He looked down at them.
[Mountain Shaper]: "Ha! To think that I would be the first to be found and revealed. Not bad at all—excellent, excellent!"
Realizing the urgency of the situation, Lumine immediately took out the exquisite token Tartaglia had given her and respectfully presented it.
"Please, take a look at this."
Her tone was sincere. By now, she was almost certain this being before her was one of the legendary Adepti.
The creature's gaze fell upon the token. A flicker of emotion passed through his eyes.
"'Sigil of Permission'… It has been many years since I last beheld this object. So, even among mortals, remnants of it still remain."
With a voice like a great bell resounding through the valley, he introduced himself:
"I am one of the Three-Eyed, Five-Manifested Adepti—Mountain Shaper. Traveler, since you carry this sigil, speak plainly. Why have you trespassed into Jueyun Karst?"
Paimon mustered her courage and recounted everything—the sudden calamity at the Rite of Descension, and how they had been falsely accused.
Just as she reached the crucial part—
Footsteps echoed from the mountain path below.
"It's the assassin! The wanted criminals have fled into the sacred grounds of the Adepti!"
[Millelith Captain]: That's me?! I led the pursuit here?!
[Millelith Captain]: To think I brought mortal soldiers into the Adepti's sanctum… a grave offense!
[Mountain Shaper]: Since it was not intentional, and you acted in duty, I shall overlook it once.
One of the Millelith squad leaders looked around nervously.
"Sir… we've gone too deep. This is the heart of Jueyun Karst."
The captain clenched his jaw. "We have no choice! Capturing the assassin is Liyue's highest priority. Even if we risk offending the Adepti, we press on!"
"Impudent mortals," Mountain Shaper rumbled, though with restraint. He turned to Lumine.
"Drive them away. But remember—do not take lives."
[Yuan'er, 'Liyue's Fastest Courier']: As expected of our Adepti—so benevolent toward the common folk~
Even armed and trespassing, the Adeptus forbade killing.
Though puzzled, Lumine obeyed.
With precise movements and controlled force, she avoided lethal blows, using skill and restraint to push the Millelith back beyond the inner boundaries of Jueyun Karst.
Peace returned to the mountains.
Only then did Paimon finish explaining the injustice and the "assassination."
Mountain Shaper's fury erupted.
"Outrageous!"
The ground trembled beneath his aura.
[Hu Tao]: Wow, what power! I wonder what kind of premium coffin would suit an Adeptus of that stature~
[Zhongli]: My apologies. The director of Wangsheng Funeral Parlor often speaks without restraint.
[Mountain Shaper]: Since you are young and merely careless with words, I shall pardon you.
Elsewhere in Liyue Harbor—
Hu Tao frowned at Zhongli.
"Why stop me? It's normal to be curious about Adepti!"
"And when Rex Lapis truly passes, won't it be Wangsheng Funeral Parlor's duty to host the Rite of Parting?"
"Are we about to appear in the video? Since the Geo Archon has fallen, we should be arranging his funeral!"
Zhongli pressed a hand to his forehead.
—"I… shall personally preside over my own Rite of Parting…"
A faint, unreadable smile touched his lips.
—"How interesting."
Back in Jueyun Karst—
"The Liyue Qixing have greatly disappointed us!"
"At the Rite of Descension, how could a mere mortal assassinate the invincible Rex Lapis?"
"And worse—how could they so hastily place suspicion upon an uninvolved witness?!"
[Cloud Retainer]: To falsely accuse innocent mortals after Rex Lapis's fall?! Mountain Shaper, I cannot tolerate this—I shall confront the Qixing directly!
Yet beyond the screen, Mountain Shaper alone knew a fragment of the truth.
Zhongli had privately informed him of the "feigned death" plan—but no other Adepti had been told.
To prevent chaos, he had to steady their emotions.
He recalled Zhongli's quiet request: stabilize the Adepti. Do not let misunderstanding ruin the grand design of the Rite of Parting.
Mountain Shaper exhaled slowly.
"Traveler, I understand your grievance."
"I have formed a preliminary judgment. But this matter cannot rest on my word alone."
"You will take the Sigil of Permission and deliver my message."
Though disappointed in the Qixing, he remained rational.
"Go. Inform the other Adepti."
"The echoes of the ancient contract must be heard once more."