Ch 195 : This place is dangerous. You must leave at once!
"Why have you come to Guyun Stone Forest? Didn't Ningguang tell everyone in Liyue Harbor to stay away from this area for the time being?"
Cloud Retainer looked at the group, her tone carrying a hint of admonishment.
"Adeptus, what exactly is happening here in Guyun Stone Forest?" Aether asked.
"It's merely some sea-dwelling monsters that the Geo Lord once sealed beneath Guyun. For some unknown reason, they've recently gone into a frenzy. We Adepti are here to suppress the disaster, nothing more."
"The situation in Guyun is extremely severe and dangerous. You mortals should leave immediately, lest you get caught up and harmed."
"So it's true, something has gone wrong in Guyun..." Beidou showed a puzzled expression and said, "But why didn't Ningguang mention anything to me?"
"Perhaps Ningguang didn't want you to worry, or get involved in this matter..." Cloud Retainer replied slowly.
"It seems these sea creatures have already been tainted by Eerie corruption..." Su Yuan mused.
"It's quite possible that Dottore is in Liyue right now..."
"Then what should we do? Should we stay in Liyue to resolve this crisis first, or continue on to Inazuma?" Kazuha asked.
"Oh? So you were headed to Inazuma..."
Cloud Retainer looked them over and said:
"You need not worry. Even if these sea monsters have been empowered by that Eerie force, making them immune to elemental and Adepti powers..."
"My improved Guizhong Ballista is no joke — it's their natural nemesis!"
"With all of us Adepti and the Geo Lord here in Liyue, nothing will go wrong!"
"But..." Aether tried to say something more, only to feel a sudden strong wind whipping across the sea, filling the sails of the Alcor and pushing it toward Inazuma.
"In that case, allow me to lend you a hand — may this flowing wind hasten your journey to Inazuma!"
Before long, the Alcor swiftly sailed out of the Guyun Stone Forest area.
Cloud Retainer watched the ship disappear into the distance and slowly spoke:
"I've followed your instructions and sent them away, off to Inazuma..."
"But I still don't understand — if your target is Su Yuan, why not just have me kill all of them here and take Su Yuan to you directly?"
In Cloud Retainer's ear, there seemed to be a small device, which at that moment began emitting a voice:
"There's no need to rush just yet..."
"There are still too many unstable variables aboard that ship..."
"As a meticulous scholar, it's crucial to be fully prepared and eliminate all interfering factors to ensure the experiment proceeds smoothly..."
"Besides, your mission isn't complete yet. You can't reveal yourself so soon — you must continue hiding among the Adepti..."
Cloud Retainer spoke slowly, "I truly don't understand what it is you're thinking... or what exactly you're planning..."
"Hahaha... If people could easily understand what I'm thinking or figure out what I intend to do, then I wouldn't be called Dottore," the voice in her ear replied.
.............
"Did any of you feel that Cloud Retainer was acting a bit strange?"
Su Yuan felt the constant strong wind pushing the Alcor forward, making it impossible to turn back — they could only continue sailing toward Inazuma…
"Just now, didn't she refer to herself as 'I' instead of 'This Adeptus'? That doesn't really match her usual manner of speaking..."
"Also, the things she did… they seemed a bit off too..."
"It was a bit strange..." Aether nodded as well.
"Su Yuan, are you suggesting that Cloud Retainer might have already been corrupted or controlled by that eerie force?"
"If that's really the case, then judging by how she acted, she clearly had no intention of revealing it..."
Beidou thought for a moment, then pulled out a birdcage from somewhere in the cabin — inside was a messenger pigeon with golden feathers...
"Either way, we need to inform Ningguang and let her prepare in advance…"
Beidou said, placing the note with the intelligence into the pigeon's message tube, and then sent the pigeon flying off.
Su Yuan couldn't help but feel a bit amused.
He thought the way Liyue communicated information felt a little old-fashioned, with a kind of classical charm...
Meanwhile, Fontaine already had flying machines, submarines, and autonomous mechanisms.
It seemed their level of technology was on a completely different plane...
Suddenly, Su Yuan had an idea.
Given that technology in Teyvat had reached this level, why hadn't anyone invented something like a phone—something universally usable across all nations?
"The day is getting late, and we've all been working hard during the day. Let's head back to the cabin and rest well..."
"Trust Ningguang, trust the Adepti of Liyue..."
"Tomorrow morning, we'll arrive in Inazuma."
................
Su Yuan lay on the bed in the cabin, reflecting on what had just happened.
The situation in Liyue now seemed to be quite grim...
But the warning in the palm of his left hand kept emphasizing that he shouldn't go to Liyue...
So, given his current situation, did that mean he had, in fact, ended up in Liyue?
And what exactly was the situation in Inazuma now?
With only one remaining chance to rewind time, could he really face these unknown challenges?
Though the sailing was a bit bumpy, Su Yuan kept thinking about it and eventually drifted off to sleep...
.................
The next morning, sunlight streamed through the glass of the cabin and fell onto Su Yuan's face.
Su Yuan slowly opened his eyes, feeling the sting in the palm of his right hand.
He lifted his right hand and looked at it:
[First, congratulations on surviving your eighth night.]
[Skipped reread ch 185 for info 1-21...]
[Currently available information:]
[22. In Inazuma, no matter what happens, never make eye contact with the Electro Archon... Otherwise, something bad will happen.]
Su Yuan stared at the information.
Something bad?
Could it be the new round of the Vision Hunt Decree, where people have their eyes taken?
He also noticed that the message said "Raiden Shogun" rather than "Raiden Ei."
Was it possible that the one controlled by the eerie force was the puppet of the Shogun, rather than the Electro Archon herself?
But then again, could puppets be controlled by the eerie force?
Su Yuan thought for a moment.
The eerie force was deeply tied to emotions...
If a puppet had emotions, it might indeed be susceptible to the eerie force...
If that were the case, Scaramouche—also known as the Wanderer—seemed to have a high potential of being controlled by the eerie force... His emotions were certainly intense...
But if it was the puppet of the Shogun that was controlled, then where was the real Raiden Ei now?
If she was still conscious, she shouldn't be completely unaware of what was happening in Inazuma...
Or perhaps, it was Raiden Ei herself who was controlled by the eerie force, and she was just manipulating the puppet to act on her behalf.
That was also a possibility...
Su Yuan nodded to himself.
He'd discuss it with the others later.
For now, he should keep reading...
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