Lumine was about to explain the Abyss incident when Ningguang drew a token from her sleeve. The token was engraved with intricate patterns and inlaid with a small, pale green jade stone.
"This is the Golden House Pass. Here, take it." Ningguang pressed the token into Lumine's hand, her voice grave with the weight of her request. "Liyue has been troubled of late. The Fatui are gathering intelligence in the shadows, and unknown figures are eyeing the Exuvia. I simply can't be everywhere at once."
"You are strong and care about Liyue," Ningguang continued. "I'm asking you to keep a close eye on any movements around the Golden House. Whatever you do, you must protect the Exuvia. Not a single thing can go wrong."
Lumine took the token, feeling the jade's gentle warmth through its surface.
She nodded solemnly, her voice firm. "I understand. I will protect the Exuvia."
When they returned to the main hall, Paimon was patting her round belly and letting out a satisfied burp, her small face radiating contentment.
Yunqin was slumped over the table, her finger tracing absentminded circles on the surface. She looked up as they approached. "Are you two finished talking? Should we be going now?"
"Yeah, yeah," Paimon yawned, floating over to Lumine's side. "If we stay any longer, I'm gonna fall asleep. The Jade Chamber is pretty, but sitting around here is so boring."
Ningguang nodded with a smile, her tone carrying a hint of a reminder. "In that case, I won't keep you all any longer. Be safe on your journey."
The three of them bid Ningguang farewell and stepped onto the Jade Chamber's elevator platform.
Lumine stood on the inner side, her gaze covertly falling on Yunqin.
The young woman stood with her back to Lumine at the edge, staring down at the ever-approaching Liyue Harbor.
There was an unbearable urgency in her eyes. Her fingertips unconsciously tapped the outside of her thigh, the rhythm quickening as if urging the elevator platform to reach the ground faster.
Ever since they arrived at the Jade Chamber, Yunqin's "urgency" had been too obvious.
It was as if something was waiting for her, leaving her with no heart even to admire the scenery.
The elevator platform landed steadily.
Yunqin moved almost immediately, walking toward Liyue Harbor with a light step. If not for Paimon floating slowly behind her, she might have already been several paces ahead.
Seeing this, Lumine deliberately slowed her pace, suggesting in a casual manner, "How about we go explore the wild? We just ate so much good food; we might as well warm up a bit to help with digestion."
As she spoke, she kept a close eye on Yunqin's reaction.
To get to the Golden House, they first had to leave Liyue Harbor.
If Yunqin's target was the Exuvia in the Golden House, she would surely agree to go "into the wild" without hesitation. She might even take the lead and guide them toward the Golden House.
Sure enough, as soon as she finished speaking, Yunqin turned around immediately. Her nod was even faster than usual. "Sure! The day is still early, just the right time for some exercise!"
As she spoke, she deliberately clenched and shook her fist as if to show off her "vitality," but the smile didn't reach her eyes. The curvature of her uplifted lips felt somewhat forced.
Lumine's heart sank. Just as she thought.
She stealthily exchanged a glance with Paimon. Seeing that Paimon still looked utterly confused and hadn't noticed anything abnormal, Lumine quietly followed behind Yunqin.
No wonder earlier, when they first reached the guide, Yunqin suddenly wanted to leave on her own. She probably wanted to take the opportunity to go to the Golden House then, but Lumine had stopped her with the excuse that they "needed the password."
Later at the Jade Chamber, she had deliberately focused on intelligence about the "Passing of the God." She was likely confirming the storage location of the Exuvia.
But why today?
Why didn't she make her move last night?
Lumine's footsteps faltered.
Last night, she and Paimon had been with Yunqin the entire time, from the Wangsheng Funeral Parlor until they parted ways. Yunqin had no chance to act alone.
And today, Ningguang's invitation happened to "send her away" to the Jade Chamber. If she hadn't been keeping a close eye on her, Yunqin would have probably used an excuse to head to the Golden House on her own long ago.
"Lumine, why are you walking so slowly?" Seeing Lumine lagging behind, Yunqin stopped and turned back to call her, her tone tinged with a hint of impatience. "If we don't hurry, it'll be dark soon!"
Lumine quickly snapped back to her senses, hurried to catch up, and forced a smile. "It's nothing, I just got distracted for a moment."
Yunqin immediately nodded, turned, and started walking toward the entrance of Liyue Harbor, her pace a little faster than before. "Let's head toward the Golden House. I haven't been to that area yet. Let's go see if there are any monsters around."
The moment she finished speaking, Lumine's heart sank.
Sure enough, she had brought up the Golden House herself.
It seemed this "monster hunting in the wild" invitation had been part of Yunqin's plan from the very beginning.
And she was merely following Yunqin's script, step by step, drawing closer to the Golden House.
The three of them walked along the pier, heading out of Liyue Harbor.
Just as they arrived, they heard a heated argument.
A group of armored Millelith soldiers had surrounded several Fatui soldiers, the atmosphere tense and volatile.
The Millelith captain stood with his arms crossed, the metallic clatter of his armor exuding authority, his tone stern: "Fatui, without a permit issued by the Qixing, you are not allowed to take a single step closer to Liyue Harbor!"
"Don't think we don't know what you're up to. Behave yourselves for now!"
A soldier in a Fatui uniform waved his hand helplessly, his tone complaining: "We're just here to deliver documents to the Harbinger, not to cause trouble. Is this really necessary? Delivering the account books before wasn't this strict!"
"What's going on?" Lumine and the others approached.
The soldier caught sight of Lumine walking over, leaned in, and lowered his voice: "I don't know what's gotten into the people of Liyue lately, but they've suddenly tightened their control over us. I have no idea what they're trying to do."
"Traveler, you're close with Harbinger Tartaglia, so you're practically one of us. I'm telling you, you should be wary of the Adepti lately."
As he spoke, his eyes glanced at Yunqin from time to time, his eyebrows raised in a suggestive gesture, his meaning more than obvious.
He warned Lumine to be wary of the "Adeptus" by her side.
Lumine's heart tightened. Just as she was about to smooth things over by saying, "Yunqin isn't that kind of person," Yunqin suddenly stared at the distant streets and alleys, her eyes wide and her voice filled with urgency: "Tartaglia!"
Everyone followed her gaze and saw a figure running toward the Golden House. The figure resembled Tartaglia, but its running posture was somewhat stiff, and its speed was extremely fast, almost disappearing into the alley entrance in the blink of an eye.
"Wait for me!" Yunqin shouted. Before Lumine and Paimon could react, she chased after the figure.
"Yunqin! Don't run!" Lumine hurriedly reached out to grab her, but only caught a corner of her clothes, which lacked any of its usual warmth.
Paimon also grew anxious and chased after her, her small voice trembling: "Why are you running so fast!"
Lumine's brow furrowed deeply, and her mood sank to the bottom.
The direction Yunqin was chasing was none other than the Golden House!
The figure of "Tartaglia" just now ran as stiffly as a puppet; it was definitely a fake!
Someone had deliberately used Tartaglia's appearance to lure Yunqin there, and Yunqin... probably already knew the Exuvia was in the Golden House, and even knew who was luring her there!
All of this was just for show!