Chapter Summaries

After Ellin helped Chongyun understand the meaning of his Pure Yang Body, he vowed to become an exorcist who protected Liyue and went on to train with the Adepti. Ellin then directed the people’s generosity toward Liu Qingyi’s academy, giving needy mothers and children a place to receive help.

• Ellin explained that Chongyun’s Pure Yang Body represented the land’s gratitude to exorcists, and Chongyun vowed to master it and protect others.
• Chongyun thanked Ellin and left; the system rewarded Ellin with a Cryo Vision and unlocked inventory and artifact slots.
• Chongyun traveled to Mt. Aocang, became Moon Carver’s disciple, and studied adeptal arts with guidance from several Adepti.
• Liu Qingyi established an academy to support pregnant women and care for their children, with help from the Liyue Qixing and residents.
• Ellin began delivering the gifts she received to the academy, then asked Keqing to set up a donation station so residents could give supplies directly.

Ellin brought Noelle, Sucrose, Fischl, and Klee to Liyue for Lantern Rite and helped them set up stalls selling Sucrose’s unusual plants. Madame Ping visited their stall, bought a giant Glaze Lily after Ellin gave it to her, and invited Ellin to visit.

• Ellin used the Serenitea Pot to transport Noelle, Sucrose, Fischl, and Klee from Mondstadt to Liyue, then secured two Lantern Rite stalls for them.
• Noelle called customers to Sucrose’s stall, where the group displayed oversized and unusual plants cultivated in Wonderland.
• Madame Ping asked Fischl about a giant flower, and Oz explained that Sucrose had modified and cultivated it from a Liyue Glaze Lily.
• Ellin offered the flower to Madame Ping for free, and Madame Ping invited her to visit when she had time.
• Madame Ping carried away the enormous potted plant with one hand, surprising the onlookers.

Ellin’s friends enjoyed Lantern Rite in Liyue as Barbara and Xinyan performed together, while Noelle sold unusual plants to Ganyu and Klee demonstrated her Jumpy Dumpties. The chapter ended with Keqing buying Klee’s remaining explosives for Liyue’s protection and learning that Klee called Ellin her mama.

• Barbara joined Ellin’s group in Liyue and performed with Xinyan as Yun Jin cheered from the crowd.
• Ganyu bought Noelle’s mutant Qingxin and nectar-producing Sweet Flower after hearing about their qualities.
• Klee sold her fireworks, then demonstrated a Jumpy Dumpty by blowing up part of the sea beside the docks.
• Keqing arrived after the explosion, accepted Klee’s apology, and warned her to use explosives away from people.
• Keqing offered to buy all of Klee’s Jumpy Dumpties for the Ministry of Civil Affairs, and Klee agreed, calling Ellin her mama.

As the Lantern Rite began, Ellin returned to Mondstadt after checking on Xiao, who faced far more archon residue than usual without Rex Lapis’s protection. Exhausted but moved by Liyue’s celebrations, Xiao watched from Mt. Tianheng until a horde of evil beings appeared at the harbor entrance and charged toward the city.

• Keqing agreed to discuss providing Klee’s bombs to Liyue with Jean through Ellin’s Serenitea Pot.
• Before returning to Mondstadt with Klee and the others, Ellin visited Xiao and confirmed he was doing well.
• Liyue celebrated the Lantern Rite with Sky Lanterns, fireworks, and gatherings throughout the harbor and villages.
• Xiao fought more than 130 battles over eighteen hours as archon residue surged to three times its usual amount.
• Xiao rested on Mt. Tianheng and watched Liyue Harbor’s Lantern Rite celebrations, finding comfort in the sight.
• More than a hundred evil beings formed from archon residue at the harbor entrance and charged into Liyue Harbor.

Xiao defended Liyue Harbor from a horde of archon residue despite being exhausted from eighteen hours of fighting and struggling against his karmic debt. As the creatures reformed and overwhelmed him, a residue wolf bit his thigh, leaving his fate uncertain.

• Xiao rushed from the mountaintop to Liyue Harbor and stood between its people and more than a hundred evil creatures.
• Wearing his demon-quelling Nuo Mask, Xiao fought the creatures, and the people recognized him as the Conqueror of Demons and felt safer.
• The creatures reformed from black mist after Xiao destroyed them, forcing him to keep fighting despite his depleted strength.
• Xiao continued battling while his karmic debt and exhaustion weakened him, determined to keep the creatures out of Liyue Harbor until his life ended.
• A Cryo Whopperflower's attack struck Xiao in the back, and a wolf formed of archon residue lunged at him and bit his thigh.

