"What's the Rite of Descension? What even is that?"
Paimon asked with wide-eyed curiosity.
Klee turned her little head, blinking her big eyes up at Lin Mo.
Lin Mo gazed off toward the Rite of Descension platform, his expression laced with worry.
"The Rite of Descension is Liyue's grand annual ceremony," he explained.
"Every year, the people of Liyue gather under the guidance of the Tianquan, Ningguang, to pray for the Geo Archon, Morax, to descend upon the harbor and offer his wisdom for the year ahead."
"Ohhh~"
Paimon nodded in sudden understanding, sighing dramatically. "Liyue's got thousands of years of history, and the gods have to show up every year for their people? That's gotta be exhausting~"
Lin Mo: ???
Paimon! Why is that the part you focus on!?
Thank goodness you're not a god!
If you were, you'd probably slack off like Barbatos, napping all day.
Or maybe pull a Morax and stage some big event just to force yourself into retirement.
Or heck, like the Electro Archon, whip up a puppet to run the country while you hole up in a little box, playing shut-in.
Wait a second!
Hold on!
Why does it feel like, when I put it all together, not a single Archon is actually hardworking?
No, snap out of it!
This isn't the time for that.
Lin Mo's eyes fixed on the distant Rite of Descension platform, worry deepening.
Because according to the original story...
This year's Rite of Descension...
Was Morax's elaborate ploy to fake his own death and retire.
Condolences would pour in from every corner of Liyue.
And right in front of everyone, he'd summon the ancient remains of Rex Lapis—the Geo Archon's corpse.
Please don't let us crash into the Rite of Descension...
Lin Mo prayed silently in his heart.
If they arrived in Liyue just as the "corpse" descended...
There'd be no explaining it away!
But he couldn't turn Dvalin around and head back to Mondstadt either.
He had to get Lumine to the platform.
Let her meet Childe there, Tartaglia, and then Rex Lapis himself.
So she could dive headfirst into Liyue's storyline.
Right!
We'll hop off early and let her go on alone!
No sooner said than done—Lin Mo didn't hesitate.
"Alright, everyone, we're about ready to land."
"The drop zone will be right in Liyue's bustling shopping district. I'll treat you all to some local eats!"
"Yummy stuff~!"
Klee's eyes sparkled with excitement. "Lin Mo bro~ What kinda yummy stuff does Liyue have~?"
"You'll find out soon enough," Lin Mo said with a gentle smile, ruffling her hair.
He glanced back, adding, "Lumine, we'll poke around Liyue for a bit. You should head straight to the Rite of Descension platform. Rex Lapis is supposed to show up—perfect chance to scope out what's going on with your brother."
"Yeah!" Paimon chimed in enthusiastically. "This is prime intel-gathering time!"
Lumine gave a soft nod, her voice quiet. "Thank you, Mr. Lin Mo."
"No big deal."
Lin Mo waved it off casually.
As he spoke, he leaned down and murmured, "Dvalin, that's our cue. Once we jump, head back to Mondstadt."
"Yes, Mr. Lin Mo," the dragon rumbled in reply. "When should I come pick you up?"
"Hmm... We'll figure it out. We can always catch a merchant ship from Liyue back to Mondstadt."
"But... Lin Mo bro..."
At that moment, Klee tugged at his sleeve, looking up with pleading eyes. "Klee wants to go to Inazuma next time~"
"Heh, sure, sure~"
Lin Mo chuckled wryly. "But remember, we snuck out to Liyue this time. Aren't you worried Jean'll be mad? After this trip, we'll have to swing back to Mondstadt and show our faces."
"Aw... Okay then~"
Klee nodded reluctantly, her big eyes flickering with a hint of panic.
She was already tallying up how many days of confinement she'd get for ditching duties to play in Liyue.
"Alright, that's the plan. Time to glide down."
"Meetup spot's straight below—Liyue Harbor's main shopping street." As Lin Mo spoke, his wind glider unfurled behind him.
Everyone nodded.
In the instant Lin Mo leaped from the dragon's back...
The others followed one by one, plunging into the sky.
Gliders snapping open, they soared toward Liyue Harbor's shopping district.
"Wow!" Klee squealed, her first time gliding from such heights. She was absolutely thrilled.
"Plenty more chances ahead," Lin Mo said with a grin and a nod.
"By the way, Lin Mo, you know Liyue well?" Eula asked, leaning in as they glided.
"Eh... Somewhat. Nothing expert-level."
Lin Mo couldn't exactly admit that stepping into Liyue felt like coming home.
"How about this, then?" Eula suggested. "I've got a close friend here doing legal consulting. We could call her up, have her show us around."
"Sure... Sounds good."
Lin Mo nodded, a smile tugging at his lips.
He remembered Eula's friend right away.
Yanfei...
The Liyue lawyer who'd inherited legal principles from another world.
