Genshin releasing four characters at once shot straight to the hot searches. Many players were thinking of saving up some Primogems to pull the characters to C6.
But after seeing how many amazing characters the next version would have, players all said their wallets were definitely going to be emptied, and their emotions were particularly fired up for a moment.
After the excitement died down, everyone still had to honestly pull out their wallets and whale—but their agitated emotions transmitted across worlds to Rios's side.
Genshin world.
Someone pushed open the doors of the Parley Hall.
Rios, who was conversing with Mavuika, looked over and saw the blond Traveler and the white little elf walk in.
As in the original plot, the Traveler had learned after meeting Citlali that if they wanted to obtain an Ancient Name, they needed to seek the Night God's help.
After that, while helping Citlali find her good grandson, the Traveler unexpectedly met the Captain and learned from him that the Pyro Archon should have a method to use the Gnosis to resist the Abyss's invasion.
"The Captain even knows about this method?"
Mavuika, also in the Parley Hall, said somewhat surprised.
"So this method really exists?" Paimon asked.
"If the power of the Gnosis is used, the Pyro Archon can indeed weave the souls of the Night Kingdom into a net to resist the Abyss's invasion," Mavuika said slowly.
"But this is only a stopgap. If we don't find a way to resist the Abyss before the woven net is re-eroded by the Abyss, we'll still face their invasion."
"So this plan won't work?" Paimon asked.
"Using this plan is nothing more than a delaying tactic—it can only postpone the Abyss's offensive and cannot solve the problem at its root. We'll still have to fight the Abyss," Rios explained.
"In other words, the 'trump card' the Captain mentioned is actually just buying a little time to delay the Abyss invasion," Paimon finally understood.
"We couldn't find a permanent way to resist the Abyss invasion in five hundred years, let alone in the short time bought by weaving souls into a net," Rios said.
"Whether it's me or Rios, we both prefer to fight the Abyss head-on."
Mavuika paused here before continuing: "This isn't because we can't bear to sacrifice the memories and souls of the Night Kingdom—the battle with the Abyss is an unavoidable part of it all."
"Moreover, in the current situation, if we take this approach, it will also deal a blow to the spirit of all Natlan people," Mavuika added.
"The Night Kingdom will affect Natlan?" the Traveler asked, somewhat surprised.
"The Night Kingdom is equivalent to Natlan's leylines. If something happens to it, Natlan will naturally be affected," Rios said.
"But what Mavuika means is something else."
"Exactly." Mavuika nodded, then said, "In the past, Rios used a certain method that allowed Natlan people to see the souls and memories of the Night Kingdom."
"Huh?" Paimon widened her eyes in surprise upon hearing this and cried out. "Can it directly bring the Night Kingdom's souls into the real world?"
"Paimon, I was as shocked as you are that Rios could do this," Mavuika said, "but what I'm about to say next is the key point."
"Many Natlan people witnessed their deceased relatives and friends through this."
"As a result, they all know just how important the Night Kingdom is to Natlan."
After hearing this, the Traveler lowered their head in thought, and Paimon reacted as well.
"I think I get it now. Everyone can reunite with souls from the Night Kingdom now, but if the Pyro Archon does this, it's like killing their relatives and friends all over again. It really would deal a huge blow to the Natlan people's morale," Paimon understood the severity of the situation.
"But put another way, after learning the importance of the Night Kingdom, the Natlan people will fight the Abyss even more bravely—not only to protect the living, but also to safeguard the souls residing in the Night Kingdom," Mavuika continued.
After hearing Mavuika's words, the Traveler and Paimon nodded slightly. Understanding Rios and Mavuika's specific thoughts, they realized the Captain's plan was unfeasible.
"Speaking of which, I'm quite curious," Mavuika said, crossing her arms. "How did the Captain know about this?"
"He not only knew my plan but even the function of the Gnosis."
Mavuika furrowed her brows slightly in thought, but she had no memories in her mind of ever interacting with the Captain.
At that moment, the doors of the Parley Hall were pushed open again, and Chuychu and Chasca entered one after another.
"Pyro Archon, we have something about the Fatui that needs reporting," Chasca stated her purpose directly, then noticed the Traveler and Paimon were there too.
"Just say it directly," Rios said. "The Traveler and Paimon are trustworthy people."
Moreover, without Paimon to provide the commentary, the plot would be pretty boring.
"Mm, I think so too," Chasca nodded slowly, then recounted what had happened to her and Chuychu earlier.
"You investigated the Fatui?"
After hearing Chasca's account, Paimon predictably provided the perfect commentary.
"Their actions were too suspicious, so we launched an investigation," Chasca said.
"After failing to seize the Gnosis, the Captain and his group started digging up the mystic source mechanism again?" Mavuika furrowed her brows in thought.
"What are they doing?" the Traveler asked curiously.
"I'm not entirely sure either," Mavuika shook her head slightly. "Though I don't know the Captain's intentions in seeking the mystic source mechanism, based on his style, he might believe it can achieve the same effect as the Gnosis."
"It's best to commission scholars who research the mystic source mechanism to clarify its functions—that way, we can learn the Captain's true intentions."
After Mavuika finished speaking, Rios looked at the two girls who had just entered and asked, "You two aren't injured, are you?"
Chuychu shook her head: "We're both fine, no injuries."
In the original plot, Chuychu had accidentally gotten some injuries while investigating the Fatui this time.
But perhaps because she had obtained a Vision, she was completely unharmed now, without a single trace of injury.
"Pyro Archon, what should we do now?" Chasca asked. "Continue letting the Fatui dig up the mystic source mechanism?"
"Of course not," Rios said. "Since the Fatui have already made a move against me to seize the Gnosis, there's no need to continue the previous friendly cooperation."
Hearing his words, Paimon leaned close to the Traveler's ear and whispered, "So Natlan and the Fatui had friendly cooperation before?"
The Traveler thought for a moment, then softly replied, "That must be the Pyro Archon joking."
Their voices were very soft, and they believed no one around had heard.
Rios also pretended not to hear and continued, "I have a rough idea of the Captain's approach. He wants to reconstruct Natlan's leylines using the secret mechanism to resist the Abyss's invasion."
"Reconstruct the leylines? Can something like that even be done?" Paimon tilted her head in surprise.
Rios continued, "That mechanism was originally a tool used by ancient dragons to reinforce leylines. Though its effect isn't great, it gave the Captain hope."
"However, after that mechanism was created, many things happened in Natlan. Even if the Captain finds and activates it, all it would do is awaken that existence."
"Who is that existence?" Paimon asked curiously.
"The Night God," Rios said slowly.