Late at night.
Jueyun Karst.
Yelan sprinted swiftly through the mountains and wilds, arriving at a peak to gaze into the distance.
The moon was exceptionally bright tonight, allowing her to see the contours of the mountains clearly.
She was here to search for the dwelling place of Azhdaha.
Ever since she overheard the conversation between Ye Xi and Zhongli at noon, she had buried herself in the archives, looking for relevant clues. Finally, in the evening, she found an extremely vague description in a book.
[Seeking Adepti Abode]
Just these three words, and they were filled with uncertainty.
Although the intelligence was scant, she did not intend to give up and decided to come to Jueyun Karst first.
Now that she had arrived at Jueyun Karst, she felt a momentary sense of confusion.
Where exactly should she go?
The realm of the Adepti was so vast; if she wanted to search the entire area, she probably wouldn't finish even after walking for a whole day.
Just as she was thinking this, a thunderous sound suddenly came from the distance.
Yelan looked over and saw a massive illuminated Qilin running rapidly through the mountains.
That astonishing jumping ability and speed made Yelan exclaim in surprise.
'It's Ganyu.'
She suddenly remembered that Zhongli had said he would be with the Adepti.
Ganyu was also an Adeptus, so naturally, she would come!
That meant that by following Ganyu, she could reach Azhdaha's location!
Thinking of this, Yelan quickly followed.
However, on the way, she kept thinking.
If Zhongli is an Adeptus, what exactly is his identity?
She followed Ganyu all the way to the foot of Mt. Hulao.
From a distance, she saw Ganyu gathering with a group of Adepti.
She dared not get too close, knowing that the Adepti were extremely sensitive to their surroundings.
If she got too close, she would definitely be discovered!
She could only watch quietly for changes!
Meanwhile.
Ganyu transformed into her human form, came before the Adepti, and asked, "Cloud Retainer, have you all heard the Emperor's sound transmission?"
Just moments ago, she was still working at Yuehai Pavilion when she suddenly received a sound transmission from Rex Lapis, saying that they were to suppress Azhdaha once again.
This sudden news gave Ganyu a fright.
She had seen Azhdaha's power with her own eyes; without the assistance of the Adepti, it would be difficult to suppress and seal him.
With the slightest carelessness, Liyue Harbor would likely suffer heavy damage and be completely wiped out!
Thus, she had rushed back in a hurry.
Cloud Retainer nodded: "Indeed, the Emperor has already informed us of the sequence of events regarding Ye Xi."
"One truly did not expect that this person would be so proficient in mechanism arts. One would very much like to exchange pointers with him."
"Cloud Retainer, let us discuss the matter of mechanism arts later. The matter at hand is Azhdaha."
"Correct. If we want to suppress Azhdaha again, we must first set up arrays and restrictions this time. It will be easier than the last time."
The three True Monarchs exchanged words.
A millennium ago, Azhdaha went mad due to the over-mining of The Chasm.
At that time, Rex Lapis and Azhdaha fought all the way from The Chasm to Nantianmen.
The Adepti all appeared to assist in the battle, fighting for a long time before they barely managed to seal Azhdaha.
This time, since Azhdaha was still slumbering, the Adepti decided to set up the arrays in advance.
This way, when Azhdaha woke up, they could lay an ambush beforehand.
Thus, the Adepti began to cast spells, arranging numerous restrictions within the mountains.
In this way, as long as Azhdaha woke up and wanted to leave Mt. Hulao, he would trigger the spells.
After setting everything up, the Adepti lamented once again.
"One really does not understand the Emperor's thinking. To actually have a kid from Sumeru challenge Azhdaha."
"Indeed. Even the Emperor found it extremely strenuous to deal with Azhdaha. Isn't that kid just going to his death for nothing?"
"I fear that tomorrow, we will not only have to deal with Azhdaha but also take care of that kid."
"If the Conqueror of Demons were here, he should be able to rescue him directly, right?"
"The Emperor said that the Conqueror of Demons can remain guarding Wangshu Inn and does not need to come. Presumably, he has great confidence in that kid?"
