Statues of the Seven Archons dotted Teyvat, symbolizing the Archons' guardianship over the world.
Every nation had its own Statues of the Seven, including those dedicated to its ruling Archon.
The statue of Mondstadt's Anemo Archon depicted a hooded, androgynous figure with wings on its back, holding an orb in its hands.
But in the video, the orb in the Anemo Archon Statue's hands was no longer the original one—it was now a bead pulsing with profound power and emanating an evil, ominous aura!
Moreover, the statue had been hung upside down!
Kneeling before it was a man in Treasure Hoarder garb, seemingly dead. His hands were twisted in a bizarre fashion, as if they'd once been bound by ropes.
He looked like he was praying—or perhaps atoning.
The timid Paimon had already hidden behind Gu Chen, while Lumine wore a grave expression.
The atmosphere here felt utterly wrong!
[Barbara]: Who did this?! Blasphemy is a grave sin! Why hang the Anemo Archon Statue upside down with iron chains?! (Xinyan·fuming)
An upside-down Anemo Archon Statue was utterly devastating to devout believers of Barbatos.
Even if her own Archon didn't quite match the records, Barbara still found the culprit behind this setup utterly detestable.
Blasphemy against the divine!
[Venti]: Wait, what? Who's stealing my statue? (Kamisato Ayaka·confused)
Venti himself was baffled.
From the oppressive vibe in the video, it had to be the Abyss Order's doing.
But did these guys have a screw loose? Stealing his Statue of the Seven?!
Fine, steal it if you must—but what was with chaining it upside down?!
[Ningguang]: I've already dispatched Millelith to the location shown in the video.
[Ganyu]: Such a creepy sight... Even through the screen, I can feel the oppression!
[Lumine]: Who did this?!
[Dainsleif]: Without a doubt, the Abyss Order.
[Paimon]: Huh, Dainsleif, you're in the group too?! (Paimon·shocked)
[Dainsleif]: Naturally. I've just been observing this system. And it's not just me—I've spotted plenty of others lurking in the shadows. @[Your Highness], isn't that right?
[Your Highness]: Heh.
Abyss Order.
Aether let out a cold chuckle.
He'd anticipated Dainsleif showing up in the group.
After all, Dainsleif wielded extraordinary power, so it was only natural for him to be in the Extraordinary Group.
But Aether had no intention of engaging him. Instead, he stared intently at the statue in the video.
After a moment's thought, Aether sighed and waved his hand. "Pull back. Now's not the time to make enemies of Liyue."
"Understood!"
The Abyss Apostles obeyed at once.
In the video, Gu Chen and his group prepared to leave.
But then, a change occurred—the ruins trembled. Gu Chen's trio exchanged glances before dashing into a nearby passage.
After passing through a corridor, they encountered a tall, faceless silhouette.
"The mysteries of the Abyss are not to be spied upon," the figure intoned.
"You have come here. You have gazed upon it. Thus, you shall pay the corresponding price."
"Punishment... shall be delivered by the Apostle!"
The figure suddenly drew its weapon.
Paimon yelped in alarm: "W-What's that monster?!"
[Paimon]: This can't be an Abyss Apostle, right? (Paimon·shocked)
[Kaeya]: This world's Paimon clearly knows something, but the previous one's clueless. Gu Chen's influence is no small thing.
[Yae Miko]: Naturally. The heroine's already got one foot in the trap. (Yae Miko·smirking)
[Dainsleif]: As expected, the Abyss Order. Heh.
[Zhongli]: ...
[Venti]: ...
If something bad and bizarre happened, it was probably the Abyss Order's handiwork.
If it wasn't that eerie but still deeply troubling, it was likely the Fatui.
These two organizations were infamous across the Teyvat Continent.
The Fatui were marginally better than the Abyss Order—but only marginally.
In the video.
Gu Chen wasted no words, thrusting his spear and pinning the Abyss Apostle to the wall.
The Apostle couldn't even speak.
At that moment, a figure appeared behind Gu Chen's group.
[Paimon]: Huh, it's Dainsleif!
[Dainsleif]: I never imagined our first meeting in this era would be under such circumstances.
[Lumine]: Hope Gu Chen doesn't rush to kill Dainsleif.
[Gu Chen]: ?
[Your Highness]: Gu Chen, charge!
[Kaeya]: It's clear Gu Chen's little black fans and Dainsleif aren't on good terms. (Hu Tao·smirking)
[Dainsleif]: Our paths diverge; we cannot walk together.
[Your Highness]: We'll see about that.
In the video, Gu Chen glanced at Dainsleif.
Dainsleif harbored no hostility. Instead, he seriously observed Lumine for a moment before revealing some secrets.
From his demeanor, Dainsleif knew a great deal—but he didn't spell it out directly, opting for cryptic hints instead.
[Lumine]: I knew it—more of the same from you riddle-spouting weirdos! Can't you all just leave Teyvat?! (Qiqi·facepalm)
[Paimon]: I've figured it out. Starting with the bard, then Dainsleif, pre-exposure Zhongli, and Gu Chen—they're all riddle masters! They know everything, understand it all, but refuse to say it straight. Even when they talk, it's all weird nonsense for us to guess. What's with this old-fogey hobby?! (Nahida·pointing)
[Kaeya]: Paimon's got some real grudges. (lol)
[Paimon]: Kaeya, don't laugh—you're one of them! (Xinyan·fuming)
[Furina]: Aaaah, can someone just speak plainly?!
[Raiden Shogun]: Can't follow. (shaking head)
[Venti]: Ehe, don't lump me in like I know everything! A lot of it, I only half-get!
[Mona]: What's this "loom of fate"? (Keqing·questioning)
In the video.
"A harebrained scheme... In a word, the preliminary plan involves the Demon God of the Vortex, Osel," Dainsleif said.
"Osel?"
Lumine blinked, turning to Gu Chen. "Last time, we couldn't destroy it—just suppressed it back down..."
Gu Chen nodded. "What are the Abyss Order planning with Osel?"
"The letter says they're using that defiled, inverted statue as a base, combined with Osel's remains, to create a mechanical Demon God."
"The new core to replace the orb in the statue's hands is the eye of the world's first cultivator... Placing the eye in the inverted statue's grasp will grant the newly born foul Demon God the power to shake the divine seats atop Celestia."
[Zhongli]: Power to shake the divine seats, hm?
[Venti]: No way, right?!
[Osel]: Hold up—the Abyss Order's insane?! Morax exploits me, and now you Abyss lot want my body parts for some mechanical Demon God? Is it appropriate to keep picking on a single Demon God like me?! (fuming!)
Osel felt unprecedented rage.
He was starting to think all of Teyvat was out to get him.
Exploiting him for some goal was one thing—but now they wanted his actual limbs?!