R-Rushing Back to Terra?

"But you don't need to worry, because power is power and strength is strength. I've investigated the elemental power system of this continent. Even if that Geo Archon is now so weak that he's not even as strong as a wild boar, he can still exercise his divine authority—and, in addition to that, I've also secured another layer of insurance."

What is it?

She asked, but this time, Persephone did not answer directly.

"You'll find out tomorrow." The girl on his lap turned her head slightly—not quite as her head was positioned due to her horns. In a daze, a blush seemed to rise on her cheeks—perhaps because the night breeze was too cool, and because she was holding Surtr's hand.

Then, place it on your face.

"Persephone?" Surtr tilted her head slightly, a little puzzled—she felt that the girl on her lap seemed to have become weak and limp again.

"I... I'm sleepy. Ah... Surtr, next time, shall we sleep together in bed?"

A warm, smooth sensation spread across my hand, and it was heating up even more—

She was very nervous.

Her heart was beating a little fast.

However, the fool simply sighed helplessly.

"I told you, you can come to me anytime... Um, you're still Persephone, right?"

"...Um, I am Persephone." The girl, feeling defeated by the idiot's words, replied helplessly, muttering under her breath, "As expected, you can't rush things."

"... Hmm?"

There's nothing there!

Why am I updating on New Year's Day? _(:з"∠)_

Chapter 98 - Charge... Charge back to Terra?

Sure enough, with Persephone's assistance, everything in the Genshin Impact world became easier and smoother. This was because her plan was comprehensive and well-thought-out. And unlike some unlucky soul obsessed with making mistakes and constantly digging their own graves, resulting in bizarre plot twists everywhere.

No, there was no divine intervention. There were no surprises, no mechanical exorcisms—after spending the night, Surtr encountered another 'insurance' secured by Persephone —Keqing, one of the Seven Stars of the neighboring country of Liyue, who was sent by the gods to Mondstadt to see Wind God Keqing due to the strange movements of monsters within Liyue.

Purple hair, twin tails, sharp eyes, and a pretty face; she carries a Vision of Lightning and a Liyue sword. Keqing is very opinionated and always manages to take care of herself—that's the impression she gives. This is true in the game, and it's true outside of it.

Unlike... or perhaps similar to... in the game, Keqing is typically kind, courteous, and approachable when dealing with ordinary partners. This is because she only holds herself, her subordinates, and formal colleagues to high standards, not strangers—meeting her is pleasant, and conversations go smoothly. And naturally, she will accompany her on the journey to the Stormterror's Lair.

Mona was placed in a hotel, Wind God promised to take care of her and contact renowned doctors.

After that, nothing further unfolded.

The ruins were vast, and the area around the temple was teeming with powerful monsters. But that was all—strength alone meant little. Persephone easily exploited the weaknesses in their defenses and managed to weaken them. Beyond that, both Surtr and Keqing were powerful individuals capable of being annihilated at their peak.

The exploration of the Stormterror's Lair lasted for three whole days.

The journey was fraught with enemies—corrupted Hilichurl tribes, ancient Ruin Guard, the Anemo Hypostasis, and a vanguard of the Fatui hadn't had time to retreat to Snezhnaya and were thus corrupted by the Ley Line. Some were relatively easy to deal with, requiring only a single sword strike, while others were more difficult, requiring two or three strikes to kill.

In short, the annihilation plan was proceeding smoothly. During these three days together, Surtr noticed that Keqing maintained a distance from him and the other two... and remained vigilant—clearly, this was the will of the local Teyvat deities. They did not want Surtr and other outsiders to be too active on this land. They did not want any unresolved issues to remain when they were about to make a major move.

This was quite a novel experience—not as a savior, a hero, or a warrior, but as someone treated as a dangerous element to be wary of and prepared to eliminate at any time—something Miss Surtr rarely experienced. Having grasped this atmosphere, she decisively abandoned her investigation into the pollution in the Ley Line and refocused her energy on completing the mission and retrieving Talulah.