One of his students, of course.
With Yanfei's boundless energy leading the way, this Liyue trip was bound to be a blast.
But just then—
Whoosh~
Whoosh~
"Weird... The wind's picking up out of nowhere!" Amber struggled to hold her balance midair.
Even she, the gliding pro, was wobbling.
The others fared worse.
No one dared speak now.
They clasped hands tightly, inching along carefully to keep from being scattered by the sudden gale.
"What the—?"
Lin Mo was just as baffled.
Why had a fierce windstorm erupted in the sky?
It was dragging them relentlessly toward... somewhere.
Instinctively, Lin Mo peered in the direction of the pull.
His eyes widened in horror.
"Oh no!"
This is bad, he thought.
Because the gentle swirl of auspicious clouds over the Rite of Descension platform...
Had exploded outward in a frenzy.
The vortex of clouds twisted into a monstrous black storm, a towering dragon of wind!
"We're doomed~! Klee's gonna get swept away by the tornado~!"
"Ah~!! Mr. Lin Mo!! I can't hold steady!!"
...
Liyue, Rite of Descension platform.
Under Ningguang's direction...
A brilliant golden beam shot skyward!
The swirling clouds overhead twisted in response, birthing a terrifying black vortex.
Rumble!
Lightning cracked across the storm's crown.
Then—
The eye of the black-cloud tornado erupted in a blinding surge of dark gold light.
A colossal Eastern dragon, forged in dark gold, plummeted from the heavens like a shooting star toward the platform.
"What's happening...?"
Ningguang's gut twisted with unease.
She'd overseen the Rite of Descension for years, but this one felt wrong—the most bizarre yet.
Because this time, Rex Lapis wasn't descending in his divine form.
He was... a corpse.
And... the Archon's state didn't look right at all.
Oh no.
Ningguang realized it in a flash.
She stumbled back.
BOOM!
A deafening roar shook the earth.
Dust billowed across the platform.
The dark-gold Eastern dragon had crashed down, shattering the Rite of Descension stage into rubble.
Ningguang's pupils dilated.
She hurried to the dragon's massive form, crouching low to inspect it carefully.
But sensing no life left in it...
She shot to her feet.
Whirling to the Millelith, she barked, "Rex Lapis has been assassinated! Seal the area!"
Her words had barely left her lips when—
"Aaah~!!"
A piercing scream echoed from the sky.
Every head snapped upward.
There—a man and several women, hands linked, hurtled toward the platform.
BOOM!
Dust exploded anew across the stage.
"Ow... You guys... really okay using me as a cushion?"
From the haze came Lin Mo's pained groan.
They'd been funneled straight into the platform by the tornado's pull, stacking up like a human pyramid.
And Lin Mo? He was the unlucky foundation at the bottom.
As the dust cleared...
Lin Mo glanced sideways.
Hiss...
That's one massive dragon head!
"Seize them!" Ningguang commanded.
"Yes!!!"
The Millelith charged, spears at the ready, closing in.
"Liyue's Archon just died! No way to explain this clean—run! Don't start an international mess! I'll cover your escape!"
Lin Mo urged them urgently.
"Yeah, Klee, let's go—grab my hand!"
Eula scooped up Amber in one arm and Klee in the other, bolting for the platform's edge.
Paimon and Lumine scrambled on all fours, tumbling down the steps toward safety.
But the Millelith weren't about to let them slip away.
"Halt!!" "Don't move!!!"
Spears leveled, they pursued the fleeing group.
Lin Mo wouldn't abandon them to their fate.
"Wind'shield!"
A sudden gust of Anemo erupted.
It launched Lin Mo high into the air.
The wind field from his midair dash yanked the Millelith back onto the platform in a tumble.
It was Kaedehara Kazuha's Elemental Skill—Chihayaburu—in action.
Seizing the chaos, Lin Mo bolted in the opposite direction from Eula and the others.
Toward the mountains backing Liyue Harbor—Mt. Tianheng.
"Why are you lot still lying around? Chase them!"
Ningguang snapped.
"Lady Ningguang! Leave it to me!"
Keqing was already gripping her sword, Engulf and Defy, itching to pursue Lin Mo's path.
Because in that split-second glimpse...
Even caked in dust and looking utterly disheveled...
She'd recognized those eyes. Those gentle eyes she could never forget.
"Lin Mo... Is that you?"
Keqing's heart raced with desperation.
She dissolved into a streak of purple lightning.
Thundering after him.
When it came to speed...
Few in Liyue could outpace Keqing in her Electro form.
Soon, she spotted him at Mt. Tianheng's base, still fleeing.
"You! Stop running!" "Sword, draw!"
A bolt of violet thunder flashed past Lin Mo.
"Shadowstrike!!"
In the next breath...
Keqing landed before him, sword in hand, blocking his path.
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T/N:
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