Bai You recalled that in the theater at the Snezhnaya Solstice, Varesa was the radiant principal soprano on stage.
She sang countless arias for countless listeners.
But she said at that moment that she only wanted to sing for her.
Bai You raised her hand and wrapped it around her neck.
Varesa."
"Hmm."
"Thank you for always being there for me."
"I've always been here, silly boy."
Varesa lowered her head and gently placed a kiss on the top of her head.
"Go to sleep."
"Even if the sky falls, I'll shield you from it."
Bai You closed her eyes.
She slowly drifted off to sleep in Varesa's arms.
Outside the window, the night in Liyue Harbor was very quiet.
The sea breeze blew in through the cracks in the window, and no one knew what kind of raging waves the sea would unleash after tomorrow.
But at this moment, in this small room, in Varesa's arms, Bai You was sleeping soundly.
I don't know how much time passed.
The immortals descended the mountain on the third day after Rite of Parting and equipment had been prepared.
That morning, several streaks of light streaked across the sky above Liyue Harbor.
The immortals, with their three eyes and five manifestations, arrived together, Moon Carver, Mountain Shaper, Cloud Retainer.
Their oppressive aura enveloped the entire port.
It was a heavy, mountain-like force that made it hard to breathe.
The people in the harbor knelt down in unison, while the Millelith hastily assembled, their spears all pointing to the sky.
The Liyue Qixing personally greeted the immortals at the Yujing Terrace.
On one side are the Celestials who have guarded Liyue for a thousand years.
One side consists of the Liyue Qixing, who have taken over Liyue.
The two sides were locked in a stalemate outside Yujing Terrace.
Bai You and Varesa stood on a high ground, watching from afar.
The sound of Moon Carver echoed from afar, carrying the wrath of the immortals.
" The Rex Lapis has passed away, and your immortal body has been hidden away by you, forbidding us from even gazing upon it."
" Liyue Qixing, what exactly do you want to do?"
Ningguang stood at the very front of the Liyue Qixing, dressed in pristine white, not yielding an inch.
" The Rex Lapis's passing is shrouded in mystery."
"Until the truth is revealed, the Exuvia are kept by the Liyue Qixing and must not be lost."
"If you immortals wish to question me, the Liyue Qixing will provide an explanation."
"But before that, please, everyone, do not fall into the traps set by others."
A trap?
Mountain Shaper snorted coldly.
" The Rex Lapis died at the ceremony you presided over, and your immortal body was hidden away by you. Now you come to question us?"
The two sides were on the verge of conflict, ready to clash at any moment.
Keqing gripped the sword hilt, Ganyu's face turned pale, and the immortal power around the immortals began to surge.
"Are we about to fight?"
"Varesa asked softly."
"No."
Bai You shook her head, but her gaze was very serious.
"Neither of them will make the first move."
"The immortals are bound by a contract, and the Liyue Qixing must protect Liyue."
"They're just waiting."
"Wait for an explanation."
But...
Bai You changed the subject.
"Someone will take advantage of their indecisiveness to do what they really want to do."
Her gaze passed over Yujing Terrace and looked towards the other side of the harbor.
Golden House.
The only mint in all of Teyvat, where the Rex Lapis's Exuvia, was now placed by the Liyue Qixing.
That's the place you're going to, Childe.
At the same time, Ying also realized it.
After she and Zhongli finished their last task in Dihua Marsh, they returned to Liyue Harbor, just in time to witness the confrontation between the Celestials and the Liyue Qixing.
Zhongli stopped in his tracks as he watched this scene.
" Traveler."
His voice was calm.
Have you ever wondered what caused the conflict between the immortals and the Liyue Qixing?
Ying was startled.
"With the Rex Lapis dead, the Immortals and the Liyue Qixing should have worked together to uncover the truth."
Zhongli spoke slowly.
"But now, they are like oil and water."
"There's an unseen hand at play here, constantly fueling the flames."
Ying's mind went blank for a moment.
She thought of the Childe.
It reminded me of the Sigil of Permission".
I recalled the counterfeit talismans in the Jade Chamber.
" Childe..."
Her expression changed.
He's going to attack the Exuvia!
Zhongli looked at her, neither nodding nor shaking her head.
The Exuvia should now be placed in the Golden House.
He only said this one sentence.
Ying didn't say another word.
She turned and left, rushing towards the Golden House.
