"Such absurdity, This Immortal must investigate... No, This Immortal will go suppress Liyue Harbor right now!"
After the shock, Cloud Retainer immediately decided this.
"Huh? Wait, wait a minute! What do you mean by suppressing Liyue Harbor? Are you going to destroy the entire Liyue Harbor?"
Cloud Retainer's words made Paimon's eyes widen as he hastily confirmed.
"I merely intend to employ some thunderous methods, lest more trouble arise."
Cloud Retainer explained that she wasn't planning to destroy Liyue Harbor, but rather to temporarily bring it under control to prevent anyone from stirring up chaos.
"But Master, if you go now, everyone in Liyue will know you've turned colorful."
Ryan remembered Ganyu's instructions and immediately spoke up to remind her.
"..."
"Cough, cough, it is, indeed, a bit improper..."
Ryan's reminder made Cloud Retainer pause, and she raised a wing to her mouth, awkwardly coughing twice.
"How about this, Ryan, you help This Immortal suppress Liyue Harbor."
Looking at the colorful feathers on her wings, Cloud Retainer thought of something and turned back to instruct Ryan.
You dare to harm This Immortal's feathers... "...Huh? Me?"
Ryan raised his hand, pointing at himself in a daze.
Meanwhile, Lumine and Paimon on the side breathed a sigh of relief, feeling that Ryan wasn't the type to forcibly suppress Liyue Harbor.
After pointing at himself blankly for a while, Ryan finally understood Cloud Retainer's meaning.
"Okay, Master, I'll go suppress Liyue Harbor right away. Whoever dares to disobey, I'll throw them into the alchemy furnace. I'm already worried about not having enough alchemy materials."
Then Ryan's eyes lit up as he spoke with an impatient expression.
"...?"
Lumine and Paimon, who had just breathed a sigh of relief, widened their eyes, looking at Ryan.
"Alas, never mind, this matter is of great importance. It would be improper for This Immortal to act alone. It is better to consult with the other Adepti."
Finding Ryan so cooperative, Cloud Retainer quickly retracted her previous words.
"Okay."
Ryan also nodded obediently. At this moment, he had already roughly guessed why Cloud Retainer's feathers had turned colorful.
However, he didn't show any signs of guilt.
"Traveler, since you have come to clear your names, why don't you go notify the other Adepti? Ask them to come and discuss this together."
Then Cloud Retainer looked at Lumine and Paimon.
When Paimon explained the situation of the Rite of Descension earlier, he also mentioned that they were wanted because of it.
"There are two other Adepti in this area, Mountain Shaper and Moon Carver. You carry the aura of the Talisman of Abiding. Although I do not know its origin, you should be able to find them by holding this item and searching."
"Besides these, there is also Vanquisher of Evil, the Yaksha. You can find his traces by going to Wangsheng Inn."
After Lumine and Paimon nodded in agreement, Cloud Retainer finally spoke the names of the other three Adepti.
Lumine and Paimon memorized these three names, then bid farewell to Ryan and left Mt. Aocang to search for the other Adepti.
Of course, Lumine's first goal was the Statue of The Seven that she hadn't touched earlier; she had been thinking about it all along the way.
"Ryan, look at This Immortal's feathers. Do you have any ideas?"
Watching Lumine and Paimon descend the mountain, Cloud Retainer turned back and called out to Ryan, who was trying to sneak away on tiptoes.
"...Master, dyeing hair is bad for hair quality; it damages hair."
Discovered, Ryan had no choice but to give up on escaping. He turned back, glanced at Cloud Retainer's colorful feathers shimmering and glowing in the sunlight, then spoke with a serious expression.
"Hmm?"
"Master, Master, I was wrong! I didn't know the Rainbow Feather Pill was actually colorful!"
Noticing Cloud Retainer's raised eyebrow, Ryan hurriedly clasped his hands above his head, admitting his mistake.
He had already realized that Cloud Retainer's current appearance could only be related to the pill he had given her!
"Alas... You child, This Immortal doesn't blame you, but you at least have to help This Immortal find a way to change these feathers back, right?"
Seeing Ryan with his hands clasped above his head and his ears drooping over his head, Cloud Retainer couldn't bear to be angry for a moment and sighed.
"That's simple, Master. The effect of the Rainbow Feather Pill should be one-time. You just have to wait for the old feathers to be replaced by new ones."
Having received Cloud Retainer's forgiveness, Ryan finally put down his hands with relief and explained.
"But This Immortal is not like ordinary birds and beasts that molt once a year. I don't know when the next molt will be..."
Cloud Retainer sighed.
Moreover, besides turning colorful, the Rainbow Feather Pill indeed made her feathers much shinier. With such high-quality feathers, she wouldn't molt again anytime soon.
"But I don't know how to dye hair either... How about Master, I'll refine another pill for you?"
Ryan scratched his head. He didn't know how to help Cloud Retainer change the color of her fur back, so he could only suggest this.
"No, no, since you can't do anything, This Immortal will have to solve it herself."
Cloud Retainer immediately refused Ryan. For a while, she didn't dare to continue taking Ryan's pills.
And since even Ryan understood how to shapeshift, as an Adeptus, she naturally had spells to change her appearance. However, it was only a temporary solution; the feather color itself was still colorful, just hidden. If possible, she still hoped her feathers would change back quickly.
But now, she could only wait for her molt, as Ryan said.
"Okay, Master, you can do it. I'll be going now..."
Ryan nodded, then guiltily ran off... While Cloud Retainer decided to solve the colorful feather problem herself, Lumine and Paimon finally climbed to Qingyun Peak, glided down from the heights, landed on the floating rocks in the air, and touched the Statue of The Seven in Jueyun Karst.
After touching the Statue of The Seven, a satisfied Lumine then began to search for the two Adepti in Jueyun Karst that Cloud Retainer had mentioned.
Qingyun Peak, where they were currently, was the highest peak in Jueyun Karst. The two felt it was the most likely place to encounter Adepti, so they leaped from the Statue of The Seven's location, glided towards the mountainside of Qingyun Peak, searching for places that resembled Adeptal abodes in the air.
"Hmm?"
On the mountainside of Qingyun Peak, Moon Carver, who was resting, slowly raised his head.
A few days ago, Yaoyao came to Jueyun Karst. As her Martial Uncle, he naturally accompanied her throughout to ensure her safety. Yesterday, as per Streetward Rambler's request, he sent Yaoyao to Yilong Wharf, and only then returned to Jueyun Karst to rest.
Who knew that after resting for a while, he suddenly discovered that someone was so bold as to fly over his dojo.
At the same time, the golden-haired Damselette in the air seemed to have discovered that Moon Carver's location was somewhat extraordinary and descended from the air towards this direction.
"Who are you, and why do you trespass upon Jueyun Karst?"
Moon Carver looked at Lumine and Paimon descending from the air and immediately questioned them.
Hearing that the deer could speak, Lumine and Paimon immediately understood that he was one of the two Adepti mentioned by Cloud Retainer.
"We were entrusted by someone to ask you to look at this..."
Then Lumine took out the item previously called the "Talisman of Abiding" by Cloud Retainer. Young Master had given it to them, saying it was a token that would prevent the Adepti from harming them.
"Talisman of Abiding... It has been many years since I last saw this item. So, there are still remnants in mortal hands."
"I am the Three-Eyed and Five-Manifested Adeptus, Moon Carver. Traveler, state your intentions."
...