The War Between Loli Ruotuo and Lottie

In the northern mountains of Qingce Village, hidden beneath a natural waterfall, lies a secret cave. Outside the cave, countless stone statues hold down a powerful seal, and an intricate mechanism guards the entrance, barring any entry or exit.

Inside the cave, the ground is littered with orange crystals. At the center of the cave, a metallic sphere floats in the air, barely supported by a trio of rotating rings that slowly turn around it. Energy flows between the metallic sphere and the orange crystals on the ground, forming a shimmering golden formation.

Yet, what should have been a brilliantly glowing formation has now dimmed. The metallic sphere, which serves as the heart of the formation, has cracks on its surface. Black mist entwines the sphere, constantly being dispersed by the golden light of the formation, only to reform and continue its insidious erosion.

Suddenly, with a sharp hiss, a figure clad in black appeared out of nowhere, as though summoned by the shadows. The figure is tightly bound by chains of golden light, anchored in the center of the formation, unable to move.

With a sudden crack, a part of the metallic sphere breaks off, and the golden chains holding the dark figure snap, one by one.

"Hahahahahaha!"

The creature imprisoned by the chains laughs wildly, thrashing about, causing the chains to tighten under immense tension, as though they might break entirely. But despite the creature's efforts, the seal holds, and it eventually ceases its violent attempts to break free.

The figure's eerie eyes, barely visible from the shadows, survey the golden chains binding it, and a deep hatred flickers in its gaze. A sinister laugh echoes from the darkness.

"Heh... It doesn't matter. Soon! Morax, I'd like to see how you plan to protect the Liyue you cherish so much!"

A massive surge of black mist erupts from the figure, flooding in all directions, seeping into the weakest part of the seal, and then slipping out of the cave, disappearing into the unknown.

At the same time, far away beneath Guyun Stone Forest, deep under the sea, another formation, almost identical to the one in the cave, struggles against a similar black mist. The seal here, too, is being corroded. But what's sealed in this formation is different: a god with multiple serpent-like heads and bodies—the vortex god Osial.

At this moment, all of Osial's heads are turned in the same direction, with every eye fixated on a single point—the distant port of Liyue.

"How much longer?"

A hoarse voice echoed from one of Osial's mouths.

"Not long now! Soon!"

The black mist replied, its voice sinister and full of anticipation. "With the aid of godly power, the erosion will be complete very soon!"

Osial fell silent once more, resuming its statue-like stillness, though it increased its support for the black mist with more of its energy.

"Heheheheh…"

Feeling the power surge in this part of its divided self, the black mist let out another bout of crazed laughter.

Meanwhile, in the western regions of Liyue, at the borders of the vast minefield known as The Chasm…

Not long ago, a large amount of black sludge appeared at the bottom of the Chasm for no apparent reason. This sludge posed significant harm to humans, prompting the Liyue Qixing to order the closure of the Chasm. All the miners were evacuated, leaving only researchers and the Millelith soldiers behind to investigate and handle the black sludge.

Deep beneath the surface, far beyond the sight of the researchers and soldiers, black mist originating from an unknown source was slowly eroding the Chasm's ley lines. The mist injected its power into the ley lines, leaving a trace of its influence with every touch. Under its relentless assault, the once-pure ley lines were now tainted by streaks of black energy.

As the mist continued to infiltrate the ley lines, it gave rise to abnormal accumulation points, where ley line energy leaked out, forming various kinds of monsters. These monsters were diverse, and many were of types rarely seen in Liyue, including Rift Hounds that shouldn't even exist within Liyue's borders. Furthermore, these monsters bore the same corrupt aura as the ones that attacked Liyue in the past.

"Roar!"

"Howl!"

"Hiss!"

The monsters growled and snarled, venting their violence and rage. Yet, under the mist's suppression and the ley line's influence, they remained temporarily dormant around the ley line accumulation points. But it was clear that once the mist released its hold on the creatures or if something provoked them, they would pour out of the Chasm and engulf Liyue in chaos.

"Hehehehehe!"

"I wonder, will you enjoy this little post-dinner treat, Morax? And what about Liyue's newest guardian?"

A massive ghostly face formed in the swirling mist, with hollow eyes that fixated on the monsters beneath it, laughing wickedly at the sight.

