Chapter 148. Materials Collected
Futsu Mitama didn't know what Lumine's mood was at this moment, but from Paimon's description, she definitely wanted to catch her brother and beat him up.
Because Aether's tone was too provoking, what did he mean by,
"There aren't many treasure chests left in the depths of The Chasm, I've basically opened them all."
Aether's words were tantamount to telling Lumine:
Sis ~ don't open treasure chests anymore! Bro has already opened them all for you!!!
Lumine's reaction was truly that of a sibling, wishing she could hang Aether up and beat him.
Although Lumine's current strength was still very weak, far from matching Aether, Futsu Mitama felt that in this sibling battle, the younger sister would definitely win.
After all, as an older brother, Aether would still be reluctant to lay a hand on his younger sister.
Back then, when Futsu Mitama was only suspected of being a "brother-in-law", Aether risked exposure and directly rushed to The Chasm, taking action to capture Futsu Mitama.
Although he didn't intend to harm Futsu Mitama, he merely wanted to ask if their relationship had reached that stage.
In the end, it turned out to be a misunderstanding, but Lumine had remembered this grudge.
Coupled with the grudge of the stolen treasure chests, Futsu Mitama could only silently mourn for Aether in his heart, indicating that he should be extremely careful the next time he saw Lumine.
"What's wrong? Why are you looking at me like that?"
At this moment, Aether also noticed Futsu Mitama's slightly pitying gaze. He was a little strange, what was going on?
Futsu Mitama also withdrew his pitying gaze and slowly said,
"Nothing, I just suddenly remembered that your sister seems to have something she wants me to tell you."
Aether's eyes lit up slightly. He said impatiently,
"What is it?"
Although Aether always avoided meeting Lumine, it wasn't because he had forgotten his sister.
On the contrary, she was the person he cared about most, but there were matters with the Abyss Order, and he had to settle things with the Heavenly Principles.
During Lumine's journey, if he, as her brother, frequently appeared before her, it would definitely be extremely detrimental to her subsequent travels.
When Lumine was working in Mondstadt, she even posted a missing person notice looking for him.
As soon as the missing person notice was posted in Mondstadt, Aether learned everything through the Abyss Order that same night, which made him very relieved, but also very helpless.
The timing was not right now. If possible, Aether also wanted to talk, chat, and eat with Lumine.
Now that Futsu Mitama said his sister had something to tell him, Aether naturally didn't bother to think why Futsu Mitama had shown a pitying gaze earlier.
"Hmm~"
Futsu Mitama glanced at the Chat Group and slowly said,
"She said she misses you and wants to see you. Although she doesn't know why you won't see her, considering how hard she's trying to find you, why don't you make some time to see her?"
Futsu Mitama finished speaking and then fell silent, because he knew Aether would definitely misunderstand.
Previously, Lumine wanted to see Aether purely out of missing him, but now... it was probably not missing him anymore.
But the wavering killing intent of a young girl.
Sure enough, after hearing what Futsu Mitama said, Aether sighed deeply, a forlorn expression on his face. He said with emotion,
"How could I not want to see her?"
"But she is my blood relative, the person I value most on this continent of Teyvat. I cannot meet her, at least not now. I can only secretly see her in the dark."
Aether was very helpless. He didn't hide anything from Futsu Mitama because there was no true mortal enmity between them.
Furthermore, since the core members of the Abyss Order had all gone out to find materials, Aether could also speak some of his true feelings. It wasn't that he didn't want to see Lumine.
But he couldn't. He truly couldn't meet her, otherwise, why would he always hide his tracks?
"Why can't you meet?"
Futsu Mitama suddenly asked. He was actually curious as to why Aether and Lumine couldn't meet.
From various plotlines in his previous life, it was clear that Aether and Lumine had a very, very good relationship, and both valued each other deeply.
But after they became the "Reverse Leads," without exception, they didn't go to see each other. The twins, who should have had the deepest bond, were forced to separate.
