"Light?"
Dainsleif paused, momentarily stunned. When he turned around, he saw Halfdan's soul condense within a pure, sky-blue radiance.
Halfdan gave a formal Royal Guard salute and sighed. "My apology, 'Twilight Sword.' I have failed you. I could not protect our people."
Dainsleif looked somewhat dazed. He clenched his fist, his hand trembling faintly. After a long silence, he finally spoke.
"No… Over these five hundred years, you fulfilled your duty."
Halfdan looked surprised at those words. After hesitating for a moment, he asked carefully, "Khaenri'ah… hasn't fallen, has it? After all, you're still standing here."
Dainsleif glanced toward Lora. She, however, had tilted her head up toward the water in the pool above, wearing an expression that made it clear this had nothing to do with her.
Seeing her reaction, Dainsleif gave a faint nod. "Yes."
Having received the answer he longed for, Halfdan's soul could no longer sustain itself. It dissolved into a brilliant light and merged with the purifying waters above.
As Halfdan's soul faded, a heavy silence settled over the room.
Even Paimon knew better than to interrupt Dainsleif at a moment like this.
After a short while, Dainsleif let out a long sigh. He turned back to the group and said, "Alright. I've finished the investigation I came here for. The Abyss Order's plan is still in motion, and I need to gather more clues. Until next time."
Right now, he only wanted to leave as quickly as possible.
More than anything, he didn't want to remain in Lora's presence any longer.
After a brief farewell, Dainsleif departed.
Lumine then looked toward Lora. "Should we head back as well? We've already figured out the cause of the Hilichurl anomaly, so we can report back to the Adventurers' Guild and the Liyue Qixing."
"Yay! More commission rewards! I'm going to eat tons of delicious food and wipe away all the gloom from this place!" Paimon rubbed her hands together excitedly, kicking her feet in midair.
"Alright, let's go," Lora said.
The group returned from the Chasm to Liyue Harbor and reported everything that had happened below to the Adventurers' Guild and the Liyue Qixing. However, they kept the matter of Khaenri'ah hidden, merely explaining that Hilichurls would enter the Chasm shortly before death and wait there for their end.
Ningguang clearly knew that wasn't the full truth, but she chose not to press the issue.
When Lora mentioned the Abyss Order, Ningguang promised to increase efforts to track their movements and assured her that any news would be reported immediately.
Lumine and Paimon happily ran off with their commission reward to find something delicious to eat.
Meanwhile, Makoto and Ei approached Lora.
"Have you finished dealing with the matter in the Chasm?" Makoto asked, noticing her somewhat subdued mood.
Lora gave a small nod. "It is indeed connected to the Abyss Order. Unfortunately, we still couldn't find their base."
Ei spoke calmly. "Don't worry. Your family will be safe. Since the Abyss Order covets the authority of the Primordial Sea, they'll keep Rhodeia alive and use her as leverage against you."
Lora nodded, then looked at the two sisters.
"So why did you come to find me? Haven't you been enjoying yourselves in Liyue lately?"
"Of course we have! We've been having a wonderful time in Liyue!" Makoto said with a smile, shaking her head lightly before continuing. "We came to see you because we're heading back to Inazuma. We wanted to ask if you'd like to come with us."
"Did something happen in Inazuma?" Lora asked instinctively.
Makoto shook her head again. "Nothing's wrong. It's just that the Irodori Festival is approaching. The Miko and the Yashiro Commission are organizing it, and they sent a letter to Liyue asking when we'll return to attend. Since you probably don't have anything pressing to do here lately, I thought I'd ask if you wanted to come along."
"I don't mind," Lora replied with a slight shake of her head. It wasn't time to head to Sumeru yet anyway, so she truly had nothing else planned.
"Then come back to Inazuma with us," Ei said.
"You're making it sound like we're kidnapping Lora," Makoto said helplessly at Ei's tone. Turning back to Lora, she added brightly, "Then it's settled! In two days, we'll head to Inazuma together!"
"Alright." Lora nodded.
When Ningguang learned that the three of them were traveling to Inazuma, she originally intended to assemble a fleet in the name of the Liyue Qixing to escort them. However, after Lora calmly laid out the facts, Ningguang abandoned the idea.
An escort?
All three of them were Archons of the Seven. Who exactly would be escorting whom?
In any case, Makoto somehow obtained a large ship and set off toward Inazuma with the other two.
And when it was said that there were three people aboard—
There were truly only three.
Not a single sailor was on the ship.
Lora stared blankly at the empty cabin.
"Without a sailor… how are we supposed to move the ship?"
Makoto looked at her with mild surprise.
"With the Hydro Archon here, do we really need mortals to row the boat?"
Ei added calmly, "More importantly, we already spent all the money we brought. There's nothing left to hire a sailor."
Makoto's face reddened slightly as she shot a glance at her younger sister.
"Ei!"
"Oh! So that's how it is." Lora suddenly understood. Looking at the two sisters, she asked, "So this was your real plan when you invited me to Inazuma? You wanted me to row the boat for you?"
"I won't deny that's part of it!" Makoto admitted immediately, before quickly adding, "But I genuinely wanted you to come to Inazuma for the festival too! You should relax a little."
Lora looked at Makoto's extremely sincere smile, then spread her hands slightly.
"Still… why don't you just fly?"
"My sister said she's too lazy to fly," Ei replied before Makoto could say anything, exposing everything without hesitation.
Lora: "..."
"That's nonsense!" Makoto immediately denied it, turning to Lora again. "Of course it's so we can enjoy the scenery along the way!"
"It's nothing but ocean the entire route. What scenery is there to enjoy?" Lora asked calmly.
Seeing Makoto suddenly looking awkward and flustered, Lora found her mood unexpectedly improving.
"Huh? You're smiling?" Makoto noticed the faint upward curve of Lora's lips. "That's good! You should smile more. A good mood keeps people healthy."
"Sister, we aren't people," Ei said seriously.
Makoto: "..."
"Alright, I'll take care of it," Lora said, already understanding Makoto's intentions. She waved a hand toward the two of them.
Under Lora's control, the seawater beneath the ship slowly began pushing the vessel forward, guiding it out of the harbor and toward Inazuma.
"Ah, that's incredibly convenient," Makoto remarked, leaning against the deck railing as she gazed out at the distant sea, marveling at Lora's power.
While controlling the water to propel the ship forward, Lora glanced at her and said calmly:
"Remember to pay me wages."