The news Nahida brought back was grim. After hearing her out, Lu Chen decided to see things for himself.
Flying high above, he scanned the land before spotting a freshly emerged Withering zone in a neighboring province, nearly a hundred kilometers away. Just as he suspected, Abyss creatures had appeared.
Seven or eight young Rift Beasts, along with a full-grown Rift Hound, were tearing through the farmland. The moment Lu Chen landed, their sharp senses locked onto him, and they let out low, threatening growls.
The massive Rift Hound struck first, phasing through space to lunge at him from behind.
With a flicker of thought, the Lion's Roar appeared in Lu Chen's hand.
Ever since the Skyward Blade had been destroyed, this four-star weapon had become his mainstay—but it was more than enough for these monsters.
Channeling Light Realm Force into the blade, he flooded the farmland with a burst of blinding white light.
He kept the output in check; otherwise, the Lion's Roar would have ended up like the Skyward Blade.
In that instant, the Rift Hound was obliterated before it could even make a sound. The rest, sensing danger, scattered in all directions.
"They've actually gotten smarter…"
Lu Chen's sharp gaze tracked them as his figure blinked from spot to spot across the field. Each teleport was followed by a monster's dying cry.
This time, he didn't waste precious power—he finished them off with his Primordial Energy Traveler's Handy Sword. When the last one fell, the farmland was pocked with pits of corrosion. Even dead, their remains still tainted the soil—a stark reminder of how destructive the Abyss could be.
After clearing the Withering zone, Lu Chen returned home.
"How was it?" Nahida asked immediately.
He recounted what had happened, and Nahida's brows furrowed.
"With more Withering zones appearing, the Irminsul must be in trouble. And the fact that Abyss monsters are crossing the border means the boundary itself is becoming unstable…"
"Sounds like a real mess to me," Scaramouche said lazily from the sofa, twisting the cap off a juice bottle.
"You're adjusting quickly," Lu Chen remarked dryly.
Scaramouche smirked, ready with another jab.
"Aren't you the self-proclaimed guardian of the Gate of Teyvat? I'd think something this small wouldn't trouble you. Or… is this actually hard for you?" His grin widened. "Rare to see you looking this serious."
Ei shot him a frown, and he quickly looked away, finally falling silent.
Lu Chen looked at him the way one might at an unmotivated son loafing around at home.
"This affects everyone," Nahida said sharply. "If the boundary weakens further and Abyssal corruption reaches here, it will bring countless deaths and tragedies."
Scaramouche muttered under his breath at her disapproving look.
"Let it come. Not like I care…"
While the group continued to debate the situation, a system prompt appeared before Lu Chen.
[World Quest]
[Repair the Irminsul and stop the spread of the Withering]
Return to the world of Teyvat, travel to Sumeru, and repair the damaged Irminsul to remove its hidden threat.
Reward: 10,000 Primogems, 10 million in real-world currency
The Gate to Teyvat will remain open for free until the quest is completed. After that, time exchanges will consume Primogems.
[Archon Quest: Reopen the Gate to Teyvat – Progress: 91%]
Due to quest progress, you may bring five companions.
The Real Teyvat System will always be your strongest backing.
"So it's finally here…" Lu Chen wasn't surprised. Just like during the Abyss Order incident, the system had once again remembered its go-to bug fixer.
"This time we're really going back to Sumeru." He turned to Nahida. "Are you ready?"
"Mm." She nodded firmly. "Protecting the Irminsul is my duty."
Lu Chen's eyes swept over the rest of the group. Aside from fixing the Irminsul, he also intended to help Nahida reclaim her authority in Sumeru—meaning more enemies than before.
Time to form a heavyweight team.
"Ei, Venti, Old Man," he said, looking at the three other Archons. "You're coming with me. No objections, right?"
"Of course!" Venti grinned. "I hear the Lambad Tavern in Sumeru City is famous. Been wanting to try it for ages~"
Ei nodded. "It's a shame I'll have to pause my lab work… but I've heard the desert holds countless Primordial Energy machines. I intend to study them closely—perhaps I'll find inspiration for new advancements."
Her resolve made Venti scratch his head awkwardly. "Heh… with you all having missions and goals, I sound like I'm just here to drink…"
Zhongli said simply, "We promised Nahida we'd offer aid to this troubled foreign god. Now it's time I make good on that promise."
Nahida's eyes softened—she hadn't expected him to remember those words.
That made four people. One slot left… but who?
Lu Chen's gaze slid past the group and landed on Scaramouche, lounging on the sofa with his juice, watching the scene like a spectator.
The moment their eyes met, Scaramouche's brow twitched.
He set his drink down, stood up without a word, and started walking toward his room.
"Don't bother hiding—it's you!" Lu Chen called out.
"Scaramouche! You're coming with us!"
"...Huh?!" Scaramouche froze, pointing at himself. "Why? Why me?"
"You really need me to answer that?" Lu Chen's smile turned sly.
Scaramouche might be behaving better lately, but he still wasn't fully trustworthy. Leaving him here without an Archon to keep him in check was asking for trouble.
"That's a great idea!" Nahida said brightly—she knew exactly what Scaramouche was like after these past days.
His lips pressed into a thin line as he stood there, unwilling, but Lu Chen gave him no chance to refuse.
With a wave of his hand, a force yanked Scaramouche forward.
That did it—he was furious.
"You're pushing me too far! First you drag me here, now you drag me back! What do you think I—"
But before he could finish, he and the rest of the group vanished from the spot.