A faster way?

Seeing Keqing's confident expression, Tsukishiro Yanagi, Soldier 11, Zhu Yuan, and Qingyi were all stunned.

What could possibly be faster than these modified vehicles?

Could she mean airships?

But airships weren't stable for long journeys, and no one knew what dangers they might encounter along the way. They were far less reliable than cars.

At this, Paimon shook her head repeatedly.

"What cars and airships? Sure, they're convenient, but who knows how long it would take to reach Liyue that way. We just teleport."

Teleport?

What was that supposed to mean?

Zhu Yuan wanted to press further, but Paimon just sighed.

"You've never tried it, so it's hard to explain. You'll see soon enough."

Zhu Yuan: "..."

Tsukishiro Yanagi: "..."

If that was the case, then they might as well go along with Keqing's plan.

...

Soon after, Zhu Yuan, Qingyi, Tsukishiro Yanagi, Soldier 11, and Mikhail, the president of the Hollow Investigation Association, escorted Sam Li, Keqing, Nicole, Arataki Itto, and the others to the Federer District.

They drove through the bustling city, and after half an hour, the convoy finally arrived.

Tsukishiro Yanagi frowned in confusion.

"And then? What now? Don't tell me you're about to summon an alien UFO to beam us away like in a sci-fi movie?"

Paimon shook her head.

"Of course not. Movies are all fake."

Then she eagerly turned to the Traveler, Keqing, and the others.

"Traveler, Keqing, let's go."

Keqing nodded. "Mm."

Tsukishiro Yanagi: "???"

Zhu Yuan: "???"

Go? Go how?

While they were still puzzling over it, Keqing, Hu Tao, the Traveler, Sam Li, and the others were already walking toward the central street of the district.

"Hey! Paimon, Miss Keqing, Mr. Sam Li—where are you going?"

"Back to Liyue, of course," Paimon called back. "Tsukishiro Yanagi, Zhu Yuan—hurry up and follow us. We'll be in Liyue in no time."

"So soon?!"

...

Seeing Paimon, Keqing, and the Traveler heading toward the central street, Zhu Yuan, Qingyi, Soldier 11, Tsukishiro Yanagi, Mikhail, and the other New Eridu representatives hurried after them.

Before long, the group reached the heart of the district.

The moment Keqing spotted the statue standing in the middle of the street, she instinctively quickened her pace.

Zhu Yuan, Qingyi, Tsukishiro Yanagi, and the others froze when they saw it too, confusion deepening.

They knew the statue was mysterious and that it was a representation of Liyue's god—but why bring them here?

At that moment, Qingyi seemed to sense something. She glanced down at the Vision hanging from her waist and noticed it glowing faintly gold as they drew near the Statue of The Seven.

The group gathered before the statue.

Keqing slowly placed her hand against it, and the entire monument lit up with a soft golden radiance.

Zhu Yuan, Qingyi, Tsukishiro Yanagi, and the others were stunned. It was their first time witnessing someone actively control the statue and make it shine.

At the same time, Keqing used her link with the Statue of The Seven to lock onto Liyue's location.

Her plan was simple: teleport everyone directly across worlds, just as she had done when they arrived, and land straight in Liyue.

Normally, only those who had awakened a Vision could use the statue's teleportation ability.

But with Xiao, an Adeptus, among them, his mastery of the statue far exceeded that of any ordinary Vision holder.

And besides Qingyi, who already had a Vision, Zhu Yuan, Soldier 11, Tsukishiro Yanagi, Nicole, Billy, and the others all carried anomalous powers and could withstand far more than normal humans. That was why Keqing dared to bring them all.

She spoke firmly.

"Everyone, place your hands on the statue. We'll teleport together."

The Traveler nodded. "Alright."

Paimon fluttered up to the statue, pressed her tiny hand against it, and called out, "Billy, Nekomata, Zhu Yuan, Qingyi—don't just stand there! Put your hands on the statue, the teleport's about to start!"

Billy hurriedly reached out. "Oh, like this?"

Paimon nodded. "Exactly..."

Meanwhile, Zhu Yuan, Qingyi, Tsukishiro Yanagi, Soldier 11, and Mikhail exchanged uncertain glances, then followed Keqing's instructions and laid their hands on the statue as well.

But none of them had any idea what they were doing.

Was this some kind of farewell prayer ritual?

Once everyone was ready, Xiao and Keqing exchanged a look and nodded. Xiao then glanced at Sam Li from the corner of his eye, confidence settling over him.

The next instant, they activated the teleportation.

In a flash, Keqing's Liyue group, Nicole's Hare's House group, Arataki Itto's Inazuma group, and Mikhail's New Eridu delegation—nearly twenty people—vanished from around the statue all at once.

The sudden disappearance immediately drew the attention of passersby on the street.

"Wait, wasn't there a crowd gathered around that statue just now? Where did they all go?"

"They must have left..."

"No way. I was just eating ice cream, and when I looked down for a bite, they disappeared."

"I swear I saw it! They just vanished, like they were swallowed by a Hollow rift—sucked straight into that creepy statue!"

"The statue ate them?!"

"Bro, what nonsense are you spouting? You think science just doesn't exist?"

"I'm serious! Oh, right... there's a security camera outside this store. If you don't believe me, go check the footage!"

A few people rushed into a nearby shop to review the recordings and quickly found video of Keqing's group at the statue.

When they saw the crowd truly vanish into thin air, their jaws dropped.

"The weird statue really ate people..."

"Quick, post this online! Share it with friends, get it on the forums..."

...

As the video of Keqing, Sam Li, and the others vanishing beside the Statue of The Seven went viral across New Eridu's net...

Meanwhile, in another distant world.

Sam Li and the others had successfully teleported to Liyue Harbor through the statue's link between the two worlds.

On a street in Liyue, beside a teleport waypoint, a flash of golden light appeared.

Sam Li, Keqing, the Traveler, Paimon, Xiao, Nicole, Anby, Zhu Yuan, Qingyi, Arataki Itto... one by one, nearly twenty people materialized out of thin air.