Chapter 68

Landing upon Mt Tianheng we met the gazes coming from Ningguang and Cloud Retainer and before we could make introductions Paimon opened her big fat mouth.

"Wow is that super pretty crane Ningguang's flying mount!?" My face twisted as both ladies scowled at Paimon's question with Cloud Retainer actually stomping her taloned feet on the ground and shattering the stone beneath her feet as she loudly huffed.

"How unimaginable uncouth... This is the team that you have recruited to Liyue. Maybe lord Morax's approval of you as the Tianquan was for a bit premature if your social judgment hasn't met your economic senses." Cloud Retainer taunted Ningquang who only rolled her eyes.

"Forgive our friend. She has drowned several times in the past and thus has mental issues." Lumine said with no shame.

I honestly froze at Lumine's response but seeing Paimon about to screech and probably lay a kamikaze attack of slaps upon Lumine I coughed loudly gathering everyone's attention.

"We have not met one of the great Illuminated Beasts of Liyue before, only the non-sentient and feral beasts that cover the lands of Teyvat. So please forgive our friend for the ignorant question." I spoke respectfully making Cloud Retainer hum as she took me in as the Anemo Hypostasis flew to hover beside me gently bobbing up and down in the air.

"Well, your control over that Anemo Hypostasis may actually make you faster than myself delivering these parts. But how do you plan on getting passed the storm that surrounds much of Inazuma?" Cloud Retainer asked not really rudely but obviously checking we actually had the method to fly there safely.

"Jake and Lumine are super strong! The Anemo Hypo-whats can fly us through any storm while Jake and Lumine can fortify the Anemo thingy with a Geo shield so even lightning in the storm can't mess with us!" Paimon answered proudly with our clothes ornaments flashing orange as we summoned a small geo construct into our hands.

Ningguang raised an eyebrow at seeing us summon small Geo crystals but shrugged as she herself had a Geo vision and could do the same. "Anyway Cloud Retainer this party has shown themselves to be capable adventurer's and what with you being so busy dealing with the odd thefts and events happening across Liyue's heritage sights along with Ahzdaha becoming free, having you take a couple of days to safely fly to Inazuma and back wouldn't be wise actions."

Cloud Retainer just hummed in as she glanced at Ningguang her met her glance silently before the large crane's eyes snapped back to me. "Very well I will entrust the shipment this time to this party." She spoke regally and with that said I moved the crates onto the Anemo Hypostasis's platform and had the solid wind constructs bind onto the magic seal-covered boxes.

"So Ningguang and I guess Cloud Retainer, any news you're willing to share about what Azhdaha is up to?" I asked with Lumine and Paimon ending their little returning spat as Paimon was still angry at Lumine for calling her brain damaged.

The two ladies exchanged a look before shaking their heads with Ningguang twirling her long spoking pipe in her hand before she broke the tense silence. "We are not sure. As we just said Cloud Retainer is needed to stay within Liyue due to some... Old issues rising from their graves. As graves and the sites of fallen gods have been looted by unknown forces we are worried that Azhdaha is the one breaking the powerful seals protecting said sites." Ningguang explained with a dour frown crossing her face as I myself grimaced at her news.

Liyue was the biggest battleground in the Archon War and even later on faced great turmoil due to the fall of Khanreiah. So, to put it bluntly, there were a lot of deadish and sealed away things that need to never see the light of day lest they unleash their hatred upon the mortal world.

"Whelp Jake, Lumine. It seems like we should spend the Rite of Descension in Inazuma. Paimon hears their cooked fish is super delicious and there is so many fish in the sea that it will take us forever to try them all out Haha..." Paimon joked as dry as the deserts of Sumeru.

"Hmm, I bet a dead god will be resurrected, along with a sealed one being released... Oh and maybe that lost Yaksha will come back to help fight the gods who returned." I added to Paimon's prediction of trouble with Paimon looking at me devastated at the insanity I guessed would happen.

Ningguang however noticed a light in my eyes so as she flapped open a fan to cover her facial expression, she asked me pointedly. "Jake, you seem to have certain thoughts. Care to share them?"

I shrugged to Ningguang's question as I helped Lumine hop onto my Anemo Hypostasis platform before I responded. "Well, it's famous around the world that the Vortex god Osial was sealed literally not even a couple miles in front of Liyue's shores. And combining with his wife who to this day is still around and attacking Liyue vessels. Then if people wanted to create issues during the Rite of Descension then what better method to deal with Liyue is there than to unleash a god who has surely been driven insane after being sealed for millennia with Liyue being easily in sight after it gets out." I pointed out with a wry grin as Ningguang's face twisted into a terrible scowl at how stupidly convenient such a plot would be.

And worse was how with Azhdaha clearly being unsealed if someone was helping the insane earth dragon then they could likely use the same methods to unseal Osial that were used on Azhdaha.

"Your thoughts as wild as they are... Do bear a catastrophic weight should they come to pass so I shall pass such a scenario to Lord Lapis myself now and he will likely see to reinforcing the seals around Osial." Cloud Retainer announced as she flapped her large crane to wings to take to the sky and quickly flew north towards Jueyan Karst where the Geo Archon was likely at.