Chapter 6

"The Guili Plains were once Guizhong's domain. She fell in battle during the Archon War — I've heard those rumors too.

No wonder the traps throughout this Domain are so ingeniously crafted. They were her handiwork all along!" Lu Lin exclaimed in sudden realization.

"Guizhong's mastery of mechanical arts surpassed even my master's. This Domain was once her residence, and every trap within it was designed by her with great care.

During the Battle of Guili, Guizhong fought to the death, and the Domain's entrance vanished from that day forward — until now, when it finally came to light again."

"Was it the Abyss Heralds' interference that caused the entrance to reappear?"

"Exactly. The black miasma was produced by the fusion of Abyss power and Archon Residue, and that Archon Residue originated from one of the Archons who took part in the siege against Guizhong.

That Archon had once forced its way into this Domain. The Abyss Order used the power of the Archon Residue to locate the Domain's position, then violently forced the entrance open. This caused the entrance to shift erratically across the Guili Plains region, and we were consequently sucked inside."

"What was the Abyss Order's purpose in going to all that trouble to enter the Domain? That green orb of light?" Lu Lin asked.

"Most likely, yes. Unfortunately, I'm not entirely sure what's inside that orb." Ganyu nodded, then shook her head — it was rather endearing.

"If we don't hurry and stop them, won't they succeed any moment now?"

"No need to worry about that for the time being. The yellow barrier surrounding the Altar was left behind by Rex Lapis. Two mere Abyss Heralds won't be able to break it in a short while — not even with Archon Residue."

"A barrier left by the Geo Archon? Then there's truly no need to worry about it being broken anytime soon." Lu Lin nodded in agreement. The name of the Geo Archon alone was enough to put one's mind at ease.

"Now that the black miasma inside me has been fully purged, dealing with those two Abyss Heralds shouldn't be a problem. Why don't we head out now and finish them off?"

With her mindset transformed, Ganyu expressed her emotions more directly and honestly. She let out a faintly proud little hum. "If I hadn't been corroded by the black miasma for so long, and hadn't had my strength drained by so many monsters, I would have dealt with those two Abyss Heralds already."

This wasn't arrogance on Ganyu's part. She was an adeptus who had survived the brutal Archon War — her true strength was nothing to scoff at.

This time, the main issue was that she had encountered this particular blend of Archon Residue and Abyss power for the first time, and had been caught off guard. She had then been forced into several fierce battles while already in poor condition.

She had entered the Guili Plains earlier than Lu Lin, yet arrived at Guizhong's palace later than he did — that alone spoke volumes about how many battles she had fought along the way.

Lu Lin cupped her face in his hands and gave her cheeks an affectionate squeeze, then shook his head. "No. Even without the miasma's influence, you've expended a great deal fighting battle after battle. Rest and recover first, then we'll go out together."

"It's fine, I can—"

Ganyu tried to insist, but Lu Lin cut her off. "Hu Tao had my help and wasn't affected by the black miasma, yet she still couldn't withstand a single strike from an Abyss Herald — precisely because the earlier battles had drained her too much.

I can only purge the miasma; I can't directly restore your condition. Don't be so careless."

Ganyu thought it over and said, "All right, I'll listen to you. It's just that I'm a little worried…"

"You're worried about Xiangling's safety?" Lu Lin saw right through her thoughts.

"Yes. She's been missing for a long time. I suspect she may have wandered into this ruin as well. If we delay any further, she could be in danger."

Lu Lin put his arm around her shoulders and reassured her, "Don't worry. She's a Vision holder too — she won't get into serious trouble so easily. We need to ensure our own safety first before we can talk about rescuing anyone."

"Mm, I understand!"

His certainty was, of course, due to the system quest requiring him to rescue Xiangling within three days. Less than a day had passed, and the quest hadn't failed — Xiangling should still be safe enough.

But he couldn't say that out loud.

Just then, Hu Tao's energetic voice rang out from downstairs.

"Huh? Where on earth has this Director ended up? Lu Lin, Lu Lin! Where are you?"

"Looks like the medicine worked well — she woke up this fast. Let's go down and check on her."

Just as Lu Lin rose to head downstairs, Ganyu grabbed his hand. Under his puzzled gaze, she stood up, interlaced her fingers with his, and led him down the stairs.

Goodness — he had thought she didn't care about the situation with Hu Tao, but it turned out she had been waiting for exactly this moment!

Lu Lin hadn't expected that Ganyu, who appeared as serene and ethereal as an immortal and had a gentle disposition, would have such a scheming side. Watching a dramatic scene about to unfold, his mind raced as he tried to figure out how to handle it.

He definitely couldn't let go of her hand right now — that would hurt Ganyu's feelings. But he also had to consider Hu Tao's feelings…

This was a very difficult balance to strike!

