
Lumine: "..."
Regardless of who was at fault, Lumine was unharmed, while the girl she had bumped into seemed to have taken the brunt of the impact.
"How about I take you to Bubu Pharmacy to get checked out?"
Chu Xi shook her head. "Thank you, but I'm fine. No need to trouble yourself."
It was just a little pain, nothing serious. No need to make a big deal out of it.
Chu Xi was about to leave when she spotted Paimon and immediately stopped. She glanced back at Lumine, her eyes darting between the two.
"You... you're the Traveler?!"
"You know me?"
Chu Xi seemed thrilled. "Mm-hmm! Qiqi told me about you! She said you're amazing heroes!"
"You know Qiqi?!" Lumine exclaimed.
"Well... I've been working odd jobs at Bubu Pharmacy recently..."
Lumine and Paimon were quite familiar with Bubu Pharmacy, but they didn't recall ever seeing such a beautiful young woman there.
"Oh, sorry, I forgot to introduce myself. I'm Chu Xi. I came to Liyue Harbor just a few days ago after a family accident. Doctor Baizhu saved me, and seeing that I had nowhere else to go, he let me work odd jobs at the pharmacy."
Lumine nodded. That explains it. There was no way she could have forgotten meeting such a striking girl.
Paimon also had a soft spot for Chu Xi, believing she looked like the kind of person who couldn't possibly be bad. "Chu Xi, what were you doing just now? Why were you running so fast?"
"The Millelith are about to depart," Chu Xi explained. "I was on my way back from delivering a map to them. I ran faster because I was worried Qiqi might be overwhelmed at Bubu Pharmacy by herself."
Delivering a map to the Millelith? And they're departing? Lumine thought, deciding to ask directly.
When Lumine saw Chu Xi's mood darken, she realized she had asked something she shouldn't have. Just as she was about to apologize, Chu Xi spoke:
"My home is far away. Everyone there except me was killed by the Treasure Hoarders. I only survived by hiding in the cellar."
"After that, I made my way to Liyue Harbor and reported the incident to the Millelith. Just now, I was delivering a map of my home to them. It's a remote place, and I was worried they might get lost..."
"I'm so sorry," Lumine said. "I didn't know..."
"It's alright. Like Senior Changsheng said, we shouldn't dwell on past sorrows. My parents, if they're watching from above, wouldn't want to see me like that either."
Chu Xi looked quite young. Lumine couldn't imagine how such a small girl had managed to escape from the Treasure Hoarders and make her way to Liyue Harbor alone.
"Oh dear, I almost forgot I need to get back to the shop! Sorry, I have to run."
With that, Chu Xi scurried off, occasionally rubbing the small bump on her head from the earlier collision.