"I see."
However, it was clear that Raiden Ei, with her negative emotional intelligence, didn't pick up on the girl's hidden meaning. Instead, she naively believed that Inazuma's situation couldn't be governed like Morax's.
At the same time, the Traveler, who had departed from Ritou, also arrived at Tatarasuna via Waverider, and began searching for Xavier according to Shiki's markings.
"Traveler, according to the location Ms. Ryougi gave us, it should be here. But why haven't we seen any trace of that engineer?"
"I don't know. Let's look around first."
"Okay, let's start with that wooden house!"
Paimon nodded, then flew towards Xavier's wooden house first, with Lumine following closely behind her.
"He's not here, Traveler! Let's go to the next place!"
"Wait!"
Lumine called out to Paimon, then looked at the three funnel-shaped devices placed on the ground.
"Huh... what are these?" Paimon had a puzzled expression. She couldn't understand what these funnels, larger than herself, were.
"They look like some kind of device. Let's search the house again, there might be instructions." Lumine examined them carefully and finally came to this conclusion.
Back inside the house, Lumine picked up all the manuscripts on the ground and eventually pieced together a design drawing.
"This is..."
Lumine looked at the devices on the ground again. These two things were identical!
"It looks like this device needs to be placed at the bottom of the Mikage Furnace Core, and then you just press the switch. But where did Engineer Xavier go?"
"Maybe he went out for something? Let's restart the Mikage Furnace Core first."
After some thought, Lumine decided to first complete the task Shiki had given her, which was to restart Tatarasuna. As for Xavier, she'd deal with him later. She couldn't just keep delaying because of him.
Lumine threw the three devices into her storage space, then plunged into Tatarasuna, which was ravaged by curse gods.
"Ugh... Traveler, the environment here is too harsh. I feel so dizzy."
At this moment, Paimon's eyes had begun to resemble mosquito coils, and her flight path had become erratic, looking like she would fall to the ground at any second.
"Paimon, hold on. I found Electrograna."
Lumine said, pulling Paimon's tiny body into her embrace, then plucked a Electrograna from a nearby Thunder Sakura Branch.
Zzzzt
The Electrograna formed a barrier, shielding Lumine and Paimon from the Tatarigami, but the sound it emitted was unsettling.
"Ah, Paimon feels much better, thank you, Traveler!"
"You're welcome, Paimon."
Although it was just a very normal thank you, Lumine felt strange, as if two red figures had appeared before her eyes.
Shaking her head to clear the odd feeling, she attributed it to the influence of the Tatarigami. It was said that this stuff could cause hallucinations, right? Lumine decided to finish the task at hand first.
Relying on the Electrograna along the way, Lumine and Paimon finally reached the very bottom of the Mikage Furnace Core. The discolored ground and the intermittent electric arcs in the air indicated that the concentration of Tatarigami here severely exceeded acceptable levels.
Fortunately, however, there was a Thunder Sakura Bough nearby, so they didn't have to worry about the immediate harm from the Tatarigami.
Of course, they couldn't stay long in a place where the Tatarigami concentration was so high. Setting aside other dangers, the constant sizzling sound, similar to a Geiger Counter, was unbearable.
Lumine took out the three Purification Devices and placed them on the ground in an equilateral triangle, then flipped the switches.
Buzz!
A huge humming sound spread throughout Tatarasuna. After Xavier's improvements, the Purification Devices' power had been significantly increased.
Theoretically, one Purification Device could neutralize the Tatarigami in half of Tatarasuna, but Xavier had prepared three just to be safe.
The three Purification Devices operated at full power, sending ripples outward in all directions. Simultaneously, they shot white beams into the air, which converged to form a single, thicker ray that shot straight toward the core area.
Due to Shiki's presence, the Fatui did not appear here as they did in the game; instead, monsters composed of Tatarigami emerged.
That is, Kairagi covered in scarlet, also known as Ronin.
"Drop!"
Lumine condensed a Starfell Sword and dropped it from the air, firmly pinning the Ronin to the ground. She then summoned the Dull Blade and stabbed toward the monster's head.
However... clang!
The clash produced a sharp metallic clang. Filth and Tatarigami—there was little difference between the two, which showed just how convenient Shiki's Mystic Eyes of Death Perception truly were.
The pinned Ronin was so tough Lumine couldn't even cut it. If Shiki were here, the battle would already be over.
"Eh? What's going on?!"
Paimon's eyes widened. Was this thing really that tough? The Vagrants and Kairagi they usually encountered on the road could be pierced with a single stab!
"Hah!"
Seeing this, Lumine dropped another Starfell Sword, ensuring the Ronin couldn't break free. Then, the simple and unadorned Dull Blade suddenly lit up with a purple glow.
electro element infusion, a simple and practical technique. Anyone with a Vision can essentially infuse their weapon, and elemental power is the key to breaking through the Ronin's defense.
Pfft.
The Dull Blade pierced the Ronin's head, and under the effect of the Purification Devices, the creature dissolved into a pool of red liquid that sank into the ground.
"Traveler! The Electrograna is gone! Let's hurry and get another one!"
"Wait, Paimon, I don't think we need it anymore."
"It looks like it! My head doesn't feel dizzy!"
Unknowingly, the Electrograna's effect had worn off, yet Lumine and Paimon felt no abnormality. Clearly, the Tatarigami here had all been neutralized.
Lumine walked over and turned off the still-running Purification Devices. After a moment of thought, she decided to put them back where they belonged. Wouldn't it be embarrassing if the engineer Xavier returned and couldn't find his devices?
Sure enough, upon returning the way she came, Lumine saw a man wearing a suit-like outfit. Although she had never been to Fontaine, she assumed he was the Fontaine engineer named Xavier.
"Who are you? Why are you in my house?" Xavier asked cautiously.
"We are Travelers exploring the continent of Teyvat. Miss Ryougi couldn't make it because she was busy, so she sent us instead!" Paimon explained, and upon hearing that name, Xavier relaxed his guard.
"Oh, so that's it. But you might be a step too late. My Purification Devices are missing."
"Are you talking about these? Don't worry, we've already finished purifying the Tatarigami. We apologize for using your items without permission."
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