One traveled openly, while the other plotted something in the shadows.
This was clearly somewhat unreasonable, so now that he had a rare chance to see Aether, Futsu Mitama naturally had to ask what was going on.
Was Aether cursed? Or was he himself cursed? Or was he, like Maha Rukkhadevata, entangled by the "taboo"?
But Aether looked perfectly fine now, as if nothing was wrong, and his own strength was still so formidable.
From Aether's calm demeanor upon seeing him and Raiden Ei, Futsu Mitama knew that the "Reverse Lead's" strength was at least at the peak of an Archon.
His strength was not inferior to Zhongli's, that much was certain, otherwise, where would he get the ability to challenge the Heavenly Principles?
With such powerful strength, yet he was willing to stay in the Abyss Order, and often in this godforsaken place called the Abyss, what was he even aiming for?
"..."
Aether was silent for a moment. He shook his head slightly, pointed upwards, then pointed at himself, and sighed,
"It's too complicated. I can only tell you that I and Lumine cannot meet for now. My existence will affect her future, her journey, and her safety."
Speaking of this, Aether sighed. He was very clear about the dangers his existence would bring to Lumine.
That's why he had never met Lumine. Knowing that his existence would bring danger to the person he cherished, he naturally couldn't go to see her.
Even a simple meeting would bring unimaginable variables and disasters to her.
"If you insist on some kind of danger—"
Aether looked at Futsu Mitama and revealed a bit of information.
"It's that we are twins, and she can see the things I've experienced. You have reached the Demon God Realm, so you should be aware that on this continent of Teyvat, there are many things that, if seen by those of lower strength who shouldn't see them, will attract disaster."
"For example, Beelzebub, would you tell Futsu Mitama about what happened in Khaenri'ah that day?"
Aether looked at Raiden Ei, who was meditating silently, and threw the question to her.
Raiden Ei slowly opened her eyes. She was silent for a moment, then shook her head slightly.
She made her stance clear: she could not tell Futsu Mitama what she had witnessed in Khaenri'ah that day.
Futsu Mitama stroked his chin, growing increasingly curious. What exactly happened in Khaenri'ah? As things had progressed this far, it wasn't just her; Raiden Makoto, Venti, and Zhongli, who had participated in the Khaenri'ah war, all remained silent about the matter.
Maha Rukkhadevata, who had not participated in the Khaenri'ah war, also seemed to know something, but they all tacitly agreed to a rule: not to speak of it.
Even in the Chat Group, they rarely discussed it, unless it involved extremely important matters, only then would these original Archons reveal some information.
For example, when Guizhong was about to be resurrected and needed condensed resin to condense her soul, forcing Venti to act.
At that time, Raiden Makoto had spoken the opponent's name, "Htoratsi," though it was reversed. Yet, they were still so cautious in the Chat Group.
This showed the original Archons' apprehension towards those beings.
However, as curious as Futsu Mitama was, he would never seek death. He would simply wait until the Chat Group reached LV5 or LV6.
Only when he reached a realm beyond the Archons would he explore those taboos that even the Archons greatly feared.
"So, I temporarily cannot agree to Lumine's request."
Aether sighed, but he quickly changed his expression, saying very seriously,
"But I believe we will meet again one day, and that day will not be too long."
Seriously, Aether felt that the day he reunited with his sister would not be far off.
He believed that day would undoubtedly be a very touching reunion between siblings.
"Okay."
Futsu Mitama nodded and relayed Aether's words exactly to Lumine.
Aether was truly a good brother, but he didn't know that everything he did was seen by his sister.
So, whether it would be a loving sibling relationship or a love-hate one, Futsu Mitama was still quite looking forward to it.
—
During their casual chat, Aether and Futsu Mitama talked about many things, both about past events and some about "himself."
For example, Aether was very curious about how Futsu Mitama managed to reach the Demon God Realm at just 19 years old.
