"Lumine went out with someone wearing a mask?"
After distributing a round of passes, Orion came to Miss Katheryne to post a commission, only to suddenly learn that someone had abducted his little apprentice.
Seriously, after fighting like that last night, wouldn't a normal person struggle just to walk today? Where could a young girl like you possibly run off to?
Orion thought for a moment: "Is it a mask, not an eye patch?"
Katheryne nodded: "Yes, it's not an eye patch like Fischl's or Captain Kaiya's; it's a mask covering part of the face."
"What did it look like?"
"Dark, maybe, like this." Katheryne briefly gestured on her face.
Orion raised an eyebrow: "Is that Pierro, the 'Jester'?"
Katheryne: "..."
Katheryne: "I don't think so. Wait, do the Fatui Harbingers also wear masks?"
"Quite a few, actually. You didn't know?"
Katheryne shook her head. Although she was the creation of the Marionette, she wasn't qualified to recognize the appearance of every single Fatui Harbinger.
While the two were talking, Orion's commission form was completed.
Katheryne took the commission form and read it back to Orion: "You and your traveling companion will soon depart for Liyue. To ensure the cleanliness of your room, you need to recruit several experienced, diligent, and capable maids... Is that correct?"
Orion nodded: "Yes."
Katheryne added a few notes to the details section of the commission form, then looked Up again and asked: "So, where is your house located? Should the key be kept with me for the maids to collect daily, or should it be directly entrusted to the maids?"
"Ah? Oh, no, no, you misunderstood." Orion reorganized his explanation: "I mean, I'm taking the house with me. I'll have the maids clean it when necessary, but I can allow them to return to Mondstadt whenever they wish."
Katheryne:???
Even Katheryne, who was an artificial human, experienced a momentary brain malfunction.
"You're carrying your house with you."
"That's right."
"Is it you who is traveling, or your house?"
"...Good question. Why can't we travel together? You can call me 'Up'."
"So, are you the mount for your house?"
"...Let's stick to discussing the commission."
...After spending some time helping Miss Katheryne understand what Liyue Adeptal Arts were, Orion decided he should go check on his apprentice.
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After spending some time helping Miss Katheryne understand what the Adept Arts of Liyue were, Orion decided he should go check on his apprentice.
Normally, Orion would be completely at ease. After all, given Lumine's resilience and her status as a Child of Destiny, she would be fine even if Teyvat exploded.
Moreover, Orion suddenly remembered who the masked man was—wasn't that Dainsleif, the Mysterious Commentator?
Dainsleif, Captain of the Khaenri'ah Royal Guard and the Twilight Sword, had combat power that was already stronger than Aether's during the Khaenri'ah era, Aether being Lumine's brother.
The current Dain possesses inherent immortality, and his martial skills are even superior to his former self. Lumine and Paimon will certainly be safe following him.
Perhaps friends unfamiliar with the Genshin Impact plot and characters might ask: Will Lumine be safe going out with such a strong man? No worries, kids. Dainsleif only has the Five Great Sinners on his mind. If Dain hypothetically had a wife, and they were fighting halfway through the night, if he suddenly got a call saying, "I have the Five Great Sinners," Dain would grab his wife and charge over immediately to kill them.
Orion was going to find them partly because he didn't want Lumine, who was so tired from last night, to overexert herself, and partly because there was a famous scene at the end of a plot segment involving Orion that he wanted to check in at.
This was the final plot point in Mondstadt!
Without a word, Orion immediately used a Teleport to head straight for the Waypoints at Stormterrors Lair. The famous scene of the siblings reuniting—I'm going, damn it, Reiner!
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The plan to modify Stormterror failed.
Aether had only gone to another location to observe the research progress of the Loom of Fate, but unexpectedly, the Anemo God and the people of Mondstadt resolved the Stormterror crisis together, even directly purifying Dvalin, who had been crowned the Anemo Elemental Dragon King.
A variable.
A huge variable had appeared in Teyvat.
But Aether knew he absolutely could not fail. Dvalin's loss was only temporary. Instead of continuously studying the failure, the quickest method should be to directly avoid this uncertain factor capable of resolving the Stormterror crisis, and the farther away, the better.
His goal did not conflict with the continued existence of others. As long as the plan could proceed smoothly, whether or not Stormterror was subdued was irrelevant.
Walking past a dandelion, Aether recalled the day Khaenri'ah fell. Was it morning, or night? Aether couldn't remember, because the entire sky that day was a blaze of red and black.
The pain and despair of that day lingered in his heart, making him frown deeply:
"Before the Abyss drowns the Divine Throne, I shall have no peace with the Heavenly Principles—only war..."
"Your Highness." An Ice Abyss Mage suddenly appeared: "In the experiment to convert Stormterror into a weapon, we encountered unexpected obstacles."
"That variable, I presume," Aether said. "I wonder what divine being could cause such a major disturbance. Could it truly be a new attendant of the Anemo God? Did the Anemo God actually crown himself again just for this matter?"
"Not so, Your Highness. The Anemo God's involvement was always within our considerations, but this variable appeared suddenly and without precedent, truly as if conjured from thin air.
But what we truly wish to inform you of, Your Majesty, is that among those acting alongside that variable, there is your blood relative!"
Aether's eyes instantly widened. His blood relative—his sister!
Aether asked the Abyss Mage for the location; Lumine was nearby!
Aether quickly ran to the edge of the cliff, barely stopping himself with a sudden halt.
At this moment, Lumine and Paimon were slaying Hilichurls in a ruin within Stormterrors Lair.
"Damn it, I really went overboard yesterday. Everything hurts today, I feel so uncomfortable!" Lumine cursed, feeling her sore muscles.
Just then, a Hilichurl swung a large wooden club toward Lumine's head.
Paimon was horrified by the sight. Just as she was about to shout a warning, a yellow flash suddenly sped in from the distance!
"I'm not too late, am I?" Orion kicked the Hilichurl directly into a bloody mist, then naturally embraced the surprised Lumine, and gave a V-sign toward the top of the cliff.
On the cliff, Aether, who had been rushing forward, looked down and saw a Blondie hugging his sister and giving him a V-sign.
What the hell are you signaling?
Aether's veins pulsed on his forehead, his mood extremely complicated. However, he glanced at his sister's somewhat happy profile and retreated; he did not want to reveal himself to her yet.
"Who is that person?" Aether asked the Abyss Mage.
"That person is the source of the variable, Your Highness."
"The one who single-handedly resolved the Stormterror crisis, huh..." Aether watched Orion and Lumine playfully interacting for a moment longer before finally turning and leaving.
"Not bad. At least it looks like Lumine won't be in any danger from now on."
But that Blondie is still annoying. Damn it, I must find a way to mess with him later!
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