Mu Yang knew it was time to move.
At present, there were only two things left to do in Mondstadt.
He invested the popularity points he had just surged to the top of Weibo's trending list into upgrading his strength.
Even without using sword techniques.
Just considering his Vision alone.
He now possessed strength comparable to Acting Grand Master Jean.
"System, have you been secretly skimming popularity points as kickbacks?"
The system evaded the accusation.
"Burp—no way! This stuff is like cultivating immortality. Each tiny step forward is as difficult as scaling the heavens!"
"Do you think such a chasm can be filled so easily?"
Mu Yang: "You'd better be telling the truth."
After enhancing his strength,
Mu Yang stood up and walked to the bar counter,
ready to settle the bill and leave.
Little Diona looked at Mu Yang, her cheeks flushed pink.
the blonde-haired older sister had already paid his Mora for him.
Mu Yang thanked Diona for letting him know
and then complimented her:
"The drinks you make are delicious. I really liked them."
"R-Really?! Then you have to come again next time!"
After watching Mu Yang leave,
Diona continued staring blankly.
For some reason, she just felt incredibly happy.
Margaret, the owner of the Cat's Tail Tavern, couldn't resist teasing her.
"Little Diona really likes this customer, huh?"
"N-No way! I like all customers who don't drink!"
The regulars at the tavern exchanged knowing smiles.
This was the tsundere Diona they knew and loved.
"What're you laughing at, you bunch of annoying drunkards?! Hmph!"
After leaving the Cat's Tail Tavern,
Mu Yang did not head toward the Angel's Share.
After all, he had already said he wouldn't get involved in the Stormterror incident without payment.
Besides, given his current persona,
it wouldn't be appropriate to loiter around Venti too much.
System: "You're about to kill his familiar, and you expect him to be nice to you?"
Mu Yang: "Enough nonsense. Hurry up and mark the Fatui stronghold for me."
"The one where the Holy Lyre der Himmel is kept."
The place was quite well-hidden.
But unfortunately for them, Mu Yang had hacks.
Which was just marking the stronghold with a white outline.
How could marking a white outline be considered hacking?
With a few lightfoot leaps, Mu Yang arrived at the entrance of the Fatui stronghold.
He remembered that when Diluc and the others came here,
they even gave Lumine a mask
to avoid being recognized.
And they had to finish quickly,
or else running into La Signora would be trouble.
No matter how much the Fatui were disliked, they were still Mondstadt's allies.
Mu Yang had no such concerns.
He simply drew his sword and cleaved the wooden door of the stronghold in two diagonally.
the small fry guarding the entrance didn't even have time to react.
Mu Yang only needed to exert a fraction of his strength
to understand the limits of the first layer of defense.
After defeating all the Fatui soldiers present,
Mu Yang strode deeper inside.
The guard at the inner gate, seeing the entrance destroyed,
was scared out of his wits.
He immediately dropped his weapon,
covered his head, and crouched down.
"Waaah! Don't eat me!"
He trembled uncontrollably on the ground.
Mu Yang walked up to him and asked, "Where is the Holy Lyre der Himmel?"
Hearing a human voice,
the guard cautiously peeked upward.
Upon confirming it was a normal human,
Letting out a long exhale: "Phew… I thought the Abyss Order had stormed in!"
"So it's just a human…"
Then, belatedly, he realized—
this person before him
had broken through an entire layer of defense and made it here?!
Mu Yang rested his sword against the guard's neck
and repeated, "Where is the Holy Lyre der Himmel?"
The guard stared at the cold glint of the blade,
now mere centimeters from his throat.
"Aaaah—don't do this! I'll talk, I'll tell you everything!"
"The Holy Lyre der Himmel is hidden in the deepest part of this ruin!"
"The place where the relic is kept is locked. If you want the key, keep going further in—don't come after me!"
"I don't know which vanguard has the key!"
The guard spilled everything he knew in one breath,
not even pausing for air.
Meeting Mu Yang's gaze,
he shivered and asked, "C-Can I go now?"
Mu Yang sheathed his sword
and ignored the guard,
continuing deeper into the ruin.
Once the guard had run a safe distance away,
he suddenly regained his bravado.
Turning back, he shouted,
"Y-You just wait! We Fatui have a Harbinger stationed in Mondstadt!"
"If La Signora finds you, you'll be burned to death!"
Hearing this, Mu Yang sighed.
Tsk tsk, you're really asking for trouble.
He had been planning to let the guy go since he cooperated.
But did he really have to bring up La Signora?
In an instant, Mu Yang drew his sword and slashed out a blade of sword light.
Then, without another glance, he moved on.
A true expert never looks back at explosions.
The guard, sensing danger, tried to turn and flee—
only to trip over his own feet.
The sword energy passed right over his head,
leaving him with a bald spot.
The fallen guard didn't dare utter another word.
He simply played dead on the spot
and only left after confirming Mu Yang wasn't coming after him.
Meanwhile, on Lumine's side—
The plan had already been settled at the Angel's Share.
She and Diluc were responsible for infiltrating the Fatui stronghold to retrieve the Holy Lyre der Himmel.
But the moment they arrived at the entrance,
Only the upper half of the entrance's defenses remained.
The cut was perfectly smooth.
"Someone sliced it diagonally with a single sword strike."
Paimon: "Someone beat us to it! Could there be someone else after the Holy Lyre der Himmel?"
Diluc shook his head, uncertain.
"Let's hurry inside."
Lumine agreed and charged in, sword in hand.
The two prepared for battle—
but there was no need.
All the Fatui in the area were either dead or grievously wounded.
None were left capable of fighting.
Lumine checked the nearby corpses.
Each bore only a single wound.
Every one of them had been killed in a single strike—
the same strike that had split the wooden door.
Diluc returned after scouting the area.
"Some who aren't dead are severely injured and unconscious. We can't get any answers from them."
Paimon remarked, "Master Diluc, didn't you say the Fatui were really strong?"
"Even you had to wear a mask to cause trouble for them."
"So who in Mondstadt would dare charge into a Fatui stronghold ?"
"To be honest, I'm not sure. The wounds clearly have traces of Cryo energy."
"But neither Kaeya nor that nun could execute such precise and powerful slashes."
Lumine: "Seems we'll have to keep going further in."
Guinaifen's Livestream
Watching this scene, Little Gui got excited again.
"Is there even any doubt? It's my Mu Yang!"
"Who else could be this reckless besides him?"
"It's been twenty minutes since I last saw him. I miss him already."
[With a Cryo Vision and those sword wounds, it's definitely him.]
[I've got lovesickness—how am I supposed to live without Mu Yang?]
[He even clears domains for free now?]
[What's Mu Yang doing here? I thought he'd leave after telling Lumine about her brother.]
Lumine and Diluc continued deeper into the ruin.
As they walked, Diluc suddenly shielded Lumine and Paimon.
"Careful—someone's there!"
Lumine focused her gaze.
Sure enough, a figure was rushing straight toward them!