(3RD POV)
[A week passed after the incident against Azhdaha. The trio were not been idle for a week. They did a lot of comissions, training together and traveling around Liyue. And today... is the same as always.]
Musashi: "Urgh... I wonder what Katheryne has to offer today."
Lumine: "Ahaha~ We got a lot of easy commision for a week."
[And... Musashi could die because of boredom if this keep happens.]
Paimon: "But hey! At least we got a lot of money!"
Musashi: "Easy for you to say that, Paimon! You're just floating around doing nothing while me and Lumine do the work!"
[Feels offended! Paimon yells back at Musashi!]
Paimon: "What did you say, Slime's Lover!? Paimon is helping too! 💢"
Musashi: "Oh yeah!? Like what? Goofing around like an idiot!? 💢"
Paimon: "Grr~ You stupid Slime's Lover!! 💢"
[Both Musashi and Paimon are glaring at each other. On the other hand, Lumine just giggles and enjoying this moment.]
Lumine: (If it weren't for the two of them, maybe everything would feel empty.)
(Opening Song : Rain - Sid)
Yatto mitsuketa atarashii asa wa
[The screen shows Musashi, Lumine and Paimon are looking at the city of Monstadt from the high mountain at night, with the title Genshin Impact : Shattered Void appears on the screen.]
Tsukihi ga jama wo suru
[Lumine takes a deep breath, as the camera turn to the bright moon.]
Mukau saki wa tsugi ja nakute
[The screen shows the people they have met such as Amber, Venti, Jean, Lisa, Diluc, Kaeya, Eula, Sucrose, Keqing, Ningguang, Zhongli, Ganyu Xingcai, Wang Yuanji and finally Childe.]
Sugi bakari oikaketa
[The screen turns white as Lumine hugs herself in sadness.]
Nariyamanai yousha nai omoide tachi wa
[The screen shows Tsaritsa sits on her throne with her Eleven Harbringers kneel before her.]
Yurushite kuresou nimonai
[And also Abbys Order's Prince is sitting on his throne, accompanied by Abyss Herald and numerous Abyss Mages around him.]
Sorosoro kana tesaguri tsukareta hoho wo
[Ganyu is standing at the cliff of Mt. Aocang where Shenhe, Cloud Retainer and other Adeptus can see her from behind.]
Kattou ga koboreochiru
[Ganyu's eyes were covered by her hair, and tears suddenly comes out from her eyes.]
Ame wa itsuka yamunodeshouka
[Rain suddenly poured down at the city... Keqing and her people of Liyue looks at the dark sky with a bad feeling.]
Zuibun nagai aida tsumetai
[Hu Tao with her subordinate are performing funeral rites for the deads at Wuwang Hill as the rain still poured down.]
Ame wa doushite boku wo erabuno
[Zhongli crossed his arms as he saw His former ally, Azhdaha breaks the seal and roar in anger... Looking for revenge.]
Tsutsumareta iikana
[The rain also happened at Monstadt. At her room, Jean feels down and break in sadness. Barbara hugs her and she cries on her sister's arms.]
Ame wa yamu koto wo shirazuni
[Lumine tries to catch up with her brother's shadow but to no avail.]
Kyuo mo furitsuzukukeredo
[She falls down to the ground and she cries... But suddenly, the rains stops and the light are shining around her.]
Sotto sashidashita kasa no naka de
[Lumine sees Musashi and Paimon lend their hands for Lumine, and she can see everyone is standing in front of her, smiling at her.]
Nukumori ni yorisoinagara
[In the end, Lumine sleeps on Musashi's right shoulder (with Paimon on the top of Musashi's head) under the massive Oak tree in Windrise.]
-------------------- Chapter 38 -------------------
(Still 3RD POV)
[And after Lumine manages to stop Musashi and Paimon to yell at each other, they all walks towards The Adventurer's Guild to meet Katheryne. And there, they saw...]
Lan: "Yes, yes. They have the audacity to go after anything."
Musashi: (Huh?)
[They saw a female adventurer name Lan is blabbering in front of Katheryne, and... Ganyu.]