"Wait for me!"
Paimon quickly followed.
Bai You stood on the high ground, watching Ying's golden figure fly swiftly through the streets and alleys, rushing towards the Golden House.
She moved too.
"Let's go."
She grabbed Varesa's arm.
"Let's go too."
She simply gripped her hand tighter.
"I'll be with you."
The Golden House is the most heavily guarded place in Liyue Harbor.
It was originally a mint, constructed entirely of thick rock, and was heavily guarded by the Millelith on ordinary days.
But at this moment, the doors of the Golden House are wide open.
The guard at the gate had been knocked to the ground and was unconscious.
When Ying arrived, the hall of the Golden House was already filled with the roar of colliding Elemental Power.
She kicked open the door to the inner sanctum.
Deep within the vast vault, the Exuvia of the Rex Lapis silently floated in mid-air, its golden light dimmed.
Below the shaved head, a dark gray figure stood.
Childe.
He heard footsteps and slowly turned around.
He smiled when he saw it was Ying.
That smile no longer held the cheerfulness of the Northland Bank; it was replaced by a coldness that was almost pure and belonged to a warrior.
"You've come."
"I knew you'd come."
"What do you want to do to the Exuvia?"
Ying drew her sword, its blade gleaming coldly in the dimly lit vault.
What should I do?
The Childe raised his hand, and azure water elements condensed in his palm.
"I have reclaimed what rightfully belonged to Her Majesty the Tsaritsa."
" The Gnosis should not reside in an empty shell."
Ying stopped wasting time.
She drew her sword and charged forward.
The great battle for the Golden House has begun.
Water and wind elemental sword light clashed repeatedly deep within the vault.
The Childe's water element is ever-changing.
He can transform into water blades, water shields, water pillars, and water prisons; each move is clean and swift, carrying a ruthlessness honed on the battlefield.
Ying's sword is both fast and accurate.
Her movements were incredibly fast, Elemental Power circulated around her, repeatedly breaking through the Childe's water curtain.
The two men fought their way from one end of the vault to the other.
The stone pillars were broken, the floor tiles were overturned, and water splashes and sword flashes crisscrossed in the dim space.
When Bai You and Varesa arrived, the outer perimeter of the Golden House had already been sealed off by a force field of water element.
Bai You thought about it and decided not to rush in. She stood on the high corridor and watched the battle inside through a crack.
"He's releasing water."
Bai You looked at it for a while, then suddenly whispered.
"What?"
" Childe."
Bai You's gaze fell on the dark gray figure.
"He used the water element of the Vision, which is his usual skill."
He didn't use his real trump card.
He was testing the water.
Varesa looked at her.
"You seem to know him very well."
"I played against him during the Snezhnaya, although the process was a bit unexpected."
Bai You's voice was very soft.
"He's the kind of person who, when he encounters a strong opponent, always wants to fight them to the bitter end first."
"He most likely isn't going to win."
He wanted to see exactly how much Ying weighed.
The battle lasted a long time.
The Childe's water element was gradually suppressed by Ying's sword light.
Ying seized an opening, deflecting the water blade from his hand with a single sword strike, the blade now aimed directly at his throat.
"You lost."
Ying said.
The Childe looked at the sword resting against his neck, and smiled.
"Is that so?"
Suddenly, without dodging or avoiding, he took advantage of the opening and lunged towards the Exuvia in mid-air.
Ying's sword only managed to slit his sleeve.
"Not good--"
The Childe's hand rested on the Rex Lapis's immortal body.
His water element surged wildly toward the dragon's body, searching inch by inch.
He is searching for the Gnosis.
There was a moment of silence in the vault.
The Childe's movements slowly came to a stop.
His face first showed surprise.
Then came disbelief.
Finally, it turned into a near-mad rage.
"Not here..."
He murmured.
"Is not the Gnosis here?"
He raised his head and looked at Ying, his azure eyes blazing with anger.
"Is that you?"
"Did you beat me to it and take it away?"
I don't have any.
Ying said in a deep voice.
"Impossible!"
The Childe abruptly took a step back, his chest heaving violently.
"How could the Rex Lapis's Gnosis not reside within his immortal body!"
He looked around at the empty, lifeless body, devoid of any Gnosis, and his gaze gradually darkened.
Unless...
His voice lowered.
"Unless, the Geo Archon never actually died."