"Hmph. Boring."
Wangshu Inn buzzed with noise—everyone seemingly talking about the same topic. Sitting atop the highest tree near the inn, the Vigilant Yaksha was forced to listen. He knew the strength of the Archon. He wasn't about to be swayed by mere rumors.
But Yanxiao, the chef, was another story entirely.
"Boss! Manager! This news—it can't be real, right?"
"Do your job. Real or not, it doesn't concern you."
"But it's the Archon!"
"Tch!" Verr Goldet raised an eyebrow and shot him a glare, startling Yanxiao into a shudder. "And what do you plan to do about it? Even if the Archon has passed, life goes on. You wanna go on strike?"
"I wouldn't dare..."
Yanxiao could tell the boss was unsettled too. But she was right—even without the Archon, people still had to live.
"Sigh... Still, something just feels off."
Muttering to himself, he endured the long night shift.
"Sleep it off. Tomorrow will be better!"
He gave himself a pep talk, snuffed out the kitchen candle, and stepped onto the stairway. Just then, he noticed something out of the corner of his eye—a flicker of a blue-clad little girl behind the food storage screen.
He turned his head to look more closely, even rubbed his eyes.
Gone.
"Did I imagine that?"
As he entered the main hall of the inn, he suddenly remembered something Victor Wang had said: "Master Yan, I think I saw a ghost earlier…"
Ghost… A shiver rippled down his spine. Both frightened and foolish, he turned back for another look—still nothing.
"Phew~, must've been my imagination... These rumors about the Archon are really getting to me."
The next morning, that "hallucination" paid him a cheerful visit.
"Wha—!"
"What are you yelling for?"
"G-ghost…" Yanxiao pointed at the little girl—half-transparent—clinging to the screen divider.
"So, you are yelling about a ghost, huh?" Verr Goldet, already in a sour mood due to the Archon rumors, put her hands on her hips, ready to give him an earful. "The morning sets the tone for the whole day! Even if we've got fewer guests, you still need to focus!"
Realizing the boss hadn't seen the eerie little girl, Yanxiao clung to his last shred of dignity and stammered, "I… my hands aren't steady. I don't think I can handle knives right now. I need some fresh air…"
The Golden Meteor and the Silver Companion, following the path of fate, had just finished visiting three reclusive immortals nestled in distant mountains. Thanks to teleport waypoints, they could now slack off a bit and jump directly back to Wangshu Inn.
Everything unfolded as expected—cooking, helping Yanxiao subdue Xiao Ming, and finally speaking with Xiao atop the terrace.
At first dismissive of the Archon's death, Xiao couldn't stay calm after seeing the Sigil of Permission. He had no choice but to take the matter seriously.
"I will go find the Adepti: Moon Carver, Mountain Shaper, and Cloud Retainer. It's time they made their decision."
"Will the Adepti take control of Liyue?"
"Adepti do not shirk responsibility. Although... I have my reasons for avoiding the mortal realm, duty is still duty."
…
"Phew~, so we've now officially visited all the Adepti. They'll see justice done, right?"
"I just hope they don't get too emotional and end up flattening Liyue Harbor instead."
"Good point… That Cloud Retainer has such a refined appearance, but she's so impulsive. Still, she gave us her word—just like the adeptus said: the Archon of Liyue is a god of contracts. She won't break hers. Anyway, where to now? Should we head back to find Childe?"
Lumine leaned against the railing, gazing toward Liyue Harbor. After a moment, she said, "Let's rest at Wangshu Inn for now. The Adepti are handling things. If we go back now, we'll just get arrested."
"Yay! I want the Adeptus' Temptation again!"
"Then I'll have the Bamboo Shoot Soup."
As Lumine and Paimon descended from the terrace, they spotted Victor Wang, who had clearly been watching them work this whole time.
"Victor! You're in Liyue too!"
"Paimon, Teacher Lumine. You haven't gone to Liyue Harbor yet?" Time to act.
"We already went! We even attended the Rite of Descension—but the Archon was attacked during the ceremony. We were mistaken for suspicious outsiders and had to flee."
"Huh? I didn't attend the ceremony. As an outsider, I shouldn't be on the wanted list, right? I was actually planning to head into Liyue Harbor today."
Floating in the air, Paimon wobbled, pointing at Victor Wang. "With that outfit? You look even sketchier than Lumine."
["Hmph! No matter how sketchy I look, I'm still not as suspicious as a floating creature with no wings!"]
