Inside the Abyss Order's secret base, Aether hobbled through the messy camp, clutching his backside.
The once eerie and majestic altar now only had a few Abyss Mages stuck in the ground, twitching their legs like radishes.
The carefully prepared "Corrupted Inverted Statue" had vanished without a trace, leaving behind only a huge pit, with "Thank you for your patronage, please come again next time~" written in chalk beside it.
Aether: "..."
He took a deep breath, trying to calm himself, but then—
"Ugh!"
A sharp pain shot from an indescribable place, and Aether's handsome face instantly contorted.
—Time rewinds to a few hours ago—
"Your Highness, according to the prophecy, we should be in Liyue Harbor..."
The Abyss Herald was respectfully reporting the plan in front of a sand table, while Aether sat in a chair, tapping his fingers on the armrest, contemplating how to achieve his great ambition without harming his sister.
Suddenly—
"Boom!!"
The camp wall was directly smashed by a brute force, and four masked Hilichurls rushed out from the dust.
"Found you! Brother Aether!"
Jesse shouted, carrying a Rocket Launcher.
"Surrender now! Brother-in-law!"
Elliot's Water Blade was already at the Abyss Mage's neck.
"Sister-complexes must be punished!"
Zane's thunder hammer smashed the altar.
"Hehe, catch him alive!"
Matt smiled honestly, but a sack was already prepared in his hand.
Aether: "???"
Before he could react, Lumine rushed out from behind the quartet, clutching a bundle of Specially Made Ropes, her eyes gleaming with a strange light: "Brother! I know everything! You won't escape this time!"
Aether: "Wait! Lumine! Listen to my explanation! They must have told you som—"
"Your Highness, quickly escape!!!"
The loyal Abyss Herald pushed Aether away, and was himself smashed into a two-dimensional paper cutout by Matt's thunder hammer.
Aether stumbled towards the teleportation portal, and when he looked back, he saw Jesse pulling out a strangely shaped Rocket Launcher from behind him, its muzzle glowing with an ominous pink light.
"Thousand Years of Death Special Edition Bullet: Family Emotional Damage Version, Fire!"
"Whoosh—"
The rocket precisely passed through the rapidly closing teleportation portal, and under Aether's horrified gaze—
Hit the bullseye!
"Ow ah ah ah ah ah—!!!"
Aether's figure disappeared into the teleportation portal, leaving only his tragic screams echoing through the Abyss camp.
—Back to the present—
Aether leaned against the wall, tears in his eyes: "These... robbers..."
Not only did they steal the statue, beat up his subordinates, but they also ambushed him with that despicable weapon!
The most hateful thing was—
They actually turned Lumine against him! Otherwise, Lumine wouldn't have attacked him!
The thought of his sister being fooled by those four scoundrels into chasing him with a rope filled Aether with sorrow.
"Prince..."
A faint voice came from underground.
Aether looked down to see the Abyss Herald struggling to pull his head out of the ground: "Your subordinate... did his best..."
Aether was silent for a moment, then slowly squatted down and patted his subordinate's shoulder: "...You worked hard."
——————
Dainsleif stood at the edge of Windrise, silently gazing at the Statue of the Seven that had been "dealt with" by the quartet.
The corrupt energy that had originally Entanglement around the statue was now completely suppressed by some force, and even the grass beneath the statue's base remained as green as ever, with a few Anemo Crystalflies resting on it.
"...So, this is the origin of this statue?"
Dainsleif's voice was a bit dry, as if he was trying to digest this absurd reality.
"Yes."
Jesse shrugged.
"We 'adjusted' its energy structure a bit, and now it can't even corrupt an ant."
Dainsleif's brows furrowed even deeper. He reached out to touch the statue, and what his fingertips felt was not the corrosion of the abyss, but a strange... docility?
"What exactly did you do to it?"
"Well..."
Elliot scratched his head.
"Zane installed a 'Purifier' in it, Matt kicked it twice, I washed it with Hydro element, and Jesse even put a 'No Pollution' talisman on it."
Dainsleif: "..." (This actually works?)
He took a deep breath and rubbed his temples: "So, what do we do with this statue?"
"Bury it."
Dainsleif finally said, wearily.
"Huh?"
Paimon floated in the air, her eyes wide with surprise.
"That simple and crude?"
"What else can I do?"
Dainsleif looked at everyone helplessly.
"Smash it? What if the Abyss energy leaks? Since it can't even pollute now, burying it is perfect, saves trouble."
"Alright."
Jesse shrugged and turned to Matt.
"Time to work."
Matt nodded, pulled out a huge shovel from behind him, and without a word, began to dig a pit.
His movements were astonishingly fast, digging a deep pit large enough to hold three wild boars in just a few seconds.
"Off you go!"
Matt kicked the statue into the pit, then, like burying a radish, he quickly filled the pit, even stepping on it a couple of times to ensure it was firm.
Dainsleif watched this scene, the corner of his mouth twitching slightly: "...Is this how you usually handle dangerous items?"
"Pretty much."
Zane calmly clapped the dust off his hands.
"Last time a Ruin Guard was too noisy, we buried it the same way."
Dainsleif: "..." (Who exactly are these people?)
He shook his head and turned to leave: "I should go too. As you said, Aether is injured, and the Abyss Order's actions will temporarily subside. I need to take this opportunity to continue my investigation."
"Alright, be careful on your way."
Jesse waved his hand.
"If you encounter any more troublesome statues, remember to call us."
Dainsleif's back paused, as if he wanted to say something, but in the end, he just sighed and disappeared into the depths of the forest.
A few days later, the residents of Windrise discovered that a strange tree had grown where the statue was buried. The fruits on the tree glowed, and eating them could even cure insomnia.
The Knights of Favonius had to send people to guard it, to prevent Adventurers from plucking it bald...