Futsu Mitama stated that he had cheated, doing nothing and just reaching the Demon God Realm.
Aether chuckled at this, not saying much more. He didn't believe it; he felt that Futsu Mitama was definitely someone who slacked off in public but worked incredibly hard in private.
Just like most of the beings in the Abyss Order, who publicly declared,
"I obey His Highness, the Prince; I will absolutely not cause trouble today."
But then, a moment later,
"FOR HIS HIGHNESS, THE PRINCE!!!! I AM WILLING TO GIVE MY ALL! SO, YOU DIE!"
Afterward, Aether would have to clean up their messes. Sometimes Aether was quite helpless; having such loyal subordinates was a good thing.
But they publicly declared they wouldn't cause trouble, yet secretly they caused immense trouble, which made him very, very helpless.
While this was very much the Abyss Order, Aether sometimes still wished his subordinates would calmly improve their strength, cause less trouble, and give him less to worry about.
Futsu Mitama, on the other hand, was curious about how many worlds Aether and Lumine had visited. As Lumines, they should have experienced quite a few worlds.
But Aether stated that they hadn't experienced too many worlds; most of the time, they were just Lumines, passing through a world, staying for ten-odd days, and then leaving.
The longest they had stayed in a world was probably the continent of Teyvat, not because they wanted to stay there.
But because when they were about to leave Teyvat, they were stopped by an unknown Archon and couldn't leave even if they wanted to.
Ultimately, Aether embarked on his journey 500 years ago, and at the journey's end, he found the answer.
He then stopped speaking, stating that the rest was unspeakable.
Futsu Mitama said he could pay more!
Aether said it wasn't about money, but that some things you had to experience yourself to understand his troubles.
Aether also gave Futsu Mitama some pointers: although his current strength was powerful, all the moves he used came from various Archons.
He even directly stated that the Anemo Archon had not passed on his legacy to him, merely giving Futsu Mitama the Gnosis and authority, which in a sense was guiding Futsu Mitama.
Allowing Futsu Mitama to borrow external power, but the core path had to be walked by himself.
When Aether said this, Raiden Ei opened her eyes and glanced at Aether, but said nothing, silently closing her eyes again.
Futsu Mitama also nodded slightly, indicating that he understood, because Zhongli and Raiden Ei had also mentioned this point.
Before passing on their legacies to Futsu Mitama, they had said that these were the legacies of Rex Lapis and Raiden Shogun.
Futsu Mitama previously had power but no legacy, so Zhongli and Raiden Ei gave him their legacies.
This allowed Futsu Mitama to possess incredibly powerful strength in a short amount of time, but now that he had reached the Demon God Realm, it was time for him to forge his own path.
—
Later, Aether casually asked why Futsu Mitama and Raiden Ei specifically came to their side. Was their initial goal to have the Abyss Order members help them work?
Aether had now confirmed that Futsu Mitama and Raiden Ei had indeed come to the Abyss to collect materials.
But how did they find this place?
Last time, it could be said that the Abyss Order had tricked Futsu Mitama.
The three Archons followed that lead to get here to retaliate against the Abyss Order; there was no problem with that, and Aether accepted his defeat.
But now, to prevent this place from being discovered again, Aether and the core members of the Abyss Order had spent a lot of effort to relocate it.
Simply put, the dilapidated ancient city below was a movable continent. In the Abyss, Aether and the core members of the Abyss Order, as long as they were willing to pay the price, could move this continent and transfer it to a safe place.
So, how did Futsu Mitama and Raiden Ei find this place?
Aether was somewhat curious about this, and of course, he was prepared for Futsu Mitama not to answer.
But Futsu Mitama answered very readily, stating that between the Inazuma sea area and the Dark Sea, there was a tiny Abyss rift, and Raiden Ei had used her divine power to stabilize that rift.
Through that rift, as soon as they arrived in the Abyss, they saw Aether and a group of core Abyss Order members approaching.
So, this was truly a coincidence.
