The perspective shifts back to Lumine and Paimon.
As soon as Tartaglia left the Golden House, they immediately gave chase.
The sky was now roiling with dark clouds, lightning flashing between them. The mere sight of it evoked a sense of impending doom, the air thick with the atmosphere of a looming disaster—like the calm before a storm, when the winds gather strength, foreshadowing the deluge to come.
"Traveler!" Paimon cried, her voice trembling. She hid behind Lumine, peering out fearfully.
Lumine's gaze stretched farther into the distance. Several massive whirlpools, like spiraling tornadoes, connected the sky to the horizon. Even from such a distance, the force of their churning winds whipped her hair into a frenzy.
Suddenly, a colossal shadow swept overhead.
"Huh? What's that?"
As the shadow advanced, they finally made out its shape: the Jade Chamber, soaring through the sky!
"Let's go, Paimon!" Lumine immediately quickened her pace, and Paimon scrambled to keep up.
"Wait for me!"
-
Sea of Clouds
The colossal body of Osial, the Overlord of the Vortex, surged through the sea. The sight alone would send shivers down the spines of anyone suffering from megalophobia or thalassophobia—severe cases might even cause instant death from sheer terror.
Three massive heads erupted from the sea, seawater cascading from them like waterfalls.
Compared to the Genshin Impact game Jiang Mumu had played, the System-optimized version was even more perfect, more terrifyingly majestic.
The incredibly realistic rendering of the scene completely immersed the players. The God, now several times larger than in the original game, exuded an overwhelming pressure that transcended dimensions.
In the live stream, Guojia swallowed nervously as she watched the God emerge from the sea.
"What the hell?! How are we supposed to defeat that?! We'd need to call Ultraman! No, wait... even Ultraman might not stand a chance!"
The chat flooded with similar reactions:
[So huge! ! !]
[Epic scale! The visuals are insane!]
[Brothers, why am I feeling a little scared?]
[Is that the God? I can't imagine how the Geo Archon defeated it.]
[Wait, we're supposed to fight that thing?! Seriously?!]
On the Jade Chamber:
"Huff... huff... All that running was exhausting!" Paimon gasped for breath. "If we hadn't spotted the Jade Chamber flying in the sky when we left the Golden House, we wouldn't have known where to go!"
"Did we make it in time? The Overlord of the Vortex is still in the sea and hasn't landed in Liyue Harbor yet, right?"
As Paimon spoke, Xiao emerged, his brow furrowed in confusion.
"You... why are you here?"
Lumine and Paimon turned to see the assembled Adepti, along with Ningguang, Keqing, Ganyu, and others.
"Huh... It's the Adepti! Why are you all on the Jade Chamber? We heard you were arguing with the Qixing earlier. Are you done?"
Ningguang stepped forward to explain:
"The Adepti believe that in this moment of crisis, we must temporarily set aside our differences with the Qixing and unite against the common enemy."
Moon Carver scoffed haughtily from the side.
Paimon continued to serve as the Archon's Mouthpiece.
"I see. So, what's the defense plan now?"
"Ugh, that Overlord of the Vortex... Even glancing at it from this distance makes it hard to breathe!" Paimon rubbed her small head, glanced at the colossal God in the distance, and immediately hid behind Lumine.
Keqing added, "Some new recruits in the Millelith can barely stand. The ancient God's oppressive aura seems extremely harmful to ordinary humans."
But that's precisely why we can't let that monster get close to Liyue Harbor's civilians!
Paimon stroked her smooth chin.
"Speaking of the Millelith, isn't Qingge supposed to be here?"
Ningguang shook her head. "I sent someone to find her when the Adepti arrived, but they couldn't locate her."
"Now that the God has been unsealed and the commotion is so great, she'll come rushing here."
-
Live Stream
[My waifu Mu is still fighting the Harbinger; there's no way she can get here in time.]
[Oh no, I hope Qingge is okay! That Angie looks really strong.]
[Come on, Mihoyo! Show us what's happening!]
-
Jade Chamber.
The proud great bird proposed using a new type of Guizhong Ballista to counter the God, an idea unanimously approved.
For the first time, players witnessed Cloud Retainer's tsundere side.
"Then, without further delay, let's begin!"
Ningguang cast a spell, instantly soaring into the sky and creating a massive platform using the Jade Chamber's formations.
At the center of the platform stood three colossal Guizhong Ballistae.
Each of the three Adepti moved to a ballista, channeling their Adeptus Power into it.
After absorbing the Adeptus Power, the Guizhong Ballistae unleashed such overwhelming firepower that the players were stunned.
[Wait, I thought these were single-shot weapons? How are they firing like Gatling guns?!]
Ningguang's performance was a highlight reel. Her spellcasting gestures and movements exuded a sense of cultivation, perfectly complemented by her frosty demeanor and the grand scale of the scene, striking right at the hearts of players.
[Aaaahhhh! It's so beautiful! So stunning!]
[With this kind of power, why is she only a 4-star? She's clearly 5-star material!]
[Is this still a game? I feel like I'm watching a movie!]
[Blow it up! Blow it up, brothers! I'm falling in love with this game more and more!]
On the platform.
Suddenly, several spatial vortices appeared, and Fatui soldiers emerged from them.
"The Fatui! They're attacking the Guizhong Ballistae!"
Lumine immediately drew Unrelenting Will and charged forward alongside Keqing.
-
A little earlier.
A flat clearing outside the Golden House.
This place had once been lush with trees, flowers, and grass, but now it had been completely leveled.
Mu Qingge braced herself against the ground with one hand, blood trickling from the corner of her mouth and dripping onto her hand. Her breath carried a chilling frost.
Across from her, Tartaglia remained unconscious. Angie's condition mirrored Mu Qingge's, blood seeping from beneath her mask.
Despite their severe injuries, neither felt any real pain.
Their outward displays were entirely fabricated.
Mu Qingge had at least three broken ribs and severe internal injuries, a situation mirrored by Angie.
Logically, since the cameras weren't focused on them during the fight, why were they putting on such an elaborate performance?
Why had they driven both their avatars to the brink of death?
The answer lay in a combination of factors.
Firstly, it made perfect sense. Two warlike individuals with a deep-seated grudge would naturally clash in a life-or-death struggle.
Furthermore, she was extremely meticulous about the external portrayal of her personas. Whether anyone was watching or not, each persona had its own set of responsibilities and behaviors that had to be logically consistent.
The System had warned her long ago that none of her personas could afford to have any vulnerabilities.
Deceiving the Seven Archons was no easy feat.
Especially Barbatos of Mondstadt—the Thousand Winds served as his ears. The seemingly unreliable Anemo Archon was, in truth, more perceptive than anyone else.
Lastly, her progress had been somewhat slow.
Suffering injuries allowed her to gather a certain amount of Emotional Feedback, which would prove invaluable for her future plans.
Jiang Mumu cherished all seven of her personas and refused to let any of them fall into audience disfavor.
To advance her Plan, she needed a villain—a central antagonist who would appear throughout the narrative, embodying absolute evil without any possibility of redemption, and ultimately meeting a tragic end.
Fortunately, the Emotional Feedback could help her craft such a character, which had been her plan all along.
With this villain in place, her Plan could finally begin in earnest.