Lan: "The Seven, dragons, gods... no ancient artifacts that relates can escape their greedy ambitions. Still, this time is different... Who do they think they are going after the Abyss Orders treasures...?"
[Lan seems angry because of something. The trio just approaches them to find out what.]
Musashi: "Yahoo, Ganyu-chan!"
Ganyu: "...!!"
[And as usual... Ganyu blushed madly when she saw Musashi's pure smile. Lumine sighed as she just let it be.]
Lumine: "Something's wrong?"
Paimon: "Ganyu, what are you doing here with Lan? Do you have a commission you need to post?"
[Ganyu takes a deep breath... Then, she smiles and greet them.]
Ganyu: "H-Hello to you all. We were just discussing the Treasure Hoarders."
Musashi: "Huh? Treasure Hoarders?"
[Before Ganyu could talk, Lan already cut in.]
Lan: "Yes, we were just saying how even the audacious Treasure Hoarders should know better than to mess with the Abyss - it's just too evil!"
Musashi: "Uh-huh..."
[Ganyu just chuckled a bit. But then, her expression turned serious again.]
Ganyu: "But.. We recently received intel from the Ministry of Civil Affairs that two big-time Treasure Hoarders in Liyue and Mondstadt are planning some big joint operation."
Paimon: "Two big-time Treasure Hoarders"?
Lan: "Yes, they're known as "Big Sis of the South" and "Raptor of the North."
[Instantly, Paimon remembers one of those Hoarder.]
Paimon: "Ahh! Raptor! Paimon remembers he tried to run away from Amber in Mondstadt... But who is "Big Sis of the South"?"
Lumine: "Does "Big Sis" mean she bosses people around?"
Musashi: "Is she the "Boss" the Treasure Hoarders refer to?"
[Lan just nods her head. She seems know what to say and what to ask them.]
Lan: "You are correct. She is the head of the Treasure Hoarders in Liyue. As I understand it, the Treasure Hoarders all call her "Boss."."
Musashi: "I see."
[Lan sighed in frustration.]
Lan: "Some say that the God of Thieves even bestowed a gift upon her for her exploits, making her the "Big Sis of the Gods." ...But that's probably just a wild rumor."
[Ganyu decides to continues the conversation.]
Ganyu: "Anyway, the Treasure Hoarders discovered some previously unexplored ruins that the Abyss Order has been secretly guarding in the shadows. Despite how dangerous that makes it, all the Treasure Hoarders can think about is what kinds of treasure could be inside... They have already devised a plan: they will send out a decoy to divert the Abyss Order's forces away from the ruins, then send an expert thief inside to steal the treasure."
Lan: "To this end, Big Sis and Raptor have reportedly recruited a certain "Grand Thief" from Fontaine..."
[As they heard the words "Grand Thief", they assumed that thief is the strongest among thiefs.]
Paimon: "Grand Thief"? That's quite an impressive-sounding title."
Lan: "Indeed. He is an extraordinary individual. The Grand Thief is highly respected in the Treasure Hoarders, in the same way that we adventurer's look up to great adventurers."
Lumine: "Just like the great adventurer, Stanley?"
[Lan nods her head.]
Lan: "Ah, you met the living legend himself while you were in Mondstadt? Correct, the Grand Thief is someone just as renowned as him. So, despite being relative big-timers in Liyue and Mondstadt, Big Sis and Raptor had to put in a lot of work to convince a thief of his status to come and personally oversee this operation."
Ganyu: "With the major changes in Liyue recently, the Ministry of Civil Affairs and the Millelith already have their hands full. They don't have time to investigate rumors about Treasure Hoarder activity. But anything related to the Abyss makes me feel like there is some unknown danger lurking beneath the surface. So, I decided to come to the Adventurers' Guild to post a commission."
[And.. that means one cue.]
Musashi: "Well, since we are here...."
Lumine: "I, too, understand the dangers of the Abyss."
Paimon: "Mm-hmmm! Leave this commission to us!"
Ganyu: "Oh, thank you so much."
Lan: "Good to see this in the hands of a reliable Guild member. Well then, good luck. The Guild will take care of the details for this commission."
Musashi: "Okay! Let's find out what we are facing now!"
