On the distant moon, Yunqin seemed to sense the conversation between the Adeptus and Shenhe, her empty eyes slowly turning toward them.
The deep blue waves began to surge again.
Yunqin lowered her eyes, her fingertips gently plucking the Moonlight Strings, the silver-white strands shimmering with a cold light in her hands.
"Ants who dare to defy the gods, would it not be better to obediently kneel before the New Divine Throne and enjoy the protection of the Bright Moon?"
Her voice was not loud, yet it seemed to carry a magical power, piercing through the lingering echoes of the tsunami and falling clearly upon everyone's ears.
Her gaze slowly swept over Liyue Harbor, over the Millelith's tightly gripped spears, and over the solemn faces of everyone upon the Jade Chamber...
For some reason, her heart felt as if it were being squeezed tightly by an invisible hand, and an indescribable sadness suddenly welled up within her.
What was making her so sad?
As she looked at those familiar faces, fragmented memories suddenly flashed through her mind.
The warmth of handing over a water skin by the pier, the sweet aroma of Almond Tofu in Wanmin Restaurant, the diligence of training on Mt. Aocang...
But these memories were like sand slipping through her grasp, vanishing as soon as they emerged, leaving only a hollow, empty ache.
Had she lost something very important?
What could it be?
Yunqin frowned, trying hard to remember, but her mind was only a chaotic mess, as if shrouded in a dense fog.
Looking at the worried and anxious expressions of the people below, her chest felt as if it were blocked, and her eyes actually grew hot.
This emotion was too strange, so strange that it terrified her.
"Forget it." She gently shook her head, forcing herself to suppress that odd sensation, her eyes once again covered in coldness, and even her voice lost its warmth. "They are just some ants, not worth the effort."
"When the Nation of Bedrock sinks into the Vortex, all problems will be solved..." The whispers of the Abyss continuously echoed in her ears.
She raised her hand, and the Moonlight Strings at her fingertips emitted a silent melody, a melody so eerie and cold that it made one's scalp tingle.
Several waterspouts suddenly rose from the sea, connecting the water and the sky!
Black mist coiled around the waterspouts, staining the moonlight an eerie, ghostly blue, the roaring sound of the spinning waterspouts making one's eardrums ache, as if they were about to grind the entire sky to pieces.
Next, faint lights lit up in the sea, like scattered stars in the night sky, yet they carried a heart-palpitating chill, flickering on and off on the dark sea surface.
The waves grew larger and larger, yet they no longer surged toward Liyue Harbor, but instead swirled above the sea surface, gradually forming a massive vortex.
The dark energy at the center of the vortex grew thicker and thicker, even staining the seawater ink-black.
Silver threads descended from the moon, precisely connecting with the pairs of "lights" in the sea.
Just then, a blinding flash of lightning tore across the night sky.
It illuminated the sea's surface, revealing the true nature of those "lights."
The Millelith's expressions froze instantly, any remaining confidence vanishing as it was replaced by unconcealable shock and terror.
The so-called "lights" were the eyes of deep-sea monsters!
They had been lurking in the sea, concealed by the night and fog, now connected by silver threads like an army ready for battle, densely covering the sea's surface!
Their crimson eyes were filled with murderous intent as they glowered at Liyue Harbor.
"Th... those are... monsters! So many monsters!" a young Millelith stammered, his hand gripping the spear trembling uncontrollably.
He had never faced so many monsters before.
The wave of malice crashing over him made his entire body go cold.
Yunqin, seated on the moon, watched the shocked and terrified expressions of the crowd below, her lips curling into a cold smirk.
She plucked the Moonlight Strings on her fingertips again, and the silent melody grew even more hurried.
The monsters in the sea instantly erupted into a chorus of piercing roars, thrashing their grotesque bodies as they swam toward Liyue Harbor.
The waves surged with them, forming towering black walls that crushed toward the shore, seemingly poised to swallow all of Liyue Harbor whole.
-
On the other side, the players on Earth.
Lu Nanqing controlled Lumine as she sprinted through the torrential rain, the harsh weather on the screen nearly breaking through the fourth wall.
Bean-sized raindrops smashed against the ground, creating a dense "patter" like countless thin needles striking.
Distant thunder split the pitch-black clouds, the ghastly white lightning instantly illuminating the charred remains by the roadside: there were the twisted limbs of monsters, as well as the curled-up corpses of wild boars.
The air was filled with a pungent, burnt smell.
Her fingertips danced rapidly across the keyboard, controlling Lumine to nimbly dodge the smoking rocks, her peripheral vision catching three shivering squirrels huddled in a tree hollow.
Their round black eyes were filled with terror, their fluffy tails held straight and stiff, as even the slightest rustle of wind could make them tremble all over.
"The details in this game are just too heartbreaking..." Lu Nanqing sighed softly into her microphone, a pang of bitterness rising in her heart.
She subconsciously controlled Lumine to move toward the tree hollow, using the Starfell Sword to block the pouring rain.
Even if this was just a part of the plot...
Even if she knew these were all fictional...
But doing this at least made her feel a little better.
"At least the little ones can be a bit safer."
Rounding a massive rock split by lightning and crackling with electricity, the silhouette of Liyue Harbor finally emerged through the curtain of rain. The scene before her made Lu Nanqing's heart suddenly sink.
The doors of every household were tightly shut, rainwater accumulating on the door knockers. Even Chihu Rock, usually filled with the aroma of cooking, was completely empty. Only the fierce wind swirled scraps of paper and fallen leaves in the streets.
A "wooing" sound echoed through the air, sounding much like a desperate sob, carrying a suffocating deathly silence.
As she passed the Wangsheng Funeral Parlor, a golden exclamation mark suddenly popped up in the corner of the screen.
Lu Nanqing controlled Lumine to come to a halt. Hu Tao was standing on the steps, holding her oil-paper umbrella. The corners of her mouth, which were usually upturned, were now drooping sharply, her lower lip bitten with a faint mark from her teeth.
Her gaze was fixed on the sea, so intently that she didn't notice Lumine approaching to within three steps.
"Hu Tao? Are you okay?" Lu Nanqing controlled Lumine to speak.
Only then did the Hu Tao on screen suddenly snap back to her senses, her oil-paper umbrella tilting half an inch as rainwater instantly soaked her shoulder.
"Traveler? Look... Is that really Yunqin? How did she become like this?" Hu Tao's voice trembled barely perceptibly, her fingers gripping the umbrella handle tightly.
Lumine followed her gaze, and the camera instantly switched.
On the sea's surface, Yunqin sat upon a deep blue crescent moon, her body enveloped in thick, impenetrable dark energy.
The strings woven from moonlight gleamed with a cold light between her fingers. Looking down upon Liyue with lowered eyes, she resembled a god descended to the mortal realm.
Lu Nanqing's heart skipped a beat, and the live stream's bullet chat instantly flooded the screen:
"Holy shit, the pressure is insane! I've got goosebumps!"
"Nooo! I don't want to fight Yunqin, waaaa~"
"..."