Liyue Harbor, Yujing Terrace.
After the assassination of Rex Lapis, Lady Ningguang of the "Tianquan" ordered the Millelith to seal off the area and thoroughly investigate everyone present, starting with those who appeared suspicious.
Soon enough, the Millelith approached Nolan and his group.
"Who are you, and where are you from?" The Millelith captain, sensing the group's strength and wary of any suspicious individuals trying to escape, surrounded them with a team and asked in a stern tone.
"Uh..." Paimon, usually talkative, was frightened by the intimidating presence of the soldiers and hid behind Lumine, afraid of saying the wrong thing. Lumine glanced at Nolan, signaling for him to handle the situation.
Nolan gently squeezed her soft hand and nodded slightly, indicating it was fine.
He then calmly addressed the Millelith captain, "We are from Mondstadt, Honorary Knights of the Knights of Favonius. We're currently traveling through the seven nations and happened to hear that Liyue Harbor's annual 'Rite of Descension' was about to begin, so we came to witness the grandeur of Geo Archon. But who would have thought something like this would happen? Geo Archon is immensely powerful, far beyond what people like us could manage, and we have no reason to do such a thing."
He laid out their situation clearly, providing all the necessary information, leaving little room for suspicion.
"The honorary knights of Mondstadt?" The Millelith captain looked surprised.
News of the major events in neighboring Mondstadt had reached Liyue, and he was aware of the feats of the two honorary knights.
One of them was even said to be from Liyue, though he had no idea what he was doing in the neighboring nation.
Regardless, such minor details were beyond their concern. Seeing how young the honorary knights were was unexpected.
"Yes, I believe verifying our identities shouldn't be difficult for the Millelith," Nolan said seriously, implying they weren't joking about such easily disproved identities.
"Hmm, wait here for a moment. I'll notify Lady Ningguang. She should be able to confirm whether your identities are genuine," the captain replied, nodding.
He then instructed the nearby soldiers armed with long spears to keep an eye on them while he went to inform Ningguang.
As the "Tianquan" star, Lady Ningguang was keenly aware of everything happening in the world.
She would likely have information on the two honorary knights who had assisted the Knights of Favonius in repelling the Stormterror, perhaps even having seen their photos.
To be safe, it was best to have Lady Ningguang come and verify their identities personally.
It wasn't long before the Millelith captain returned, though without Lady Ningguang. He nodded to the soldiers, indicating everything was fine, then addressed Nolan and the others:
"Lady Ningguang is currently investigating the cause of Geo Archon's death and cannot come at the moment. However, she mentioned that she noticed you at the beginning of the ceremony, and your identities are confirmed to be legitimate."
"Phew, that's a relief. So we can leave now, right?" Paimon sighed in relief upon hearing they were cleared and asked eagerly.
"No, not yet," the Millelith captain shook his head. "While you're no longer suspects, the Yujing Terrace is still sealed off. No one can leave until the investigation is complete. You can rest over there for now."
With that, the Millelith captain and the soldiers moved on to question the next suspicious individuals.
"How can this be? We've already proven we're not the culprits..." Paimon said, disheartened, her shoulders slumping.
"Given such a major incident, it's understandable. At least we're not being suspected as the culprits, which is already a relief." Nolan also let out a small sigh of relief.
He turned to Lumine and continued, "See? I told you we didn't need to run away."
Lumine didn't respond. She withdrew her left hand, crossed her arms, and showed a slightly resigned expression on her fair face.
Feeling pretty smug, aren't you?
Around 3 PM, thanks to the efforts of the Millelith, everyone at the scene was quickly questioned, and their identities confirmed.
Unfortunately, the real culprit wasn't found. The area was unsealed, and Lady Ningguang of the "Tianquan" promised to swiftly investigate the truth behind Rex Lapis's death.
Many locals and foreigners left the scene with various speculations. It's easy to imagine how the news of Rex Lapis's death would cause a massive stir across the entire continent of Teyvat.
Nolan, Lumine, and Paimon also left with the crowd. Nolan had considered using the opportunity to talk to Ningguang about the "bicycle" idea, but then he thought it would be rude to discuss business right after such a tragic event.
Besides, since Master Zhang hadn't finished the sample yet, it would be best to present a finished product to make a strong impression.
"Hey there, everyone!"
As they walked along the stone-paved road away from the Yujing Terrace, a young man's voice called out to them as they rounded a corner.
They looked towards the source of the voice and saw a handsome man with orange hair and gray clothes, leaning against a wall.
"What's up? Do you need something, mister foreigner?" Paimon asked, puzzled, while touching her crown.
"Haha, in this country, aren't you a foreigner too? It's funny to see a foreigner calling another foreigner a foreigner," the handsome man with orange hair and gray clothes chuckled.
The Fatui Harbinger, Childe—Tartaglia. It seemed inevitable that he would show up, as he had been watching them for some time. Nolan thought to himself that this could be troublesome.
"Hey, that doesn't matter! If you've got something to say, spit it out! If not, we're leaving!" Paimon said angrily, using her "air stomp" move in frustration at his amusement.
"Alright, alright, my apologies. You can call me 'Childe,' just like you refer to 'La Signora.' I'm also one of the Fatui Harbingers." Childe smiled with a glint in his eyes.
"What?!"
Lumine and Paimon were startled by Childe's candid introduction and eyed him warily. If it weren't forbidden to fight in Liyue Harbor, Lumine would have already drawn her sword!
"Uh, no need to be so tense. I'm not here to cause trouble. Though I would love to spar with you," Tartaglia said, spreading his hands to show he meant no harm.
"Even so, we have nothing to say to you or the Fatui," Nolan's eyes gradually took on a golden hue.
