"More than one?"
The expression on Lumine's delicate face shifted. Based on her experiences in the previous three nations, the Fatui had never been friendly toward her.
Their goal was to collect the Gnosis, and they might resort to desperate measures to obtain it.
Silaya nodded, certain there would be more than just one.
Leaving aside the Doctor and Scaramouche, Angie had already departed from Snezhnaya and would arrive in Sumeru within days. Moreover, the ever-concerned Childe had secretly followed her.
However, the Harbingers weren't a united front. Angie, for one, would have nothing to say to the Doctor. As her elder brother, Childe would undoubtedly side with her.
As for Scaramouche... he would stand with neither side.
"Lumine, hurry up! We still need to help Collei with her work," Paimon urged.
"I'll talk to you again tonight," Lumine said.
Silaya smiled and nodded, watching Lumine leave.
After Lumine departed, Silaya returned to her room and gazed at the sleeping Collei. She gently sat on the edge of the bed and whispered:
"Just hold on a little longer, Collei. It won't be long before your Eleazar is completely cured."
-
Liyue, Bubu Pharmacy.
The Millelith soldiers who had investigated Chu Xi's home earlier that day returned. Several of them arrived at Bubu Pharmacy to find Chu Xi, led by the same female commander as before.
Outside Bubu Pharmacy, beneath a pavilion, only Chu Xi and the female commander remained.
Chu Xi's eyes were red-rimmed, her face streaked with tears. In her hands, she clutched the sole item the Millelith had retrieved from her burned-down home: a Dendro Vision, its light extinguished.
Before being discovered, the extinguished Vision had been sealed in a box and buried beneath Chu Xi's house.
This Vision had been purchased by her "Father" in Sumeru. The Millelith suspected it might be connected to the massacre that had wiped out her family.
The Female Commander had already shared all the details of the investigation with Chu Xi:
The number of victims matched Chu Xi's description of her family. Every member had perished, leaving behind not a single intact corpse—all had been charred beyond recognition by the inferno.
The Millelith's mission had yielded almost nothing. The fire had destroyed nearly all the evidence.
"Miss Chu Xi, rest assured, we will bring the murderer to justice and avenge you and your family!"
Chu Xi suddenly rose and attempted to kneel before the Female Commander. Reacting swiftly, the Commander caught her before she could fall to her knees.
"What are you doing? Get up!"
"Thank you, thank you so much!" Chu Xi sobbed.
It took the Female Commander a long time to calm Chu Xi down. The girl, exhausted from crying, clung to the Commander, her shoulders shaking with sobs.
The Commander gently wrapped her arms around Chu Xi, her heart aching for the girl.
At that moment, she resolved to find those damned bastards responsible for this!
Several days later, at Bubu Pharmacy.
Baizhu and Changsheng gazed at the resolute young woman before them, both sighing inwardly.
"Are you truly determined?" Baizhu asked.
Chu Xi nodded earnestly. "I'm deeply grateful for Doctor Baizhu's care these past weeks. My family is all gone now. I... I can't just stand by and do nothing. I know this journey is like searching for a needle in a haystack, but I'm not afraid."
"You're just an ordinary person without a Vision," Changsheng pointed out, "not even a proper ordinary person. What will you do if you encounter monsters?"
Changsheng had been observing Chu Xi's actions closely and had to admit she had grown fond of this pure-hearted and capable young woman.
Chu Xi shouldered her luggage and apologized again. "I'm sorry, Senior Changsheng, but I have to do this."
Changsheng was visibly angry, turning her head away from Chu Xi. "Sumeru is so far away! Why do you insist on going alone? You'll regret it when the monsters eat you!"
Chu Xi's eyes welled with tears as she glanced at Baizhu and Changsheng before slowly walking out of Bubu Pharmacy.
"Damn it, that stubborn fool! Why won't she listen? Baizhu, why didn't you stop her?"
"It's clear her mind is made up," Baizhu replied calmly.
Baizhu had known about Chu Xi's plan to leave for days. The girl thought she was hiding it well...
Though Chu Xi was naive, Baizhu didn't consider her foolish. If she were going to Sumeru, she wouldn't travel alone; she'd likely join a caravan. He had already secretly slipped plenty of Mora into her luggage, enough to cover her expenses for quite some time.
Changsheng remained disgruntled. "She'll learn how dangerous it is when she comes back!"
Baizhu glanced at Changsheng, recognizing her grumbling. With a sigh, he turned to head to the back of the pharmacy.
"Oh, right, Baizhu. Since Little Xi left, when are you planning to hire someone new?"
"When did I ever say I was hiring someone new?" Baizhu asked.
"Didn't you mention it to Little Xi before...?"
Changsheng stopped mid-sentence, realizing something. This guy... No wonder Bubu Pharmacy never seemed busy.
Qiqi stood quietly to the side. For some reason, she felt a bit sad in her heart.
Back in her room, Qiqi opened the door to find a table piled high with coconut milk.
"coco...milk..."
She softly uttered these two words. Normally, seeing so much coconut milk would have made her happy, but today, Qiqi couldn't find any joy in it.
Chu Xi had just left Liyue Harbor when she immediately encountered Zhongli, strolling with a birdcage in hand.
The moment she saw him, Chu Xi almost couldn't hold it together. She knew this couldn't be a coincidence—who strolls with a birdcage outside Liyue Harbor?
Alarm bells rang loudly in her heart, but she maintained a calm facade.
"Mr. Zhongli?"
Zhongli had visited Bubu Pharmacy before, so Chu Xi recognized him.
"Young friend, what brings you here?"
Chu Xi relaxed inwardly. It seemed Zhongli hadn't noticed anything amiss.
It was not in vain that she had spent a lot of Emotional Feedback to shape Chu Xi's background. Even if there were some abnormalities, they would become reasonable.
Chu Xi told Zhongli her thoughts. After listening, he nodded silently, then left with his birdcage.
After Zhongli left, Chu Xi was filled with confusion.
That's... it?
She had expected Zhongli to try to persuade her with grand philosophical arguments.
So, you really just happened to be strolling by with your bird?
After a moment of bewilderment, Chu Xi continued her journey. Given her current physical condition, reaching Sumeru would still take considerable time.
Suddenly, she felt something hard beneath her foot. She lifted her foot and looked down, freezing in place.
It was... a Vision?!
A Geo Vision?!
Chu Xi picked up the Vision. As her fingers brushed against it, the Vision seemed to respond, glowing even brighter.
Her mind hadn't yet processed the implications.
So, Visions can actually be personally bestowed by the Gods?