Meanwhile, in Wangshu Inn…

After Ruotuo's rebirth, Lin Yuan and the others had also returned to Liyue Harbor. Ruotuo's rebirth was flawless, and with Lin Yuan's divine power boosting her, she surpassed her previous limits. Once she reaches maturity, she would become one of Liyue's strongest war assets. If only she hadn't taken the form of a little girl…

"Lin Yuan!"

A pair of small hands pressed against Lin Yuan's back, and with a determined push, the young Ruotuo tried to climb onto his back once again.

Reforming you was supposed to mean I ride you, not the other way around!

Damn it!

Lin Yuan gave a shake of his body, and Ruotuo was thrown off. But instead of being upset, she took it as playful fun. Clapping the dust off her clothes, Ruotuo flashed a pure, innocent smile before running back to cling onto him again.

This time, Lin Yuan didn't resist. After all, every time he tried to stop her, she just became more persistent. If he refused her again, the loli Ruotuo would only throw a tantrum.

However, Lottie wasn't having any of it.

A stream of water suddenly coiled around Ruotuo, trying to pull her away from Lin Yuan. But before the water could make contact with her, an identical stream of water appeared from Ruotuo herself, clashing with Lottie's magic.

"Get down from there!"

Lottie's frustrated voice rang out. Every time Ruotuo clung to Lin Yuan, it sparked her displeasure, leading to yet another scuffle between the two. And as usual, their battlefield was Lin Yuan's body.

Of course, both girls knew their limits, so they didn't use any serious power—just simple water streams in a tug-of-war. Still, it was exhausting for Lin Yuan, who was caught in the middle.

"Alright, that's enough! Keep this up, and I'll get mad!"

Lin Yuan sighed helplessly. Seeing that things were about to escalate, he finally intervened, pulling both girls apart. The two immediately stopped fighting and returned to their obedient selves, but Lin Yuan knew it wouldn't be long before they started up again.

"Hahaha! You've turned into quite the dad, haven't you?"

Watching the entire spectacle, Hu Tao finally burst out laughing, unable to hold back any longer at the sight of Lin Yuan's exasperated expression.

"Go, go, go! If you've got so much time to laugh, why not come help me look after them!"

Lin Yuan waved his claw dismissively, grumbling in frustration.

"We're back now, and it looks like the winds have blown us into another busy day."

"I'd love to help, but neither Ruotuo nor Lottie will listen to me. My hands are tied, truly!"

Hu Tao said, her plum blossom eyes gleaming mischievously. Lin Yuan couldn't shake the feeling that she was teasing him.

Full of grievances, Lin Yuan was at a loss. Ever since Ruotuo's rebirth, not only had her body shrunk, but her behavior had become childlike. She clung to Lin Yuan constantly, and every time she did, Lottie would try to pull her away, leading to the same playful fight scene, which had occurred countless times on their journey back.

Lin Yuan had initially hoped that Zhongli could take care of Ruotuo for a while. Though her past consciousness had faded, her spirit was still intact, and apart from Lin Yuan, Ruotuo still shared a strong bond with Zhongli…

It was unexpected, but as soon as the old man (Zhongli) returned to Liyue, he immediately ran off to relax, listening to stories instead of helping. "He said he's retired and no longer involved in worldly affairs. But watching over a child isn't worldly affairs! He's clearly just being lazy!" Lin Yuan grumbled inwardly.

Without Zhongli's help, Lin Yuan had to keep an eye on the two little ones himself. Sure enough, as soon as he looked away, Ruotuo was back, clinging to him, and the battle between the two girls resumed. Hu Tao, on the side, was thoroughly enjoying the spectacle.

At that moment, one of the attendants from Wangsheng Funeral Parlor hurried in, saying, "Lord Rex Lapis, Lady Hu Tao, all seven members of the Qixing have arrived. They've requested an audience with you!"

"Oh?" Hu Tao was surprised. It was rare for all the Qixing to visit at once, and after a moment of thought, she seemed to realize something.

"Alright, little ones, it's time to stop fooling around!" Lin Yuan extended his claw and gently removed the small Ruotuo from his body. Fortunately, though they were mischievous, they understood the importance of serious matters and quickly stopped playing around.

"Hu Tao, keep an eye on them for me while I check what's going on!" Lin Yuan said.

"Don't worry, I've got this!" Hu Tao patted her chest confidently.

It's precisely because of that attitude that I'm worried! Lin Yuan thought with some resignation. He flew off to the meeting room in Wangsheng Funeral Parlor, where the Qixing had already been waiting for a while.