Xiao fought on against the evil creatures attacking Liyue Harbor, determined to protect the city despite knowing his karmic debt would consume him. Zhongli, Ganyu, and Madame Ping watched without intervening, believing death would be Xiao’s release, while Keqing and Yanfei struggled to accept his fate.

• Xiao continued fighting the evil creatures with his failing body, determined to keep them from reaching Liyue Harbor.
• Zhongli watched from Pavilion Tower and recalled Xiao’s long service, but chose not to save him because he could not free him from his suffering.
• Keqing demanded that Ganyu help Xiao, but Ganyu explained that intervening would disrespect his contract and his wishes.
• Yanfei pleaded with Madame Ping to save Xiao, but Madame Ping said his accumulated karmic debt made survival impossible and death his best release.

As Xiao lay near death during the Lantern Rite, he chose to let his karmic debt turn him into a puppet that would slaughter only evil creatures. Before it consumed him, he heard the people of Liyue Harbor rally to protect him.

• Grievously weakened, Xiao lost his Primordial Jade Winged-Spear when it shattered blocking an enemy's blow, and he fell unable to rise.
• As he faced death, Xiao regretted not cherishing his time with Ei...leen and remembered how protecting Liyue had once brought him peace.
• Xiao resolved to resist surrendering to his karmic debt and to make his body a relentless weapon against evil creatures, giving Liyue one last peaceful Lantern Rite.
• Just as Xiao closed his eyes, the people of Liyue Harbor and the Millelith shouted that they would fight to protect him.

As Xiao lay helpless beneath the weight of his karmic debt, the people of Liyue rushed to protect him from the evil beings. Their gratitude and resolve restored light to Xiao’s eyes as they charged into battle together.

• Millelith and civilians charged from Liyue Harbor, declaring that they would protect Xiao.
• An ordinary man carried Xiao to safety near the city gate before charging back into battle.
• Xiao tried to stop the people from risking their lives, but they pressed on to protect him.
• Keqing thanked Xiao for protecting Liyue and led the people in a charge against the evil beings.
• Xiangling, Xingqiu, Chongyun, Hu Tao, Exorcist Adepts, and people from across Liyue joined the fight and spoke of Xiao’s past kindnesses.
• Hearing the people’s gratitude and seeing their resolve, Xiao felt hope return as the good karma he had sown came to fruition.

Liyue’s people charged into battle to protect Xiao, and their gratitude and love dispelled his karmic debt and bloodlust, bringing him redemption. Ganyu, Madame Ping, Yanfei, and Zhongli blessed the fighters as the people and Adepti protected one another.

• Liyue’s people remembered Xiao’s protection and rushed toward the evil creatures to defend him.
• The crowd’s gratitude and willingness to protect Xiao filled him with love, dispelled his karmic debt, and calmed his bloodlust.
• Ganyu channeled her adeptal energy to bless the people fighting the evil creatures.
• Madame Ping and Yanfei joined their adeptal energy to bless the fighters.
• Zhongli laughed with pride and quietly used his power to protect the people in battle.

After Liyue’s people helped Xiao overcome his karmic debt, Ellin carried him away to recover. At Pervases' Temple, Xiao told Copper Tusk what had happened, and Copper Tusk asked where he would go now that his burden was gone.

• The people of Liyue defeated the evil creatures and protected the exhausted Xiao, whose karmic debt had been shaken by their gratitude.
• Zhongli praised Ellin’s gamble to bring Xiao before the people and let their thanks help free him from his karmic debt.
• Xiao fell asleep after the battle, and Ellin carried him away for treatment while the people celebrated the Lantern Rite.
• At Pervases' Temple, Copper Tusk noticed that Xiao’s karmic debt was gone and listened as Xiao recounted what had happened in Liyue Harbor.
• Copper Tusk reflected that the people of Liyue had grown strong enough to protect their former guardians, then asked Xiao where he would go next.

After his karmic debt was lifted, Xiao asked Ellin what he should do with his newfound freedom, and she urged him to live fully and witness what his sacrifices had made possible. At the Lantern Rite, he resolved to keep looking after Liyue’s land and people in memory of those who had protected it.

