The morning light that streamed into the house on Feiyun Slope felt different, imbued with the quiet hope of the previous night's shared secrets. A new, unspoken alliance had been forged between the two outlanders.
Their peaceful morning was interrupted by a sharp, professional knock. It was Keqing, her expression a mixture of grim determination and weary practicality. She had come with a purpose.
"Lumine," she began, getting straight to the point, "the Qixing has a formal request for you. In the wake of Rex Lapis's… passing, it is imperative that we inform the adepti who reside in Jueyun Karst. They are owed an explanation."
She unrolled a map on the table, pointing to the familiar, jagged peaks. "Normally, the Qixing would send an emissary, but the adepti are… reclusive. We believe a neutral party, an honored guest who is not part of Liyue's internal politics, would be received with less hostility." Her amethyst eyes were sharp and direct. "We need you to be that emissary. We need you to go to Jueyun Karst, seek out the adepti, and tell them what has happened."
It was the next step, the next quest in the grand, unfolding story. But Ren knew, with a quiet certainty, that the context had completely, fundamentally changed. Lumine would not be undertaking this journey as a wanted fugitive, desperately trying to clear her name while delivering bad news. She would be going as an honored guest of Liyue, carrying the Sigil of Permission, a hero of Mondstadt vouched for by the Qixing's highest-ranking members. The adepti's reactions, he knew, would be entirely different.
Lumine looked at the map, then at Ren, a determined glint in her golden eyes. This was her path forward, her first real step in her quest to understand the fate of the Geo Archon. "I will do it," she said without hesitation.
Before she left, she turned to Ren and, in a gesture of pure, unhesitant friendship, pulled him into a tight, heartfelt hug. "Thank you, Ren," she whispered, her voice full of a gratitude that went far beyond his help on Yujing Terrace. "For everything."
"Be safe," was all he said, a world of meaning in the two simple words.
He and Ganyu stood at the gate, watching as Lumine and the ever-present Paimon set off, their small figures a beacon of hope heading towards the mysterious, mist-shrouded mountains.
After she was gone, Ren turned to Ganyu, his expression serious. "Big sister, we should tell Master what happened."
Ganyu nodded, her own face a mask of sorrowful duty. The grief she felt for her Archon was a deep, personal wound, but she knew her responsibilities. "You are right. She has a right to hear the news from us, not from an emissary, no matter how honored."
She retrieved the communication sigil, its smooth, dark surface a comforting, familiar weight in her hand. She channeled her energy into it, her heart heavy with the terrible news she was about to deliver. The adeptal runes glowed, and a quiet, expectant silence filled the room as they waited for the voice of their Master to bridge the distance between the grieving city and the silent, lonely mountain. They had their own duty to perform, a sister's solemn responsibility to inform the family of a terrible loss.