Several miners were working hard in the surface mining area of The Chasm when they suddenly saw a group of masked people approaching—not unlike members of a Treasure Hoarders gang.
An experienced old miner immediately said to the younger men beside him:
"Hey! You all get out of here quickly and go notify the Millelith Army. The Treasure Hoarders are causing trouble again!"
"You quietly leave through the escape passage. I'll stay here alone and stall them!"
"But, Brother Dai, is it really safe for you to stay here all by yourself?"
A few of the younger miners worriedly asked.
"They're Treasure Hoarders who won't hesitate to kill!"
"Don't worry, I've dealt with this kind of thing plenty of times before."
"As soon as the Millelith Army arrives, those guys will scatter like scared dogs!"
Old Dai patted his chest confidently and said:
"Your Brother Dai has crossed more bridges than you've walked roads, eaten more salt than you've eaten meals—so you can rest easy!"
"Alright, Brother Dai, be careful. We're going to notify the Millelith Army now and will come back to rescue you soon!"
After all the other miners left, Old Dai was the only one remaining in this part of the surface mining area.
"What do you want? Are you here to steal the ore we just mined again?"
Old Dai watched the Treasure Hoarders gang members warily and said:
"This area's ore mining is directly overseen by the Liyue Ministry of Civil Affairs!"
"Fine then, just steal it! As long as you're not afraid of being wanted by the Ministry and chased down by the Millelith Army afterward!"
"Heh, old miner, do you really think telling us this will do any good?"
The leader of the Treasure Hoarders gang spoke up:
"Do you think we Treasure Hoarders still care about stuff like that?"
"Besides, who cares about your lousy ores?"
"They're just some raw stones, not cut or processed at all—heavy and worthless. Why would we bother stealing that junk?"
"If we had the energy to steal those, we might as well rob a jewelry store or hijack some merchant wagons!"
"So, if you're so aggressive, what exactly are you here for?" Old Dai asked, puzzled.
"We're just here on a commission from someone—to take care of a certain matter," the gang leader said.
"Huh? Your Treasure Hoarders are starting to take commissions like the Adventurers' Guild and adventurers now?"
"As long as the money's right, anything's possible! Now get out of my way!"
The gang leader kicked Old Dai down to the ground, then headed over to the surveying mine.
"This surveying mine here should be the deepest one, right?"
The leader of the Treasure Hoarders gang said as he took out a small container from his pocket, the contents unknown, and poured the liquid directly into the mouth of the surveying mine.
"What did you just pour in there???" Old Dai exclaimed.
"I don't know either, but the client only asked me to pour it into the mine!"
"Brothers, the job's done. Let's go!"
Just like that, the Treasure Hoarders came fast and left fast, leaving a bewildered Old Dai behind, clueless about what they were really up to…
"Brother Dai, are you okay? We're back!"
Not long after, the young miners returned with a fully armed squad of Millelith Army soldiers, but the Treasure Hoarders were nowhere to be seen.
Then, in the next moment, everyone was terrified to see the entire ground start shaking violently!
"What's going on? Is this an earthquake?"
The Millelith Army soldiers shouted loudly:
"Quickly evacuate from here, move to the open ground outside!!!"
Thanks to the timely retreat, fortunately, no casualties occurred.
"Brothers of the Millelith Army!"
Old Dai, having regained his composure, quickly spoke to the nearby soldiers:
"The Treasure Hoarders gang that suddenly appeared just now poured an unknown liquid deep into the surveying mine, and then the earthquake happened. There's probably some connection between the two!"
"Brother Dai, are you a bit confused? How could a small bottle of liquid cause such a huge earthquake across all of Liyue?"
A young miner responded:
"That's probably just a coincidence, right? Earthquakes don't happen that easily."
"Yeah, Brother Dai, maybe you're just overreacting?" one of the Millelith Army soldiers replied.
"I've lived so many years—don't you think I know my own mental strength?" Old Dai insisted.
"My instincts are sharp. I just have a strong feeling there's definitely a connection between these events!"
"You all have to believe me!!!"
"We believe you."
At that moment, Su Yuan and Zhongli arrived at the scene.
Although they had rushed with all their might, they still arrived a bit too late…
That earthquake just now was probably the result of the Azhdaha Geo Dragon Sovereign, corrupted by the eerie force, breaking free from Zhongli's seal…
Right now, Azhdaha must be burning with rage and marching toward this place…
"It's Mr. Su Yuan and Guest Consultant Zhongli!" The nearby Millelith Army soldiers recognized Su Yuan and Zhongli.
They remembered Ningguang's orders to assist them as much as possible.
"Brothers of the Millelith Army, go evacuate the residents near the Chasm. Leave this place to us," Su Yuan said.
"Understood, orders received!" The soldiers gave a standard Liyue military salute and departed.
"Mr. Dai, please tell us in detail what happened just now, and then take us to the site," Zhongli said to Old Dai.
"Also, you should leave here quickly."
Then, Zhongli and Su Yuan went to the location of the survey mine.
"According to Old Dai's description, those treasure hoarders were commissioned by someone to pour an unknown potion down the survey mine, seeping into the layers beneath Liyue..."
Zhongli pondered aloud, "What exactly could cause such severe damage to Liyue's rock layers and ley lines, even breaking through the limits and causing Azhdaha to become corrupted?"
"That's not hard to figure out," Su Yuan said after some thought.
"Since the liquid was poured down the mine shaft, there must be some residue left on the inner walls of the mine tunnel."
Su Yuan continued, "If we just open up the entrance of the mine a bit more, we'll see exactly what's inside."
Zhongli nodded, then summoned his Geo energy to widen the small entrance of the survey mine.
Immediately, on the tunnel's inner walls, Su Yuan and Zhongli saw traces of a dark, blood-red liquid residue.
Su Yuan instinctively reached out to touch it, only to instantly feel a burning, stinging sensation.
"This feeling… this aura… it can't be wrong — it's Eerie power!!!"
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