"""Wow—!!!"""
Everyone present, except for Skirk and Xiangling, let out gasps of shock.
Paimon excitedly spun a circle in the air, and Lumine also held the railing with both hands, leaning her upper body out as if she could see more scenery that way.
Even Orion, upon seeing this scenery, felt his eyes fill with nostalgia and shock.
The striking resemblance these landscapes bore to those of the Dragon's Land in another world, and the surprise of seeing Liyue's magnificent mountains and rivers come to life before their eyes.
The group was currently standing on a high wooden boardwalk. Following the slope down would lead to a small market, mostly operated by local grandmothers and grandfathers, similar to a vegetable market. They either lived in small houses nearby or traveled over mountains from the distant Qingce Village, staying for a few days before returning.
These stalls sold fruit, wove cloth and mended clothes, and offered tea. They primarily catered to passing merchants, but travelers, disguised Treasure Hoarders, and even Demoiselles who had run away with their lovers would stop here to rest, buy a few taels of fruit, and order a bowl of cool tea.
The tall peaks perfectly blocked the sun, offering people a touch of coolness.
According to Mona herself, the last time she ate something that tasted like human food was also around this area; a fruit-selling grandmother felt sorry for her and gave her a few Sunsettia.
For these simple old folks, the surrounding environment was not entirely safe. After all, a good wilderness environment meant monsters lived there—Slimes, Hilichurls, and most terrifyingly, some Juvenile Geovishap that had made this area their territory.
Let alone the passing merchant guilds; even players with well-formed teams in the early game would have to endure a couple of headbutts before they could leave.
Fortunately, in reality, there were many Millelith guards stationed nearby. While they couldn't completely eliminate the threats, intimidating petty criminals was certainly manageable.
Following the view down the sloping path, past a few tea stalls and over a few bridgeheads, they would reach Liyue's first statue of the seven, where the statue of a certain unknown six-thousand-year-old man was located.
Moving the gaze forward, past clusters of swaying reeds and across the water where small boats occasionally floated, at the end of a road faintly visible but with countless mossy blue bricks, a massive tree, like a branch inexplicably sprouting from the Ley Lines, emerged from a giant rock. This enormous tree, covered in golden leaves, resembled a rising Earth Dragon, holding layers of houses in its grasp.
That was an inn, an inn built atop a giant tree, and it was the first impression Liyue made on all Genshin Impact players.
Wangshu Inn.
At the same time, Orion wasn't quite sure why, but he'd always had the feeling that starting with an inn that offered unique beauty and excellent views—rather than the city's ornate, ancient, and majestic towers—gave people a greater sense of "adventure" or, perhaps, "escape." This feeling quickly imbued you with a spirit of discovery distinct from reality, taking you away from the weariness and noise of the city and transporting you to a more magnificent landscape.
Though not absolute, Orion thought that if he were still in his previous life, and if urban open-world games truly became mainstream in the future, there would always be people who, after a boring day of work, and after logging into their daily urban GTA,If you ever feel like visiting the village of Qiaoying or climbing to the summit of Tonatiuh Ochkanatlan—or even Columbina's cuava —all you have to do is open the game, sit back and relax, and close your eyes to listen to the background music for a while.
Skirk had already wandered through the Seven Nations several times before Orion's arrival, so she had no particular feelings. However, someone among the group showed surprise—it wasn't Noelle, nor Little Lumine, nor Little Paimon who was contemplating buying some fruit.
Looking at the clothes worn by the grandfathers and grandmothers running the stalls, Yunli and Clara exchanged surprised glances. Then Yunli tugged on Orion's clothes: "I say, the way people here dress..."
"Haha, looks similar, right?" Orion replied to Yunli with a smile.
Hearing this, everyone looked over. Paimon asked on behalf of the group, "Similar to what? What riddle are you talking about?"
Yunli answered directly, "The clothes, the attire, and although it's not very obvious, the architectural style of the inn in the distance is very similar to the architectural style of my hometown, the Xianzhou Alliance!"
Clara also nodded: "I've been to the Xianzhou Luofu. Although those white buildings don't seem to be here, this place really looks like Xianzhou. In fact, I wanted to say the same thing the first time I met Xiangling."
Xiangling looked at Yunli in shock, then looked at her own clothes: "So, are they really similar elements? I thought Yunli's clothing decorations had some of the Immortal grandeur that Master told me about, but I thought Yunli's style was from Sumeru."
Orion interrupted the conversation, patting Clara's head: "Actually, everyone has a point. Xianzhou and Liyue cultures are homologous in a sense. The white buildings Clara mentioned can actually be seen in Qiaoying Village.
If you can't figure it out, just understand it as two unrelated people who happen to look like biological brothers.
Alright, we'll have plenty of time to look at the scenery on the road later. Let's go ahead and buy Paimon something to eat first."
"Wuhu! Yay!" Paimon happily followed.
Xiangling looked at Lumine, then at Skirk, and pouted as she asked, "How does he seem to know more about Liyue than I do? Is he the Liyue person, or am I?"
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Walking down the boardwalk, onto the dirt road, and across the stone bridge, the group arrived in front of the statue of the seven after crossing several small islands. Upon approaching, the familiar healing sensation instantly swept away everyone's fatigue.
Ignoring the shocked faces of Noelle and Xiangling, Lumine asked Orion, "What do you say? Is it the same as the Anemo Archon Statue? Should I just press it?"
"Yes, press it." After Orion finished speaking, he looked up at Zhongli's Stone Statue seated atop the statue of the seven. Who would have thought that old man was thinking about how to kill himself?
As Lumine's hand pressed onto the stone statue, the entire Geo Archon Statue emitted a blue light, and the cube in the hand of the Zhongli sculpture glowed yellow.
Speaking of this cube, it's quite interesting. Among all the Archon Statues that have appeared so far, only this old man holds a cube; the others hold round objects.
Considering that the Hydro Archon is the daughter of the Ruler of Life, the Pyro Archon has a transaction with the Sustainer of Death, the Anemo Archon is a wisp among the Thousand Winds of the Sustainer of Time, and among the Four States of Alchemy, liquid, plasma, and gas have all appeared, but the Geo element, representing solid state, has not. Furthermore, only Liyue in all of Teyvat has the "Adeptal Abode" Spatial Magic. Therefore, this cube might very well be the symbol of the Sustainer of the Void.
Herrscher of the Void.
At this moment, Lumine had acquired the power of the Geo element and demonstrated the use of Wasteland Stars, which essentially involves creating a Rock Pillar out of thin air.
Seeing the light on Lumine turn yellow, Orion also placed his hand on the statue of the seven.
Skirk immediately entered a state of alert.
Fortunately, no strange Elemental Unrest occurred this time.
Orion looked around, and after confirming it was safe, he also introspected the changes within his body. Sure enough, a new skill had appeared.
"Haha! Let me see what I've learned!"
[Pseudo-Black Hole]
Orion's eyes instantly sharpened, and he suddenly roared, "I'm going to Natlan right now! I want to, Draw the Sword!"
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