"Don't you remember I can fly? There was no need to jump down at all. If I get wet all over, I might catch a cold."
Lu Ze carried Hu Tao in a princess embrace without any politeness and walked down step by step. Hu Tao seemed to have gotten used to it. When would it be her turn to do this? Alas...
It didn't take long before they reached the bottom. Looking up, it was quite breathtaking. Honestly, it was like they had dug a huge hole underground, such a vast space.
It was hard to imagine the entrance was a crack in the rocks. How did they manage to create all this?
Another unsolved mystery.
They continued forward and soon came across a giant stone gate. As if sensing their arrival, it automatically opened.
The massive stone slabs retracted, and the view ahead became much wider. The place expanded greatly, but it felt like an independent secret chamber. If the corresponding mechanisms weren't solved, they would likely be trapped here.
As for returning the way they came, with that height, who could climb back up?
Fortunately, there were specialized management systems within the secret realm, usually targeting people when they were unconscious. However, how could the puzzles here be difficult for Hu Tao?
She quickly searched the vicinity for clues and in no time found two balls of blue flame, like will-o'-the-wisps, that were eerily unsettling.
The flames seemed to be able to absorb themselves, quickly floating towards a mechanism, and the gate was directly opened.
"Let's go. If I'm not mistaken, we'll have to run through it again. After all, these puzzles are meant to scare people, to give them a memorable experience so they won't come here again."
Hu Tao explained as she spoke. She was very familiar with these secret realms. In Liyue, she had been here more than ten times, likely hundreds of times back and forth.
Along the way, they encountered some monsters, but most of them were solvable by ordinary people. Lu Ze was too lazy to make a move. Things that Hu Tao could easily resolve with a swing of her Staff of Homa were hardly worth him intervening.
After wandering around again and making a detour, they returned to their original spot.
Hu Tao searched the vicinity for the will-o'-the-wisps again. However, this time it was different. The original two will-o'-the-wisps had become three, and the devices for collecting them had also changed into three without anyone knowing when.
This meant that if you didn't bring a will-o'-the-wisp with you on the previous circuit, you would have to loop endlessly. Those with weaker mental fortitude might mistake it for a phantom wall and faint from fear.
The three devices lit up simultaneously, and the gate opened. But this time it was different; behind the gate was a expanse of golden clouds, and a giant cherry blossom tree stood in the center of the clouds.
A wide stone path accompanied the clouds, making it feel like a fairyland. A large sun hung in the sky.
Here, there were countless transparent figures, each a soul burdened by their obsessions, unable to leave or reincarnate.
Obsessions, for a person, were the regrets in their hearts and the last things they wished to accomplish.
Lu Ze searched everywhere but did not see the figure he was looking for. However, a familiar person caught his attention.
A figure wearing a hood, with two purple ribbons, and dressed in a purplish-black outfit. Wasn't this the sixth executive, Scaramouche, the harbinger of the Raiden Shogun?
Why was he here? Was he trying to find the truth?
He knew a little about Scaramouche's backstory. The main protagonist was Kunikuzushi, the adopted son of Chiyo. However, after the Cataclysm of Khaenri'ah, his mother was also branded as a demoness.
He also wanted to change people's perception of his mother, to tell everyone that his mother was not a demoness but the dignified General Chiyo who protected Inazuma.
He also wanted to find the General to change people's views of his mother, but no matter how he searched, he could never find the General.
Because at this time, Raiden Ei was likely isolating herself in the Plane of Euthymia.
There was also Danua, whom Scaramouche believed was the second person to betray him. However, this was all the doing of the Doctor, who fabricated a twisted lie to make Scaramouche believe that the red heart was merely that of a subordinate.
In reality, that almost burnt heart belonged to Danua. The Doctor killed him and took out his heart, which was also the Jester's plan.
Before recruiting Scaramouche, something had to be done to make him willingly stay within the Fatui.
If it weren't for the little Dendro Archon Nahida later revealing everything to Scaramouche, he would have remained in the dark. At that time, his hatred for Doctor Dottore reached its peak. Whether he would later use their relationship to kill Doctor Dottore was unknown.
However, if it were Lu Ze, he might hunt Dottore to the ends of the earth. His creed was such: you can mess with him, as you can't defeat him anyway, but you cannot touch the people around him. Harm does not extend to family or friends.
This is a rule of the martial world that everyone understands. If this rule is broken, then being hunted is deserved.
"How can he not be here? Why isn't Danua's soul here? Answer me! Danua! Why did you run away back then? Why?!"
Scaramouche punched the stone heavily. Even though the stone was hard, it cracked slightly.
"How come even you aren't here?"
The child he expected was not here. This was the third betrayal, or so he thought.
He did not know that the child was terminally ill and wouldn't live past childhood. But he wasn't human, so how could he understand these things?
The Wanderer was ultimately just a wanderer. Even if he found a stable home, it was only given to him by others, and even then, it wasn't truly a home in the strict sense.
"What are you doing here?!"
Scaramouche also noticed Lu Ze and Hu Tao. Thinking of their powerful strength, even surpassing that of the Electro Archon, he couldn't help but frown.
If a conflict were to erupt here, it would be troublesome. Not only would he be completely helpless, but he would also offend Lu Ze.
The Cryo Archon had also instructed him not to provoke anyone but Lu Ze. He remembered this very clearly and had even experienced it firsthand.
He had watched from afar during the Orpheus incident, witnessing the mysterious weapon and immense power. The previous world boss battle against the False God Otto was also vivid in his memory.
"What? Can't I be here? But let's not talk about me. I've already guessed your purpose for being here, and I also know the truth behind it. Are you interested in hearing it?"