Back on the viewing platform, Paimon was staring intently at the Maze below, so engrossed she didn't even notice Lumine's return.
"Wah—!"
"Eep~!"
Paimon jumped at Lumine's sudden appearance, but quickly recovered. "Lumine, you scared me! Wait, you're back! How did it go? Did you clear it?"
Lumine crossed her arms. "What do you think?"
"Hehe, I knew you were the best!" Paimon exclaimed excitedly.
"What are you looking at?"
"Lumine, look at that... Wait, where did they go?"
Paimon scanned the Maze with wide eyes before suddenly brightening, pointing. "There! That person is amazing!"
Lumine followed Paimon's tiny finger and was genuinely surprised.
The walls of the Maze were incredibly high—she'd assumed nothing could be seen from this vantage point. Yet here she was, able to see everything so clearly! From this angle, many of the walls even appeared transparent, a completely different perspective from what she'd experienced inside the Maze.
"That's... a hunter from Natlan?"
"Yup! She entered later but shot straight to the front!" Paimon's excitement bubbled over, as if she herself were leading the race.
"Traveler, look! That one over there fell just as they were thinking! Ha ha! Over twenty people have failed for the same reason!"
Paimon laughed heartily. It was true—though perhaps morally questionable, finding amusement in others' misfortunes was, indeed, quite entertaining.
Lumine smiled at Paimon and joined her in watching the Maze.
-
On another part of the stands, Chuychu cheered excitedly for her sister, shouting enthusiastically several times before realizing everyone was staring at her.
Feeling slightly embarrassed, she awkwardly retracted her hands, wondering if customs differed between countries.
Just as she was pondering this, a roar of applause erupted from the stands, dwarfing her earlier cheers a thousandfold.
Chuychu looked around, and many people on the viewing platform gestured for her to join in.
Smiling, she joined the cheering crowd.
"Go, Sister!"
Beside her, Charlotte seized the moment, snapping several photos of Chuychu cheering.
-
On the arena stage:
"Is that her?"
Qingxu stared in surprise at Fidelle, who was standing not far away. What a coincidence to run into her again, she thought.
Sensing someone's gaze, Fidelle turned her head and offered Qingxu a polite smile.
As soon as Fidelle plunged into the Maze, Qingxu immediately followed, her intentions clear: she wanted to compete.
Fidelle noticed the little one tailing her into the Maze. A faint smile played on her lips as she accelerated her pace.
At the exit of the first stage, Qingxu immediately scanned her surroundings. Relief washed over her when she didn't spot Fidelle, but a pang of disappointment also stirred within her.
But just as she was about to tackle the second stage, she saw Fidelle charging ahead in the lead.
"This..."
I wasn't mistaken after all.
Qingxu immediately sprang into action, now fully treating Fidelle as her rival. However, she had clearly chosen the wrong opponent.
-
The preliminary rounds came in waves, each wave showcasing contestants who believed themselves to possess exceptional skills. After all, why else would they have registered for the Grand Ceremony?
Witnessing their bizarre and unexpected defeats was a rare treat for the spectators in the viewing stands, and their enthusiasm soared to unprecedented heights!
Lumine and Paimon returned to the stands after having lunch in the Serenitea Pot.
The individuals Venti had mentioned truly lived up to their reputations, especially the representatives from Fontaine and Natlan. The former moved with blinding speed, while the latter didn't even bother with pretense—they simply rode their gun through the second trial like a rocket!
In the afternoon, Amber, Bennett, Fischl, and Razor arrived in Liyue.
Lumine and Paimon were seated in the viewing stand closest to the arena entrance, and Amber's group spotted them immediately.
"Traveler, Paimon! You're here!" Amber exclaimed.
Paimon beamed. "Amber! Fischl, Bennett, Razor—what brings you all to Liyue?"
Fischl pressed her left hand elegantly to her chest.
"The true purpose of this journey is not to wallow in the clamor of the mortal realm! We are answering the call of destiny, bestowing the supreme Condemnation's Blessing upon the Dread Pirate who treads the shadowed paths and the Winter Thorn who weaves the dance of finality with frost, through our Consecrated Lightning and Eternal Night's Verse!"
Lumine and Paimon exchanged knowing glances at Oz.
Oz: "Miss means we're here to cheer on Mr. Kaeya and Lady Rosaria."
Amber: "Traveler, I heard you're participating in the Summit as well?"
Lumine nodded. Her sights were set on the championship, though this time it might not be so easy.
"Then you'd better be careful. Captain Kaeya is no pushover."
"Amber, don't let Kaeya hear you say that, or else..."
Just as Lumine was speaking, Kaeya's voice cut in: "Or else what, Traveler? You can't talk about me like that! I never hold grudges."
Paimon: "Kaeya! When did you get here?"
"I arrived even before Amber and the others," Kaeya said, turning to smile at the four of them. "Thank you for coming to cheer us on. Rest assured, we won't bring shame to Mondstadt. Uh... are you injured?"
Fischl had a scrape on her hand, Razor had a cut on his face, Bennett's knee was scraped, and Amber's face was smudged with dirt.
Bennett looked a bit embarrassed. "Well, we ran into several Whopperflowers on the way..."
Kaeya: "..."
Whopperflowers are far rarer in reality than in the game. Encountering even one is like winning the lottery. How did you manage to run into several?
As the temporary leader of the four-person team, Amber had secured this rare opportunity. Despite their ordeal, all four were thrilled to be here.
Fischl and her companions rushed to the front of the observation platform, their eyes wide with wonder as they watched the contestants navigate the Maze below.
"Amber, wait for Rosaria and me when you're heading back. We'll all head back together."
"Understood, Captain Kaeya."
-
Player World.
The second stage here required players to use Anemo fields to fly to designated locations. Chen Xiyao attempted it over a dozen times before finally clearing it, completely exhausting her.
In contrast, the third stage turned out to be the easiest—simply endless combat, combat!
By the end of the entire preliminary competition, Chen Xiyao felt like she had pulled an all-nighter grinding.
Fortunately, the rewards were plentiful. Clearing all three preliminary stages granted her a total of three Intertwined Fates.
-
The next day arrived.
After yesterday's preliminary rounds, only over five hundred participants remained.
Today's arena was divided into numerous smaller zones. The rules were straightforward: win to advance, but even if you lose, you're not entirely out—you can choose to compete in the revival matches.
However, the gatekeepers of the revival matches were... a bit strong.
Opponents were assigned entirely at random.
Due to the large number of participants, just like the preliminary rounds, the first round of matches would be divided into multiple waves.
Lumine was assigned to the third wave, facing an Inazuman Samurai she didn't recognize.
Among those in the first wave was Cyno, whose opponent was a Millelith Captain.