(One hour later...)
[After they got the full info from Ganyu and Lan... They all found a dark ruins at the foot of Mt. Aocang. When they got inside...]
Musashi: "This ruins... is giving me goosebumps."
Lumine: "Me too. I really have a bad feeling about this place."
[They saw a camp near the door inside the ruins.]
Paimon: "There are signs of Treasure Hoarder activity here! They must've come to these ruins. Let's go deeper inside... Paimon sure hopes Ganyu's information is reliable..."
[As they walks further... There are no guards around.]
Musashi: (Strange... Something is not right here.)
Paimon: "There aren't many guards here... Looks like their plan to draw away the Abyss Order's forces really worked!"
Lumine: "Let's hope we can clear this ruins before they come back."
[As they continue to walks even deeper, they saw a camp... near the hallway with bubbles.]
Musashi: (Bubbles...? This is getting stranger.)
Paimon: "More signs that a Treasure Hoarder was here! This should be the right direction, but... Why does it feel stranger and stranger the deeper we make it into these ruins?"
[And... Paimon hid behind Lumine and Musashi.]
Lumine: "Hmm? What's wrong, Paimon? 😅"
Paimon: "Hehe, um... Be careful, now! Paimon's right behind you...🫣"
Musashi: "Scaredy cat. 😅"
[And then... they walks into a big room at the depths of the ruins... and...]
Paimon: "Th-This looks like a person!"
Musashi: "A person?"
Lumine: "There!"
[And as they walk slowly towards that person...]
Musashi: "What the heck...?"
Paimon: "Could it be the Grand Thief? Why is he in that position? Is he praying to something?"
[Suddenly, The Statue of the Seven explodes with Abyssal energy... shocked all of them.]
Musashi/Lumine: "!!!"
Paimon: "That's...!?"
Musashi: "A... Statue of the Seven? But..."
Lumine "Some strange thing that I've never seen."
[They all shocked... to see a statue of seven that hanging upside down... and corrupted with Abyssal power.]
Paimon: "Wh-Why is this Statue of The Seven... hanging upside-down...? And the Statue's hands... Paimon remembers they are normally holding an orb, right? But, this statue is holding... What is that?"
Paimon: Uhh... Paimon has a really bad feeling about this... And the Grand Thief hasn't moved an inch. D-Do you think he's...?"
[The trio decides to approach the Grand Thief.]
Paimon: "Um... hello...? Are you okay mister?"
[Musashi checks the pulse and the sign of breath from that person... But turns out...]
Lumine: "How is he?"
Musashi: "...He's dead. No pulse and no sign of breath."
Paimon: "Paimon doesn't feel so good."
[In fact, all three of them feels they want to throw up due to the heavy and dark atmosphere.]
Musashi: "What a terrible place..."
Lumine: "....How did he die...?"
Paimon: "Let's get out of here, and fast! We should report back to Ganyu and Lan... and-"
*RUMBLE!!!
Musashi: "What the!?"
[Suddenly, The ground shakes hard!]
Paimon: "Aaaah, now what!? We can't stay here!"
Lumine: "Quick, run!"
Musashi: "Come on!"
[Musashi swiftly grabs Lumine's hand as they run fast. Paimon flies fast as she feels scared! But...]
Musashi: "This feelings... someone is here."
Paimon: "WHAT!?"
Lumine: "C-Could it be-"
*BRUAGH!*
[After Musashi busted the door, they saw... the Abyss Herald... Waiting for them.]
Musashi: (Damn It...)
Abyss Herald: "You cannot spy on the secrets of the Abyss. You have come here, you have seen our secrets. For this, you must pay the price. As a Herald, I will mete out your punishment."
[Swiftly, both Musashi and Lumine draws theirs weapon as The Herald's dark aura comes out from his body.]
Paimon: "An Abyss Herald!?"
Lumine: "The one Dain spoke of..."
Musashi: "Yes... The monster we were tracking with Dain..."
Abyss Herald: Dain... Dainsleif? Oh, I thought you were just a couple of pests that stumbled in here by mistake... So, you are with Dainsleif, that constant annoyance in our affairs... Did he send you here to die? His resistance against the Abyss has gone nowhere for a long time. There is nothing you can do to change the tide..."
