Hearing that, Kiana fell silent for a moment before asking in confusion, "Are you trying to take advantage of me?"
The smile at the corner of Levi's mouth froze.
'She actually noticed...'
'Kiana actually noticed...'
No, who told him the person in front of him was Kiana?
No one, right?
Levi's eyes sharpened. Flames ignited in his palm as he swung it up. "You're not Kiana! Who are you? Where did you hide Kiana? Talk!"
Looking at him with contempt, Lumine spoke her mind directly.
"**!"
"So you're not Kiana"
'Just because someone saw through your scheme, they're suddenly not the real person?'
Seeing Lumine's reaction, Levi slowly put away the flames. His gaze shifted back and forth between the two before he nodded.
As Kiana's biological sister, Lumine definitely wouldn't mistake her own sister.
Lumine walked over to Kiana's side, ready to stand with her against Levi. The moment she heard that, she exploded.
"I already told you, you can insult my character, but don't insult my intelligence!"
Kiana's gaze immediately shifted from Levi to her.
With a calm expression, she nodded at Levi.
"Fly straight in that direction and you'll see it."
Looking in the direction Levi pointed, Kiana decisively slung Lumine over her shoulder and thought, 'Sirin.'
'Tell Levi to give me permission.'
No permission, no using it.
"Levi."
"Got it!"
Levi made an OK gesture.
'Little glutton, you want big brother's Honkai Energy again.'
After sharing the Honkai Energy inside his body with Kiana, Sirin also handed over part of the Herrscher's authority to her.
Just as Kiana was about to spread her wings and leave...
Cloud Retainer stepped forward.
"Stop! Did I say you could leave?"
A trace of anger showed in Cloud Retainer's eyes.
Over this period of time, she had figured it out.
She had been played by these people all along.
Evil ghosts? The Sustainer of Heavenly Principles?
They were all fake.
This group had most likely learned these secrets from somewhere and was using them to swindle people across Teyvat.
Judging from what they had shown before, they did have some real ability.
Otherwise, she would have seen through them long ago.
There was no way she would only realize it now.
And the only reason she had realized it now was because they didn't take her and the others seriously at all, casually fooling around right in front of them.
'How embarrassing!'
Hearing her master's voice, Shenhe blankly looked toward her.
Noticing her gaze, Cloud Retainer subtly tilted her head, signaling her to step back first.
After receiving the signal, Shenhe quietly returned to where she had been squatting before.
Meanwhile, the moment Cloud Retainer spoke, Kiana had already spread the wings of the Herrscher of the Void. As Honkai Energy overflowed from her body, her outfit transformed into Kiana's appearance.
Her golden eyes turned toward Cloud Retainer, who had spoken, filled with confusion.
'Weren't you the one who told us to leave earlier?'
'So why are you saying, "Did I say you could leave?" now?'
'Could she be suffering from dementia?'
'Come to think of it...'
Kiana looked over Cloud Retainer's figure thoughtfully.
'Do birds get dementia too?'
Seeing Kiana like this, Cloud Retainer suddenly began doubting her own judgment again.
Perhaps these people simply had a good relationship.
As for the Sustainer of Heavenly Principles...
She had only seen her a handful of times, so she naturally had no idea what her real personality was like.
Maybe she really was like this.
On the surface, Kiana was just looking Cloud Retainer over, but with the noble aura in her eyes, to everyone else it looked more like she was sizing her up.
Especially when she withdrew her gaze at the end.
It was as if she were saying, "You?"
Contemptuous, arrogant... as though nothing in the mortal world was worthy of her attention.
At this moment, Kiana turned back to ask Levi what they should do next, completely unaware of the impression her actions had left in Cloud Retainer's mind.
Seeing Cloud Retainer fall silent again, Levi couldn't help sighing.
Natural behavior was far more shocking than deliberate acting.
Kiana really was talented. Just a few glances had completely intimidated the other party.
Although the outfit certainly helped, it couldn't hide Kiana's natural talent.
Lumine, still draped over Kiana's shoulder, continued struggling, but under Kaslana's monstrous strength, she couldn't break free at all.
After receiving Levi's instruction to ignore it, Kiana decisively flew toward Liyue Harbor.
Before leaving, she glanced at Cloud Retainer and the others.
It was only a simple glance with no particular meaning.
But in Cloud Retainer's eyes, it was a warning.
'Offend me again, and you'll die!'
Cloud Retainer looked at the Levi who had stayed behind and sighed inwardly.
Why had she said anything?
She should have just sent these troublemakers away.
Then she could have gone to Liyue to investigate Rex Lapis's situation.
'Sigh... If what he said is true, and Rex Lapis's act of defying Heavenly Principles really brought disaster upon him... can Liyue truly withstand such a devastating blow as losing its god?'
For a nation ruled by a god to lose that god was obviously no small matter.
Even Mondstadt, where divine miracles had long disappeared, only had its god hidden away, not dead.
Anyone who wanted to make trouble for Mondstadt still had to consider the existence of the Anemo Archon.
If Rex Lapis had truly passed away...
Things would become difficult for Liyue.
"We've had enough fun. I'll tell you our real reason for coming to Liyue now."
Just as Cloud Retainer was thinking about how to stabilize Liyue...
Levi spoke again, drawing her gaze toward him, "Oh? And what purpose brings you to Liyue?"
The corners of Levi's lips curled upward into a bright smile.
But to Cloud Retainer... That smile was filled with ill intent toward a certain someone.
"We came here to give psychological counseling to someone who doesn't want to work anymore, so he'll continue doing his job properly."
In short, squeezing the last bit of labor out of him.
After hearing Levi's words, Cloud Retainer frowned in thought.
What did this have to do with Rex Lapis?
Suddenly, thinking of a certain possibility, Cloud Retainer's eyes widened as she stared at the smiling Levi in disbelief.
Levi nodded.
"Exactly what you're thinking."
It was hard to believe.
After all, why would Rex Lapis suddenly not want to do it anymore?
And without any warning at that.
There hadn't been the slightest sign beforehand that he wanted to quit.
Still, it was the most reasonable explanation.
If Rex Lapis hadn't been killed by someone else, but had faked his own death to escape, then in Cloud Retainer's eyes, that made far more sense than being killed by Heavenly Principles' subordinate.
It also made far more sense than Ganyu's report that he'd been killed by that little blond-haired fellow.
Rex Lapis had been the victor of the Archon War and was known as the God of War.
How could someone kill him instantly without the slightest disturbance?
That little blond-haired fellow couldn't do it.
Neither could Heavenly Principles' people.
So the most likely explanation was that Rex Lapis had faked his death.
His true intention was probably exactly what the person before her had said.
He simply didn't want to work anymore.
"How about we work together? I've already thought of a name for the plan."
"We'll call it: Getting the Retired Old Man Back to Work."
"Outrageous! Utterly outrageous!"
"Then how about: Retired Old Fart..."
"Let's just stick with 'old man.' It sounds a little kinder."
———
Bang!
The hotel doors were shoved open with force.
March 7th, wearing an icy expression, stepped into Old Yang's line of sight.
"March 7th, you..."
"..."