*[Level: 75]*
As expected of a Fatui Harbinger, even the lowest-ranked one possessed strength at the seventy-plus level.
Nolan estimated that he could barely defeat a level sixty Abyss Mage with his current strength.
But facing someone above level seventy would still be challenging. After all, as one climbs higher, each level difference becomes like a chasm.
However, with Lumine by his side, they wouldn't be easily overpowered, unless Childe used his "Foul Legacy Transformation."
Thus, Nolan spoke with a bit more confidence.
"Oh, it seems your eyes can see right through me," Tartaglia chuckled and offered a friendly reminder, "But if you judge my combat ability based solely on my level, you'll be in for a surprise!"
Nolan didn't respond; he was well aware of this.
After all, even at level forty-eight, he could challenge stronger foes thanks to his specialized skills.
Moreover, Childe had the "Mastery of All Weapons" talent, making him exceptionally skilled in combat and capable of fighting opponents of higher levels.
Seeing their continued wariness, Tartaglia decided to cut to the chase. "Do you really think Geo Archon was assassinated? He was a god of war. Who could easily assassinate him, unless..." He trailed off, leaving the implication hanging.
It seemed he wanted Nolan and the others to fill in the blanks themselves.
"Are you suggesting it was the Liyue Qixing?" Lumine's amber eyes narrowed, as if she'd stumbled upon a shocking possibility.
Tartaglia's lips curved slightly. "Of course, that's just a guess."
"But even if that's the case, it has nothing to do with us. It's their internal affair; we have no business interfering. Or do you have some ulterior motive?" Nolan laughed lightly, speaking frankly.
"Haha, it seems you've misunderstood me. I've only heard a bit about your exploits in Mondstadt and noticed you at the Rite of Descension earlier. It was clear you were there with a purpose," Tartaglia crossed his arms, a confident tone in his voice. "If I'm not mistaken, you were hoping to meet Geo Archon for something."
Lumine frowned slightly. "And if we were?"
"I just wanted to offer you a suggestion," Tartaglia said, spreading his hands as if to show he had no ulterior motive. "With Geo Archon gone, you can't ask him anything. But the adepti, who have known him for ages, might still provide answers."
"If you're willing to inform them of Geo Archon's assassination, they might not hesitate to answer your questions."
So that's his plan—using them to sow discord between the adepti and the Qixing, creating chaos he can exploit to steal the Gnosis from Rex Lapis's remains.
Nolan, familiar with the game's plot, easily saw through Childe's intentions. It was something Childe couldn't have anticipated.
Lumine hesitated. The sudden death of Rex Lapis had thwarted her plans to ask him about the god who kidnapped her brother.
If there was still a chance, she certainly didn't want to miss it. They had planned to find the adepti, but locating them was no simple task.
They were only hoping to find one of their disciples, who happened to be Chongyun's aunt.
"If you're worried about not finding the adepti, I can lend you something," Childe said, noticing Lumine's interest.
"Hmm? Something? Is it a token of some sort?" Paimon asked curiously.
"Something like that," Childe nodded.
"So, what do we need to give you in return for borrowing this token?" Nolan smiled and asked. He guessed Childe was referring to the "All-Purpose Adepti Seeker".
It's certainly useful; with it, they could almost guarantee a meeting with the adepti.
Running an errand for Childe in exchange seemed reasonable. After all, even if they didn't do it, Childe would find someone else to carry out his plan.
Childe might think he was orchestrating everything, but Rex Lapis himself was secretly watching. He needed Childe to bring the conflict between the adepti and the Qixing to the forefront.
This was part of the plan to lessen the adepti's interference in Liyue's affairs and usher in an era of human governance, which was the real reason behind Rex Lapis's fake death and retreat.
"Haha, no payment necessary. Just return it when you're done," Childe said with a smile. He then pulled out a yellow talisman with black characters from his Vision and handed it to Nolan.
"It's called the 'All-Purpose Adepti Seeker'. Holding it will allow the adepti to sense your presence, and they'll likely come to meet you."
After handing over the item, Childe said he had other matters to attend to and told them they could find him at the Northland Bank if needed, then left.
He could sense that they were already suspicious of him. However, he had spoken the truth and provided a valuable item; he doubted they would pass up the opportunity.
"What should we do? Should we tell the adepti about Geo Archon's death? I feel like this Fatui Harbinger is up to something!" Paimon asked, looking at Nolan, who was holding the talisman.
Lumine was inclined to go, as finding out who kidnapped her brother was her priority, and Rex Lapis's death left the adepti as the only possible source of information.
"We were planning to find the adepti anyway. Since he's so kindly lending us something, we might as well use it," Nolan said with a smile after thinking for a moment.
They had arranged with Xingqiu and Chongyun to seek out the adepti three days after the Rite of Descension, so there was no rush.
In the meantime, Nolan and Lumine took on some commissions from the Adventurers' Guild during the day to familiarize themselves with the Liyue region.
At night, they returned to their home in Mondstadt via the Teleport Waypoints. During this time, they finally encountered Fischl and Oz, who came to check if Nolan had returned.
Fischl was naturally delighted to see him after several days apart. Over dinner, Nolan shared some of his experiences in Liyue Harbor. As for bedtime, they spent the night together, expressing their love and alleviating their longing for each other.
Two days passed like this. Besides completing commissions and earning over 100,000 Mora, Nolan also gained more than 3,000 Adventure EXP.
Today was the day Master Zhang said the prototype for the "bicycle" would be ready.
Nolan and the others were eager to check it out since it was crucial for their and Lumine's money-making plans—and for Paimon's "feast freedom."
---
(End of Chapter)'
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