After experiencing this part of the Desert storyline, Chen Xiyao's perception of Angie improved dramatically.
She's definitely not a bad person!
This was Chen Xiyao's current sentiment, shared by virtually all players.
To date, the only Fatui Harbingers who truly antagonized the players were the Doctor and Scaramouche. The Fair Lady might also count, but her arrogance was relatively mild compared to the others, earning her less outright hatred.
Angie had openly declared her feud with the Doctor and clashed with Scaramouche, perfectly aligning with the players' desires.
Most importantly, knowing that Angie would sacrifice herself in the war against the Abyss later on, players were willing to selectively overlook any questionable actions she might take now.
Besides, Angie hadn't actually done anything wrong. Her status as a Person of Pure Soul alone guaranteed she couldn't be evil.
The release of the A Winter Night's Lazzo PV had catapulted the Fatui's popularity to unprecedented heights. Among the characters appearing in every nation, Angie undoubtedly generated the most discussion.
A massive wave of Angie fans descended, vowing to protect her until her final moment!
"Is everyone alright?" Lumine, who had fallen first, immediately checked on Paimon and Chu Xi. Seeing they were both unharmed, she asked the others.
"We're fine," Angie replied. Having landed on top of Ailina, she emerged completely unscathed. The rest of the group seemed similarly unharmed.
"Ugh, what a cursed day..." Dehya grumbled. She'd thought they could return home after rescuing the scholar, but now...
"Annoying," Alhaitham added.
Cyno explained, "The sand dune collapsed just now. I saw a barrier... the Village Keepers protected us. The green Dendro Elemental Energy matches your descriptions—it might be the lingering power of Lesser Lord Kusanali within that scholar's body."
The scholar, Isaac's grandfather, had once again slipped into a daze.
As the group briefly assessed their situation, Rahman stepped forward.
"Yes, that must be it! Our glorious King guided us to this Sanctuary today!"
Though the green barrier had protected them all, it seemed to favor certain individuals. Among the fallen Eremite members, only Rahman appeared relatively unscathed. The others lay scattered nearby, seemingly drained of their strength for the time being.
Paimon: "He's not thinking of going in there, is he?!"
Alhaitham: "What a coincidence. I was just about to suggest we take a look inside."
In response to Paimon's question, Alhaitham explained, "Don't you find this fascinating? Lesser Lord Kusanali's power shielded us from disaster, and immediately afterward, architecture from Deshret's Civilization materialized here."
"Two generations of gods vying to demonstrate their power—it would be a shame not to witness it firsthand."
Paimon: "Didn't you say you weren't interested in gods?"
Alhaitham: "Indeed, I'm not. To me, gods are merely another form of higher-level life, akin to animals. Novel phenomena are worth investigating to the fullest extent. Whether they're related to gods or not is irrelevant."
Besides Alhaitham, Lumine, Cyno, Dehya, and Angie were equally eager to uncover the secrets of this structure.
After all, who could resist unraveling the mysteries surrounding gods?
After a preliminary exploration, the group discovered that the structure belonged to Deshret's Civilization, yet the power flowing within originated from the Dendro Archon.
Beyond this, they found nothing else of note.
"It seems we'll need to thoroughly explore every corner of this place to uncover its secrets," Lumine concluded.
The group slowly ventured deeper into King Deshret's Ruins, encountering numerous mechanical devices along the way.
Lumine proved particularly adept at navigating these mechanisms, effortlessly finding solutions to activate them with barely a moment's thought.
Angie couldn't help but praise her: "I never realized you had such a remarkable ability."
Paimon puffed out her chest, her face beaming with pride. "Of course! Lumine's amazing! Though, I must say, my guidance as her guide has been invaluable!"
As the group pressed forward, Chu Xi, who had been silently trailing behind them, suddenly stopped, her face etched with disbelief.
Alhaitham noticed Chu Xi's unusual behavior and halted.
"What's wrong, Chu Xi?" Paimon asked.
Lumine also moved closer, casting a concerned glance at her.
"My... my Dendro Vision, the one I always carry with me... it's gone!" Chu Xi's voice trembled with panic.
"Did you forget it somewhere? Maybe it fell out when we fell earlier?"
"No, it was in my hand just a moment ago. It didn't fall out... it seems to have... vanished."
"Vanished?!"
Lumine's expression turned grave. She knew what that Vision meant to Chu Xi.
Paimon immediately began searching the area, and Dehya and the others joined in. They scoured every inch, but the extinguished Dendro Vision remained nowhere to be found.
The exploration couldn't be interrupted. They decided to search again on their way back.
Chu Xi nodded in agreement. It was the only option.
The group continued onward, venturing deeper into the cave. As they progressed, the density of vegetation increased. Finally, they entered a vast chamber. At its center stood a gentle slope covered in vibrant flowers.
Climbing the slope, they beheld a small, flower- and tree-covered mound that resembled a grave.
Hovering before the grave was a glowing Dendro Vision.
Chu Xi's gaze was immediately drawn to it. Upon closer inspection, she realized it was unmistakably her missing, extinguished Dendro Vision!
"What's going on? Why is there a Vision here?" Paimon exclaimed in surprise.
"It's exactly the same as the one I lost earlier! But why did it suddenly light up again?"
"Huh?! Just like Chu Xi's lost Vision?"
Lumine stepped forward and examined the glowing Vision. "This is the Dendro Vision Chu Xi always carried with her."
Paimon grew even more puzzled. "But why would Chu Xi's Vision be here?"
Paimon's question echoed the doubts of everyone present. Alhaitham pondered for a moment but couldn't discern the underlying principle.
Suddenly, the glowing Dendro Vision flew toward Chu Xi. Instinctively, she reached out, and the Vision gently settled into her palm, its light dimming as it landed.
[The Vision dimmed again?!]
[Triggered again! This has happened twice already. Could this mean the current Person of Pure Soul is gone... Silaya?!]
[Get lost, upstairs! Silaya's Vision isn't like this, and besides, this Vision was already extinguished.]
[Instead of racking your brains, just watch the story unfold patiently. You'll find out eventually.]
The group began investigating the surrounding area for clues.
"There's a relic here... hmm, a memorial inscription written in ancient script."
To the left of the tomb, Alhaitham discovered an ancient book, or rather, a passage of text.
Dehya: "What does it say?"
Alhaitham: "Here lies our loyal priest, Kasala. His wisdom was a miracle among men, worthy of praise and song."
Rahman was astonished: "You can read ancient Deshret's script?"
Alhaitham replied nonchalantly, "It's nothing. Every young person should master at least twenty languages before graduation, wouldn't you agree?"
Hiss, that familiar phrase...
Paimon: "Now I understand why Silaya is Alhaitham's student, um... or maybe why Alhaitham is Silaya's teacher, well, it's pretty much the same thing."