"At first listen, this singing is indeed not very pleasant to the ear. But upon closer appreciation, it does have its own unique charm."
Zhongli stroked his chin as if he had truly savored the performance. However, the adeptal energy flowing through his ears made his words far from convincing.
"Zhongli, if you weren't using adeptal energy to block your ears, your words might be more convincing."
Su Bai watched Lumine in the distance battling a pair of Whopperflowers. He felt like he was losing his grip on this world. Since when could Glaze Lilies turn into Whopperflowers? He remembered that Whopperflowers usually disguised themselves as Sweet Flowers.
Lumine, meanwhile, felt these two Whopperflowers were being rather ungrateful. She had graciously sung for them, and not only did they refuse to give her any Whopperflower Nectar, but they had also attacked her.
If Whopperflowers could talk, Lumine would have demanded they perform a song for her in return. While watching the spectacle, Paimon noticed something odd about these two Whopperflowers.
"Why do these Whopperflowers look so angry?"
"Could it be because Lumine sang a song from another world instead of a Liyue song, and they couldn't understand it?"
Paimon narrowly dodged an ice shard fired by one of the Whopperflowers and quickly hid behind Su Bai. She was confused. She had watched Lumine deal with Whopperflowers many times before, but these two were unusually aggressive.
A single Glaze Lily petal drifted on the wind and landed in front of Zhongli. As if discovering something interesting, he picked it up and examined it closely.
"These aren't high-quality Glaze Lilies. But these petals used for disguise have been with the Whopperflowers for so long that they've become quite good medicinal ingredients."
"Once the Whopperflowers are dealt with, we can collect these petals. I'm sure Baizhu would pay a good price for them."
Hearing that the petals could sell for a good price, Paimon nearly rushed into the battlefield to collect them. Unfortunately, the fierce Whopperflowers attacked her on sight, keeping her far from the action.
"Lumine, be careful! Don't step on the petals! They're our travel funds!"
"Star Fell!"
A chunk of Geo-formed rock crashed down on the two Whopperflowers. Whopperflower Nectar spilled from their broken blossoms, flooding the riverbank. The entire area was filled with the sweet fragrance of Whopperflower Nectar.
Lumine caught her breath. Normally, dealing with two Whopperflowers wouldn't have been this much trouble. But with the river nearby and the Whopperflowers' Cryo attacks, one wrong move could freeze her solid. She had to stay on high alert.
"It looks like we still need to find more Glaze Lilies. Next time we find any, Lumine, maybe don't use your singing to coax them. I'm worried they might just turn into Whopperflowers again."
"What do you mean? My singing is wonderful!"
Paimon's teasing upset Lumine. Her voice might not compare to Barbara's, but compared to ordinary people, calling it heavenly was hardly an exaggeration.
"Shh. Some Fatui are coming."
Before Lumine could retort, Su Bai quickly formed an illusion barrier with his hand, enveloping the group in a transparent veil. Paimon and Lumine immediately stopped bickering.
Two minutes later, three Fatui agents carrying large bags slowly appeared before them. Judging by their load, they weren't highly regarded. Doing manual labor in this heat, it was no surprise they were treated poorly.
"Captain, why are we hauling all these materials for the Hundred-Eyed Talismans? I thought we already had enough?"
"I do have some inside info. Apparently, our people discovered an abandoned adeptus abode in Liyue. They might need the talismans for that."
"Ugh, what a pain. I thought we'd get a break. Working overtime every day making talismans, I've got dark circles now."
The three Fatui grumbled as they headed toward a remote area in the wilderness. Inside the illusion, Zhongli and Su Bai's expressions darkened. An abandoned adeptus abode was the last remaining trace of a departed adeptus. They couldn't let the Fatui defile it.
"The Fatui are getting bolder by the day."
"Following them might yield a nice surprise."
A cold glint flashed in Su Bai's eyes. He had always deeply respected the adepti who had given everything for Liyue. The Fatui's actions had stoked his anger.
"Speaking generally, I agree. Perhaps it's time I stretched my limbs a bit."
Zhongli's usual calm demeanor had vanished, replaced by a somber expression that betrayed his anger. He would never allow the Fatui to desecrate the remnants of his old friends.
"Wh-what an intimidating presence."
Paimon shrank back. She had never imagined that the usually easygoing Zhongli could be this terrifying. The pressure he exuded was no less than that of a raging Dvalin.
By now, Lumine had also realized Zhongli was likely an adeptus. She nodded in agreement, relieved she hadn't gotten into any conflicts with the adepti. If she had, they would have crushed her.
With Su Bai's illusion barrier, trailing the Fatui was effortless. Under the barrier's influence, the three agents didn't notice anything amiss.
Following them through the wilderness, Su Bai and the others found themselves at the outskirts of Jueyun Karst. Watching the Fatui search for the base entrance among several large rocks, Su Bai was stunned. He never expected the Fatui to be so bold as to build a base right outside Jueyun Karst.
"Good old Liyue saying: 'The safest place is the most dangerous.' They were right. Even Su Bai and I passed through here several times without noticing anything."
Su Bai was equally baffled. One question kept echoing in his mind: how did the Fatui dare build a base here? This was where the adepti lived. Weren't they afraid an adeptus would wipe out their entire operation?
"Captain, I can't find the door anymore. Wasn't it behind this rock?"
"Yeah, I've practically worn out this mechanism. The door just won't open."
"Did the mechanism break? I told them not to use stone for the mechanism, but they wouldn't listen."
The Fatui captain was equally confused. Had the base been moved? That couldn't be right. They had left the base that morning to haul materials back. Even if it had been relocated, it couldn't have happened this fast.
"Are you gentlemen having some trouble? Perhaps I can help."
"Perfect! Wait... who's there?"