Lumine wasted no time and immediately chased after Yunqin.
No matter what, Yunqin must not be allowed to approach the Golden House. The Exuvia must not fall into the Abyss's hands, and the real Yunqin must not be endangered by this puppet's actions!
-
Meanwhile, before the seal in the deep sea.
A dark figure stood silently.
The Abyss Knight, encased in black Cryo Armor, stared intently at the churning black mist within the seal, its eyes glowing with a cold, sinister light beneath its dragon-headed helmet.
"Osial, Beisht... soon you will be reunited with your daughter." A thick Abyssal aura gathered at its fingertips as it lightly brushed the long-faded runes on the seal. "If you obey me, I will personally break this seal and 'reunite' your family. I will also help you reclaim everything that belongs to you."
As the words fell, the Abyssal aura seeped slowly into the seal's cracks like black vines.
Two muffled roars echoed from within the seal, carrying the unique pressure of gods, yet they were utterly suppressed by the Abyssal aura, unable to send out even a single ripple.
Behind them, the heavy doors of the Golden House slowly swung shut, the dull metallic clang echoing through the empty hall.
Dust from the corners, accumulated over years, fell in a rustle, tracing fine lines of light in the air.
The moment Lumine and Paimon stepped into the hall, their gaze was held captive by the sight before them.
Mounds of Mora rose like rolling hills across the floor, their golden luster shimmering under the light from the ceiling. Each coin radiated an alluring glow, and even the air seemed heavy with the weight of wealth, making them hold their breath.
The massive dragon carcass stood silently within the barrier. Though its scales had lost their former brilliance, they still exuded the unique majesty of a god.
Its head hung low, the empty eye sockets facing the entrance. Even though it had long since lost all sign of life, a faint draconic aura still emanated from its scales, like an invisible pressure that made their hearts tremble.
"Whoa... Just how much Mora is that?!" Paimon hovered in the air, her small hand uncontrollably reaching for the nearest pile. Just as her fingertips touched the cold metal, Lumine grabbed her wrist.
Lumine stared at the mountains of Mora, her eyes devoid of greed, filled instead with wariness.
"Don't touch it! The Golden House is Liyue's lifeblood—how could they just let anyone take Mora? There must be a trap. If anyone could walk in and take it, Liyue's economy would have collapsed long ago."
Her gaze swept across the narrow gaps between the Mora piles, and she swallowed hard. She clearly wanted to take some too.
"And when we came in, we didn't see a single Millelith guard. Maybe there are Millelith spies watching from the shadows, or hidden traps that go off the moment you touch something."
Paimon slapped her head as if struck by sudden realization. With a look of lingering fear on her small face, she quickly pulled back her hand. "Oh, right! How could I have forgotten!"
As she spoke, she suddenly remembered the missing Yunqin and urgently tugged at Lumine's sleeve. "Speaking of which, where's Yunqin?"
"Didn't she run in after Childe? How could she have vanished in the blink of an eye? I just heard her voice at the entrance a moment ago."
The two began to search for Yunqin's whereabouts within the Golden House.
Just as they rounded the corner to the Exuvia's dragon carcass, a figure slowly emerged from behind them, his heavy footsteps echoing.
The two spun around. Before the newcomer could even speak, Paimon zipped over, her words coming out even faster than usual: "Tartaglia! Have you seen Yunqin?"
Tartaglia frowned, his eyes filled with utter confusion. "Yunqin? I've been following you ever since you left the Jade Chamber. I only ever saw you and the Traveler on the road. There was never a third person with you."
"Are you sure... she even came in here?"
"You've been following us?!" Paimon's eyes widened, and she stumbled back half a step, her expression filled with disbelief. "Why would you do that? Is this some kind of plot?!"
"Now's not the time to be worrying about that!" Lumine quickly tugged at Paimon's sleeve.
She turned to Tartaglia, her brow furrowed and her tone serious. "You're saying you've been following us the whole time? Then who did we see in Liyue Harbor? Yunqin clearly chased 'you' in here! How could there be no trace of her? The Golden House isn't that big—she couldn't have just vanished into thin air!"
Tartaglia's expression instantly turned grave. But as he recalled that rock-solid figure, a glimmer of understanding flashed in his eyes.
He raised his hand and summoned dual blades. The blades shimmered with a cold, watery light, and the faint scent of the Hydro Element immediately filled the air.
"I see. So you've encountered 'it' too."
"But if you want to know the truth, you'll have to fight me first. I've heard that you, the Honorary Knight who stopped the Dragon Disaster in Mondstadt, are quite skilled. I've been wanting to challenge you for some time."
Lumine froze for a moment, then she summoned her own sword.
"I'd like to see just how strong a Fatui Harbinger really is!"
The sharp clang of blades instantly echoed through the Golden House. Metal sparks showered the piles of Mora, scattering golden glimmers that quickly faded.
Meanwhile, on the second basement level of the Golden House, a completely different, tense scene was unfolding.
This was the Mora smelting area, where the surrounding furnaces still burned with bright red flames. Waves of heat rolled in like an invisible hand, tightly wrapping around one's skin.
The air was filled with the pungent smell of melting metal, and even the stone walls were baked hot, burning to the touch.
Yunqin stood by the smelting furnace, Hydro Element condensing into a light blue water curtain around her, barely withstanding the high temperature.
Fine beads of sweat broke out on her forehead, sliding down her cheek and evaporating instantly upon hitting the ground.
Staring at the figure not far away, her fingertips clenched unconsciously.
When she chased after it earlier, she had already felt something was wrong.
This figure's gait was too stiff, like a marionette, completely lacking Tartaglia's usual agility.
But that familiar silhouette had made her lose her composure for a moment.
She feared that it really was Tartaglia who had encountered "danger."
"Tartaglia?" Yunqin's voice carried a hint of coldness, and the Hydro Element fluctuations became violent, causing ripples to spread across the water curtain.
The figure turned at the sound of her voice, his face still wearing Tartaglia's signature cheerful smile.
"Yunqin? What are you doing here?"
He took two steps forward, his tone softening. "Did you get separated from Lumine and Paimon?"
Yunqin's hand tightened, and the ripples in the water screen grew even more pronounced.
The person before her was even fabricating the "details of their separation." Just now at the entrance of Liyue Harbor, there had been no such thing as "getting separated"—he had deliberately run toward the Golden House to lure her into chasing him.
Still, she suppressed her suspicions, wanting to see how long he intended to keep up the act. "You haven't seen Lumine and Paimon? But I clearly saw you running toward the Golden House."