The identity of the Divine General remains a mystery. I'll just take things one step at a time. Childe thought to himself, deciding to stop dwelling on the matter. Life is short, and one should enjoy it while they can. He would leave his worries for tomorrow.
After all, if the Divine General had earned Rex Lapis's recognition, his strength must be among the top in Teyvat. Wouldn't it be exhilarating to fight him?
At this thought, Childe's eyes burned with excitement. He felt his long-dormant desire for battle reigniting. Compared to his position as a Fatui Harbinger, he craved the thrill of clashing with strong opponents and savoring the joy of combat.
Zhongli observed Childe's expression and sighed inwardly. He hoped that if Childe ever did face Yun Fan in battle, he wouldn't be so utterly crushed that he fell into despair. Zhongli didn't want to lose Childe as both a friend and a wallet.
"I'll leave you here. Follow this road through Mingyun Village and Guili Plains, then head south to reach Liyue Harbor." Early the next morning, Albedo kept his promise and escorted Lumine and Paimon over Dragonspine. However, due to a few unexpected incidents along the way, it wasn't until around 3 p.m. that they finally reached a main road leading directly to Liyue.
"Thank you, Albedo. You're such a good person," Paimon said sheepishly, poking her fingers together as she expressed her gratitude. She hadn't expected the journey over Dragonspine to be so perilous. Without Albedo's help, she might have ended up buried in the snow.
Ugh, I'll never crave Dragonspine's chilled meat again! Who would've thought that after hunting a few boars, a massive Snowboar King would show up? I'm not even big enough to be a snack for that thing!
"No need for thanks. It was an equal exchange," Albedo replied calmly, shaking his head.
"We still want to thank you, no matter what," Lumine chimed in. She wasn't the type to forget kindness.
"Alright, I accept your gratitude," Albedo said, glancing up at the blazing sun high in the sky to estimate the time. "It's getting late. You should hurry on your way. If you get tired along the journey, head north after reaching Guili Plains. There's an inn called Wangshu Inn where you can rest."
Lumine and Paimon exchanged glances, nodded, and bid farewell to Albedo before continuing their journey.
As Albedo watched their figures gradually disappear into the distance, he rested his chin on his hand, deep in thought. Only when they were completely out of sight did he silently turn and leave.
He needed to return to his research on that mysterious energy. Even if it was exceptionally dangerous—or perhaps precisely because it was dangerous and uncontrollable—he had to understand it to prevent future disasters.
Although Lumine hadn't directly helped him solve the problem during yesterday's tests, she had provided a new perspective. Following that line of thought, he was sure to make progress.
"Whew, Traveler, how long have we been walking? Why haven't we seen Wangshu Inn yet?" Paimon was panting, exhausted. She had no idea how far they'd walked, but she felt like her energy was completely drained. All she wanted was to sleep.
Hearing this, Lumine shook her head, indicating she didn't know either. Normally, an inn would be brightly lit at night, making it easy to spot in the darkness. But she hadn't seen any light other than the stars.
"Huh? What's that…" Lumine, who had been gazing into the distance, suddenly noticed a familiar landmark. Even in the starry night, its faint blue glow stood out—it was a Statue of the Seven.
Seeing Lumine stop in her tracks, Paimon followed her gaze.
"A Statue of the Seven! Traveler, when you touched the Anemo Statue of the Seven, you gained the power of Anemo. What if you touch the Geo Statue of the Seven? Could you gain Geo power?" Paimon asked curiously. While this might seem far-fetched for an ordinary person, for the Traveler, it wasn't entirely impossible.
Lumine didn't respond, but her eyes shone with determination. She remembered Yun Fan telling her to travel through the seven nations, gather the seven elemental powers, and leave her mark on the Irminsul to break the seal on her powers. Now, the time had come to gain a new elemental power.
With this in mind, Lumine broke into a run, heading straight for the Statue of the Seven.
"Huh? Wait!" Everything happened so quickly that Paimon's brain couldn't keep up. By the time she reacted, Lumine was already hundreds of meters away.
"Wait for Paimon, Traveler! I'm scared of the dark!"
Lumine was fast. In just a few minutes, she reached the Statue of the Seven, while Paimon was still struggling to catch up, her imaginary limbs seemingly about to smoke from exhaustion.
Taking a deep breath to calm her racing heart, Lumine placed her hand on the Geo Statue of the Seven, just as she had done with the Anemo statue in Mondstadt. She closed her eyes and focused on the power within.
In the next moment, a surge of Geo energy erupted from the statue, transforming into golden streams of light that flowed into Lumine's body. When she opened her eyes again, the symbol of Geo power appeared in her irises.
"Fall!" Lumine waved her hand, and with the Geo energy gathered within her, a massive meteorite was created, crashing onto the ground before her.
Boom! The impact sent a cloud of dust billowing into the air, spreading in all directions.
"Cough, cough… What's going on? Cough…" Paimon, who had just flown over, tried to catch her breath but ended up inhaling a mouthful of dust, sending her into a coughing fit.
"Tremble!"
Lumine's Geo power surged again. She stomped her foot, and sharp stone spikes shot out from the ground around her.
"Wow, that's amazing!" For a moment, Paimon was too stunned by Lumine's display of power to complain about what had just happened.
After experiencing her new power, Lumine looked at her hands with joy. A whirlwind swirled around her left hand, while her right hand was surrounded by fragments of stone. With the acquisition of Geo power, Lumine could clearly feel the seal on her powers loosening slightly. This proved Yun Fan's words were true—he hadn't lied to her.
Just wait, brother. I will find you! Lumine silently vowed.
"Achoo!"
In the Abyss Order, Aether, who had been listening to reports from his Abyss Mages and Heralds, suddenly sneezed several times.
"Your Highness, you've been working tirelessly for your people lately. Perhaps you should take a break and leave the remaining plans to me and Torrent," Electro Abyss Lector Enjou, who was temporarily serving as the scribe, advised.
"No need," Aether rubbed his nose, dismissing Enjou's suggestion. It must be Lumine thinking about me.