After bidding farewell to Boss Han, Ganyu didn't take off the Mark III armor.
Instead, she walked straight out of the manga shop wearing it.
She knew the armor had flight capabilities, and planned to use it shortly to catch up with Cloud Retainer and the others.
"I wonder where they are right now?"
Standing outside the shop, Ganyu focused her mind and began sensing.
This was an ability of her clone technique— as long as the clone still existed, she could perceive its location.
Very soon, she felt a direction.
"That direction… could it be the Jade Chamber?"
Ganyu pondered for a moment.
It seemed Cloud Retainer and the others were moving quickly— they had already gathered the other Adepti.
"It looks like the Lord of Geo's 'death' really affected them deeply…"
Ganyu sighed softly.
She needed to get there as soon as possible.
If a conflict broke out, it would be too late.
"Let me test the power of this Iron Man armor!"
With a thought, Ganyu began to operate it.
Boom!
Boom!
Two massive jets of flame erupted from beneath her feet.
Driven by the tremendous thrust, Ganyu shot straight into the sky.
"So this is what flying feels like…"
After stabilizing herself, excitement welled up in her heart.
Now she finally understood the thrill Tony Stark felt when he first donned the Iron Man armor in the manga.
It really was exhilarating.
"For now, I'll just test the flight function. As for the weapons, I'll try them later."
Ganyu felt a bit regretful—
After all, she still had important matters to attend to.
Once she locked onto the Jade Chamber's direction, Ganyu accelerated sharply.
The Jade Chamber
Not long after parting ways with Lumine and the others, Cloud Retainer and the group arrived here.
"So this is the Jade Chamber? It could practically be called a floating island, couldn't it?"
Looking at the massive structure suspended in the sky, Cloud Retainer's eyes flashed with surprise.
She rarely came to Liyue Harbor, but she had seen the Jade Chamber before.
It hadn't been this large back then.
"Perhaps Lady Ningguang renovated it recently?"
Madam Ping guessed.
She knew Ningguang adored the Jade Chamber; most of the Mora she earned went straight into it.
"Hmph! With something as important as the Rite of Descension, she still had the mood to remodel the Jade Chamber?!"
Cloud Retainer's tone carried clear dissatisfaction.
"Let's wait until we meet Lady Ningguang and clarify what happened first."
Ganyu's clone quickly interjected.
This wasn't the time for complaints.
Hearing this, Cloud Retainer snorted twice but said nothing more.
Clearly, she agreed.
Soon, the group landed atop the Jade Chamber.
"Ganyu, and all the Adepti—why have you come?"
Seeing so many Adepti gathered here, Ningguang froze for a moment.
She hadn't received any notice of their arrival.
But she quickly realized—
They must be here because of the Lord of Geo's death.
"This is bad… I didn't expect them to come so quickly."
Ningguang's expression grew heavy.
These were all former followers of the Lord of Geo.
If mishandled, a massive conflict could erupt.
Fortunately, they didn't seem inclined to act immediately.
There was still room to maneuver.
"Hmph. The Lord of Geo has been slain—of course we've come to uncover the truth!"
At that moment, Cloud Retainer hopped forward as she spoke.
"But… why have the Adepti brought a slime with them?"
Keqing frowned, staring at the slime in confusion.
"Could it be some sort of adeptal pet you've recently raised?"
Coming to demand answers—and bringing a slime along?
What kind of operation was this?
"How dare you! This Adeptus is Cloud Retainer!
Not some slime—and certainly not an 'adeptal pet'!"
Yet again being called a slime, Cloud Retainer hopped furiously in place.
Along the way, countless people had mistaken her for a slime.
She could understand it—after all, she did look like one right now
But emotionally, she absolutely could not accept it.
Ningguang: (⊙_⊙)
Keqing: (⊙_⊙)
This slime… was Cloud Retainer?
That Adeptus?
Had she used some kind of transformation technique?
But of all things, why turn into a slime?
"Long time no see… I didn't realize Adepti had such hobbies."
Keqing muttered softly.
Unfortunately for her, the Adepti were hardly ordinary beings.
They heard her loud and clear.
Several of them immediately wore strange expressions.
If the timing weren't so inappropriate, they might've burst out laughing.
After all, their reactions had been exactly the same at first.
"Cloud Retainer received a Slime Experience Card from Boss Han.
She'll revert after seven days."
Ganyu's clone explained calmly.
She'd already given the same explanation to the other Adepti earlier.
"So that's how it is…"
Keqing nodded awkwardly.
She'd thought it was Cloud Retainer's personal preference.
Turns out it was a forced reward from Boss Han.
How bizarre.
With this clarification, the tension between both sides eased somewhat.
"Honored Adepti, the situation is as follows…"
Ningguang then recounted the events of the Rite of Descension in full.
"When I confirmed that the Lord of Geo had already been killed, I ordered the area sealed. The matter is still under investigation."
After she finished speaking, the Adepti fell silent.
This matched what they had learned earlier.
"Are there any suspects?"
After a moment, Madam Ping spoke up.
Although the Qixing appeared suspicious, she felt it was unlikely they were responsible.
"Too little time has passed. Nothing is confirmed yet.
However… we do have a hypothesis."
Ningguang shook her head.
"What hypothesis?"
Cloud Retainer asked immediately.
If there was a lead, they could investigate it.
Ningguang exchanged a glance with Keqing.
After seeing Keqing nod, she continued:
"Previously, Childe of the Fatui lost a Fake Peace Stone.
That stone may have awakened the Overlord of the Vortex.
Thus, we suspect the Lord of Geo's assassination may be connected to the Fatui."
"Wait—what did you say?"
At the mention of the Overlord of the Vortex, not only Cloud Retainer, but the other Adepti's expressions changed drastically.
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