How could it be them?
Upon seeing Venti and Sam Li, Yae Miko froze for a moment, her eyes brimming with astonishment.
Two months prior, she'd heard that Sam Li and Liyue's Adepti were preparing to suppress Hollow Zero. Just yesterday, she'd discussed this very matter with Raiden Ei, planning to visit New Eridu in a few days.
Little did she expect that before she could reach New Eridu, Sam Li and Venti had already appeared in Liyue. Not only that, but they'd brought the people from Cunning Hares along, plus several others she'd never seen before.
The next moment, Yae Miko hurried forward, smiling as she said, "Mr. Sam Li, Mr. Venti, what a coincidence to meet again."
Hearing this, Venti gave an awkward chuckle. "Yeah, what a coincidence. The weather is lovely today."
Beside them, Nicole, Billy, Nekomata, and the others had also seen Yae Miko in New Eridu, so they recognized her instantly.
They were utterly astonished.
"Meow, it's Miss Fox... What are you doing here?"
"Miss Yae Miko, why are you at the Wishing Star?"
"You came to the Star of Wishes too?"
Seeing Yae Miko here completely caught Nicole, Nekomata, and the others off guard.
Hearing their puzzled voices, Yae Miko furrowed her brow slightly. "Star of Wishes? This is Inazuma City. I've lived here for centuries. But you—why did you suddenly come to Inazuma? Has Hollow Zero been fully suppressed?"
Billy froze. "Inazuma? You mean this is Inazuma?"
Nekomata was equally stunned. "Meow, weren't we heading to the Wishing Star? How did we end up in Inazuma?"
They'd heard the name Inazuma countless times before—from Itto, Keqing, and Kuki Shinobu...
They'd always been curious about Inazuma, even wanting to visit to hang out with Arataki Itto. Unfortunately, the battle against Hollow Zero had kept them from ever going.
They'd also heard... Inazuma was as powerful as Liyue, home to mighty great demons and god-tier warriors...
But.
Weren't they supposed to be heading to the Star of Wishes with the train crew?
How did they end up in Inazuma?
Nicole, Nekomata, and Billy were utterly perplexed, quickly glancing at the Trailblazer, Himeko, and March 7th beside them.
The Trailblazer, Himeko, and March 7th were equally bewildered.
They had overheard Yae Miko and Nicole's conversation and could tell the two knew each other.
But.
How could natives of Wish Star know people from New Eridu, dozens of star systems away?
That didn't make sense.
Moreover... according to the intel, Wish Star had only recently opened up. How could people from New Eridu know the natives of Wish Star?
Given New Eridu's current technological level, interstellar travel shouldn't be possible, right?
As the Trailblazer, Himeko, and March 7th pondered this, over by the side, Nicole, Anby, and Billy had already briefed Yae Miko on the situation in New Eridu.
"With Sam Li and several Adepti's help, we've flattened Hollow Zero and defeated the final enemy... Miss Yae Miko, you should definitely visit New Eridu sometime!!"
"If you all invite me, I'd be delighted to..."
...
Immediately after, Billy launched into a detailed account of Sam Li's battle against the Sun-Colored Starlight Giant, his waist involuntarily swaying with excitement during the most thrilling parts.
"By the way, where's Itto? He's from your country, so he should be here too. Could you help me find him..."
"No need to look. That guy must've spotted the train too. He'll be here any minute."
Amidst the laughter and conversation, Yae Miko turned to glance at the Trailblazer, Himeko, and March 7th standing nearby.
"Who are these people?"
"Oh, them... They're aliens."
"Aliens?"
"People from other planets... They roam the cosmos, traveling everywhere..."
Billy didn't know much about the Traveler and the others, so he could only offer a brief explanation.
After hearing Billy's explanation, Yaegaki immediately understood: "So they're like Lumine..."
At that moment, March 7th, Himeko, and the Trailblazer also looked at Billy, Nicole, and Yae Miko with puzzled expressions.
March 7th hurriedly asked, "Mr. Billy, Miss Nicole, what's going on? How do you know people from the Star of Wishes?"
Billy smiled. "It's pretty obvious now—the Star of Wishes is actually Teyvat. We've been here before... though we'd only visited Liyue before. This is our first time in Inazuma."
Himeko pondered thoughtfully. "The continent of Teyvat, the Star of Wishes..."
The turn of events caught them completely off guard.
They never imagined that people from New Eridu, separated by over a dozen star systems, had already visited the Star of Wishes before them—and even knew people there.
Wait a moment...
Himeko seemed to recall something and quickly turned to Sam Li beside her.
Back in New Eridu, she had heard Sam Li and those extraordinary Adepti mention that they all hailed from a place called Teyvat.
Teyvat was the Star of Wishes.
Which meant... Sam Li, Hu Tao, and those Adepti were natives of the Star of Wishes?
It was utterly astonishing.
They had been searching for the Star of Wishes, striving to reach it, yet the people of the Star of Wishes had been right beside them all along.
Among the train crew, Dan Heng was the most stunned—
Back in New Eridu, when he first witnessed Sam Li transform into a divine dragon, he had already harbored suspicions.
But he hadn't dared to be certain.
Only now... had Dan Heng finally confirmed that Sam Li was the very Senior of the Vidyadhara heritage he had been seeking.
Truly, fate plays cruel tricks.
After searching far and wide, the one they sought had been right beside them all along.
March 7th was speechless. "Didn't they say there's only one chance every five hundred years to enter Wish Star? Didn't they say Wish Star is extremely isolated?"
Dan Heng was also baffled. "That's what the ancient texts of the Vidyadhara record..."
Himeko pondered thoughtfully. "..."
Regardless, they had now reached the Star of Wishes and seemed to have found that Senior of the [Vidyadhara heritage].
However.
The situation on the Star of Wishes appeared far more complex than they had imagined.
The Antimatter Legions outside the planet alone, coupled with the formidable Devastator, already presented a formidable challenge.
On March 7th, while Himeko, the Trailblazer, and others surveyed their surroundings.
Off to the side, three deities—Sam Li, Venti, and Ei—stood facing each other. This marked the first time in five centuries that at least three Archons had reunited.
Ei frowned deeply. "You two... aren't you going to explain?"
Barbatos chuckled. "Heh heh, Shogun, what exactly do you want us to explain?"
Ei replied calmly, "Why did you fall from the sky? And what attacked you?"