"Hahaha! That's actually hilarious!"
Xuehua completely lost it after seeing the scene.
The livestream chat immediately started recalling earlier moments.
[Thinking back to the Guizhong Ballista scene… when Paimon asked Zhongli to learn a few moves from Qiu Nian, I finally understand why Zhongli almost couldn't keep a straight face when he asked "Really?"]
[Yeah! And Qiu Nian almost broke character too]
[And that dinner scene where they looked at each other — they had "just met" but Qiu Nian almost exposed Zhongli]
[It's even funnier now]
[One guy held his own funeral]
[The other searched for himself]
[Not only searching for himself — he also asked others about himself]
[Liyue's two greatest actors]
[Crouching Dragon and Young Phoenix]
"Hahaha."
"Looks like you two were fooled pretty badly by Mr. Qiu Nian as well!"
Childe suddenly felt much better hearing that Lumine and Paimon had also been tricked.
Lumine gave him a smug expression.
"So what exactly did Qiu Nian do to help?"
"Do you mean the part where he defeated Childe with one finger in the Golden House?"
When she emphasized one finger, her tone became especially pointed.
"Y-You…"
"Couldn't you give me a little dignity with so many people around?"
Childe looked mortified.
He, Tartaglia, had never been defeated in a single move before.
"I only heard you say you were defeated by that ancient god."
"I didn't realize how you were defeated."
"Oh… so that's how it happened."
Signora nodded with amusement.
"Uh…"
Childe lowered his head and scratched it awkwardly.
At this point he wished the floor would open up and swallow him.
"Enough, Childe."
"That was an ancient god whose strength rivals Morax."
"The fact that you're standing here unharmed and talking with us now is already fortunate."
"Stop acting like a child."
"If you ever need help with matters requiring brains, you can ask me first."
Signora chuckled.
"Ugh…"
Childe sighed and crossed his arms.
"Since the Gnosis has been obtained, there's no point chatting."
"We should return to Snezhnaya and report to Her Majesty."
Signora suggested.
"Fine."
"But I'll return later."
"I'd rather not share a ship with you."
Childe replied bluntly.
"Suit yourself."
Signora didn't bother arguing and simply walked out of the bank.
The livestream chat reacted immediately.
[Childe is so funny]
[Lumine is savage]
[Why does Signora suddenly seem less annoying here]
[Yeah, her attitude toward Zhongli is completely different]
[Is there going to be tragic backstory later?]
"Haha…"
"My old friend's contribution was not referring to that."
Zhongli smiled faintly.
While speaking, he even glanced briefly at Childe.
"He has already resolved Liyue's final future crisis."
Lumine and Paimon froze.
"You may wish to find him."
"He can answer the questions in your heart as well."
Zhongli suggested calmly.
The livestream chat exploded with theories.
[That line sounds familiar]
[PV callback?!]
[Solved Liyue's final crisis?]
[Based on the earlier cutscene… did Qiu Nian kill Osial permanently?!]
"Where can we find him?"
Paimon asked.
"At the summit of Mount Tianheng."
Zhongli replied.
"Mount Tianheng summit, got it!"
Paimon nodded.
"Before you go…"
"Is there anything else you wish to ask?"
Zhongli offered.
Lumine didn't hesitate.
"What could possibly be worth trading a Gnosis?"
Paimon nodded quickly.
"Yeah! You always say trade must be fair."
"But what in this world could possibly equal the value of a Gnosis?"
Zhongli answered calmly.
"From a standpoint of universal reason…"
"There is nothing."
"Eh?!"
Paimon's confusion peaked.
"But I am the God of Contracts."
"For thousands of years, countless contracts have passed through my hands."
"If a transaction held no benefit…"
"I would never agree to it."
He continued.
"My contract with the Cryo Archon…"
"…was the final contract I signed as the Geo Archon."
"A contract meant to conclude all contracts."
Then he paused slightly.
"As for what price the Tsaritsa placed on the other side of the scale…"
"You will discover that answer yourself in your future journey."
Zhongli fell silent.
Lumine and Paimon both gave him unimpressed looks.
Another mysterious riddle answer.
They knew pressing further wouldn't work.
So they decided to go find Qiu Nian.
Xuehua giggled in the stream.
"Another cryptic answer… but since it's Zhongli, I can forgive it."
The chat continued theorizing.
[Put away that fangirl face]
[Maybe the Cryo Archon wants to gather all seven Archon powers to fight Celestia]
[Feels like there's more to it than that]
Soon—
Lumine and Paimon reached the summit of Mount Tianheng.
A cutscene began.
A tall man stood with his back facing a father and son.
He was about 183 cm tall, with long black hair tied with a bamboo hairpin.
He wore elegant robes in pale green and white, styled like flowing ink painting.
A cloak fluttered gently in the mountain breeze.
The time had reached late afternoon.
"You must be the ones sent by Mr. Zhongli."
"Take these."
Qiu Nian turned around.
He handed two small wooden swords to the father and his son.
"Thank you so much!"
"I truly didn't know what to do otherwise…"
The middle-aged man thanked him repeatedly.
"It's nothing."
"You should go now."
"But remember, this matter must remain confidential."
"If you break that agreement…"
"The item will lose its effect."
Qiu Nian reminded them calmly.
"Yes, yes, I understand."
The man nodded quickly and led the boy down the mountain.
After they left—
Qiu Nian smiled slightly.
"Possessed by a wandering spirit…"
"Haha… best leave that to Director Hu later."
"For now, a small charm to keep evil spirits away should suffice."
He shook his head lightly.
At that moment—
Lumine and Paimon saw the father and son descending the mountain.
When they reached the summit—
They saw Qiu Nian's back.
The livestream chat immediately exploded.
[WAIT… this is totally the PV scene!]
Enjoyed these chapters? Access advanced chapters 60+ ahead and exclusive content by visiting my patreon.com/WillOFD129?