*BWOSH!!*
[A dark power unleashed upon them! Musashi and Lumine are ready to fight the Herald!]
Abyss Herald: "The Abyss... is unstoppable!"
Musashi: "Hah! PROVE IT!"
*WUSH* *CTANG!*
[Musashi swiftly swings her katana, clashed with Herald's blade. But, the Abyss Herald has feels the effect of Musashi's attack.]
Abyss Herald: (Ugh... This woman's attack is heavy!)
Musashi: "I'm not done yet!!"
*WUSH!* *SWING!*
*SWING!* *SMACK!*
Abyss Herald: "Urgh! Damn you!"
[After being pushed back... Abyss Herald focused his abyssal power in his blade, but...]
Lumine: "HAAA!!!"
*WUSH!* *BWOSH!*
[Suddenly, Lumine appeared beside The Herald and tried to slash him. However, he managed to dodge her attack.]
Abyss Herald: "Tch! You brat!"
Lumine: "Don't even try!"
Abyss Herald: "There will be consequences!!"
[Abyss Herald dashed towards Lumine. As Lumine ready to clash with the Herald...]
Musashi: "Hell No!"
*TANG!*
[Suddenly, Musashi appeared between Lumine and The Herald. Her katana clashed with the Herald's blades.]
Lumine: "!!"
Musashi: "Don't you dare... lay your hands on Lumine!"
Abyss Herald: "You Brat!!! You asked to be killed!"
*TANG!* *TANG!* *TANG!*
[Musashi pushed The Herald away from Lumine. Both of them keep slashing and blocking each other in different spots, leaving Lumine to pull back.]
Abyss Herald: "YOU!!!"
Musashi: "DAMN YOU, HERALD!!!"
*BUAGH!*
[Musashi pushed The Herald back as she kicks his stomach.]
Abyss Herald: "Urgh!"
[But then... Musashi focused her sight and her power, and...]
Musashi: "This is the end!"
*WUSH!* *SMASH!!*
Abyss Herald: "GAH!!!"
[After being pushed back for second time...]
Abyss Herald: "This power... It seems familiar..."
[At the same time... The Herald realized something as he points his blade at Lumine.]
Abyss Herald: "I see... So, it's you... you are the one!"
Lumine: (W-What!?)
[And then... He points his blade towards Musashi.]
Abyss Herald: "And you... You are the threat of the Abyss Order! The Prince wants you dead!!"
Musashi: "...!"
[Lumine was shocked when The Herald said The Prince of Abyss Order wants Musashi's death.]
Lumine: "What do you mean!? Who is this "Prince"!?"
Abyss Herald: "I will kill you sooner than you think! Be prepared!"
[The Abyss Herald summons a portal and disappears.]
Musashi: "He's gone..."
Paimon: "Whew... what a tough battle. Are you both okay?"
Lumine: "I think so."
[Paimon sighed in relief.]
Paimon: Such a strong enemy. Who knew the Abyss Order had monsters this powerful among them? But oh well... With Slime's Lover here with us... I guess nothing harm will come to us."
Musashi: "....."
[At the same time... Lumine fall in thought, thinking about that Herald.]
Lumine: (It seemed to... know me and even Musashi.)
Paimon: "Huh? What is it? What are you thinking about?"
[Lumine shakes her head.]
Lumine: "It's nothing, let's just get out of here."
Paimon: "Oh, right, yeah... We're near the exit now. Let's get outta this scary place before something even more dangerous shows up!"
[Both Lumine and Paimon runs away from that ruins. At the same... Musashi remembers "her" words...]
Musashi: "....."
*FLASHBACK...*
Arlecchino: ("If you don't want to fall into the darkness of despair... I suggest you stay away from that Traveler.")
*BACK TO PRESENT...*
[Musashi swiftly shakes her head. She cannot believe her at all.]
Musashi: (No way... Arlecchino must be wrong about this! I refuse to believe her stupid words!)
[Musashi follows Lumine and Paimon as they swiftly leave the ruins... and when they reaches outside of the ruins...]