"You brainless rock! What are you still doing here!?" Paimon stomped her foot in the air, fuming.
"Alright, alright, no more fighting!" Both Lumine and Victor Wang stepped in.
"Hmph!" ["Hmph!"]
"Paimon, I'm going to check on the situation in Liyue Harbor." Lumine gave her a heads-up—then vanished from her chair without a trace.
"Whoa!"
Victor Wang feigned shock. Paimon looked smug. "Teleportation! Way better than walking!"
Even Little Wen was too stunned to speak.
Paimon demurred modestly, "Actually, it's not her ability—it's something called a teleport waypoint. There's one right next to the inn's elevator. I'll show you!"
She zipped around excitedly, her face glowing with triumph.
"Come on!" she urged when Victor Wang didn't move.
"Alright, alright." He kept repeating an actor must stay in character in his mind as he forced himself into motion.
"Look—it's that floating thing! Sadly, only Lumine seems able to use it. Wanna try touching it?"
"Just touch it?"
"Uhh… maybe use elemental energy and spiritual focus too? I dunno, just try something!" Paimon flailed her arms dramatically.
"Alright."
Victor Wang made a show of placing his hand on the waypoint, then quickly pulling it back. "Hmm, seems like it's not working."
"But… you didn't channel elemental energy into it," Paimon said, flying left and right, posing like a detective.
To Victor Wang, the white, soft, small, and adorable Paimon—whatever expression she made—still looked like she was doing that goofy Anya smile.
"How about I try again?"
This time he pressed his hand firmly against the waypoint and theatrically released a swirl of wind energy thick enough to form a miniature vortex. It sank into the waypoint without a sound.
Back when he played Genshin Impact as a player, there was a persistent fan theory: the Paimon is One of the Four Shades Hypothesis.
One detail he remembered vividly was a Melusine named Canotila in Fontaine, who once said Paimon looked to her like a rainbow balloon, floating in the air and tethered by a string that reached all the way into the sky…
Unfortunately, he had reincarnated into Teyvat before the game reached its final chapter. That theory remained a theory.
But earlier, Lumine had teleported without touching the waypoint!
Victor had thought touch was necessary to activate a waypoint. If Lumine could use it without contact—just like Xiao or Abyss Mages—it meant something else.
The fact that they were using the same tool made it worse: she had greater access than he did.
When Keqing had tried earlier, she couldn't activate the waypoint at all. He'd suspected back then that his ability came from his Khaenri'ah or Hilichurlian heritage.
But Lumine?
Either she was a special being from another world…
Or maybe the one who was special… was Paimon.
If Paimon really held a Celestial-like status, granting Lumine a way to travel through leylines or waypoints wouldn't be a stretch, right?
Little Wen probably realized this too, which explained why she didn't respond to her usual rival's teasing.
An actor must stay in character... an actor must stay in character... an actor must stay in character...
"This waypoint absorbed my elemental energy but repelled my spiritual focus. Looks like I really can't use it… What a shame."
Heaven knows—if my true identity were revealed, would Paimon transform into some muscle-bound hurricane brawler and beat me into paste?
Or worse—turn into a flowing-haired, pale Archon and snap her fingers to reduce me into a puddle of black-red blocks?
"Hmph hmph! My partner Lumine really is the best!"
Hmph hmph! My acting might even fool the Heavenly Principles!
Just as Victor Wang let out a breath of relief, Lumine reappeared next to the waypoint.
"Liyue Harbor is still looking for me. You probably won't be suspected since you weren't at the Rite, but it's still risky." She looked at Victor with concern. "Do you really need to go there today? Waiting a day or two would be safer."
She's so kind… so sweet!
No matter what Paimon's true identity was, Lumine was definitely good. But if loving Lumine meant giving up on Paimon…
Victor glanced between the two.
"Yeah! We've already told the Adepti. Let them handle it," Paimon chimed in, also looking genuinely worried.
But to Victor Wang, she looked like she was smiling mischievously with her finger to her lips—'Shhh'.
He felt a twinge of guilt. "Ahaha… I've still got a message to deliver. I have to get there today."
Lumine nodded. "Then be careful. If you do get caught, go to the Northland Bank. Ask for a man with the codename Childe. He can help."
"Mm, I've also had a few run-ins with Yuheng of the Liyue Qixing. She can provide an alibi."
"Sounds like you've had quite the journey. Then I won't worry."