Although entering the Abyss wasn't exactly a good thing, at least it proved that Rhinedottir hadn't died during the Khaenri'ah War.
Just then, a waiter from Wangshu Inn brought over the dishes they had ordered.
"Alright, I've answered your question."
"Now, try some of Liyue's signature dishes."
Jiang Yan smiled as he placed a Golden Shrimp Ball onto Alice's plate.
"Thank you."
Alice replied softly.
After enjoying a pleasant meal, Jiang Yan brought her along toward Liyue Harbor.
Alice had originally set out to travel and explore, and now that she had received the answer she wanted, she looked much more relaxed.
After Rhinedottir disappeared, she had left behind many unresolved questions.
About a hundred years after her disappearance, a young boy named Albedo had come to see Alice with a letter of recommendation from Rhinedottir.
Alice had been overjoyed at first, believing she might finally learn where her friend had gone.
But after hearing Albedo's explanation, she felt disappointed again.
Because even Albedo didn't know where his master had gone.
After the Khaenri'ah War, Rhinedottir had vanished completely.
So Alice decided to travel across Teyvat.
Partly to search for her old friend.
Partly to record the customs and scenery of the world in writing.
"This place is Guili Plains."
Arriving at the northern edge of Guili Plains, Jiang Yan said with a smile.
Since the resentful aura of the fallen gods in the sword scar had long been turned into Archon Bombs by Jiang Yan, the region had developed tremendously over the past thousand years.
Now it had fully recovered to the scale it had before the Archon War.
It had become Liyue's second-largest city, second only to Liyue Harbor itself.
"How bustling!"
Alice widened her eyes as she looked at the endless flow of people.
This was a scene she could never see in Mondstadt.
Compared to Liyue's lively prosperity, Mondstadt felt far more relaxed and free.
As the City of Freedom, Mondstadt was filled with a laid-back atmosphere.
Its people were the same.
But Liyue felt very different.
Everyone seemed to have something to do.
They were busy.
They were fulfilled.
After Jiang Yan's earlier purge, the Millelith were now diligently patrolling the streets and alleys.
After the Millelith corruption case, they had clearly become much more disciplined.
After all—
Their predecessors were still hanging at the execution grounds.
Since then, the Millelith no longer carried their former arrogance.
"What's that over there?"
Alice pointed toward a large crowd gathered in the distance.
"What?"
Jiang Yan followed her gaze.
A large group of people were clustered together, bustling with chatter.
"Oh, that."
Jiang Yan nodded in realization.
"That's a tourist site."
The place Alice pointed to was the very spot where Jiang Yan had once gathered the faith of the Liyue people and used Excalibur—Sword of Promised Victory to carve a massive sword scar across the land.
Later, after removing the resentful aura of the gods, Jiang Yan had transformed it into a historical landmark.
A place meant to commemorate the Archon War.
"Oh? A tourist site?"
Alice's eyes sparkled with curiosity.
"Then let's go take a look!"
Jiang Yan nodded and led her toward the crowd.
Meanwhile, on the other side, a woman was leading a group of children toward the sword scar.
They wore uniform outfits, their young faces full of excitement.
"Students, up ahead is a historical site from the Archon War."
"Does anyone know what event this site commemorates?"
The leading woman appeared to be a teacher, explaining the history behind the sword scar.
"I know! I know!"
A child raised his hand eagerly.
"It was during the Archon War when several gods joined forces to ambush Guili Plains!"
"Immortal Lord arrived after finishing the western battlefield and killed those gods with a single sword strike!"
"And that's how this huge sword scar was left behind!"
After he finished, the teacher nodded and patted his head.
"Well done, Xiao Hui! Everyone, let's give him a round of applause!"
The children began clapping enthusiastically.
But at that moment, the teacher noticed a little girl staring blankly in a certain direction.
"Xiao Mei, what are you looking at?"
The teacher asked gently.
Xiao Mei's small body trembled before she turned back.
"Teacher…"
She pointed into the distance with curiosity.
"Look over there… that person looks a lot like the Immortal Lord…"
The teacher chuckled lightly.
"How could someone like the Immortal Lord, a legendary figure, possibly—"
She turned to look where Xiao Mei pointed.
And froze.
Standing at the back of the crowd was a man who looked exactly like the illustration in the textbooks.
White hair.
Pointed ears.
His presence stood out unmistakably.
The teacher's body trembled.
"Imm—Immortal Lord!"
"It really is the Immortal Lord!!"
The surrounding children looked where Xiao Mei had pointed.
"Is that really the Immortal Lord?!"
"Wow! He looks just like a big brother!"
"Yeah! The picture in the book was real!"
The children screamed excitedly and rushed toward Jiang Yan despite their teacher's attempts to stop them.
Never underestimate the power of the titles Immortal Lord and Rex Lapis among Liyue's children.
After all, they had grown up listening to the legends of these two figures.
To them, Wood Spirit Immortal Lord and Rex Lapis were idols.
Even after thousands of years, their images had not faded.
If anything—
They had become even more legendary.
Jiang Yan had been standing at the back of the crowd with Alice, patiently waiting in line.
Then suddenly he heard excited shouting from behind.
"What's going on?"
Jiang Yan and Alice turned around curiously.
A group of children were running straight toward them.
Moments later, Jiang Yan found himself surrounded.
"Big brother! Big brother! Are you the Immortal Lord?"
A little boy was the first to ask.
It was Xiao Hui, the one who had just explained the story of the sword scar. 🌟
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