Billy stood with his hands on his hips, leaning down as he stared curiously at the little bear-like Bangboo in front of him.
"Did this little guy just say 'Lu Lu Lu'? I don't understand a word of it."
Back in New Eridu, Billy had installed a Bangboo language translation module so he could communicate directly with unfamiliar Bangboos.
But the moment he arrived in Liyue, that module became useless. It couldn't translate the local Bangboo dialect at all...
Being stared at like that, Guoba seemed displeased. He bounced in place with a sharp, "Lu, Lu Lu—!"
"Guoba's angry, Billy. Don't go giving him weird nicknames. Guoba isn't a Bangboo."
Billy blinked in confusion.
"He's not a Bangboo? Then what is he?"
Paimon folded her arms and said seriously,
"He's an God from over two thousand years ago. Back then, he was even bigger than the high-ranking Ethereals in the Hollows. He was incredibly powerful. But now that he's lost his strength, his body has shrunk down ."
"An God from two thousand years ago? Stronger than a high-ranking Ethereal? And this little guy... survived all that time?"
Not only Billy, but Zhu Yuan, Soldier 11, Tsukishiro Yanagi, and the others looked equally skeptical. To them, it sounded like Paimon was just joking.
As murmurs spread, Xiangling glanced at the Traveler, Keqing, Sam Li, Nicole, and the others, and asked curiously,
"Traveler, Hu Tao, who are these people?"
The Traveler explained calmly,
"This is Zhu Yuan, this is Qingyi, and this is Tsukishiro Yanagi... They're from New Eridu."
"New Eridu?" Xiangling repeated blankly.
What kind of place was that? Another nation's region, perhaps?
"Ugh, fine, I'll explain... Here's what happened..."
So she started from the beginning—about a week ago.
She and the Traveler had been exploring new lands in Natlan when they suddenly received Keqing's request. They returned to Liyue Port, joined Keqing, Hu Tao, and Xiao to investigate an unknown area... and eventually arrived in New Eridu, a technologically advanced city, where they met Zhu Yuan, Tsukishiro Yanagi, and the others.
At the same time, they learned of the crisis New Eridu was facing, and promised to help them against the Hollows.
After Paimon's explanation, Xiangling finally understood.
Even so, she still had no idea what Paimon meant by "cars," "cell phones," or "televisions."
While everyone was chatting, Guoba kept running in circles around them.
Then, all of a sudden, he stopped beside Soldier 11, staring curiously at her pocket.
The woman tilted her head.
"Little guy, do you want this?"
"Good taste. Here, hope you like it."
Reaching into her pocket, Soldier 11 pulled out a packet of cookies she always carried on missions. She tore it open and handed one to Guoba.
Guoba happily grabbed it and took a huge bite.
At once, his whole face flushed bright red.
He opened his mouth and spat out a jet of flame.
The sight startled Billy.
"Whoa, whoa, whoa—what's going on?! Why's it breathing fire? Did you guys install some kind of flamethrower module in it?"
Tsukishiro Yanagi's eyes widened.
"What a strong Fire Anomaly... it can actually control elemental power?"
Soldier 11 was equally astonished.
"Such pure Fire Anomaly..."
None of them had expected this.
In this city called Liyue, even a small creature that looked like a Bangboo wielded elemental powers—and powers that strong.
"Guoba, don't hurt our guests!" Xiangling called quickly.
Guoba still held his cookie proudly, muttering, "Lu, Lu Lu—"
Soldier 11 fell deep into thought.
"Turning spiciness into fire... So that's possible. Impressive."
Her gaze shifted to Xiangling. Hanging at Xiangling's waist, she spotted a fiery-red stone.
It was the same kind of stone they had seen before—the Geo stone when Qingyi awakened, and the Electric stone Keqing had shown them.
But this one was Fire.
Just then, Xiangling said with a smile,
"I've been experimenting with some new dishes. Keqing, Traveler, Paimon, do you have time? I'd love for you to try them."
The moment she heard this, Paimon waved her hands frantically.
"We just got back from New Eridu! I still need to take everyone to Yujing Terrace to settle down before we can think about food..."
She didn't even need to guess. She already knew Xiangling must have cooked up something strange again—like Grilled Hilichurl Wood Boar Tail or Steamed Slime.
And she wanted no part of that.
"Alright then. I'll come find you once you're done."
Paimon hesitated, then forced a smile.
"Uh... fine. We'll come when we can."
Xiangling nodded happily.
Once Xiangling left, the group continued toward Yujing Terrace.
Along the way, Nicole, Zhu Yuan, Tsukishiro Yanagi, and the others saw more of Liyue and began to form a basic impression of the city.
Emerging from a crowded street, they stepped into a spacious plaza.
The open view, the fresh air, the fact that there were no signs of Hollow disasters—it was refreshing. Tsukishiro Yanagi felt a sense of ease, as if glimpsing the future New Eridu could one day have.
She couldn't help but lift her gaze skyward.
Blue sky, clouds like cotton candy, warm and dazzling sunlight... and then—
A palace, floating in the air.
Tsukishiro Yanagi froze, mouth falling open.
How could something like that float in the sky?
Beside her, Zhu Yuan and Soldier 11 noticed her strange reaction.
Zhu Yuan stopped. "Yanagi, what's wrong?"
Still staring upward, she spoke quickly.
"Zhu Yuan, Soldier 11, Qingyi, Commander Mikhail—look up there."
Zhu Yuan frowned, then lifted her head.
A massive palace suspended in the heavens, filling the vision of Zhu Yuan, Qingyi, Soldier 11, and Mikhail, president of the Hollow Investigation Association.
Everyone stood dumbfounded.
"What are you all staring at? Is there a mackerel in the sky or something?"
Nekomata tilted her head curiously, then followed their gaze upward. She too saw the colossal structure hanging above.
"Meow—what is that? Why's it floating?"
"It looks like... a house."
In Nekomata's eyes, it was nothing more than a strange house drifting in the air.
But to Zhu Yuan, Tsukishiro Yanagi, Mikhail, and the others, it was far more than a lavish palace.
It was a groundbreaking technology.
A technology that had overcome gravity itself.