After making her request, Cloud Retainer waited anxiously for Luoli's response.
Receiving guidance from Luoli was not an opportunity granted to just anyone.
In all of Liyue, only Ganyu had ever been formally accepted as his disciple.
Shenhe also looked at him quietly, a trace of anticipation flickering in her eyes—an emotion she herself did not yet realize.
For the first time in over ten years, the mirror-smooth calm of her heart had been disturbed.
Ripples had appeared upon her once-still inner lake.
She wanted to know where this unfamiliar feeling came from—and whether he could teach her more.
At last, Luoli agreed.
"Very well. Since this is your request."
He looked at the visibly relieved Shenhe and smiled faintly.
"From today onward, Shenhe will cultivate under my guidance."
He truly did have a way to alter the destiny and temperament of this cold, quiet girl.
Perhaps the fate of all beings in Teyvat was already reflected in the stars, advancing along predetermined paths.
But forces capable of breaking destiny were not limited to the outlanders known as the twins.
Just like Raiden Makoto, who stood beside him at this very moment.
Hearing this, Noelle and Eula exchanged glances—another competitor had appeared.
With a heavy burden lifted from her heart, Cloud Retainer's tone became noticeably lighter.
"Then I thank Your Highness."
Mountain Shaper and Moon Carver exchanged looks before speaking:
"Since His Highness is now here to preside over the situation, it would be improper for us to remain any longer. We shall return to the mountains. When you uncover the truth, simply send word to us."
The three Adepti quickly reached an agreement.
Before leaving, Cloud Retainer gave Shenhe a few earnest instructions—telling her to heed Luoli's words and treat him with the same respect she showed her master.
Thus, the Adepti arrived with imposing momentum, yet departed in calm peace.
After all, the Geo Archon was already gone.
Even if the Adepti were angry, there was nowhere for that anger to go.
With Luoli present, they could only circle once and return obediently to the mountains.
If Zhongli were here to hear this, he would probably ask, "Do you have any manners?"
Unfortunately, no one knew where that fellow was currently enjoying himself.
Only after seeing the Adepti off did Luoli turn to the others.
"By the way, have any of you seen Lumine and Paimon in the past couple of days?"
Those two had vanished for quite some time.
Ganyu replied, "Two days ago, Lady Ningguang met with Lumine at the Jade Chamber. I don't know what they discussed."
Luoli fell into thought.
Now that the rift between the Adepti and the Qixing had been resolved, Liyue finally had the manpower to monitor the Fatui closely.
It would no longer be easy for Tartaglia to exploit chaos.
As the Qixing tightened their control, achieving his objective would become increasingly difficult.
Which meant—Tartaglia would likely choose another method.
As for what Lumine and Paimon were being sent to do… that remained unclear.
Guyun Stone Forest
Ancient texts described it as perilous beyond measure—layer upon layer of jagged stone.
Massive stone spears pierced the sky, their grandeur overwhelming, making one wonder what kind of divine power could have forged them.
Today, this desolate archipelago welcomed two unfamiliar figures.
"Lumine, Tartaglia didn't lie to us… right?!"
Walking along the shallow shoreline, Paimon looked around nervously as she muttered.
According to Tartaglia's instructions, the only way to sneak into the Golden House was to draw the Millelith away.
To do that, they needed to create a disturbance big enough.
Lumine remained silent, doubt lingering in her heart.
It was her first time here. Tartaglia had claimed that simply activating the Sigils of Permission at this location would be enough to attract attention.
Once the Millelith redeployed, the Golden House would be vulnerable.
"Where exactly is this place he told us to go?" Paimon complained.
Floating up to scout, she couldn't find anything distinctive—jagged peaks filled the entire island.
Lumine raised her head and carefully studied the map Tartaglia had sent.
After searching for a while, she followed the marked location.
"Ugh, we really have it rough," Paimon grumbled.
"We ran all over the place with Zhongli preparing for the Rite of Parting, and now we're being sent here again. Why don't they send someone else?"
She continued ranting.
"And he barely paid us! Just leftover Mora! So stingy!
He pays Zhongli like a king—couldn't he spare us a few hundred thousand Mora?"
Ignoring Paimon's complaints, Lumine continued searching.
Soon, they found it.
A massive formation hidden beneath piles of scattered stones.
There were three formations, arranged in different directions.
After clearing the rubble, Lumine carefully examined them.
Paimon muttered, "Looks like they need Geo energy to activate."
Lumine nodded silently.
She had encountered many such mechanisms during her travels.
"Hold this."
She handed the map to Paimon and moved around, uncovering buried stone pillars and pushing them into position.
Once everything was aligned, she returned to the center and observed the formation now glowing with Geo energy.
"Are we really going to do this?" Paimon hesitated.
Lumine paused.
She had already met Ningguang and knew Tartaglia had ulterior motives—though not necessarily against her.
Holding the dozen Sigils of Permission in her hands, Lumine hesitated.
Something felt wrong.
Then—
"Lord Tartaglia was correct. As expected of the Traveler—you handled this formation with ease."
Several Fatui members appeared behind them.
Paimon spun around nervously. "What are you doing here?!"
Lumine's expression darkened.
She had felt uneasy while activating the formation—she had even considered stopping.
"Hahaha! Leave the rest to us! You can return and report to Lord Tartaglia!"
Three Fatui members each took out more than ten Sigils of Permission and moved to activate the formations.
"We'll be sure to report this great contribution—unsealing a demon god—to Lord Tartaglia."
Lumine's face changed instantly.
A demon god's seal?!
Paimon turned pale. "Stop them!"
But before Lumine could act, the Sigils of Permission erupted with blinding light, illuminating the entire Guyun Stone Forest.
"…This is bad."
Lumine's heart sank.
She finally realized—due to unequal information, she had been completely used.