• Ellin explained that she had sensed Xiao’s call from Mondstadt and came to help him, then recited the scripture he found comforting.
• Xiao told Ellin he did not know what to live for now that his karmic debt was gone and Liyue’s people could protect themselves.
• Ellin pointed to prosperous Liyue Harbor and urged Xiao to see what his fallen comrades’ sacrifices had achieved.
• Ellin gave Xiao a replacement Primordial Jade Winged-Spear and encouraged him to begin a new life.
• At Pervases' Temple, Xiao watched the Skybracer fireworks with Copper Tusk and vowed to look after the land for those who had died protecting it.

Ellin woke to find Fischl, Sucrose, and Noelle admiring her appearance, which had changed dramatically as her elemental power grew. After dressing up and visiting Liyue Harbor to look for Zhongli, she encountered Hu Tao outside the Wangsheng Funeral Parlor.

• Ellin realized her growing Cryo and Anemo powers had intensified her body's evolution, making her hair longer and whiter and her appearance more striking.
• Fischl, Sucrose, and Noelle dressed Ellin in a pink-and-white hanfu and styled her hair before she left the Serenitea Pot.
• Ellin heard that Xiao had been traveling through Liyue with a calmer heart, reconnecting with people and enjoying the world after his karmic debt dissipated.
• Ellin went to Liyue Harbor hoping to invite Zhongli to watch Yun Jin's opera, but the undertaker told her he was out.
• As Ellin turned to leave the Wangsheng Funeral Parlor, Hu Tao excitedly recognized her as the immortal maiden.

Ellin befriended Hu Tao at the Wangsheng Funeral Parlor and agreed to accompany her to a client meeting at Anshi Teahouse. Childe, assigned to handle a property sale for Northland Bank, and Granny Shan arrived there too, setting up a mix-up between the funeral consultation and the property purchase.

• Ellin met Hu Tao outside the Wangsheng Funeral Parlor, and the two quickly became friends.
• Hu Tao invited Ellin to join her at Anshi Teahouse for a client meeting, and Ellin agreed.
• Childe recovered from his injuries and accepted an assignment to meet a Northland Bank property buyer at the teahouse.
• Granny Shan set out to consult the funeral parlor about a burial plot and funeral arrangements, while Chen Jun sought to buy a home in Liyue.
• Hu Tao mistook Chen Jun for her client and ushered him into Anshi Teahouse.
• Childe mistook Granny Shan for the property buyer and invited her inside.

Chen Jun mistook Wangsheng Funeral Parlor’s burial services for ordinary housing and discussed buying a plot with Hu Tao, while Childe struggled to explain funeral arrangements to Granny Shan. The chapter ended with Chen Jun reassured about his future plot’s quiet surroundings and Granny Shan hearing about the Parlor’s multi-level rosewood coffins.

• Hu Tao asked Chen Jun whether he was buying a burial plot for his parents, and Chen Jun said he wanted one for himself as a place to settle down in Liyue.
• Hu Tao praised Chen Jun’s supposed open-mindedness, while Ellin was surprised by his attitude toward death.
• Hu Tao quoted Chen Jun 400,000 Mora for a plot near Qingce Village and Wuwang Hill, and Chen Jun asked about the location’s feng shui and noise.
• Childe asked Granny Shan whether her purchase was for herself or her children, and Granny Shan angrily said it was for herself.
• Childe explained that the coffin options cost over four million Mora and came in upper, middle, and lower levels, which Granny Shan mistook for a high-rise design.

Hu Tao and Childe each mistook a customer’s questions about a burial plot for a house purchase, leading to angry complaints. The Wangsheng Funeral Parlor and Northland Bank later cleared up the mix-up, and both customers placed their orders again.

• Chen Jun asked Hu Tao about security, rooms, nearby shops, and transportation while considering a burial plot, and Hu Tao and Ellin grew suspicious of him.
• Childe tried to sell Granny Shan a house, suggesting she rent it out or live there with her family, and Granny Shan threw tea on him before storming off.
• Chen Jun left the teahouse angrily after Hu Tao refused to sell him the plot when she thought he had unfulfilled wishes.
• Granny Shan complained to the Wangsheng Funeral Parlor that Childe had cursed her descendants, while Chen Jun sent a milder complaint to the Northland Bank.
• The Wangsheng Funeral Parlor and Northland Bank discovered the misunderstanding, called both customers back, and received their orders after the mix-up was explained.

Ellin heard how Snezhnayan merchants had bought up land near Stone Gate and demanded exorbitant prices and compensation, threatening a planned Liyue-Mondstadt free-trade zone. She proposed a solution, and the two nations announced permanent military exercises at Stone Gate, ordering everyone uninvolved to leave.

