"I was originally near the mining site, but then suddenly…"
Eula proceeded to describe everything that had just happened to Cloud Retainer and Ganyu.
"The Taotie from earlier was actually the recent Ink Shadow Adeptus?!"
Ganyu revealed a shocked expression.
No matter how she thought about it, she had never expected that the Adeptus who had recently become so famous among the people of Liyue would actually be that Taotie.
That Taotie was not an evil god that committed countless atrocities.
Instead, he was the Ink Shadow Adeptus who had been saving the people of Liyue.
For a moment, the uneasiness in Ganyu's heart became even heavier.
She murmured softly,
"Ze… seems to admire him a lot."
Ganyu remembered Junze once saying that he wanted to become someone like the Ink Shadow Adeptus.
Clearly, that Adeptus had left a deep impression on Junze.
He had not said he wanted to become someone like his master.
Ganyu felt a little wronged.
Sure enough, when a woman started overthinking, things became troublesome. She completely ignored the fact that Junze had said that only to make her happy.
"If Ze finds out that the Ink Shadow Adeptus is also a Taotie…"
Ganyu pressed her lips together, her expression turning conflicted.
She suddenly did not know what to do.
At that moment, Cloud Retainer also looked surprised.
"A Taotie. An Adeptus. Even I find this quite astonishing."
"In ancient times, the Taotie was a ferocious god that committed endless evil. Yet now it is protecting the people of Liyue."
Hearing Cloud Retainer's words, Eula felt slightly displeased.
Although that Adeptus had indeed been terrifying, saying it like that still felt wrong.
It seemed that this Adeptus did not actually know the Ink Shadow Adeptus.
Eula quietly muttered,
"He really is quite mysterious."
"However, I have never heard Rex Lapis mention such an Adeptus before. I do not know what his intentions might be."
Cloud Retainer shook her head. She still maintained reservations about the Taotie.
"But this Ink Shadow Adeptus appeared in Liyue around the same time as that child arrived in Liyue…"
Cloud Retainer suddenly stopped halfway through her sentence.
She immediately realized something was wrong.
She looked at Ganyu beside her with some concern.
Sure enough.
After hearing those words, Ganyu's face had already darkened.
Cloud Retainer hurried to comfort her.
"Ganyu, do not overthink it. Perhaps the two have nothing to do with each other."
"Besides, you treat that child so well. He surely would not want to leave you."
Unfortunately, those words did little to reassure Ganyu.
The well-behaved Ganyu forced a smile and said to Cloud Retainer,
"Master, please don't worry. I'm fine."
Cloud Retainer sighed.
Seeing Ganyu like this, she understood that this was not something she could resolve.
It was just like before.
Back then, she had been unable to resolve the gap between Ganyu and the mortal world of Liyue.
"That child?"
Eula froze slightly and looked at Ganyu.
Could it be the child she had met at the night market that day?
Now that I think about it… those horns.
Eula quickly recalled the horns she had bitten that day.
Aside from the size, they looked exactly the same as the horns of that Adeptus.
Eula looked at Ganyu and Cloud Retainer with a strange expression.
"Over here! Move faster!"
At that moment, a decisive voice came from nearby.
Everyone turned to look.
A purple figure was approaching with a large group of Millelith soldiers.
It was Keqing.
"Eula!"
When Keqing saw Eula below, a look of surprise appeared on her face.
She immediately rushed down the slope toward her.
She was clearly very excited.
Earlier, when they discovered that Eula had disappeared from the mine, Keqing had been extremely troubled.
After all, if a Knight of Favonius from Mondstadt had died here while inspecting the mines, it would be very difficult to explain.
If things went badly, the upcoming trade deal would likely fall through as well.
But now that she had found Eula here, it was like seeing sunlight after the clouds cleared.
Eula called out,
"It's the Yuheng!"
When Keqing arrived and confirmed that Eula was unharmed, the tension in her heart finally disappeared.
At the same time, she made a decision.
She would push to complete the delivery of the ore as quickly as possible so this Mondstadt knight could return soon.
If things dragged on any longer, who knew what other problems might arise.
However, while feeling relieved, she was also surprised to see Ganyu and Cloud Retainer here.
"Since the Yuheng has arrived, we will leave the remaining matters to you. I will take my leave."
Cloud Retainer was still not particularly willing to interact with mortals.
Especially the Liyue Qixing.
Since the Taotie had already left, there was no reason for her to remain here.
She flapped her wings and departed.
"Um, I should head back as well. I will write a detailed report about the situation and deliver it to Miss Keqing later."
After saying that, Ganyu also left somewhat absent-mindedly.
The matter of the Taotie had left her completely distracted.
Right now, she only wanted to hurry back and check on that child.
"Huh?! W-what? What happened?"
Before she even had the chance to say anything, Keqing watched the two of them leave and felt completely confused.
Had she done something that made them dislike her?
Why did they leave the moment they saw her?
Keqing looked at Eula and asked,
"Did I interrupt something?"
"Huh? No."
Eula also had no idea what had happened to the two of them.
However, it seemed that the relationship between the Adepti and the Liyue Qixing was not particularly good.
No wonder the Ink Shadow Adeptus had been unwilling to communicate with people.
Is this what they mean by the divide between Adepti and mortals in Liyue?
Eula sighed inwardly.
In any case, once Keqing arrived, all matters were completely handed over to her.
The Ink Shadow Adeptus, the giant Taotie beast, the underground tunnels, the miners, the sealing formations.
After hearing everything from Eula, Keqing immediately ordered the Millelith to seal off the area and began an investigation herself.
At the same time, news that the Ink Shadow Adeptus had saved the miners spread throughout Liyue Harbor.
For a time, discussions about this mysterious Adeptus became even more intense.
People talked about him in the streets, in the alleys, and in taverns.
Storytellers began turning the tale into a story.
Even Yun Jin, the famous opera performer of Liyue, started considering adapting the story of the Ink Shadow Adeptus into a stage opera.
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