It was early morning. The streets were almost empty, and even the food vendors were only just setting up their stalls.

Zhu Yuan paused for a moment before speaking. "We want to take advantage of the morning and climb Tianheng Mountain."

Back in New Eridu, the city had been flat—they had never climbed a mountain before. Even the mountains on the outskirts were nothing compared to the towering Tianheng Mountain of Liyue.

Hearing this, Ganyu said seriously, "You haven't had breakfast yet, have you? Take this Mora and buy some food at the bun shop up ahead."

As she spoke, Ganyu pulled out a small embroidered purse bearing the qilin pattern, took out some Mora, and handed it to Zhu Yuan.

Zhu Yuan accepted the coins. "Thank you, Ganyu..."

She looked down at the Mora in her hand.

The same golden coins Keqing and the others had used back in New Eridu—shining, precious currency worth a fortune. Yet here in Liyue, they were just ordinary money for daily use.

...

The group walked along the street and soon found the bun shop Ganyu had mentioned. After buying some food, they followed the winding path toward Tianheng Mountain.

The mountain was steep and treacherous, its paths difficult to climb.

The rain from the previous day had left parts of the trail covered in mud, nearly leading Zhu Yuan and the others astray.

They were unfamiliar with Tianheng Mountain's terrain.

As they climbed, they lost the trail more than once.

Fortunately, neither Zhu Yuan nor Tsukishiro Yanagi were ordinary people—even cliffs and steep rock faces could not stop them.

After nearly two hours of climbing...

Finally, when they reached the summit after countless difficulties, they saw the scenery on the other side of Tianheng Mountain.

And at once, everyone froze.

It was breathtaking.

Contrary to their fears, there was no trace of Hollows, nor had it been reduced to ruins like the Outer Ring.

Instead, it was a lush, vibrant world.

Forests stretched out below the mountain, streams trickled through valleys, merging into a river that wound off into the distance.

Looking farther still, they could see lakes and small towns nestled along their shores.

It was like a paradise out of an old movie—so unreal, so beautiful.

Zhu Yuan rubbed her eyes, afraid it was an illusion, but when she looked again, the same stunning view spread out before her.

This land had not been destroyed by the Hollow disaster.

Breathing the fresh air at the summit, she could feel the cool breeze, even catch the faint scent of flowers.

It was exhilarating.

Compared to New Eridu, this was a fairyland.

Tsukishiro Yanagi said solemnly, "It's just as they said. With Adepti like these, Liyue truly has nothing to fear from the Hollows."

At this moment, they finally believed in Liyue's strength—believed that its Adepti could suppress Hollow Zero and save New Eridu.

If that was the case, then what harm was there in joining Liyue and becoming a part of it?

Zhu Yuan took a deep breath, her heart lifting with joy. "President Mikhail, New Eridu can be saved."

Mikhail grew excited as well. "It can be saved..."

The reason they had been so cautious, so hesitant to make a decision before, was because they feared they had overestimated Liyue's strength.

Now it seemed the opposite was true—they had underestimated it.

Just then, Zhu Yuan noticed something. She raised her hand and pointed toward the mountain's foot. "Senior, Yanagi, look over there—it seems like a human settlement..."

Qingyi turned to look.

Sure enough, in the distance at the base of the mountain, she could vaguely make out several rough wooden huts, with a large pot nearby, steam rising from it.

Qingyi's eyes widened in curiosity, and the scene became clearer.

"Strange... they have hands and feet, but they're not quite human. Could those be the Hilichurls Keqing and Paimon mentioned?"

"Hilichurls?"

"Paimon warned us before—they're said to be dangerous."

In New Eridu, Qingyi had seen many strange races already.

The Oni, Bear, Shark... odd races were nothing new.

So when she saw Hilichurls, she wasn't overly surprised—just curious.

According to Keqing and Paimon, Hilichurls were a dangerous race. If encountered in the wild, they should be avoided. Never fight them, and certainly never approach their camps.

But if Hilichurls were truly so dangerous... and the Adepti of Liyue were so powerful...

Why didn't the Adepti simply wipe them out, instead of letting them run wild?

Qingyi couldn't understand.

Beside her, Zhu Yuan gazed at the distance, an impulse stirring within her to go and take a closer look.

But she restrained herself. Now was not the time to admire the scenery—the urgent matter was to win the Adepti's help.

After a moment, she turned back and said firmly, "We've arranged to visit the Jade Chamber today and meet Tianquan Ningguang. We can't waste time. Let's return quickly."

The round trip would take four or five hours.

By now, Keqing and the Traveler might already be at Yujing Terrace, searching for Zhu Yuan and Tsukishiro Yanagi.

Tsukishiro Yanagi nodded. "Yes, let's hurry back."

Before leaving, Qingyi turned once more to the view beyond the mountain and sighed. "If I want to see this scenery again, I'll have to wait for another time."

Zhu Yuan: "..."

Tsukishiro Yanagi: "..."

...

They descended the way they had come.

The climb up had been difficult, but the descent took even longer.

By the time they reached Liyue Harbor again, it was already noon.

The streets were bustling with life. Merchants hawked their goods, citizens haggled, children played joyfully—and the voice of a storyteller carried through the air.

The tale being told was of Emperor Geo's great campaign.

Even Qingyi was drawn in. She stopped among the crowd, listening intently.

"It is said that when Emperor Geo set out, he declared...

'Though I seek no throne, I know the suffering of the people. I only wish to cleanse the four corners of the land and protect this fleeting world.'"

Qingyi was entranced.

Zhu Yuan, noticing her absence, doubled back and found her.

"Senior, what's the matter?"

"I was listening to Geo Archon's story... 'Though I seek no throne,' 'I only wish to cleanse the four corners'... The Geo Archon must have been truly powerful."

Her mind echoed with the words of the Geo Archon as he set out to war.

And for some reason, as she repeated those words, another figure came to mind—someone entirely unrelated.

That figure was Sam Li.

Earlier, Qingyi had already sensed that Sam Li seemed to share some kind of connection with the Statues of The Seven.

Now, she was convinced.

There must also be a link between Sam Li and the Geo Archon who had long since passed.