Genshin Impact's Incense Burner Of Liyue [354]

But… so what if there's a hidden agenda? This is Liyue— my territory. Well, technically, the old man's.

Gu Sanqiu chuckled to himself. If he yelled out loud enough, while he might not summon a swarm of Millelith, a mighty demon-subjugating adeptus would surely drop from the sky to deal with any troublemakers.

"Dinner's ready! If you've got anything else to discuss, save it for later!"

Xiangling and Guoba approached, carrying dishes.

"Squad leader, where've you been these past few days? We even asked Keqing, and she didn't know where you went."

"She wouldn't know—I was in Mondstadt."

Gu Sanqiu handed out chopsticks to everyone, but when he got to Childe, he paused and switched to a fork and knife.

"Haha, much appreciated."

Childe was surprised Gu Sanqiu carried such utensils around, but it did make eating more convenient.

"Leilei~"

Guoba's tiny hands smacked against Gu Sanqiu's waist.

"Hm? What do you want? Oh, this?"

Gu Sanqiu pulled out some snacks he'd gotten from his personal stash.

"Neinei—"

Guoba shook his head and pointed at the makeshift cooking station.

"Hmm…"

Gu Sanqiu glanced at the "simple" spread of six dishes and two soups.

"You think the food's not enough and want to add another dish?"

Guoba beamed and patted Gu Sanqiu's shoulder, as if to say, You're finally getting it.

"Alright, I'll handle it."

Gu Sanqiu turned to Xingqiu. "You, come with me. You still haven't told me the full story about this ley line eruption."

"Sure, let me grab some food first."

Xingqiu quickly filled a bowl and glanced at Chongyun.

"Should I save some for him?"

"No need. I used a medicinal formation to help him recover faster. Waking up without feeling like he's about to burst is the best-case scenario, let alone having room for food."

Gu Sanqiu snapped his fingers, igniting the flames. The pan heated as he added oil and sautéed aromatics.

"Keep talking. I'm listening."

"Of course, you're listening. This isn't as simple as you think. Ley line eruptions are completely different from stagnations or overflows. This could be something surfacing from far deeper underground."

Xingqiu gestured as he spoke. "Think of digging up potatoes. Handling ley line issues usually just involves pulling out the tubers—not too complicated and doesn't require much depth."

"But this eruption? It's more like tunneling into a mine. It's an entirely different level of difficulty."

"So why drag everyone into this? Shouldn't the Ministry of Civil Affairs handle it?"

Gu Sanqiu cracked eggs into the pan, added chopped red and green chilies, and began seasoning the mixture.

"Sure, there are plenty of freeloaders these days, but the Ministry isn't completely useless. They've got skilled hands, and let's not forget the Millelith would get involved too. You think their recent drills were just for show?"

Xingqiu frowned. "That's exactly the problem. Something feels off. The Ministry doesn't seem to care much about this situation, and there's another thing that doesn't sit right with me."

Gu Sanqiu handed the finished dish, Ghostfire Stir-fry, to Guoba, whose eyes sparkled as he grabbed it eagerly. Just as he opened his mouth wide to dig in, Xiangling appeared, her cheeks puffed in indignation.

"Guoba! That's for everyone!"

"Neinei…"

Ignoring the scolding, Gu Sanqiu moved on to prepare a second dish: a simple seafood porridge with scallion and a side of pickled vegetables, something to balance out the spiciness in the air.

"You're saying the Treasure Hoarders somehow got this information, right? Ley line eruptions aren't something they should even know about, let alone send so many people to fight over."

Gu Sanqiu looked at Xingqiu. "We both know the recruitment standards at the Wangsheng Funeral Parlor. And as for the other parties who'd know about this, they're limited. Are you suggesting someone in the Ministry leaked the intel?"

Xingqiu shook his head. "Not just that. It's not just the Treasure Hoarders knowing what they shouldn't. Don't you think the Qixing's response has been unusually slow—almost indifferent?"

Gu Sanqiu frowned. "Indifferent? The Millelith haven't been deployed?"

"Of course not. On the surface, everyone's getting along fine, earning heaps of Mora. Even the Adventurers' Guild hasn't made a move. Their public explanation? Just a 'regular ley line issue.'"

"So, the ones addressing this are Wangsheng Funeral Parlor, us, and a few cultivators or old family clans with their own traditions. The officials? Nothing."

Xingqiu spread his hands. "It felt off, so I gathered everyone to check it out. I didn't expect things to escalate to this level."

"The guardian entities formed by the ley line's deeper energies… If not for our combined strength, dealing with even a single eruption point would've been impossible."

"The deeper ley line energy…"

The word deeper set off a warning in Gu Sanqiu's mind.

"When the monsters attacked, trying to take the core from you, did you notice anything unusual?"

"Unusual? Let me think…"

Xingqiu pondered for a moment before his expression shifted. "There was one thing. If anything stands out, it's that."

"What is it?"

"A Stonehide Lawachurl. This one was massive, with black tones all over its body."

Gu Sanqiu frowned. "Black tones? Was its skin black, or was it emitting black energy?"

In a world where elemental attributes were often visible, the latter could indicate a dangerous anomaly.

"Skin. More specifically, its Stonehide armor. The elemental armor it created still had normal colors."

"Black armor?"

Gu Sanqiu narrowed his eyes. "What was different about it?"

"Unbelievably tough. I couldn't even scratch it. Raimei and Kaedehara had to combine their abilities to break through its defenses, leaving it to Childe to land the finishing blow."

Xingqiu explained, "It reminded me of forging. It's like that thing had tempered or reinforced itself to a level beyond what we could handle."

"Interesting…"

Gu Sanqiu raised an eyebrow. A black-armored Stonehide Lawachurl was something he hadn't encountered before. Could it be a new variant? Or an advanced form of the usual ones?

Based on Xingqiu's description, even with Raimei and Kaedehara working together, they needed precision teamwork to crack its defenses. That thing's power far exceeded any ordinary Stonehide Lawachurl.

"So, you want me to ask my sister about this?"

Xingqiu nodded. "What choice do I have? Ley line eruptions aren't just about collecting cores. The sheer power emanating from them is already causing trouble for nearby farmers. They've reported unusual weather and soil conditions."

"I've read countless books, but none of them describe anything like this. And the Treasure Hoarders, usually so scattered, are showing up in droves—completely out of character."

Xingqiu patted Gu Sanqiu on the shoulder. "Be careful. I'm starting to think this was orchestrated."