Futsu Mitama and Raiden Ei had not specifically come to rob the Abyss Order; they intended to find materials on their own.
But as soon as Futsu Mitama saw Aether and the core Abyss Order members, an idea sparked in his mind, and he decided to try it. He didn't expect it to actually succeed.
"..."
Aether fell silent. He hesitated to speak, his expression exceptionally complex, but his fists quietly clenched.
"Did you discover something?"
Seeing Aether's quietly clenched fists, Futsu Mitama felt as if he had discovered something.
Could it be that the Abyss rift was not naturally formed, but opened from the inside out?
If that were the case—
Then the fun would be immense. An internal member of the Abyss Order walked out of the Abyss, leaving a rift.
This matter was a minor one, after all, coming out of the Abyss and opening a rift was a very normal thing.
If he dared to appear directly in Inazuma, he would most likely be discovered by Raiden Ei or the Shogun, and then directly cut down with a single strike.
This was also why there weren't many Abyss Order members infiltrating Inazuma; anyone who dared to enter was cut down.
The Shogun was incredibly domineering, as it was written into her "program": any entity daring to enter Inazuma to cause trouble without permission.
ONE COMES, ONE DIES! TWO COME, BOTH DIE! NO REASONING WHATSOEVER!
It's just that the person who opened this Abyss rift was likely also unlucky. He probably didn't expect his casual small action to attract Futsu Mitama and Raiden Ei.
And also to trick the Abyss Order, making the named and prominent core members of the Abyss Order work for Futsu Mitama and Raiden Ei, collecting various Abyss materials.
"Hmm~"
Aether didn't hide it. He rubbed his temples, his voice somewhat complex.
"I probably know who it is. Because there's only one guy who left the Abyss recently."
Aether lied here; quite a few Abyss Order members had left the Abyss, but only one Abyss Order member went to Inazuma.
—
Just then, the core Abyss Order members who had left earlier returned, which surprised Futsu Mitama.
It had only been less than twenty minutes; had they already finished collecting everything?
"Your Highness."
An Abyss Herald produced a small bag and respectfully handed it to Aether. He said with some pride:
"We have already collected all the Abyss materials. All the materials are in this bag. Please examine them."
Aether took the bag and casually glanced inside, finding that the Abyss materials were not only complete in variety but also very abundant in quantity.
It seemed his subordinates were still very efficient, having collected all the large and small materials in the Abyss in less than half an hour, and the quantity was also quite plentiful.
Aether didn't know what Futsu Mitama and Raiden Ei wanted these things for, but since they wanted them, he was willing to give them.
Anyway, these materials were basically useless to the Abyss Order, just like the flowers and grasses on the continent of Teyvat, common things found everywhere.
The most precious things inside were just some unique Abyss ores. These things could still be found if one was determined to look for them.
After looking, Aether threw the items to Futsu Mitama, asking him to examine them. If there were no problems, then he and Raiden Ei could leave this place.
Futsu Mitama took it and also glanced at it a few times. This bag was made of special materials, and the space inside was much larger than it appeared from the outside.
But as for the numerous Abyss materials inside, Futsu Mitama looked at them carefully for a few moments, then directly threw the bag to Raiden Ei.
The reason was simple: he didn't know what these materials were, nor what they were used for.
Are you kidding?
He didn't know what materials Raiden Ei needed to create the special husk doll.
Raiden Ei, Zhongli, and Albedo had worked together to deduce the Irminsul materials for three months, surely trying countless methods.
They intended to deduce the "special husk doll" that appeared from the Chat Group's check-in. In these three months, they must have tried many methods.
Otherwise, Raiden Ei wouldn't have come to the Abyss. Since she was coming to the Abyss, she must have already planned what materials she wanted to obtain from it.
Raiden Ei took the bag and briefly peered inside, nodding slightly with a satisfied expression.
Seeing Raiden Ei's satisfied expression, Aether also quietly breathed a sigh of relief. As long as Beelzebub was satisfied, it meant the matter was settled.
