When everyone present was at a loss for what to do—
To protect Liyue, Ningguang made a decision.
She would sacrifice the Jade Chamber.
She guided the massive floating palace directly above Osial's heads.
At the same time, the adepti began pouring their power into the Traveler.
Lumine then raised her Dull Blade and stabbed it forcefully into the platform beneath her.
After that strike—
The entire Jade Chamber began falling toward Osial!
Seeing this, the adepti hurriedly carried the remaining people away from the Jade Chamber and back toward Liyue Harbor.
Then—
A blinding flash erupted over the sea.
BOOM!
A thunderous explosion shook the ocean.
Gradually, the sky cleared once again.
And Osial was forced back beneath the seal.
Thick smoke drifted across the sea surface.
The catastrophe created by an ancient god had been resolved—
By the combined efforts of humans and adepti.
Throughout the entire battle, Qiu Nian had silently watched everything.
"Heh…"
"Osial had barely been freed before being crushed back into the seal by the Jade Chamber."
Looking at the sea where Osial had been suppressed again, Qiu Nian chuckled slightly.
Then—
He dove into the ocean.
Not long after, he arrived before Osial.
The Overlord of the Vortex had only just been pushed back into the seal.
He was still relatively conscious.
Not yet asleep.
Sensing someone's presence—
The heavily wounded god slowly raised one of his massive heads.
His gaze fell upon the tiny figure before him.
Qiu Nian.
To Osial—
Qiu Nian looked like nothing more than an ant.
Meanwhile—
Lumine and Paimon said their farewells to the Qixing and the adepti.
Since the ancient god had been suppressed again, many foreign travelers who had fled earlier were returning to Liyue Harbor.
Order was gradually restored.
At the same time, the incident shocked the visitors from other nations.
Even without a god, Liyue had managed to suppress a god-level threat.
As Lumine and Paimon walked away—
They were still thinking about how the Qixing and the adepti had reconciled.
"Ah! Wait!"
"Even though it's good that the Qixing and the adepti made peace…"
"There's still something unresolved!"
Paimon suddenly stopped.
"The reason this whole crisis happened…"
"Childe released that god to force Rex Lapis and Guixu to appear!"
"But the crisis was solved without them!"
"So Rex Lapis and Guixu still haven't shown up!"
Paimon said, confused.
"Hmm…"
Lumine frowned.
After experiencing such a fierce battle, Paimon had pulled her thoughts back to the original mystery.
"If that's the case…"
"What exactly happened to the Geo Archon's death?"
"And Qiu Nian said he had something to deal with…"
"What could that possibly be?"
Paimon held her chin thoughtfully.
Everything felt suspicious.
"I'm completely confused…"
"But the most likely clue…"
"Is probably the Rite of Parting we've been preparing."
"I wonder where Zhongli went."
"Let's check the Wangsheng Funeral Parlor."
Paimon finally decided.
Lumine nodded.
The two of them began heading toward Wangsheng Funeral Parlor.
At that moment—
A cutscene suddenly appeared in Xuehua's livestream.
A deep, ancient soundtrack began playing.
The camera slowly zoomed in.
What appeared on screen—
Was Qiu Nian.
Floating silently in the deep ocean, his back facing the camera, hands clasped behind him.
Suddenly—
The water ahead filled with countless rising bubbles.
A gigantic head slowly rose from the depths.
It was Osial.
The enormous god stared directly at Qiu Nian.
Qiu Nian slightly raised his head—
Meeting the ancient god's gaze.
Then—
The screen gradually faded to black.
The cutscene ended.
The entire scene never once showed Qiu Nian's face.
Only his back.
"Was that Osial?!"
"And that silhouette… was that Qiu Nian?!"
"THAT WAS SO COOL!!!"
Still dressed as Fischl, Xuehua screamed excitedly in her livestream.
The chat exploded.
[Case closed — Qiu Nian really is that foreign god]
[That scene was insanely cool]
[His divine aura is overflowing]
[Why did Guixu go find Osial??]
[WHY DID THE CUTSCENE END THERE]
[I'm dying to know what happens next]
[I feel like ants are crawling all over my body]
[Is Qiu Nian going to kill Osial completely??]
[PUT HIM IN THE GACHA POOL NOW!!!]
The discussion wasn't just from new players.
Even players who had finished the original release story were stunned.
Because even the original storyline had ended right around here.
And in the original game—
Qiu Nian didn't exist at all.
Everyone was desperate to see what would happen next.
After that cutscene—
Qiu Nian's popularity exploded instantly, even surpassing Zhongli.
There were simply too many reasons.
He had:
Extremely handsome looks
A smooth, pleasant voice
Polite and humble manners
Calm and composed temperament
Scholar-level knowledge
Classic Chinese aesthetic
Overwhelming strength
He defeated Childe with a single finger.
And possessed power comparable to the god who once sealed Osial.
On top of that—
He carried the mysterious identity of a foreign god.
All those elements stacked together made him irresistibly fascinating.
Even ignoring everything else—
Who could resist a man capable of suppressing Osial?
After witnessing the terror of the vortex god—
Viewers felt even more awe toward Morax and Qiu Nian.
The excitement wasn't limited to Xuehua's stream.
Across other livestreams—
Male streamers were just as hyped.
After watching the cutscene, many of them shouted in excitement.
One streamer named Shuye completely lost control.
"I LOVE MEN WHO CAN PULL OFF COOL ENTRANCES LIKE THAT!!!"
He literally stood up on his chair and clenched his fists.
"SO COOL!"
"SO COOL!!!"
The chat immediately roasted him.
["I don't like male characters"]
["I'm not into flashy characters"]
[The 'true fragrance' law strikes again]
[He's losing his mind]
[But honestly… Qiu Nian really is insanely cool]
[I thought I wasn't into men until Zhongli and Qiu Nian]
The jokes came from something he had said earlier.
When he first started playing the game, he had loudly declared:
"I don't like male characters. I won't pull them."
And he had even skipped Diluc.
But now—
The true fragrance law had struck.
He was completely converted by Qiu Nian.
It was easy to imagine how explosive the forums would become once this version of the story ended.
Lore analysts would definitely start digging deeply into Qiu Nian's background.
Meanwhile—
Lumine and Paimon had arrived outside the Wangsheng Funeral Parlor.
Standing at the entrance was a Funeral Attendant.
"May I help you?"
"The Wangsheng Funeral Parlor is currently unable to receive new visitors."
She spoke politely, hands folded before her.
"We're looking for Zhongli."
"Could you pass along a message for us?"
Paimon asked politely.
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