Sure enough!

When Hu Tao saw Lu Lin and Ganyu walking down hand in hand, her little mouth involuntarily puckered into a pout.

Quite a pout, at that!

Still, she kept her expression in check and asked with her usual cheerful tone, "Oh my! Was it Miss Ganyu who saved us?"

"Not me — it was Lu Lin who saved us. This is his Serenitea Pot…" Ganyu gave a brief explanation of what had happened.

"Hu Tao, how are your injuries feeling? It's thanks to Ganyu that she checked on your wounds and gave you medicine." Lu Lin spoke with genuine concern, and in doing so, made a point of acknowledging what Ganyu had done for her.

Though a little jealous, Hu Tao was a reasonable girl. Hearing this, she said, "Thank you, Miss Ganyu! I'm mostly recovered already! And thank you too, Lu Lin, for saving me~"

She then threw a few punches and kicks into the air with a flourish, and she did indeed look nearly back to full form.

"Don't be too hasty — let me check on you again." Ganyu released Lu Lin's hand and stepped forward with a warm smile.

Lu Lin breathed a quiet sigh of relief. Both girls had a touch of emotion stirring inside them, but both kept it well in check, and no conflict broke out.

In truth, Ganyu had held his hand coming down the stairs not to provoke or make a show of dominance, but simply to make their relationship clear to Hu Tao. As for Lu Lin's Two-timer tendencies, she didn't particularly mind.

She was a long-lived being, and her views on relationships were simply different from ordinary people's. Besides, Liyue's laws did not prohibit polygamy.

Hu Tao was a little jealous, but she could sense the other's goodwill, and obediently held out her hand for Ganyu to examine.

While Ganyu checked on Hu Tao's recovery, Lu Lin slipped off to the kitchen to wash some fruit.

Lu Lin had bought some fruit and snacks at Liyue Harbor that morning in anticipation of exactly this kind of situation. He had started with five hundred thousand Mora in total, and between buying clothes, a bed, various furnishings, and food, he had spent nearly all of it.

The exchange rate between Mora and the currency from before Lu Lin's transmigration was roughly ten to one, meaning five hundred thousand Mora had roughly the purchasing power of fifty thousand yuan.

But Ganyu had just moved into the Serenitea Pot, and the system had rewarded him with another one million Mora, so he wouldn't be short on funds for a while.

"All right, your recovery is looking quite good — nothing serious, it seems. But you still need plenty of rest and should avoid strenuous activity for now."

Ganyu's movements were practiced and efficient, and the examination was over quickly. Hu Tao grinned and nodded. "Thank you, Miss Ganyu!"

"Don't mention it. I should be thanking you for protecting Lu Lin along the way." Ganyu glanced toward the kitchen and let out a soft sigh.

"Oh, honestly, he was the one looking after me! By the way, Miss Ganyu, how did you two meet?"

"Mm~ Yesterday I was taking a nap on Mt. Tianheng when some Hilichurls attacked, and he, in order to protect me…" Ganyu didn't mind sharing the story of how they met with Hu Tao, and the two fell into easy conversation.

After chatting for a bit, Lu Lin came out carrying a plate of washed fruit along with some snacks.

"What are you two talking about? Have something to eat and rest a little."

"We're talking about your glorious deeds — managing to corrupt two beautiful and adorable girls in just two short days!" Hu Tao picked up two Sunset Berries and handed one to Ganyu.

Lu Lin hadn't expected the two of them to grow so close in such a short time.

Then again, they both lived in Liyue and already knew each other — getting along well wasn't all that surprising, was it?

"I haven't corrupted anyone. Everything I've done has been from the heart!"

"Hmph, you scoundrel!" Both girls rolled their eyes at him in perfect unison, each with a coy little flick.

All in all, the atmosphere wasn't nearly as tense as he had feared. Everyone got along surprisingly well, and Lu Lin was thoroughly content.

The three of them rested in the Serenitea Pot for several hours. It wasn't until past midnight that Ganyu and Hu Tao both felt sufficiently recovered, and they decided to go confront the two Abyss Heralds.

Inside the palace, the two Abyss Heralds were still straining away at the barrier.

"Frost Slayer, how long has it been? Why isn't this barrier broken yet? Are you slacking off?"

"Blazing Fire, I've told you countless times — don't talk to me in that condescending tone!"

"Less talk. We need to pick up the pace. Those people from before have disappeared somewhere, and who knows if they'll come back to cause trouble."

"They can't withstand the black miasma's corrosion. If they managed to run, that's the best they could do. If they come back, they're just delivering themselves to us!" Frost Slayer didn't take Lu Lin and the others seriously at all.

Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh!

Two frost arrows materialized out of thin air and shot straight toward the Abyss Heralds!

The ice arrows were fast as lightning. The two hadn't even had time to react before they took direct hits.