"Do you have Inteyvats?"
Raiden Ei suddenly asked Aether.
"Hm?"
Hearing these words, Aether frowned slightly, looking somewhat puzzled. He didn't expect Raiden Ei to ask about this item.
"BEELZEBUB, WHAT DO YOU INTEND TO DO?"
An Abyss Herald, sensitive to the name, directly questioned Raiden Ei's intentions.
No other reason, but Inteyvat was the national flower of Khaenri'ah.
Simply put, it was the two flowers Lumine wore on her head.
Inteyvat once bloomed in every corner of the land of Khaenri'ah. The blooming period of this flower was originally only two weeks.
But if picked and taken away from the land of Khaenri'ah, the petals would stop growing and become very hard. Only upon returning to its homeland would the petals soften again and eventually turn to dust.
Therefore, Inteyvat also symbolized "wanderers," signifying "the tenderness of home."
Many Abyss Order members, more or less, possessed this flower, and Aether had the largest quantity.
He held the most Inteyvats, which were given to him by deceased Abyss Order members, either before or after their passing.
The meaning was that, if there ever came a day, they hoped His Highness, the Prince, would bring the flowers they carried back to their homeland, Khaenri'ah.
This way, even if they died, they could return to their roots.
"..."
Raiden Ei did not answer the Abyss Herald, merely looking at Aether calmly.
She wanted Inteyvat simply because she suddenly remembered that there was such a discontinued material on the continent of Teyvat.
Perhaps she could try to see what would happen if she fused this material with the Irminsul?
Anyway, Raiden Ei held a 'let's try' attitude. If she had it, great. If not... she would find a way to get a copy.
Khaenri'ah was no longer a place where Archons could go; it was filled with curses, and Raiden Ei did not want to get involved.
Even if she did get involved, although it would be somewhat troublesome, it wouldn't be particularly troublesome. The main issue was, if she got involved, what would happen to her people?
Because of this reasoning, Raiden Ei would not take this risk. It just so happened that the beings of the Abyss Order were all Khaenri'ahns, so asking them about Inteyvat was a win-win situation.
Aether looked into Raiden Ei's eyes and knew that she was probably planning something big, and therefore needed to collect materials from various sources.
Although he didn't know what she wanted to do, the priority now was to send this Raiden Shogun out of the Abyss first, otherwise, the Abyss Order would be the ones to suffer.
Aether also sighed, then took out ten Inteyvat flowers and handed them to Raiden Ei, saying,
"We don't have many of these. I'll personally give you ten. Although I don't know what you intend to do, these ten Inteyvat flowers represent the longing for home of ten Khaenri'ahns. I hope you won't let them down."
Raiden Ei nodded slightly, indicating that she understood. She then took the Inteyvat flowers from Aether's hand and finally looked at Futsu Mitama, saying,
"The matter is settled. Let's return to Inazuma."
"Alright." Futsu Mitama naturally agreed. He looked at Aether with a smile and said, "I hope we are not enemies the next time we meet."
"I hope so too."
Aether also nodded slightly, but he knew it was impossible.
Because the Abyss Order's main area of activity is still within the seven nations of Teyvat.
Next, the Abyss Order is going to take action in Liyue and Mondstadt. If Futsu Mitama isn't in these two nations, it's fine, but if he is—
Out of respect for Morax and Barbatos, he would definitely step in to stop them.
Soon, with Raiden Ei's intervention, the spatial rift was opened again, and Futsu Mitama and Raiden Ei departed together.
After Futsu Mitama and Raiden Ei left, the Abyss Order's core members breathed a sigh of relief. It seemed they hadn't lied; they were simply there to collect abyssal materials.
At this moment, Aether looked at the Abyss Order's core members and said calmly,
"Tell Enjou, no matter what he's doing, to come back and find me first."
After speaking, Aether vanished into thin air, heading to an unknown destination.