Keqing was just about to continue surveying the area...
Beside her, Hu Tao suddenly said, "Wait a second—where's Paimon?"
The Traveler quickly looked around, but Paimon was nowhere to be seen.
Then she glanced upward—and finally spotted her. Paimon was slowly floating down from above, drifting like a balloon.
"Paimon! Are you okay?!"
"Ugh, I'm so dizzy... Did we finally make it?"
Paimon gently bobbed downward like a balloon, taking more than ten seconds to land beside the Traveler.
Seeing that she was safe, the Traveler let out a breath of relief.
Only then did she start taking in the surroundings—an utterly desolate landscape.
It looked like the ruins of a massive city. The entire area was buried in rubble, with no trace of human life anywhere.
"Keqing, is this the area you mentioned? It's definitely strange. The architecture doesn't resemble Liyue at all... though it does feel vaguely similar to Fontaine in some ways."
Hearing the Traveler's question, Keqing frowned and shook her head. "I'm not sure. There was a disturbance during teleportation—we didn't arrive at the Statue of The Seven."
Still, what they saw before them didn't resemble anything from Liyue, Inazuma, Mondstadt, Natlan, Fontaine, Snezhnaya, or Sumeru.
Keqing had seen the architectural styles of all these nations. This was entirely different.
She took a slow breath, then immediately noticed something off. "Something's wrong. There's a strong pressure in the air... and it's filled with some strange energy."
It wasn't elemental—it felt... corrosive. Unnatural. Unsettling.
Paimon groaned weakly. "Yeah... this weird energy is making it hard to breathe. Let's get out of this creepy place already."
The Traveler scanned the ruins. "Which way should we go?"
Paimon shook her head. "I have no idea…"
Back in Teyvat, she could always sense direction and lead the way.
But here? She was completely lost. She didn't even know where "here" was.
Hu Tao glanced around. "No time to hesitate. Let's head this way."
Keqing nodded. "Alright."
They quickly picked a direction and began following the ruined street.
As they moved, they continued scanning their surroundings.
Keqing was surprised to find that she could read the signs on some of the buildings. They said things like Cinema, Arcade, and New Eridu Communications...
She understood every character—but had no idea what any of it meant.
Determined to get out of this bizarre place, they pressed forward.
But ten minutes later, Keqing suddenly stopped, staring wide-eyed at the same movie theater they'd passed earlier.
Her expression was filled with disbelief. "Wait... something's not right."
Paimon blinked. "What is it, Keqing? Did you find something?"
Keqing frowned. "I think we're going in circles. I'm sure we already passed this place—this exact movie theater. I recognize it."
Paimon gasped. "Huh? No way! We've been walking in a straight line! How could we pass the same place again? Everything's in ruins—maybe you're just confused?"
Keqing shook her head. "Impossible."
She had recognized the writing on the sign and had a vivid memory of it. There was no way she was mistaken.
Beside her, Hu Tao, the Traveler, and Xiao all furrowed their brows.
They, too, had noticed something was wrong.
Hu Tao said thoughtfully, "The street is clearly straight, yet we've ended up back where we started. That's what makes this really creepy."
The Traveler scanned the area, but there were no clear signs or clues.
Then Xiao seemed to realize something. He spoke with urgency, "The terrain here is strange. Let's get a better view from the rooftops."
Without waiting, he moved toward the tallest nearby building.
Keqing, the Traveler, and Hu Tao exchanged glances and quickly followed.
Soon, the group reached the top floor.
Looking out over the city, they saw countless abandoned skyscrapers—some towering even higher than the one they stood on.
The sight left Keqing, Hu Tao, and the Traveler visibly stunned.
This city was far larger than they had imagined, and the structures were far grander than any they'd seen before.
It was hard to imagine what kind of people had built such a place—and why it had ended up in ruins like this.
Suddenly, Xiao narrowed his eyes.
"I get it now."
Keqing immediately asked, "Xiao, what did you figure out?"
Xiao answered seriously, "The space here isn't stable—it's constantly shifting. That building over there? It was on the left just a moment ago, and now it's suddenly moved to the right."
That explained why they'd gotten turned around earlier.
Even though they had walked in a straight line, the shifting space had reshuffled the terrain—putting places they'd already passed back in front of them.
They hadn't looped around.
The space had.
After Xiao's explanation, Paimon couldn't help but praise him. "As expected of an Adeptus! You figured it out so fast!"
Keqing, however, still looked uneasy. "If Xiao's right and the space is constantly changing, then no matter which direction we go, we'll just keep getting moved somewhere else... Does that mean we'll never get out of this city?"
The Traveler frowned. "Why would Teyvat lead us to a place like this…"
She had hoped to rely on Paimon for direction, but after seeing Paimon dazed and disoriented, she gave up. Even Paimon couldn't help this time.
Hu Tao thought for a moment and said, "We won't know unless we try. Instead of standing here worrying, let's at least make an attempt. Let's head that way and see what happens."
Keqing nodded. "Alright."
At this point, they had no better options.
But—
After walking only a short distance, they noticed something strange again.
Xiao suddenly halted. "Wait. Be on guard—there's danger nearby…"
Paimon threw her hands up. "Come on! This whole place is nothing but ruins! There's not even a single bird! Other than us, there's not a living thing in sight. What danger could there possibly—"
The words had barely left her mouth—
When a massive axe suddenly came flying straight at her.
Xiao reacted instantly, shoving Paimon aside with one hand while raising his spear with the other.
With a sharp clang, he deflected the axe midair.
Paimon turned around, staring at the enormous weapon now embedded in the ground nearby—completely frozen in shock.
"Wh-What was that?! Where did that axe come from?!"