Musashi: "Oh Archon..."
Lumine: "I don't want... to go back.. to that place again!"
Paimon: "Paimon wants to throw up!"
[They all are panting hard outside the ruins entrance. They still feel the pressure from the dark atmosphere of that ruins.]
Musashi: "You know what... Let us go away from this place for now."
Lumine: "Agreed."
[The trio decides to leave that ruins.]
(Around 45 minutes later...)
[And when they walk around Minlin Area, they saw someone familiar...]
Musashi: "Hold up.. Isn't that... Dainsleif?"
[They saw Dainsleif is looking at the dead Ruin Guard.]
Paimon: "Dain!"
Dainsleif: "So we meet again, a little sooner than I had expected."
[The trio approaches Dainsleif swiftly. He can see... the uneasiness from those three.]
Dainsleif: "Judging by your expression, it seems you just experienced something quite strange. Could it be that you encountered an Abyss Herald in those ruins?"
Paimon: "Huh!? How did you know that?"
Dainsleif: "I've been on the Abyss Herald's trail. I didn't expect to find you here as well."
[Both Lumine and Musashi nods at Dainsleif's claim.]
Lumine: "Actually... The Abyss Herald wasn't all we encountered..."
Musashi: "And... There was something even stranger than the Abyss Herald in the ruins."
[The trio tells Dain about the strange statue and deceased thief... Dainsleif didn't shocked by the news at all.]
Dainsleif: "An inverted Statue of The Seven... holding Abyssal power in its hands? No, I have never seen such a thing during my time fighting the Abyss... though I have had my suspicions. Tell me the rest of what happened in there. So you escaped the ruin depths filled with Abyssal power, and then?"
Paimon: "And then, as we got close to the exit, an Abyss Herald suddenly appeared and blocked our way.
Paimon: We fought a big battle with that thing. Maybe it hasn't gotten too far yet..."
[Dain nods his head as he agreed.]
Dainsleif: "Yes, this is a rare opportunity indeed. Come, let's catch up to it."
Lumine: "Yes, sir!"
Paimon: "Let's go! A rare opportunity!"
[At the same time... Hilichurls and Abyss Mage around the dysfunctional Ruin Guard appeared and run towards them!]
Paimon: "With Dain helping out, maybe we'll be able to solve more mysteries about the Abyss and-!"
*SWING!* *SLASH!*
Musashi: "....."
[Both Paimon and Lumine were shocked when Musashi kills all enemies around the dead Ruin Guard with just one strike.]
Paimon: "So strong!"
Lumine: (I... I never saw her move... like that before.)
[On the other hand... Dainsleif seems impressed.]
Dainsleif: "As expected from Servant Saber... Though it seems she is holding herself."
Lumine: (But... This feels different...)
[Musashi put back her katanas back to it's scabbard. Lumine knows there is something wrong with Musashi. As she walks back to the group...]
Paimon: "Those Abyss Mages just now... were they trying to ambush us?"
Dainsleif: "No, they were just digging through these abandoned Ruin Guards looking for something of value."
Paimon: "Oh, is that so... We are here seems to like doing that a lot, too... Looking for Chaos Devices, Chaos Circuits... You know, that kinda stuff."
[Both Lumine and Musashi nods their head.]
Lumine: "Yep, those are important materials!"
Musashi: "And... Abyss Mages probably weren't looking for stuff like that..."
Dainsleif: "They wouldn't be searching for such ordinary objects. In fact, I was nearby investigating precisely because Abyss Mages often come out from that ruin to explore. They seem to be searching the remains of Ruin Guards for a certain valuable object to take back to the ruins. However, they look disappointed, so it would seem they haven't found it yet..."
[After Dain said that, they know they still have time. And Paimon got an idea.]
Paimon: "Well then, why didn't you grab one of them just now and ask what they were up to?"
Lumine: "Yeah, Master Diluc's done that before..."
[Dainsleif just shakes his head.]
Dainsleif: "I certainly don't mean to be merciful towards these monsters of the Abyss... But I have a feeling that their plan with this object is of major importance to the entire Abyss Order. One can not discover the truth behind it through interrogation. Or rather, these Abyss Mages likely fear something else much more than they do a painful interrogation..."
