Due to the nature of Yelan's work, she did not attend this gathering. The group feasted at Xinyue Kui, exchanged contact information, and then bid each other farewell.
Rover accompanied Jiyan back to the depths of The Chasm. Just like the first time, the spatial rift was still there.
"Give everyone my regards. Thanks."
Rover reached out and brushed the dust off Jiyan's shoulder.
Jiyan nodded, recalling that this journey had indeed been a worthwhile experience.
"Mm, I'm off. Hope it won't be too long before we meet again."
Without any sentimental words, Jiyan replied curtly before stepping straight into the spatial rift.
Rover turned and waved at Aether and Paimon, who were waiting not far away.
Upon reaching the surface of The Chasm, Zhongli was already there, waiting.
"My young friends, you're heading to Sumeru, correct?"
Zhongli unhurriedly pointed toward a mining tunnel.
"Yes. After meeting the three Archons, all I want now is to reach the end of my journey. So, I'll keep moving forward."
Aether gazed at the dark passage ahead, his resolve firm.
Zhongli sighed. Regarding Sumeru, there wasn't much he could say—even he wasn't entirely clear on many things there.
"Then, let's meet again another time…"
Zhongli suddenly recalled a significant incident that had occurred during their time in The Chasm.
"Ningguang knew you were going to Sumeru, so she asked me to pass along some intelligence: La Signora is dead."
The two were stunned. Even Paimon, floating in the air, widened her eyes, her voice rising in shock.
"Huh?! What happened?!"
Rover frowned, thinking back to the last time she had seen La Signora. There hadn't seemed to be any danger at the time…
"The reason is unknown. Snezhnaya hasn't made any moves regarding this."
The death of a Fatui Harbinger was supposed to be highly classified intelligence. For Ningguang's information network to penetrate this deeply was already impressive.
But Aether had a question.
"What does La Signora's death have to do with us going to Sumeru?"
Zhongli paused for a moment before speaking slowly.
"According to unverified reports, someone spotted The Balladeer in Sumeru. You might cross paths with him."
Rover didn't care much. The only thing that concerned her was one particular item.
"Any leads on the Electro Archon's Gnosis?"
Zhongli, however, countered with a question.
"Has Baal… already handed the Gnosis over to them?"
From this response, Rover knew she wouldn't get any further answers. If La Signora was dead, then the Electro Archon's Gnosis must be in The Balladeer's hands.
"May the wind guide your journey."
Zhongli nodded slightly as, under his gaze, the two stepped into the mining tunnel.
After walking for an unknown length of time, light finally appeared ahead.
"Now that we've arrived in Sumeru, our next goal is to reach Sumeru City and find a way to meet Lesser Lord Kusanali."
Paimon flew to the front, habitually taking on the role of guide.
What greeted their eyes was a sea of green. The tree roots here were thick and robust, and even the flowers stretched into the depths, giving off a natural, refreshing feeling.
"Speaking of Lesser Lord Kusanali, though we haven't gathered much information about her, one thing is certain: Sumeru is known as the Nation of Wisdom. That means the Dendro Archon must be the God of Wisdom. We should be able to obtain some valuable intel from her."
Paimon spoke confidently, reminding the others of when they first arrived in Liyue. Back then, Paimon had worn the same expression—only to be corrected by the locals later.
"Someone's there."
Rover instinctively rested a hand on her sword hilt. The figure ahead walked past them without seeming to notice, their gaze fixed straight ahead as if drawn toward something.
"This is strange."
The scene felt eerily familiar, reminiscent of the first time they'd entered The Chasm and seen the Hilichurls in the same trance-like state.
Was this another one of the Abyss Order's tricks?
Rover decided to follow. As they passed by the Statue of The Seven, Aether reached out and touched it as usual.
Dendro energy particles merged into Aether's body.
"A new power?"
Rover asked. Aether nodded excitedly, eager to test out his new abilities.
Focusing, Aether swung his sword, releasing several Dendro arrows forward—and then… nothing else happened.
Rover coughed awkwardly at the anticlimactic display.
"Well, based on my experience, Dendro probably needs to react with other elements to produce unexpected effects."
Aether scratched his head sheepishly. He had expected to gain a powerful new ability, but it seemed underwhelming for now.
After this brief interlude, the two followed the footprints to a cave.
"I thought this cave might lead to a village… Guess I was wrong."
Paimon peered into the hidden entrance, then caught a whiff of a faint, pleasant fragrance.
The person they had followed was sitting on a tree stump, eyes closed, with a blue incense burner made of flowers and herbs emitting a fragrant smoke.
Just as Aether was about to step forward to ask for directions, Rover stopped him.
"They seem to be meditating. Let's come back later."
But as soon as Rover finished speaking, Aether inhaled the scent—and his mind instantly grew hazy.
Rover noticed Aether's strange state first, grabbing him with one hand and yanking Paimon back with the other.
"H-Hey! What's going on?!"
Paimon was bewildered until she saw Aether unconscious, at which point she flew to his side in worry.
"H-How did this happen…?"
Rover stroked her chin, thinking for a moment before deducing:
"The fragrance. Until we know more, we shouldn't approach that cave carelessly."
...
There stood a tree—a massive, faintly glowing tree.
Aether looked up, stepping toward it along the roots.
Though he didn't know why such a tree had appeared before him, he decided to explore first…
Before he could get close, the tree suddenly burst into flames. A raging fire devoured everything that dared approach.
The scorching heat distorted the air around it. Aether could only watch helplessly as the fire climbed from the trunk to the canopy, countless branches turning into falling fireballs.
Then, from within the flames, emerged a familiar figure—Rover.
The blade in Rover's hand had become a blazing sword. But suddenly, she stopped.
That cold gaze sent a chill down Aether's spine. His breath hitched, his body frozen in place.
The overwhelming killing intent rendered Aether immobile, like prey trapped in a fatal snare, forced to watch as Rover approached step by step.
At that moment, Aether finally understood what it felt like to be seen as an enemy by Rover.