• Keqing told Ellin that Liyue and Mondstadt planned to establish a free-trade zone at Stone Gate to benefit merchants and the public.
• Keqing explained that Snezhnayan merchants had bought the nearby land, built rudimentary houses, planted trees, and demanded five hundred million Mora plus demolition compensation.
• Jean revealed that Snezhnayan merchants had also bought land on Mondstadt's side and that Mondstadt could not afford their demands.
• Ellin devised a plan, and Jean, Keqing, and Ningguang agreed to carry it out.
• The Knights of Favonius and Liyue's Ministry of Civil Affairs announced permanent military exercises at Stone Gate, beginning in three days, and ordered uninvolved people to leave.

Ellin used her power to blast a massive opening through the cliffs at Stone Gate, allowing Mondstadt and Liyue to begin a joint land-reclamation project. The Snezhnayan merchants who had bought the surrounding land remained confident that the nations would eventually pay them for it.

• Jean, Keqing, and Ningguang led forces to the borders while Ellin hovered above Stone Gate.
• Ellin unleashed a huge pillar of Anemo that ground through the cliffs separating Mondstadt and Liyue.
• The Knights of Favonius and the Millelith cheered as sunlight passed through the new opening, and Keqing launched the land-reclamation project.
• At the Goethe Grand Hotel, a merchant asked Charvinsky about a loud noise from Stone Gate.
• Charvinsky dismissed the noise and claimed the nations would have to pay the merchants for their land unless the Anemo Archon appeared to remove the mountain barriers.

Ellin split the mountain at Stone Gate and helped the Knights of Favonius and Millelith reclaim land, alarming Charvinsky and the Snezhnayan merchants who hoped to profit from selling their property. The merchants decided to wait rather than lower their price, unaware that the reclamation was a ploy to make them hold out while Ellin, Ningguang, Keqing, and Jean prepared their real scheme.

• Charvinsky and his partners learned that Ellin had cut a route through the mountain at Stone Gate and rushed to see the reclamation work.
• At the construction site, the merchants watched Ellin create rubble and compact the filled land with enormous boulders while Kaeya and Keqing directed the workers.
• Charvinsky persuaded the merchants that the reclamation might be a bluff designed to make them lower their asking price, so they agreed to wait.
• Ellin, Ningguang, Keqing, and Jean revealed that the reclamation was a trap to keep the merchants holding out for Stone Gate.
• Ellin announced that the Military Exercise would begin the next day and told Jean to bring Klee.

Ningguang concluded that small-time Snezhnayan merchants had bought up the Stone Gate land, while Ellin’s bombs helped break the dispute’s deadlock. At the joint military exercise, Klee demonstrated her bombs to the Knights of Favonius and the Millelith, who began testing them under a contract restricting their use to defense.

• Ningguang told Ellin that small-time merchants had bought the Stone Gate land out of greed and a lack of vision.
• Ellin and the others completed the land-reclamation project, and Jean and Keqing began a joint military exercise between the Knights of Favonius and the Millelith.
• Ellin brought Klee and a large supply of bombs to the exercise grounds.
• Klee demonstrated a bomb’s power, and Keqing announced that the two forces would adopt bombs for military use.
• Ellin made Jean, Keqing, and Ningguang agree that Mondstadt and Liyue could use the bombs only for defense.
• Klee enthusiastically guided the Knights and Millelith as they set off bombs together.

Ningguang waited for the Snezhnayan merchants to run out of money while Liyue and Mondstadt cooperated on Klee’s bomb research. After two weeks, the merchants’ alliance collapsed and they tried to sell their Stone Gate land at a discount, but Ellin answered with a cannon blast.

• Ningguang told Ellin that Liyue and Mondstadt could afford to wait until the Snezhnayan merchants’ funds ran dry.
• Keqing and Jean agreed that Mondstadt would provide bomb-making talent and Liyue would provide funding, making Klee chief engineer of bomb design and development for both nations.
• Klee and the selected researchers used the military exercise grounds and an abundant supply of materials to develop many kinds of bombs.
• After fourteen days without further inquiries from Liyue or Mondstadt, the Snezhnayan merchants blamed Charvinsky and broke up their alliance.
• The merchants tried to sell their Stone Gate land at a twenty-percent discount, but Ellin refused to let them cut their losses; a cannon blast broke the early-morning quiet.