"Sigh... If that kid is helpless against Azhdaha, and our restrictions and arrays also fail, I'm afraid everyone will have to join forces to take Azhdaha's life."
Speaking of this, the Adepti fell silent.
Azhdaha was once a companion, too; now, he had merely lost his memory after suffering from erosion.
If they had to kill Azhdaha, then everyone would lose another old friend.
It was precisely for this reason that everyone had been indulging Azhdaha, this unstable factor, all along.
"Let it be. Why think so much? We shall discuss it tomorrow."
"As for Ganyu."
Cloud Retainer's gaze fixed upon Ganyu's small face as she asked, "One heard that you spoke ill of One in front of the Qixing. Is there such a thing?"
"Eh—!?"
Ganyu's beautiful eyes widened in shock, and her gaze fell to the ground, daring not to meet Cloud Retainer's eyes.
She had previously said that Ye Xi was Cloud Retainer's disciple. Later, Ye Xi's mechanism arts proved too powerful, even stronger than Cloud Retainer's.
This so-called 'disciple' claim no longer made sense!
She could only make up an excuse, saying that Cloud Retainer was proud and arrogant, to find a more respectable explanation.
She hadn't expected that Cloud Retainer would find out about this matter!
"Cloud Retainer..."
"S-Sorry! Just tell stories from my childhood to punish me! Woo..."
"Hahahaha."
Cloud Retainer laughed heartily upon hearing this: "Do you really take One for someone so petty?"
"One also did not expect that an ordinary human would actually possess such talent."
"If there is an opportunity, One shall go to Sumeru to see those flying machines!"
When she heard Rex Lapis mention the train machines and flying machines, her heart itched.
For her, who loved to fiddle with mechanisms, this kind of thing was full of temptation.
Ganyu instantly breathed a sigh of relief upon hearing this, feeling as if a heavy burden had been lifted.
"Alright, everyone."
"Let us rest first and come back tomorrow!"
"Ganyu, return to the abode with One."
The Adepti assented and returned to their respective abodes.
In the distance, although Yelan heard nothing, she saw the Adepti setting up the arrays.
This also indicated that Azhdaha was right here.
She decided to hide for the night and wait until the next day!
The next day.
The bright sun shone high.
Keqing woke up early, dressed neatly, looking ready for a solemn battle.
...
In contrast, Ye Xi was lazy and sluggish, without any sense of tension at all.
Early in the morning, he was surrounded by his beautiful wives who were feeding him, eating with great delight.
"Sigh, is he really okay like this?"
Keqing felt a bit uncertain in her heart.
However, Lumine, who was to the side, said with a grin, "It's you who are too nervous, Ah-Qing. For Ye Xi, today is just like going out for a playdate, solving the matters over there in passing."
"Come on, come on, have a bite of crispbread~"
As she spoke, Lumine used chopsticks to pick up a piece of bread and held it to Keqing's lips.
"Eh!?"
"I-I can do it myself!"
Keqing blushed, hurriedly picked up her own chopsticks, and began to eat.
Just as they were eating, the sound of knocking came from outside the courtyard.
With a guest visiting so early in the morning, Dunyarzad stood up to open the door.
"Huh? General Mahamatra?!"
Seeing Cyno at the door, Dunyarzad was somewhat surprised.
"Is Master Ye Xi in?"
"Uh... Master is still dining. Please come in."
Dunyarzad hurriedly stepped aside and invited Cyno into the courtyard.
Seeing Cyno, Ye Xi was also stunned for a moment: "Cyno? How do you have time to come to my place today?"
"Master Ye Xi, Lord Kusanali ordered me to protect your safety today."
Actually, Cyno himself was quite confused.
Ye Xi was so strong; did he really need him for protection?
Although he didn't understand Nahida's intention, he still came to execute the order.
Ye Xi suddenly realized the truth.
Nahida must have known about the matter of suppressing Azhdaha today.
Sending Cyno to stay by his side was probably not out of worry that he would be in danger, but to tag along and show her face, representing that Sumeru also attached great importance to this matter.
It was just a formality.
"Alright."
"Then let us set off."
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