Lumine: "Fear..."
[And they all fall in thought, try to find out what Abyss Order is trying to get.]
Musashi: "Maybe... Something related to what we saw in the ruins?"
Paimon: "Uhh... Paimon is getting goosebumps thinking about all this!"
Dainsleif: "Alright, we shouldn't waste too much time here. Let's continue our search."
[And so... they all exploring around the area. But...]
Musashi: "We got company."
Paimon: "Huh?"
Dainsleif: "She is right..."
[As Musashi expected... numerous Abyss Mages and Ruin Guard runs towards them.]
Paimon: "Yikes! We are under attack!"
Lumine: "Tch! At this rate... We-"
*WUSH!*
Lumine: "Wha-"
*SLASH!* *SLASH!* *SLASH!*
*SLASH!* *SLASH!* *SLASH!*
[Without uttering a word, Musashi already dashed and use whirlwind attack to strike down them all down without breaking a sweat!]
Paimon: "Holy smokes! Slime's Lover is on the roll today!"
Lumine: "..."
[Again, Lumine feels something is wrong with Musashi.]
Lumine: (Her power and attack this time... is full of anger...)
[Musashi sheathes back her katana as she sighed. And...]
Paimon: "Wow... Besides the Abyss Order, Ruin Guards sure are active around here... Seems wherever we find an Abyss Mage hideout, there's often a bunch of Ruin Guards roaming around too. Is that just a coincidence, or...?"
Dainsleif: "There are no coincidences in the world. Everything is the fruit of seeds planted long ago. Just like your appearance in that tavern... Time is just waiting for those seeds to sprout."
Lumine: "But we only heard about you by chance..."
[Dainsleif sighed and he shakes his head.]
Dainsleif: "Forget it. Just some needless musings."
Musashi: "Eh?"
Dainsleif: "The connection between the Abyss Order and the Ruin Guards is by no means incidental. Rather, they are both branches that have grown out and up from the same roots below."
[Paimon scratches her hair as she very confused.]
Paimon: "Branches"? "Roots"? What do you mean exactly?"
Dainsleif: "Both originate from an ancient nation that was destroyed 500 years ago - Khaenri'ah."
[When Dainsleif said "Khaenri'ah", Musashi, Lumine and Paimon widened their eyes in shock.]
Paimon: "Huh? Khaenri'ah!? Really!? The Abyss Order and Ruin Guards are left over from after the destruction of that nation!? Oh... Speaking of Khaenri'ah, that's really a super ancient name..."
Paimon: "Oh, right. As your guide, Paimon should explain a bit here. A long time ago, the nation of Khaenri'ah was..."
[Lumine shakes her head slowly.]
Lumine: "No need, Paimon. I know about Khaenri'ah..."
Paimon: "...Huh?"
Lumine: "Because I have memories of Khaenri'ah."
[After Lumine said those words... Musashi starts to realize something...]
Musashi: (Does this mean... Arlecchino is right?)
[On the other hand, Paimon was shocked to hear about Lumine know a lot about Khaenri'ah.]
Paimon: "You have memories of being there? But that nation was destroyed 500 years ago..."
Dainsleif: "...Is that so? Well, everyone has their secrets. You did not pry into mine, so I shall not pry into yours... But if you would like to tell me, I will listen... So, the Khaenri'ah you saw, what was it like?"
[Lumine sighed a little before she ready to tell Dainsleif her story.]
Lumine: (Well, I can't hide it from him any longer... Dain and Khaenri'ah... It's worth a shot.)
[Lumine tells Dain, Musashi and Paimon about the sea of flames they saw 500 years ago, and that god they encountered...]
Paimon: "So... That's the complete story, huh... Paimon thought that you ran into that unknown god first..."
Dainsleif: "Hmm..."
[Hearing Lumine's story, Dainsleif seems know the conclusion of her story.]
Dainsleif: "I see... So, your first memory after coming into this world was being awoken by your brother from within that meteorite..."
Lumine: "...."
