"Kabukimono?"
Paimon looked curiously at the Scaramouche following behind Angie, Tartaglia, and the others. Scaramouche was carrying a plate piled high with cut fruits.
His gaze lacked its usual arrogance, replaced by something Paimon never imagined she'd see on Scaramouche's face—a clear, almost foolish innocence?
"Are you really Scaramouche?"
Little Paimon hovered closer, staring intently at him.
"Little spirit... I-I'm called... Raiden Kunikuzushi..."
Paimon's eyes widened even further. He didn't call me "little thing" anymore? Now I'm a "little spirit"?
Angie: "If you don't understand what the Dendro Archon just said, just assume his brain got fried in that last battle. He's basically like he was when he was first created."
The fruit-bearing Kabukimono spoke weakly, "Um... did I do something before?"
Angie shot him a sidelong glare, and he immediately lowered his head.
"You'd better never remember! If you do, I'll kick your ass so hard with my boots!"
"O-okay, I won't remember."
Lumine, equally curious, walked over to examine the Kabukimono more closely. Then, to everyone's astonishment, she reached out and tapped his head.
Tap, tap, tap.
The sound echoed through the room, leaving Kabukimono utterly bewildered and even Angie somewhat taken aback.
"Um, Traveler..."
Lumine addressed Kabukimono: "From now on, you must reform yourself and become a puppet anew."
Kabukimono nodded, his curiosity piqued by the thought of what he might have done in the past. Judging by everyone's reactions, it couldn't have been anything good.
Setting aside the matter of Scaramouche for the moment, Angie turned her attention to Greater Lord Rukkhadevata.
The Electro Archon's Gnosis had always belonged to the Fatui, and it was currently in the Dendro Archon's possession. This Gnosis, along with Sumeru's Dendro Gnosis, were Angie's primary targets.
"Great Lord Rukkhadevata," Angie began, "Would it be possible for us to..."
"This is to thank you both for your assistance to Sumeru during this time," Rukkhadevata interrupted, extending her right hand. The Electro Gnosis rested on her palm.
"The Dendro Gnosis..."
Angie glanced back at Tartaglia before returning her gaze to Rukkhadevata.
The Dendro Archon had only recently awakened and knew little of the Tsaritsa's campaign to collect the Gnosis. Since the Electro Gnosis didn't belong to her and the Electro Archon had already surrendered it, she returned it without hesitation.
However, the Dendro Gnosis was another matter entirely. Sumeru had just endured a devastating war, and the Dendro Gnosis's power was essential for both Rukkhadevata's recovery and the restoration of Sumeru's ravaged lands.
Moreover, Rukkhadevata had a deep, instinctive feeling that she needed to rely on the Dendro Gnosis to uncover something crucial.
"I cannot give you the Dendro Gnosis, at least not for now," Rukkhadevata said firmly.
Angie accepted the Electro Gnosis without further mention of the Dendro Gnosis.
Rukkhadevata was no Lesser Lord Kusanali; if she had spoken so decisively, the Dendro Gnosis was clearly unattainable.
Angie wasn't particularly disappointed. The Sumeru Gnosis was originally the Doctor's mission anyway, and bringing back the Electro Gnosis was enough to fulfill their assignment.
Let the Doctor worry about Sumeru's problems now.
After exchanging a few more words with Lumine and the others, Angie prepared to leave temporarily, calling Kabukimono along with her.
In his current state, Kabukimono could never return to the Fatui, nor did Angie intend to bring him back.
As far as she was concerned, that foul-mouthed Scaramouche was already dead.
Still, that Scaramouche really pissed her off. Now that she finally had this chance, she had to torment him properly before heading back.
Kabukimono was a straightforward sort; when Angie told him to come along, he simply followed.
After Angie and her group left, Rukkhadevata retrieved a golden Canned Knowledge.
The moment Lumine saw the Canned Knowledge, her mind reeled. Canned Knowledge like this... I only saw it when Nahida showed us Rukkhadevata's final memories and when Silaya left her last message.
Could it be...?
Rukkhadevata, oblivious to Lumine's reaction, continued, "Morax sustained serious injuries in the recent battle. I wanted to heal him myself, but he seemed to have urgent matters to attend to and returned to Liyue immediately after the fighting. Traveler, Paimon, I've heard about your abilities from Nahida. Could you please deliver this to him? He'll know how to use it."
"Ah, Zhongli got hurt?" Paimon gasped, covering her small mouth in surprise. In her mind, Zhongli was an invincible, all-powerful figure—how could he possibly be injured?
Lumine solemnly accepted the golden Canned Knowledge from Rukkhadevata.
"Don't worry, Paimon and I will set off right away!"
Nahida, who had been standing quietly behind Rukkhadevata the entire time, not uttering a word, spoke up as Lumine and Paimon prepared to depart:
"Traveler, Paimon, please remember to return after delivering the item. You've helped Sumeru so much—we haven't even had a chance to thank you properly."
"Of course, Nahida!" Paimon replied. "Lumine and I will return as soon as we've checked on Zhongli."
After Lumine and Paimon left, only Greater Lord Rukkhadevata and Lesser Lord Kusanali remained at the scene.
"Dendro Archon, you..."
Rukkhadevata gently knelt down and embraced Nahida tenderly.
Having finally finished handling other matters, Rukkhadevata could finally take the time to look at Nahida.
Rukkhadevata was the embodiment of Irminsul, while Nahida was its purest branch. Now that both were safe and sound, Nahida could truly be considered Greater Lord Rukkhadevata's daughter.
A mother comforting her daughter after 500 years of confinement—the scene was incredibly heartwarming.
-
After leaving the Sanctuary of Surasthana, Lumine and Paimon went to find Alhaitham and Tighnari.
But after searching nearly every corner of Sumeru City, they couldn't find any trace of Chu Xi.
When they asked around, they discovered that no one else had seen her either, leaving Lumine puzzled. Where could Chu Xi have gone?
Lumine still remembered Silaya's plea: to stop Chu Xi from seeking the true answer behind her Vision.
Silaya's warning was clear: this matter was absolutely critical!
"Lumine, where do you think Chu Xi ran off to?" Paimon asked, looking left and right in the Sumeru Grand Bazaar.
"Paimon, let's go to Liyue first. We can deliver the item to Zhongli and then come back."
"Ugh, fine. We'll come back later, then."
The pair headed toward the nearest Teleport Waypoint.
-
Player World.
After Lumine and Paimon finished interacting with the various Sumeru characters, the Sumeru storyline reached its conclusion.
Just as players were still reeling from the ending, a new quest refreshed on their screens:
[The Kaiyang's Last Words]
[Description: You and Paimon travel to Liyue to deliver healing items prepared for the injured Zhongli by Greater Lord Rukkhadevata...]
The moment this quest title appeared, the player community erupted in excitement.
[Isn't there still Qingge's story to resolve?]
["Last Words"... Does this mean Qingge isn't dead after all?!]
[What are you talking about? We saw Qingge buried with our own eyes! Could she have been dug up...? Oh hell, the Abyss wouldn't dare—?!]
[The Abyss, you truly deserve to die!]