At the mention of the Lantern Rite, both Xianyun and Xiao paused for a moment. She instinctively glanced at the calendar, checking the festival's date.
Zhongli reassured them, "Lora is right. There's no need to be so reserved."
She set the calendar down with a small smile. "I may be traveling during the Lantern Rite, so there's no need to invite me to any events."
Zhongli looked at her. "Oh? You're planning a long journey as well? Where to?"
"I haven't decided yet."
"You've decided when to leave, but not where you're going…" Lora said with a faint smile. "You're not avoiding me, are you?"
Xianyun's expression immediately turned serious. "Of course not! Why would I avoid you? I simply have a premonition that I'll need to travel during the Lantern Rite. You may bear the title 'Adeptus of Purifying Water and Judgment,' but you are not truly a Liyue Adeptus—naturally, you wouldn't understand the divination methods of the Adepti."
"Hmm… fair enough." She nodded, her smile unreadable. "Let's eat."
...
That day, Lora and Zhongyue were outside Liyue Harbor, catching Pyro Slimes and Whopperflowers, when they ran into Lumine and Paimon approaching from Mondstadt. She paused, a little surprised.
"Huh? Weren't you in Inazuma? Why are you coming from Mondstadt?"
"It was Venti! Right before he left Inazuma, he invited us to hang out in Mondstadt. Since we'd already found most of the treasure there, we just went with him!" Paimon explained.
Lumine seemed distracted, her gaze fixed on her.
Noticing this, she said, "Good timing—we just finished gathering what we needed. Let's head back together."
"Gathering? What were you collecting?" Paimon leaned in, peering into the basket.
"Pyro Slime Condensate and Pyro Whopperflower Nectar," Zhongyue replied. "Let me tell you, these are delicious! Mix them with Electro Slimes and cook them—they crackle in your mouth. It's great fun!"
"Uh…" Paimon hesitated, then glanced at Lora. "Can you really eat that? I feel like a human would die…"
"Of course not! Do you want someone's mouth to explode?" Zhongyue shook her head. "This is a special dish I made just for the Adepti—'Crispy-Tingly Thunder Explosion Special Slime Skewers!'"
"What a name!" Paimon's eyes lit up. "I want to try it! Can I have some?"
She looked at her, thought for a moment, then nodded. "You should be fine. You're not human, after all."
"Yay! Lumine, let's go! I want to try the 'Crispy-Tingly Thunder Explosion Special Slime Skewers!'"
The group headed toward Liyue Harbor.
Lora slowed her pace, letting the other two walk ahead while she and Lumine stayed behind.
"Is there something you want to tell me?" she asked.
"I ran into something strange in Mondstadt." Lumine told her about the island and the mysterious voice that had spoken to her.
"That voice only spoke to me—Paimon and the others couldn't hear it. But right before it disappeared, I saw Dendro energy…" she continued. "Do you know what it was?"
"Why would you think I know?"
"Because you're a god."
"Gods aren't omnipotent. From what you've told me, I can't say what that voice was," she said with a quiet sigh. "But if you saw Dendro energy when it vanished, it might be connected to Sumeru's Archon."
"Sumeru's Archon…" Lumine fell silent.
"By the way, the path from the Chasm to Sumeru has already been cleared. We can head there anytime."
She blinked in surprise. "You're still coming with us?"
She'd once thought that, even as a Liyue Adeptus, Lora might continue traveling with them. But after learning she was actually a god, she assumed that wouldn't be the case.
So the answer caught her off guard.
Lora smiled and nodded. "Of course. You've probably figured it out by now—I'm not really a Liyue Adeptus. That identity was just something I borrowed from Zhongli for convenience. Your journey isn't over, so neither is mine."
Lumine looked at her, then smiled and nodded. "Alright. Let's go to Sumeru together."
...
The road to Sumeru passed through the Chasm, where many Millelith stood guard.
Given their standing in Liyue, neither of them was stopped. The guards even offered help within reason if needed.
After crossing into the rainforest, the three finally set foot in Sumeru.
"We finally made it!"
Paimon looked out over the lush greenery. "Now that we're here, we should head to Sumeru City and meet Lesser Lord Kusanali, right? I'm not totally sure what kind of god she is, but from what we've heard, she doesn't seem like the one who took your brother…"
"But! Sumeru is the nation of wisdom, and Lesser Lord Kusanali is the God of Wisdom. She should be able to tell us something useful!"
They continued forward. As they walked through the dense forest, Lora felt herself relax, taking in the natural surroundings.
Even gods preferred places like this. In all of Teyvat, aside from the Primordial Sea, the places she found most comfortable were Fontaine and Sumeru's rainforests.
A passerby crossed their path. Paimon was about to call out and ask for directions, but the person ignored them completely.
"Did I say something wrong? Why did she look at me like that?" she asked, puzzled.
"Let's just keep going," Lumine said.
She had barely taken a step when she suddenly collapsed.