The newcomer had short orange hair and a sharp, capable demeanor. It was none other than the Eleventh of the Fatui Harbingers — Tartaglia, also known as Childe.
In Lu Lin's memory, it was originally Childe who rescued Lumine when she was surrounded by the Millelith and gave her the Sigil of Permission.
Although Lu Lin's appearance had altered the timeline, Childe still showed up near Yujing Terrace. He had clearly come for Lumine.
Lu Lin had no intention of allowing Lumine to have too much contact with Childe. The Fatui were hardly benevolent players in the crisis to come.
Childe was powerful. Taking him down wouldn't be easy, and fighting in public was impossible — the Millelith weren't decorations.
Without hesitation, Lu Lin activated [Critical Moment], freezing time.
He wasted no movement. He stuffed Paimon into Lumine's arms, scooped Lumine up in a bridal carry, and sprinted toward Mt. Tianheng.
His goal was to ensure Lumine's safety — not to compete with Childe.
She was light, even carrying Paimon, and within a minute he disappeared around a bend in the road.
The route wasn't completely safe — there were still Millelith patrols — so he kept running until he reached a secluded, empty area.
Just as he arrived, time resumed.
"Ah! What happened? How did we get here?" Paimon exclaimed, completely confused.
Lumine was equally surprised, though more composed.
"…Was that teleportation?"
When someone moves during a time stop, it often resembles teleportation. Lu Lin rarely corrected the misunderstanding.
"Hello, traveler from afar. Let me introduce myself. My name is Lu Lin. Like you, I come from another world."
"You know me?" Lumine frowned slightly — then awkwardly added, "Um… could you put me down before we talk?"
In the rush, he hadn't set her down before time resumed. He was still holding her in a standard bridal carry — one arm under her knees, the other behind her back.
Her dress had a hollowed-out back design, exposing smooth skin that brushed against his fingers.
She felt a faint tingling sensation from his touch.
It tickled.
She had never been held this close by a boy before. The warmth from him made her slightly flustered.
"My apologies. The situation was urgent." He set her down smoothly, thick-skinned as ever.
"Hmph! Urgent? We already escaped the Millelith! Were you just trying to take advantage of Lumine?" Paimon floated forward protectively.
Sharp little thing.
"You must be the famous Paimon. You misunderstand me. Yes, we escaped the Millelith — but that doesn't mean there weren't other threats."
"Other threats?" Paimon blinked.
"You mean that young man walking toward us earlier? Who was he?" Lumine asked.
"That was one of the Eleven Fatui Harbingers — Childe."
"Fatui?!" Paimon gasped.
After Mondstadt, they didn't have a good impression of the Fatui — especially not after La Signora.
If Childe was one of them, he certainly wasn't trustworthy.
"Then we really misunderstood you. Sorry about that!" Paimon admitted immediately.
"No harm done."
"But why help us?" Lumine asked.
"Since you entered Yujing Terrace, I've been observing you. I know Rex Lapis's death had nothing to do with you.
The Qixing sealing the scene to search for an assassin among the attendees is absurd. No mortal could assassinate the God of War who never relinquished his divine power.
It's a crude response — and you shouldn't bear that blame."
"Exactly! We didn't do anything!" Paimon grumbled.
Lu Lin handed Lumine a small box.
"Take this. It's a Sigil of Permission. Use it as proof to seek the Adepti in Jueyun Karst. Inform them of Rex Lapis's assassination. Only the Adepti can clear your name."
"There really are Adepti?" Paimon blinked.
"Of course. Liyue was founded by Rex Lapis and the Adepti…"
He briefly explained Liyue's history.
"Go. Seek the Adepti. They're your best chance."
Lumine accepted the sigil and left with Paimon.
Immediately, a system notification appeared.
[Ding! Random Mission Triggered: Save Liyue.]
Mission Objective: Assist Lumine and the Liyue Qixing in overcoming the coming disaster and protect Liyue.
Note: If Zhongli intervenes, mission is considered failed.
Mission Rewards:
1,000,000 Mora
3,000 Points
1,000 EXP
2 Random Resident Traits
1 Soul Spirit Pearl
Lu Lin inhaled sharply.
The rewards were generous — unusually so.
High reward often meant high difficulty.
Was there an unforeseen twist in the Liyue crisis?
He had previously been relaxed, knowing the canonical outcome. But now—
The butterfly effect.
He had already changed events. Childe was supposed to rescue Lumine and give her the Sigil. Now that role had been intercepted.
How would Childe respond?
He couldn't be careless.
As he headed toward Wangsheng Funeral Parlor, deep in thought, someone blocked his path.
It was Ningguang.
"Lu Lin. So it really was you."
She had heard reports that someone vanished right under the Millelith's noses. She immediately suspected him and waited nearby.
"Miss Ningguang, with such a major incident, shouldn't you be presiding over matters at Yujing Terrace? Why come looking for me?"
Her gaze was icy.
"Was Rex Lapis's assassination your doing?"
"…What?"
Lu Lin stared at her.
Me? Assassinate Rex Lapis?
You give me far too much credit.
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