"What? Even that genius detective, Shikanoin Heizou, couldn't find out who the killer was?"
Hearing Raiden Ei and Yae Miko's explanation, Aether spoke in disbelief:
"In all of Inazuma's territory, there's actually a case that Shikanoin Heizou couldn't solve???"
"However, this mysterious murderer didn't strike again frequently," Raiden Ei said helplessly.
"They went into hiding once more, which made finding clues or traces extremely difficult…"
"Speaking of which, what's Kazuha's situation now?" Su Yuan suddenly thought of something and asked directly, "Is he still struggling with the Shogun's consciousness for control of the body?"
"Yes." Raiden Ei nodded slightly.
"Though I believe in and respect Kazuha's will, the Shogun puppet is no easy opponent…"
"Back when I fought her in the Plane of Euthymia, our battle lasted for hundreds of years without either side managing to gain the upper hand or change her resolve…"
"So, Kazuha's awakening will inevitably be a long process…"
"Alright, let's stop talking about that," Ei continued. "Let's focus on your matter instead."
"Since you've come to Inazuma seeking support, of course we'll lend you our full strength."
"Although there are still a few unresolved issues in Inazuma, the situation in Mondstadt is clearly more urgent right now…"
"I'll have Kujou Sara and Sayu prepare to join Teyvat's Anemo Dragon, Dvalin, and head to Mondstadt to assist."
"I understand that your time is limited and you still need to travel to other nations for support, so I won't keep you any longer. Please be careful on your journey…"
Afterward, Su Yuan, Aether, and Paimon bid farewell to Raiden Ei and Yae Miko, planning to first return to Mondstadt to report everything to the Knights of Favonius, then head to Liyue to seek further assistance.
However, Su Yuan suddenly stepped forward and said to Aether:
"Aether, if you keep using those teleport waypoints corrupted by eerie pollution, your body really won't be able to take it anymore!"
"In that case, why don't you just teleport directly to Liyue instead? The waypoints there are still stable, so you shouldn't have to endure that 'cut into a thousand pieces' kind of pain again."
"As for returning to Mondstadt to deliver the message—leave that to me!"
Seeing the serious expression on Su Yuan's face, Aether knew that, although it would be best not to split up, Su Yuan was right — if he kept using the teleport waypoints corrupted by eerie pollution, his body truly wouldn't be able to withstand it any longer.
After a long moment of thought and inner struggle, Aether finally nodded and said,
"Alright, Su Yuan, I understand. Then… see you in Liyue!"
After that, the two parted ways — Aether left first for Liyue, while Su Yuan prepared to return to Mondstadt through a teleport waypoint.
But just as he was about to do so, something unexpected happened…
No matter how Su Yuan tried to activate it, the teleport waypoint seemed completely frozen — as if it had suddenly "crashed."
It simply wouldn't respond at all.
"What's going on? Don't tell me this waypoint broke down too?"
Su Yuan frowned, staring at the inactive waypoint in confusion.
"But if it's malfunctioning… then how was I able to teleport here from Mondstadt earlier?"
Just as Su Yuan was about to leave and look for another waypoint, he suddenly noticed a familiar figure standing behind him — someone who hadn't been there a moment ago.
The person had fluffy ears and a tail, smiling warmly at him.
"Ah, Gorou! It's really been such a long time — I didn't expect to see you here!"
Su Yuan smiled and greeted him, thinking that perhaps the problem wasn't with the waypoint itself.
Maybe it was just because Gorou suddenly appeared nearby, breaking the activation condition of "no one else in the vicinity."
Then, a chilling thought struck him — could it be that the reason he'd been unable to use the waypoint back in Fontaine wasn't because it was damaged… but because someone had been secretly watching him, without him realizing it?
"Su Yuan, since you've come back to Inazuma, why are you in such a hurry to leave?" Gorou said with a friendly smile.
"Why not stop by Watatsumi Island? Lady Kokomi would probably be very happy to see you again."
"I will, eventually," Su Yuan replied with a nod.
"It's just… things are urgent right now. There's something important I have to take care of, so I don't really have time to visit Watatsumi Island at the moment…"
"So, General Gorou," he added honestly, "could I trouble you to leave this area for now? As long as you're here watching me, I can't activate the teleport waypoint."
"Oh—oh, sorry about that! I'll get going right away," Gorou said as he turned to leave.
"Su Yuan, when you have time, come visit Watatsumi Island again with the Traveler!"
"Lady Kokomi and I have prepared a surprise for you two!"
Hearing Gorou's words, Su Yuan was completely dumbfounded.
A surprise? Translate that for me—what the hell kind of "surprise" are we talking about here?!
After Gorou left, Su Yuan finally managed to use the teleport waypoint and successfully returned to Mondstadt.
"So it really was because Gorou was watching me that I couldn't use the waypoint…" Su Yuan muttered to himself.
He quickly reported the situation in Inazuma to Jean, then hurried off toward Liyue without stopping to rest.
At the teleport waypoint near Tiger Gorge in Liyue, Su Yuan finally met up with Aether again.
This time, Aether seemed to be in good condition — apparently, using a normal waypoint hadn't caused him any strain.
"Su Yuan , you're here! Let's go — we should head to Bubu Pharmacy to find Doctor Baizhu," Aether said.
The two made their way to Bubu Pharmacy, where they met Baizhu and Qiqi and explained the situation in Mondstadt.
As expected, Baizhu and Qiqi were more than willing to help.
"Qiqi's transformation into an eerie state can be controlled to some extent," Baizhu said.
"She should make for a reliable source of combat strength. I hope she'll be of use to you."
According to Su Yuan and Aether's plan, they would seek two allies from each nation — enough to strengthen their forces for the Spiral Abyss challenge, while ensuring each nation wouldn't be left vulnerable.
"Alright, since Qiqi's agreed to help, let's stick to the plan and head to the Sword and Strongbox Secure Transport Agency to find Gaming next," Su Yuan said.
However, when they arrived at the agency's entrance, they were met with bad news — Gaming had gone out on an escort mission and wasn't currently in Liyue Harbor.
That meant Su Yuan and Aether would have to find a backup candidate instead…
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