"Let's take him back to the camp first."
Mu Yang spoke, helping the half-kneeling Xiao to his feet and heading toward the team's resting spot.
Lumine and Yanfei followed closely behind.
Back at the camp,
"This way, we won't get separated, right?" Xiao's voice sounded weak.
Seeing the group bring Xiao back, Yelan approached.
Yelan raised an eyebrow. She seemed to have other thoughts about the Conqueror of Demons rejoining the team.
Perhaps in her mind, an independent Adeptus like Xiao wouldn't bother regrouping.
Xiao was, in fact, very reluctant.
If not for the trio's combined persuasion, he wouldn't have come at all.
His reasoning was simple.
"I shouldn't be a burden to you."
"It's not a burden. Don't think that way. We need you too. Stay with us, for our sake, okay?"
Yanfei, being a lawyer, was eloquent.
Xiao glanced at Lumine, then at Mu Yang, who was even weaker than when he'd left, and fell silent for a moment.
"…As you wish."
Mu Yang spoke up. "You're injured too. Rest for now. Whatever it is, we'll talk later."
Lumine chimed in, "Don't worry too much. We've got this."
"Mm." Xiao sat cross-legged, entering a meditative state. The smallest wound on his right arm began to slowly heal…
Afterward, Yelan called Mu Yang, Lumine, and Yanfei aside.
She was impressed by Yanfei's plan.
"I sensed the space targeting us too, but to turn its flaws against it? Well done, Yanfei."
Yanfei replied, "The chaos in time and space is confirmed after that attempt. Plus, we need to be wary of the traps this space creates."
"We've found the Conqueror of Demons. Now we just need to find a way out."
After Yanfei spoke, it was Yelan's turn to share what she'd encountered.
While Mu Yang, Lumine, and Yanfei were off finding Xiao,
Yelan had gone back into the domain.
Though she didn't find a new path, her trip wasn't fruitless.
Yelan's family had practiced esoteric arts for generations, creating artifacts only her clan knew how to use.
She'd found something similar in the domain.
Unfortunately, it vanished without a trace when she got close.
Mu Yang frowned. "Could it be another trap to lure us deeper into the domain?"
Lumine added, "Like the illusion of Xiao?"
Yelan thought it was likely. "In this place, it's hard to tell what's real or fake. I can't say for sure."
"However… I'm the only one among us who knows what those artifacts look like. This space is definitely reading our minds."
[We already knew that from the door, didn't we?]
[Yeah, how else would it know what we don't want to face?]
[That's creepy. I feel… unclean.]
[What, you worried it's reading your browser history?]
The group speculated about the space's intentions.
By reading their thoughts and catering to their desires, it created realities that felt real.
Or it could create fear…
All to make them let their guard down or become anxious and exhausted.
Mu Yang's gaze swept over the trio. "If that's the case, its goal can only be…"
"To trap us here until we die," Yelan stated her view.
There didn't seem to be any other explanation.
Yanfei remained more optimistic.
Prepare for the worst, but it wasn't time to give up yet.
"By the way, Yelan, you mentioned earlier you were investigating something. What was it?"
This time, Yelan didn't speak in riddles.
Given the dire situation, being open was the safer choice.
Plus, she wanted to fish for some information from Mu Yang.
"I'm looking for the truth behind the Khaenri'ah beast tide invasion."
Hearing this, Mu Yang gave a fitting reaction.
He knew Yelan was going to bring this up.
Of course, his reaction wasn't as big as Lumine's.
After all, he had to maintain his cool, aloof persona.
Lumine's eyes widened at the mention of Khaenri'ah.
She'd come here searching for clues about it.
The giant serpent they'd defeated earlier was likely tied to Khaenri'ah too.
[Oh my gosh, we're finally getting to the heavy stuff!]
[Plot enthusiasts are fully satisfied!]
[Love it, bring it on, serve it up!]
Yelan turned away. "Every word from here on, you keep in your hearts. Not a single word to anyone else. Otherwise…"
Yanfei and Lumine understood.
Mu Yang didn't need to be told—he was even planning to drop some info for Yelan later.
Yelan began recounting what she'd uncovered.
Five hundred years ago, a dark beast tide from Khaenri'ah swept across Teyvat's seven nations.
Liyue was no exception.
Under Rex Lapis's orders, the Millelith formed a defensive line, holding the front near the Chasm.
But the beasts were ferocious, and the battle was unprecedentedly brutal.
"At a critical moment, someone—nobody knows who—drew the beasts away, easing the stalemate significantly."
"The people of Liyue won the war, but some never returned."
Two of Yelan's ancestors had fought in that war.
The one who came back was driven mad, and everything about it was strange.
At this point, Yelan felt a deep sense of powerlessness.
The current Seven Stars knew little about those events.
Few had survived the Chasm back then.
To uncover the truth, she could only wait.
Yelan had waited until the day the outer seal of the Chasm was lifted.
She specifically requested to be assigned here.
Her goal was to uncover the truth from five hundred years ago.
But now, she seemed to realize something.
What she was facing was far more terrifying than she'd imagined.
Lumine and Yanfei were processing the flood of information.
Yelan turned to Mu Yang.
Her research showed that Mu Yang had once guarded all of Chenyu Vale with a single sword.
Seeing her curiosity, Mu Yang joined the info-dropping session.
"Bosacius…"
Lumine reacted first. "You remembered something again?"
Last Moonchase Festival, Mu Yang had similarly recalled Morax's name out of the blue.
"An old friend's name."
"Bosacius, a Yaksha under Rex Lapis, alongside the Conqueror of Demons?" Yanfei was stunned—this was another bombshell.
Yelan was the most shocked, as her records showed
that during the Khaenri'ah war, Mu Yang had shared a drink with Bosacius.
Bringing this up now, could it mean…
Mu Yang didn't hold back this time.
There was no need to hide this part of the plot.
As Yelan said, when the Khaenri'ah beast tide invaded, no nation was spared.
Chenyu Vale, where Mu Yang was, was hit hard.
Fortunately, his Adeptus powers were unique, able to imbue weapons.
This allowed the Millelith and ordinary escorts to stand a chance against the beasts.
So, even while Liyue Harbor's Millelith were tied up with the beasts,
Chenyu Vale held its ground.
Mu Yang described it casually.
But the animated short's depiction was anything but casual…