This was Ganyu's signature technique, the Frostflake Arrow — upon impact, the arrows exploded outward in an Area of effect blast, and both Heralds were instantly dealt devastating blows.

"Rise!" Hu Tao let out a sharp cry, and the Staff of Homa blazed with roaring flames as she brought it crashing down on the Abyss Heralds' heads.

Although Lu Lin could now wield Cryo as well, he held back. His command of Elemental Power was still rudimentary, and he would be of little use in a battle at this level.

He kept his full attention on the battlefield, ready to activate [Critical Moment] and pull everyone back into the Serenitea Pot the moment things went wrong. He had deliberately waited until past midnight precisely to ensure [Critical Moment]'s cooldown had reset — one extra layer of insurance.

Of course, in practice, there was no need for him to worry at all. Ganyu at full strength was like a war goddess, utterly suppressing both Abyss Heralds, with Hu Tao assisting from the flanks — the situation was entirely in their favor.

A Frostflake Arrow pierced clean through Blazing Fire's chest. Hu Tao followed up immediately with a thrust of her spear, and Cryo and Pyro erupted simultaneously, blasting Blazing Fire to pieces!

Now that was a perfect combination — Liyue's Cryo main carry and Liyue's Pyro sub-carry working in flawless harmony!

Frost Slayer, seeing the tide had turned, turned and fled!

The direction he ran toward was the very door through which Ganyu had entered — it had been left open.

Just then, a girl's voice drifted in from the other side of the door.

"Where on earth is this place? I'm almost out of strength… Guoba, slow down — ah!!!"

The blue-haired girl in yellow hadn't even stepped through the door when an ice spike pressed against her throat.

"Nobody move. Let me go, or this little girl's life is forfeit!" Frost Slayer swept a cold gaze across the room.

Ganyu and Hu Tao had been about to press their advantage and finish him off, but they hadn't expected Xiangling to suddenly burst in.

With her was a peculiar-looking little creature — Guoba. Both of them had been affected by the black miasma and were in poor condition. Otherwise, Xiangling wouldn't have been seized as a hostage without any resistance.

"Don't move, everyone. Such a cute little girl — what a waste it would be if she died." Frost Slayer's voice grew colder still. He knew that simply running was going to be difficult, and that the hostage in his hands was his only lifeline.

Ganyu and Hu Tao were indeed caught in a dilemma, and were trying to think of what to do.

Time froze!

A hostage situation? For Lu Lin, who possessed [Critical Moment], that was no problem at all!

Lu Lin calmly walked up to the frozen Frost Slayer, pried the ice spike from his grip, and lifted Xiangling into his arms.

The girl in yellow had a pretty, charming face, with blue-violet hair braided into two plaits coiled at the back of her head. Though not particularly tall, her figure had a powerful, athletic quality to it — spirited and full of energy, with pleasantly soft thighs that felt quite nice to the touch.

Having been corroded by the black miasma for so long, her complexion was poor, already tinged with a faint layer of dark aura.

Lu Lin was worried about her condition. He carried her quickly back behind Ganyu, hesitated for just a second, then leaned down and kissed her.

The black miasma's corrosion could technically be purged slowly using Elemental Power, though it consumed a great deal of energy and took a long time. But Xiangling seemed to have been deeply afflicted, and Lu Lin was afraid she might not hold on long enough for that.

Well, this time it really was for the sake of saving her!

That said, the moment his lips met hers, the sweet, soft sensation sent his heart fluttering, and almost out of habit, he began to linger.

Of course, this time the lingering was brief — after all, the time freeze didn't have much left.

Lu Lin timed it precisely, releasing Xiangling just before [Critical Moment]'s effect expired, and steadied her as she found her footing.

The effect of the kiss was immediately apparent — Xiangling's complexion visibly improved. Of course, it wasn't a complete cure yet, since this hadn't been a prolonged kiss.

Time resumed. Everything snapped back into motion.

Frost Slayer: !!!

Ganyu, Hu Tao: ???

Xiangling: Huh?!

In an instant, everyone was stunned!

In everyone's perception, one moment they had all been locked in a tense standoff — one side holding a hostage to preserve their life, the other side caught in a dilemma and trying to think of a solution.

Then the next second, the hostage had teleported!

What just happened?

Fortunately, Ganyu's combat experience was extraordinarily rich. She was only stunned for a very brief moment, and the instant she snapped back to her senses, she released her bowstring.

The Frostflake Arrow traced a perfect arc through the air and struck true — right between the eyes!

Although Frost Slayer was a Cryo-attribute Abyss Herald, reality was different from the game. He had no Cryo elemental shield, nor was he immune to Cryo damage. His reaction was a half-beat too slow, and it was already too late.

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Proofreader & Editor: Fat Goose 🪶