Southern Gate, Dragon-Queller Tree
Junze followed Ganyu back to this place once again.
"Ze, are you alright?"
Ganyu looked at him with concern.
Since they were already running late, the two of them had rushed here using Qilin Trail.
Although Ganyu had carried him part of the way, covering such a long distance would still be taxing for a child.
Junze patted his little stomach.
"I'm fine… just a bit hungry."
Ganyu could not help but laugh.
She rubbed his head and teased,
"You insisted on coming with Master. Now you're hungry. There's nothing to eat here."
"Ze does have something."
Junze grinned and pulled out a large bottle of coconut milk.
"..."
Ganyu's playful expression froze instantly.
She decided that for the next ten seconds, she would not speak to her disciple.
Seeing her reaction, Junze happily replenished his energy.
Ganyu could only shake her head helplessly.
She held his hand and walked into the area around the Dragon-Queller Tree.
At the outer perimeter, many workers were holding blueprints and tools, discussing methods to completely seal the tunnels.
Previously, Junze and Shenhe had only collapsed the tunnels near the tree itself to block the spread of the remnants.
They had not had the energy to deal with the outer areas.
As the master and disciple stepped inside, they saw a large number of Millelith soldiers stationed there.
Ganyu tightened her grip on Junze's hand.
It looked like things might be dangerous.
"Master, don't worry. If something happens, Ze will run first."
Junze said very thoughtfully.
Ganyu, who had been a bit tense, burst into laughter.
She tapped his nose lightly.
"Run first? Not even care about your Master?"
Junze replied,
"I want to, but Master is stronger than Ze. If Ze runs too slow, I'll only get in your way."
"So clever."
Ganyu smiled and patted his head.
She had never doubted this child's intelligence.
"But if Ze said you would save Master, Master would be even happier."
Ganyu pretended to be sad, half joking.
"Mm! Ze will!"
Junze nodded firmly.
Ganyu smiled, about to tell him that was not necessary, when she was interrupted.
"Ganyu, you're here… hm?"
Keqing walked over, but her gaze landed on Junze.
She frowned slightly.
"Why did you bring this child here?"
"Sorry, Miss Keqing, I—"
"Big Sister Yuheng, I'm sorry. I insisted on coming and bothered Master."
Junze quickly stepped forward, bowed slightly, and apologized sincerely.
"Please don't blame Master. It's all Ze's fault."
He looked up at Keqing with wide, pitiful eyes.
"..."
Even Keqing had to admit that this child was extremely cute.
With that expression, saying anything harsh would feel like committing a crime.
In the end, she sighed.
"Forget it. Just stay away from that area for now."
"Thank you, Big Sister Yuheng."
Junze thanked her sweetly.
"I'll stay right behind Master and won't go anywhere."
He even raised his little hand as if making a promise.
Both Ganyu and Keqing could not help but smile.
Even the tense Millelith soldiers nearby relaxed slightly at the sight.
After all, wasn't this exactly why they served? To protect children like him.
Keqing's tone softened.
"You can just call me Keqing."
"Mm! Sister Keqing."
Junze obediently returned to Ganyu's side, keeping his promise.
Ganyu became serious again.
"Miss Keqing, why did you call me here?"
Keqing replied,
"Ganyu, what do you know about the being sealed beneath the Dragon-Queller Tree?"
Ganyu nodded, her expression turning solemn.
"The one sealed here is the Geo Lord's former companion…"
"Azhdaha."
As one of the adepti who once followed the Geo Lord, Ganyu naturally knew the story of Azhdaha.
"Just as I thought."
Keqing nodded.
After noticing the abnormalities here, she and Ningguang had carried out extensive investigations.
In the end, they had already guessed which ancient dragon was sealed beneath this place.
But now that the answer was confirmed by Ganyu herself, Keqing's expression turned even more serious.
Azhdaha was a being of immense power in legend.
"Recently, we discovered that beneath various sites across Liyue where remnants of gods are sealed, the geovishaps have dug tunnels connecting them all the way here."
Keqing pointed toward the massive Dragon-Queller Tree in the distance.
"What?!"
Ganyu's eyes widened.
She had not expected that all the recent disturbances were connected to this place.
"Why would the geovishaps do this? Are they trying to awaken the Dragon King again?!"
For a moment, Ganyu recalled the time Azhdaha went berserk in the Chasm, and she could not help but draw in a sharp breath.
Back then, even the Geo Lord had paid a great price to seal him.
If he were to be released now, even if they could suppress him again, would Liyue Harbor in its current state be able to withstand the devastation?
Keqing shook her head.
"We don't know yet."
"When we arrived, the tunnels here had already been dealt with, seemingly by the so-called Ink-Shadow Immortal and a white-haired woman. We couldn't find any further clues."
"Ink-Shadow Immortal…"
At those words, Ganyu's expression became slightly complicated.
She was clearly wary of that figure.
Even though her disciple had chosen to stay by her side, who was to say that this so-called immortal would not suddenly appear and take Junze away?
"Then, Miss Keqing, why did you call me here?"
Keqing answered seriously,
"Ganyu, I hope you can help reinforce the seal suppressing Azhdaha. After thousands of years, it has already begun to weaken."
"If it is beyond your ability, could you help us request assistance from Cloud Retainer and the other adepti?"
When it came to Azhdaha and the methods used to seal him, both Keqing and Ningguang were extremely cautious.
If they interfered recklessly and accidentally broke the seal, the consequences would be disastrous.
So even if they were reluctant, they had no choice but to seek help from the adepti.
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