"Lord Rex Lapis!" Ningguang and Keqing were the first to rise and greet him, followed by the rest of the Qixing, who also stood up respectfully.

"No need for formalities, just get to the point," Lin Yuan said with a roll of his eyes. Why are you two acting all proper now? Especially you, Keqing—you're not usually this respectful. I kind of miss your defiant attitude.

Ningguang and Keqing exchanged amused glances before they began their report.

"We've received information..." Ningguang began, detailing everything that had happened in Lin Yuan's absence, starting with the appearance of Tartaglia. Keqing chimed in with additional details.

During most of these meetings, it was usually Ningguang and Keqing who would deliver the reports, which Lin Yuan found a little curious. But since the two were more familiar with him, he didn't mind letting them handle it.

"You're saying that a hidden god is scheming against Liyue?" Lin Yuan asked, reflecting on the situation.

The monsters powered by karmic energy had been strengthened, and the danger they posed to Liyue was far greater than ordinary monsters. Not only did they have increased power, but their karmic energy was also highly harmful to humans.

"Yes, and we've also discovered..." Ningguang continued. According to the information they had gathered, the god hiding near Qingce Village was believed to be the legendary Chi.

"Chi, huh?" Lin Yuan scratched his chin in thought. The name Chi was both familiar and unfamiliar to him. It was familiar because it had been mentioned in Zhongli's character lore and quests in the game. But it was unfamiliar in the sense that there wasn't much more information about Chi in the game—just that Chi had been sealed by Zhongli after being cut into three pieces. The game didn't even explain why Chi was sealed in the first place.

Without a proper character model, how was anyone supposed to remember much about Chi? Still, if it was happening near Qingce Village, it was almost certain that Chi was behind the trouble.

"I understand. I'll handle this," Lin Yuan said, to the visible relief of Ningguang and Keqing. They knew they lacked the means to deal with a scheming god, so having Lin Yuan take over gave them much-needed peace of mind.

Lin Yuan, on the other hand, was already planning to ask Zhongli for more information. As the Qixing had already gathered all the intel available to mortals, the only person who could provide more insight was Zhongli, who had personally sealed Chi.

After wrapping up the discussion about Chi, Ningguang added, "There's one more matter that requires your decision, Lord Rex Lapis. The Tsaritsa of Snezhnaya has expressed interest in forming an alliance with Liyue, and Tartaglia, the Fatui Harbinger, has requested a meeting with you."

Since the Qixing were already planning to report on Chi, they figured they might as well bring up Snezhnaya's proposal for an alliance, hoping to get Lin Yuan's thoughts on the matter. Though they expected him to delegate the decision back to them, they felt it was worth mentioning.

An alliance with Snezhnaya? Lin Yuan felt a headache coming on at the thought of dealing with political matters.

"The matter of the alliance can be decided by you. As long as it benefits Liyue, I won't object," Lin Yuan said, leaving the political affairs to the Qixing. However, Ningguang's next statement piqued his curiosity.

"Tartaglia wants to meet with me? Why would he want that?" Lin Yuan thought. "The Geo Archon's Gnosis has already been handed over to Snezhnaya, so what more could the Fatui possibly need in Liyue?"

He found the request for an alliance interesting. Was it the will of the Tsaritsa, or was this the work of a few Harbingers acting on their own? Perhaps they wanted to probe his position, seeing as a new god had suddenly appeared.

"Did he mention the reason for the meeting?" Lin Yuan asked.

"He didn't say," Ningguang responded.

That only made Lin Yuan more thoughtful. After Zhongli traded the Gnosis with Snezhnaya, he had mentioned a final contract. But now, with Zhongli stepping down and Lin Yuan as the new god, it seemed plausible that the Fatui were trying to assess his intentions.

After a moment of deliberation, Lin Yuan decided, "Fine, I'll meet him. Arrange for him to come to Wangsheng Funeral Parlor." The Qixing bowed and took their leave, their tasks for the day completed.

Just then, Lottia came flying out from the interior of the funeral parlor, dragging Ruotuo along with her in a panic. "Lin Yuan! Lin Yuan! I received a warning from the water—something ominous is happening in the sea!" Lottia, being a manifestation of water, had the ability to sense changes in aquatic environments.

As soon as she appeared, Lin Yuan's gaze instinctively turned toward the direction of Guyun Stone Forest. He, too, could feel the unsettling disturbance coming from the ocean.

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T/N:

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