Seeing that Furina had made up her mind, Clorinde couldn't argue any further and had no choice but to agree.
Immediately after, the two arranged to depart early the next morning, using the Statue of the Seven to teleport directly to Liyue.
Of course, the destination wasn't Liyue Harbor, but the newly emerged territory within Liyue.
Furina had taken on the task on behalf of Neuvillette to investigate what was happening in the Liyue region and uncover how the Geo Archon had expanded his domain.
...
As the nations turned their gaze toward Liyue...
At that very moment...
In Liyue Harbor, chaos reigned among the Adepti due to Zhongli's sudden disappearance. They scoured the land, searching high and low for any trace of him.
No one had time to even notice that Liyue's borders were shifting.
Days passed. The Adepti combed through every inch of the nation but still found no sign of Zhongli.
And it wasn't just the Adepti.
Keqing and Ningguang of the Liyue Qixing, Hu Tao of the Wangsheng Funeral Parlor, the teahouse owner, and even Guoba of Wanmin Restaurant...
Everyone was searching for him.
But there was no trace. Nothing at all.
...
Outside the gates of Yujing Terrace,
Hu Tao looked downcast as she turned to Keqing.
"Didn't you say you asked that bard to help find Zhongli? You said he'd pass the message to the Traveler. Any word from them?"
Keqing shook her head.
"Nothing. Ever since the bard left, he hasn't shown up again."
If you counted the bard, Venti...
If you counted Zhongli...
And the sealed Azhdaha...
That made three who had mysteriously vanished.
Keqing had a gut feeling—there had to be some connection between them.
Hu Tao sighed.
"If only the Traveler were here... she's amazing at finding people."
Keqing replied seriously,
"I've already informed the Adepti. They're helping with the search now—we should find something soon."
Hopefully.
Dead or alive, Zhongli had to be found.
Rumors had started circulating throughout Liyue Harbor.
Some claimed the Fatui from Snezhnaya had stolen Azhdaha... that Zhongli discovered their plot, and they silenced him—buried him in the mountains.
Others claimed Zhongli had fought Azhdaha to the death and disappeared with him...
There was even a ridiculous story that Zhongli was swallowed by a shark while fishing—and someone even claimed to have witnessed it firsthand, giving an account so detailed it sounded real.
Of course,
Keqing and Hu Tao both knew these stories were nothing but wild rumors.
As they were talking,
A subordinate hurried out of Yujing Terrace, bringing new intel.
"Lady Keqing! The Adepti just sent word—Zhongli and Venti are confirmed to be not in Liyue."
Not in Liyue?
Then where could they be?
Keqing frowned.
"Hu Tao, think again. Could Zhongli have gone to another nation?"
Hu Tao thought for a moment, then shook her head.
"He loves tea and storytelling too much to leave Liyue just like that. And if he did, he would've told me."
Even so,
Now that the Adepti themselves had confirmed Zhongli was gone from Liyue, they had no choice but to look elsewhere.
Hu Tao sighed.
"My dear consultant, where did you go? Wangsheng Funeral Parlor isn't the same without you…"
Keqing: "..."
With determined eyes, Hu Tao declared,
"I've decided. I'm going to visit the other six nations. I will bring Zhongli back."
With that, she took her leave from Keqing.
Her first step?
Write a letter to the Traveler and ask her to come to Liyue as soon as possible.
...
As the leylines of two worlds intertwined, so too did their destinies—
The future once set in stone was now shifting.
...
In the New Eridu metropolitan area,
The sun slowly rose over Hollow Zero, casting dazzling multicolored light across its black shell, illuminating the city below.
As always,
Sam Li returned to his peaceful daily routine.
At dawn, he took his birdcage to Lumina Square for breakfast.
After that, he strolled to Sixth Street, letting his bird stretch its wings. As he sat down outside a coffee shop, a familiar voice came over the store's broadcast.
It was a news update—reporting on yesterday's incident in Hollow C41.
Thanks to joint efforts between the Public Security Bureau and the Hollow Investigation Association, the case had been solved: one truck seized, five suspects eliminated...
Of course, no mention was made of Hare's House or the high-speed chase that happened.
Just then,
Master Tingman stepped out of the shop and blinked in surprise upon spotting Sam Li.
"Mr. Sam Li! It's Golden Week—aren't you off somewhere enjoying the holiday with your companions?"
Sam replied calmly,
"I plan to head downtown tomorrow."
At the mention of the city center,
Tingman couldn't help but sigh.
"It's a great place. Safe, bustling... but real estate prices are sky-high."
Then he turned back with a smile.
"So, Mr. Sam Li, what'll it be today?"
"New Eridu Special."
"Coming right up—please wait a moment."
A few minutes later, Tingman returned with a cup of coffee and struck up conversation about the ongoing Sharo Golden Week.
"Back in Old Eridu, there wasn't even such a thing as Golden Week. It was invented just in the past decade or so by the major corporations—mainly to boost consumer spending."
He leaned in slightly, voice lowering.
"Honestly, I wouldn't recommend going overboard with shopping during the holiday. Crowds are huge, and prices go up on everything."
Then he offered a tip of his own.
"Word is, they're holding another Fire Hell Bike Race in the outer ring. If you've got free time, why not skip the shopping and go watch that instead? It's cheaper, way more exciting—and a bit of adventure too. Just be careful out there. The outer ring's dangerous. If you do go, best bring some folks from Hare's House. You never know when you'll run into robbers."
Most people in New Eridu didn't pay much attention to the outer ring.
But the Fire Hell Bike Race had gained some popularity—even getting broadcast in the inner districts sometimes.
There were even bike fanatics in the city who risked their lives to enter or spectate the event live.
After listening,
Sam Li nodded slowly.
"Thanks for the heads-up. If I get the chance, I'll check it out."
It had been nearly a month since his last trip to the outer ring.
In that time, Caesar had raked in a ton of Dennies.
Sam wondered how far along Calydon Town had come...