Neither Venti nor Lora was at their peak. Even wielding divine power, both were constrained in many ways when they fought. When facing gods like the two of them, the Abyss Order might be unable to win, but they were not entirely without the ability to resist.
However, against the Geo Archon—over six thousand years old and having ruled Liyue for more than three thousand seven hundred years—the Abyss Order had absolutely no capacity for resistance.
Forget talk of the Abyss drowning a divine throne or overturning the "Heavenly Principles." Provoking the Geo Archon before their power had fully accumulated would result in the entire Abyss Order being smashed straight into The Chasm.
In short, when it came to the Geo Archon and Liyue, the Abyss Order could not act as recklessly as they had in Mondstadt—forcing Dvalin to be corrupted by Abyssal pollution right in front of Venti. If they did something like that here, Venti might not necessarily kill them, but the Geo Archon definitely would.
"Your Highness, the Prince, we've uncovered another matter," the Abyss Herald behind Aether continued his report. "Two Fatui Harbingers from Snezhnaya appear to have arrived in Liyue. Their target is the Geo Archon's Gnosis."
"Gnosis…" Aether frowned slightly, lowering his gaze as he thought. Then he said, "I understand the Cryo Archon's objective now. Leave her be. If she truly succeeds in her plan, it won't be a bad thing for us."
He paused briefly before continuing, "Pass the order down. As long as the Fatui don't come into conflict with us, do not interfere."
"Yes!" The Abyss Herald bowed respectfully, then added, "However, the two Harbingers do not seem to have arrived on the same mission. One of them, known as 'Childe,' appears unaware of the other's objective. He has already made contact with your blood relative and gained her initial trust."
"…How is she?" Aether fell silent for a moment before turning to look at the Abyss Herald and asking.
"Your blood relative was mistakenly identified as a suspect in the assassination attempt on the Geo Archon during today's Rite of Descension and was pursued by the Millelith," the Abyss Herald replied carefully.
"With that Harbinger's assistance, she escaped the scene, left Liyue Harbor, and headed toward Mt. Tianheng to seek out the reclusive adepti of Liyue."
Aether's gaze grew deep.
After a long moment of thought, he said, "If that Harbinger so much as lays a hand on her, inform me immediately. Also, keep a close watch on Liyue Harbor. The Geo Archon's Gnosis will not be handed over to the Fatui so easily."
He continued calmly, "Liyue Harbor will inevitably face turmoil. Once chaos erupts in a Liyue Harbor that has lost its Geo Archon, that will be our opportunity."
"Yes!" The Abyss Herald nodded.
…
At dawn, when Lora pushed open her window, fresh air from above Liyue Harbor rushed in to greet her. The sea breeze brushed through her hair like rolling waves, while the dense hydro elemental energy in the air danced and leapt joyfully among her strands.
Those lively water elements seemed to whisper—
"Good morning, Lord of Sweet Dew."
After a simple wash, Lora left her room. Her quarters weren't located in the central palace of the Jade Chamber complex, but as Ningguang's honored guest, most of the staff working there greeted her with polite smiles when they saw her.
Sometimes, though, luck had its off moments.
As Lora walked along, someone suddenly bumped into her from behind. When she turned around in mild confusion, she saw the person crouching on the ground, hurriedly gathering scattered documents.
"G–Ganyu?" Lora was startled.
Wasn't this Ganyu? Why did she seem so flustered today? In Lora's impression, Ganyu was always calm no matter the circumstances—certainly not someone who would run into another person like this.
"I'm terribly sorry for the trouble," Ganyu said after picking up the thick stack of files, straightening up to apologize. But when she got a clear look at Lora, she froze, a faint crease forming between her brows.
Seeing Ganyu's reaction, Lora couldn't help but wonder silently. She didn't think she had ever met this half-adeptus face-to-face before. Had Ganyu recognized her?
Of course, Ganyu hadn't recognized Lora's identity. But Lora was the master of hydro itself, the embodiment of the purest primordial water.
That clean, refreshing aura was precisely what attracted an auspicious qilin like Ganyu, who drank only sweet dew and fed only on the finest grains.
"Hello. I'm Ganyu, secretary to the Liyue Qixing and attendant of Yuehai Pavilion. May I ask your name?" That refreshing presence immediately increased Ganyu's goodwill toward her, and she introduced herself before looking at Lora expectantly.
"Lora Chaya," she replied, giving her name.
Although she had been detained yesterday by Ningguang as a suspect, the matter hadn't spread widely among the Qixing or throughout Yujing Terrace. Very few people knew her name, and Ganyu herself had been working overtime. After learning of the incident involving the Geo Archon, she had been utterly distracted.
Hearing the name Lora, Ganyu searched her memory but couldn't find anyone who matched. Yet judging by Lora's bearing—and the fact that she could freely appear in the Jade Chamber—her status was clearly extraordinary. As a secretary at Yujing Terrace, Ganyu felt she should have heard of her before.
"Miss Lora isn't from Liyue, is she?"
Lora smiled and nodded. "That's right. I'm from Fontaine."
"I see." Ganyu nodded slightly, as if understanding something. "I still need to deliver today's documents to Ningguang, so I'll excuse myself. I hope Miss Lora enjoys her time in Liyue."
After watching Ganyu leave, Lora didn't linger either and headed outside.
As Ningguang's guest, she had ample authority to enter and leave the Jade Chamber freely, and everyone working there recognized her.
After wandering around for a while, she realized that during the daytime, everyone in the Jade Chamber was busy with work. Loitering around on her own felt a bit impolite.
So she took the lift down from the Jade Chamber and headed toward Liyue Harbor.
Better to go take a look around below.
On the opposite side of the Jade Chamber, Yelan stood by the railing, quietly observing Lora's movements until she left.
"To think she became Lady Ningguang's honored guest… that's rare," Yelan murmured to herself.
She was a little surprised, but it was also within expectations. Based on her investigations, Lora was certainly no ordinary person.
Her connection with the adepti was anything but simple.
After a brief moment of thought, Yelan turned and headed back into the Jade Chamber to find Ningguang.
Inside Ningguang's office, Keqing was in the middle of a heated argument with her.
"Ningguang," Keqing said, standing in front of her, "letting someone who was once suspected of assassinating the Geo Archon stay in the Jade Chamber—isn't that far too rash?"