She noticed that Keqing's attitude had softened as a result, so she decided not to change her plans.

During the day, kill monsters and explore the Stormterror's Lair where you can't even see a fourth living person, enjoying the Teyvat wilderness without any background music.

At night, Keqing. She has very little need for sleep and always takes over the night watch, managing to handle numerous miscellaneous tasks effectively. Sometimes she'll tell Mondstadt adventure stories around the campfire. However, she remains completely silent about any information regarding Liyue.

Clearly, beneath her gentle words lay vigilance and wariness—not being the protagonist meant she didn't receive the protagonist's treatment. She might have some things to say to Surtr, but she maintained a polite distance from Alina. And as for the transformed Persephone ... Keqing's distance from her was merely a polite smile.

So... there's not much else that can be done.

After the three nodes were destroyed, the barrier outside the Stormterror's Lair collapsed. The Wind God, having exercised his power, then delivered a message that Surtr had been expecting.

Talulah isn't here.

Talulah is elsewhere.

—As expected. After all, if there were any clues during the entire exploration of the Stormterror's Lair, Miss Surtr would definitely have been able to find them.

Since nothing was found, we can only move on to the next step.

So, after concluding their exploration of the Stormterror's Lair —a place devoid of any exciting developments, or rather, one that deliberately avoided all potential hazards— Keqing led the two to Liyue. She chose main roads, roads with many people and soldiers, and where few monsters would cause trouble. Upon entering Liyue, she made no attempt to conceal her actions in preventing Surtr and Keqing from interacting with the local population. Thus, Miss Surtr was left surrounded by 'VIP guards' and spent her time alone with the Little Deer, whose identity was now unclear—whether it was Persephone or Alina.

Alina had no objections. She enjoyed it, and spending so much time with Surtr had brought the two of them much closer.

Miss Surtr, accustomed to being a mere tool, naturally had no objections. Especially after Persephone gradually faded from the spotlight, she remained completely silent.

Although the whole process was somewhat... frustrating, the other party was polite and courteous, and there were never any unexpected events typical of the protagonist, such as monster attacks on the convoy. So there wasn't much that could be done.

It's a bit boring, but flipping the table is also bad manners.

Her only regret was not meeting the original protagonist of this world's lore in the Stormterror's Lair. A similar but different fate awaited her—Ying, from another world.

When the capital of Liyue was almost in sight, Keqing brought the Geo Archon's decree and information before the two stepped into Liyue Harbor.

Talulah is indeed located in Liyue.

Talulah's feet never touched the ground.

Because Talulah spent a long time at sea after her arrival. It wasn't until Keqing's well-organized, albeit slow, VIP escort convoy finally arrived near Liyue Harbor that the ship carrying Talulah finally touched land.

When the three met outside Liyue Harbor, Keqing, representing the Liyue Seven Stars, the local residents of Liyue, and the Geo Archon who had never appeared before, had prepared farewell gifts and tea for their departure.

So... what else is there to say?

If the host doesn't welcome you, should you, as a guest, continue to stay and get in the way?

So Surtr accepted the cup of tea. And after waiting for a while, he pushed open the door that had awakened him.

"This trip to the Dream World was even more humiliating than my first trip to the world of Dark Souls III."

Miss Surtr opened her eyes—her mind had lingered with Theresia for a while, and after retrieving the data collected from the ritual she had orchestrated, she returned to her bed. She stared at the ceiling in the night sky for several minutes before finally uttering a rather meaningless remark.

She breathed softly, a surge of power coursing through her body. If it were now, she could have instantly warped the sky upon arriving in Teyvat, soaring into the clouds to scoop up her two companions, then, depending on the situation, wreak havoc or simply walked away. However...

However, Teyvat is Teyvat, Terra is Terra. Different worlds are different worlds, and different powers naturally follow different orders.

And this ultimately points to a simple result.