After finishing their meal at the Wanmin Restaurant, the group, led by Keqing, arrived at the teleportation point to the Jade Chamber.
Keqing carefully scanned the group.
"Is everyone ready? Stand close together, or it'll affect the teleportation."
Paimon hurriedly flew to the Traveler's side and grabbed their collar.
"Ready, Keqing. Start the teleport!"
Nekomata squeezed her way inside.
"Meow! Billy, don't push me, or it'll mess up the teleportation."
Billy said helplessly,
"You're practically climbing onto my back..."
Seeing that everyone was prepared, Keqing gave a nod to the staff member nearby.
The next moment, with a faint golden light flickering, the group instantly vanished from the teleportation site.
In just the blink of an eye, when Zhu Yuan opened his eyes again, the scenery before him had completely changed.
The world suddenly felt vast and open.
Looking into the distance, he saw the endless ocean and could faintly make out an island deep within the sea...
Turning to the other side, he saw rolling mountains stretching far away, marshes in the distance, and even a towering, snow-covered peak...
Beside him, Billy realized they had arrived above the Jade Chamber. Excited, he jumped around and twisted about, which greatly annoyed Nicole.
"Billy, don't block my view!" Nicole snapped.
Billy quickly stopped, smiling happily.
"Nicole, are you looking for New Eridu? Let me try! From up here, maybe we can really see New Eridu..."
He stood on tiptoe, peering into the horizon.
Before he could spot anything, Nicole gave him a sharp kick.
"Idiot! New Eridu is so far from Liyue. How could you possibly see it? You won't even find a shadow, let alone New Eridu..."
Gazing out at the vast scenery, Zhu Yuan, Tsukishiro Yanagi, and the president of the Hollows Investigation Association were left in awe.
"Liyue is incredible... completely unaffected by the Hollows..."
Once upon a time, the ancestors of New Eridu believed their city was humanity's final refuge, the last remaining city in the world.
Never could they have imagined that on the other side of the world, people no longer lived in fear of the Hollows.
As the group stood stunned, Paimon reminded them,
"Ningguang is waiting inside. Let's hurry and meet her."
Just as he turned his head, a young woman stepped out from the Jade Chamber. She seemed to be the Tianquan Ningguang that Keqing had mentioned.
Zhu Yuan was about to greet her, but the woman only bowed slightly and gestured politely.
"Lady Ningguang is already waiting inside. This way, please."
Paimon exclaimed happily,
"Baiwen, we meet again!"
Zhu Yuan fell silent. So this wasn't Tianquan after all.
The group followed Baiwen into the Jade Chamber.
As soon as they stepped through the doors, they entered a grand and magnificent hall.
At the front, behind a desk, sat a woman of graceful elegance and noble bearing.
She was clearly a figure of high authority in Liyue. Such presence belonged only to those who had long resided in power—something no ordinary person could imitate.
Before anyone could speak, Ningguang smiled slightly.
"Please, have a seat."
Once everyone was seated, Keqing rose again, first introducing the delegation from New Eridu, and then introducing Ningguang.
"This is Tianquan, one of the Liyue Qixing."
After Keqing's introduction, Ningguang took the initiative to ask Zhu Yuan and the others about the situation in New Eridu, as well as matters regarding the Hollows and the Ethereals.
Zhu Yuan, Tsukishiro Yanagi, and the rest shared everything they knew without reservation.
The current state of New Eridu was one of crisis, both internal and external.
Inside, there were rebels, the Exaltist Order, and various other factions...
Outside, the Hollow Zero grew increasingly severe...
As the Hollow Zero worsened, the rebels, the Exaltist Order, and other forces began to stir, one after another...
If left unchecked, history might repeat itself—just like over a decade ago, when the Hollow Zero struck a devastating blow to the fledgling New Eridu.
After describing the situation, the president of the Hollows Investigation Association said solemnly,
"Miss Tianquan, we hope that Liyue will dispatch Adeptus to suppress the Zero Void. In return, New Eridu is willing to join Liyue and become part of it."
Ningguang showed no surprise. Everything was already within her and Keqing's expectations.
However, before Ningguang could respond to the delegation's request, President Mikhail of the Hollows Investigation Association spoke again.
"However... I have a suggestion."
Ningguang raised her brows slightly.
"A suggestion? Please, Mr. Mikhail, go ahead."
Mikhail spoke gravely.
"Although Miss Keqing and Mr. Xiao have entered the Hollow Zero once, it was only at the outer edge. The dangers deep inside are beyond imagination. Over the years, many powerful individuals have attempted to reach the depths, but not one has returned alive... including Professor Arche, one of the first Void Hunters."
He drew a deep breath before continuing.
"It is said that aside from your Geo Archon, there are still six other deities alive in other nations. Therefore, I suggest that Liyue's Adeptus join forces with another deity—or even more of them. Only then might we truly stand a chance of suppressing the Hollow Zero."
Of course, Mikhail wished to call upon Liyue's deity.
But according to what Keqing and Paimon had said earlier, Liyue's Geo Archon had already passed away years ago.
Hearing this, Keqing immediately frowned. She had not expected Mikhail to propose such a thing.
Clearly, this suggestion was unfavorable to Liyue.
With the Archon gone, Liyue already lacked an advantage in its dealings with other nations.
If they joined forces with others, Liyue would inevitably be at a disadvantage.
In the end, it might even all come to nothing.
If they agreed outright, it would harm Liyue greatly.
If they rejected it outright, Keqing worried that New Eridu might abandon Liyue and instead turn to Mondstadt or Inazuma.
As Keqing frowned in deep thought, suddenly, Ningguang spoke with unwavering confidence.
"There's no need to ally with other nations. Liyue has its own deity."
President Mikhail was stunned.
"But... isn't your Geo Archon already deceased?"
Ningguang smiled faintly.
"In truth, Liyue does not have only one deity—but two."
Two deities in Liyue?
At this revelation, Zhu Yuan, Qingyi, Tsukishiro Yanagi, and the others were all shocked.
Even Keqing, one of the Liyue Qixing, froze in surprise.
Aside from the Archon... where could a second deity in Liyue have come from?