"Just a short while ago," Keqing replied, her light purple twin-tails swaying along her back, with the tips gently brushing her waist in the breeze.
"That guy, Childe, probably had someone secretly tracking us and found out the location of Geo Archon' body. He's likely gone to steal the Gnosis," Nolan speculated.
"What?!" Keqing was shocked. She had heard about the possibility of the Fatui attempting to seize the Gnosis while at the Jade Chamber, and had prepared for it. However, she hadn't expected that the location of the Archon's body had already been exposed.
"Even though the Golden House is heavily guarded, it's difficult for ordinary soldiers to fend off someone with the combat strength of a Fatui Harbinger.
"As the Yuheng of the Liyue Qixing, I formally request your assistance in stopping that Harbinger at the Golden House. Will you help me?" Keqing asked, her tone serious.
Nolan and Lumine exchanged a glance before nodding in agreement.
"Of course," they replied.
Earlier, Nolan had used his Golden Eye of Judgment to assess Childe's level—it was at 75. With the use of his Delusion, he would likely be even stronger. Before increasing his own level, Nolan wouldn't have dared to confront Childe.
But now, having reached Level 65, the difference of ten levels didn't seem so daunting. With Keqing at Level 73 on their side, Nolan was confident they could take him on.
Even though Lumine was only Level 43, with her ability to wield dual elements and her past experience in facing the Sustainer of Heavenly Principles, she could still provide valuable support in a fight against Childe.
Even if things went south, they could protect themselves. Paimon would stay outside, ready to use "Interstellar Travel" ability to help them retreat if necessary.
With all these advantages in their favor, the risk of facing Childe seemed minimal, giving Nolan the confidence to accept Keqing's request.
"Great, thank you very much! There's no time to lose—follow me!" Keqing said swiftly, and without wasting any time, she moved into action.
The moment she turned around, a notification appeared on Nolan's character panel:
[Keqing Has Developed Good Feelings Towards You, Obtained 390 Affection Points. Current Affection Level: Lv.4 (90/400).]
He was surprised to see such a significant increase. It seemed agreeing to help Keqing had been the right decision!
With that thought in mind, Nolan, Lumine, and Paimon quickly followed Keqing.
Keqing moved with incredible speed, her body surrounded by electric light as she seemed to teleport hundreds of meters away in an instant.
Even though she intentionally slowed down for them, Nolan and the others had to use their Wind Gliders and channel Anemo energy to assist their flight just to keep up.
In under half an hour, they successfully arrived at the Golden House.
As the only mint on the continent of Teyvat, the Golden House wasn't exactly a hidden location, sitting on a mountain near Guyun Stone Forest. Such a large factory was difficult to keep secret.
In any case, there wasn't much need for secrecy. The place was heavily guarded, and even those wielding Visions would find it hard to cause any real trouble here.
Anyone who has ever attempted to rob the Golden House is now spending a long time in Liyue's prison.
If someone did manage to steal Mora from the Golden House, they wouldn't get far. Liyue's intelligence network would track them down, and they'd eventually find themselves behind bars.
At this moment, Nolan and the others arrived at the scene, only to find the Millelith soldiers unconscious at the entrance.
For a Fatui Harbinger, ordinary soldiers stand no chance. No matter how many troops there are, it's futile when someone like Childe decides to break in.
"Are they okay? Could they be...?" Paimon looked nervously at the fallen soldiers, covering her mouth in fear as her body shrank back.
Keqing, although furious, managed to suppress her anger. She stepped forward and checked the soldiers' pulses. Fortunately, they were only unconscious, not dead. The damage wasn't too severe.
"Hmph, that guy at least had some restraint, but that still doesn't justify attacking the Millelith Army!" Keqing said, her tone icy.
She then led Nolan, Lumine, and Paimon through the front gate of the Golden House and proceeded further inside.
Almost every Millelith soldier they passed had been knocked out, completely unaware of their surroundings.
There was no time to help them, though. Childe had likely already entered the Golden House and found the body of the Archon, so they needed to hurry and stop him. The soldiers would have to wait a little longer.
When they reached the main door of the Golden House, Nolan turned to Paimon and said, "Paimon, you should stay here. If we end up fighting Childe, you might get caught in the crossfire."
"Okay, be careful in there," Paimon agreed, knowing that her strength wouldn't be enough to help in a fight. Staying outside and remaining ready to assist them if needed was the best course of action.
With a nod from Nolan, he, Lumine, and Keqing pushed open the door and entered.
Inside, the Golden House was vast. As they walked down the corridor, they noticed the ceiling stretched over ten meters high, and the walls were equally far apart. Looking ahead, they could see various passageways branching off into unknown directions.
Keqing didn't waste time wandering around. She led them directly to the location where the body of Geo Archon was kept.
After a short while, they arrived in a large room. At the back of the room, the half-dragon, half-qilin form of the Archon's body lay, encased in some protective device. Its majestic appearance was awe-inspiring, as though it might open its eyes at any moment.
"Where's Childe? It seems like he's not here," Lumine observed, scanning the room. Apart from them, the Fatui Harbinger was nowhere to be seen.
Had he already completed his task?
"Let's check if the Archon's body is damaged," Keqing said, frowning. If they were too late, the Fatui might have already taken the Gnosis.
"Right," Nolan agreed, following Keqing toward the Archon's body. He activated his Golden Eye of Judgment to detect any ambushes.
Suddenly, a voice echoed from behind them. "Ah, thank you for leading me here. Apologies—this Golden House is a bit of a maze, and I got lost for a moment."
They turned to see Childe, surrounded by the glow of Hydro energy, running at high speed along the wall, heading directly toward the Archon's body.
"Don't even think about it!" Keqing reacted quickly, summoning a bolt of lightning in her hand and launching it at Childe.
"Hmph, mere tricks!" Childe sneered. Summoning a longbow infused with Hydro energy, he wielded it like a melee weapon, attempting to deflect the lightning strike.
(End of Chapter)
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