"Su Yuan, don't you know? You're terrible at acting—you're really bad at lying and pretending."
"Aether" looked calmly at Su Yuan and slowly spoke:
"Even though you keep denying it, I know there's something you really want to say to me..."
Hearing Aether's words, Su Yuan frowned, unsure how to respond...
Bad at lying and pretending? Bad at acting?
Honestly, Lumine, you're not much better.
Ever since our first meeting, I've felt that something was off about you...
And when it comes to acting skills, sure, I'm no match for Furina, but I'm definitely better than that guy Neuvillette, right?
You probably haven't seen Neuvillette's acting before—that's the only reason you'd say something ...
"Su Yuan, let me tell you the truth—"
"If you really do have the ability to rewind time upon death, then in the last cycle, I must have said something specific to you."
"Different phrases carry different meanings..."
"You have to tell me—what exactly did I say to you last time?"
Aether looked seriously at Su Yuan and said:
"This will greatly affect the choices I make next..."
Listening to Lumine's words and seeing how serious she looked, Su Yuan started to wonder—could he have misunderstood everything?
He had thought she was trying to verify whether he had the power to return after death—asking him this as a test.
But judging from her tone now, it seemed like she already believed he had that power.
After a long pause, Su Yuan finally made up his mind—to tell Lumine the truth...
Because from the current situation, she and the Abyss—at the very least—are not his enemies...
But when it comes to others who have been corrupted and controlled by the eerie force, that might not be the case...
"Spaghetti... should be mixed with No. 42 concrete..." Su Yuan spoke slowly.
Upon hearing those words, Aether's entire body trembled, and an expression of barely contained shock appeared on his face...
"So that's... that's what it is..."
Aether clenched his fists, then revealed a somewhat wistful expression...
Meanwhile, Su Yuan looked at the scene in confusion and asked, "So what does it mean? What's the significance behind those strange words?"
"And how do you even know them? Don't tell me... you've been to Earth too?"
Faced with Su Yuan's questions, Aether remained silent for quite a while before slowly responding:
"Sorry, Su Yuan. I can't answer those questions..."
"But from now on, no matter what you say to me, or what you ask me to do—so long as it's within reasonable limits—I'll accept it."
Su Yuan thought to himself, so the message in my palm was right...
As long as I say those words to Lumine, she'll obey my commands?
"All right, since you're being this cooperative..."
Su Yuan pondered for a moment, then spoke:
"My first request... or rather, let's call it a plea..."
"Even though I know you're powerful, when dealing with those corrupted by the eerie force—please don't go straight to killing them..."
"Let's work together to figure out what triggers their transformation... and find a way to return them to normal!"
Aether nodded, then immediately dropped his disguise and returned to her original appearance...
As for "Paimon," she slipped into the shadows to the side and vanished without a trace...
"Huh? Lumine, you're not keeping up the disguise anymore?" Su Yuan asked, clearly puzzled.
Lumine had previously threatened him to maintain her cover—so why was she now choosing to reveal herself so willingly?
"I disguised myself as my brother to get close to you," Lumine said calmly, "to learn certain things about you..."
"Now that I've achieved my goal, there's no need for the disguise anymore..."
"Besides, I'm not someone particularly good at pretending. And right now, I don't have the energy to keep up an act..."
Su Yuan nodded in understanding.
So then—what exactly had Lumine found out about him?
"Aether has been looking for you this whole time," Su Yuan continued, "but because of the eerie incident, he went to Sumeru first. I don't know how he's doing right now..."
Su Yuan said with some concern.
But then again, according to the rules written on his right hand earlier, the real Aether and Paimon hadn't been corrupted by the eerie force, so they were probably still okay...
"His situation isn't exactly ideal right now," Lumine said, "but fortunately, his life isn't in danger. It's all just part of the experiences and trials of his journey..."
Su Yuan looked confused.
Liyue and Sumeru were worlds apart—how did Lumine know what condition Aether was in?
And more importantly, why did she seem to possess Aether's memories?
That part still didn't make sense to Su Yuan...
But Su Yuan didn't speak up to ask, because he felt that even if he did, Lumine wouldn't give him an answer.
"Alright, let's not dwell on that for now... Let's analyze the situation with Xiangling and Guoba," Su Yuan said.
"According to the intel, Guoba disappeared first. It's likely he was already corrupted by the eerie force at that time..."
"Then Xiangling went searching for Guoba and found him, but afterward, she too became corrupted..."
"Guoba's true identity is the stove god, the divine beast Marchosius, and Xiangling is a passionate, innovative chef..."
"So the condition for their corruption probably has something to do with food..."
"And if Guoba and Xiangling are really eating people..."
"Then maybe we can investigate recent disappearances in Liyue Harbor. We might find some clues from that," Su Yuan mused.
"Alright, I'll follow your lead," Lumine nodded.
Then, Su Yuan and Lumine changed their destination, choosing not to head to Wanmin Restaurant but instead to move toward Yujing Terrace.
However, as they passed the roadside near the Wangsheng Funeral Parlor, Su Yuan was suddenly stopped by a voice.
He turned in the direction of the voice—and to his surprise, it was Zhongli.
Only... something about Zhongli now seemed a little different from before...
"Back at the Dragon-Queller Tree, I just left in such a rush—I didn't have the chance to properly thank you,"
Zhongli said with a faint smile.
"Thank you, Su Yuan. Thank you for everything you've done for me, and for Liyue."
Su Yuan looked at Zhongli in pleasant surprise.
He had been wondering where Zhongli had gone—so he had returned to the Wangsheng Funeral Parlor after all!
Then Zhongli turned to Lumine at Su Yuan's side and said, "Lumine, long time no see."
However, Lumine didn't respond.
She only looked at him with a cold, indifferent gaze.
"Are you still holding a grudge over what happened back then?"
Zhongli sighed softly, sounding a little helpless.
"Well, let bygones be bygones."
"You're thinking about how to deal with Xiangling and Guoba, aren't you? Let me lend a hand and contribute what little strength I can."
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