Paimon: "It seems your brother woke up first, but the question is, how long before you..."
[Dain continues his speculation about the conclusion.]
Dainsleif: "And then your brother told you that the destruction of Khaenri'ah plunged the whole world into chaos and that you two should leave this world called Teyvat?"
Paimon: "The destruction of Khaenri'ah"? He said that?"
[Lumine nods her head.]
Lumine: "Correct."
Musashi: "....."
Dainsleif: "That destruction you witnessed, that's... history from 500 years ago. It seems the first time you awoke in this world was indeed during that period."
[Musashi keeps listening.. She doesn't want to cut off the conversation.]
Paimon: "Huh... So... your brother must have understood this world better than you did because he woke up first."
Dainsleif: "And it was shortly after that that you encountered an unknown god who blocked your path, so you couldn't escape..."
Paimon: "Oh, Paimon knows this part really well."
[Dain nods his head.]
Dainsleif: "...I understand. When you awoke at that time and hurriedly tried to leave for another world, you didn't know anything about Khaenri'ah. But now, since you have come to gain some understanding of Teyvat, you are able to guess that the war you witnessed all those years ago must be the war that ended Khaenri'ah... Am I right?"
[Paimon nods swiftly.]
Paimon: "Ah! If that's the case, you must've been flipping through all sorts of books during our adventure these past few months. Before going to Mondstadt, you had just looked at some vague materials. Later, we managed to gather a whole bunch of old books from all around Mondstadt and Liyue, but you told Paimon they were useless... So... the whole time you were just trying to learn more about Khaenri'ah so you could find your brother?"
Lumine: "Yes... It's the second most promising lead after looking for The Seven."
[Paimon remembers back the reason why Lumine starts her journey, but this time... There are twists.]
Paimon: "Oh yeah... You can travel around the seven nations to find The Seven but where can you go to find a nation that was destroyed 500 years ago...?"
Dainsleif: "I probably know more about Khaenri'ah than both of you."
[Dainsleif decides to tell the trio about Khaenri'ah in details.]
Dainsleif: "Khaenri'ah was a nation without a god - not because it had a god that died or abandoned them, but because it never had a god to begin with. It was a powerful nation, built purely by humans, an unprecedented flourishing and glorious civilization - it was the pride of humankind."
Paimon: "A nation... without a god...?"
[Again, Dainsleif nods his head.]
Dainsleif: "Later events unfolded just as you remember - it was all destroyed... by gods."
Paimon: "You mean that..."
Dainsleif: "500 years ago, the gods descended upon the world and brought desolation to Khaenri'ah. The "pride of humankind" was uprooted and crushed, like a weed removed from the garden of the gods..."
Paimon: "How could that be...? The history books don't say anything about that..."
[The trio finally knows about the harsh truth about this world.]
Musashi: "That's horrible..."
Lumine: "What a dangerous world... I need to hurry up and find my (sister/brother)."
[Dainsleif just nods slightly.]
Dainsleif: "Yes. Well, continuing to discuss the past now will only dampen our spirits."
Lumine: (But, the next time I see Venti or Zhongli... I need to hear what explanation the gods have for their actions.)
Dainsleif: "Let's keep moving. I will tell you more of what you want to know as we continue our search."
[As they continue to investigate around the area... they saw the Ruin Guard and Abyss Mages.]
Paimon: "Over there! It's more Ruin Guards and Abyss Mages."
Musashi: "...To think they are swarming around here."
Paimon: "Dain was just saying how these ancient machines are from Khaenri'ah... So... did Khaenri'ah have a lot of ruins that needed to be guarded?"
[Dain shakes his head.]
Dainsleif: "No. "Ruin Guard" is the name modern people have given these machines. No one called them that 500 years ago. These "Ruin Guards" were known as "Field Tillers" by the people of Khaenri'ah."
Paimon: "Field Tillers"? What a strange name."
[Both Lumine and Musashi were confused about this "Field Tillers".]
Lumine: "They were farming equipment!?"
Musashi: So... What's with the lethal weapons...?"
[Dain silently chuckled because of Musashi and Lumine's nesciense about Field Tillers.]
Dainsleif: "It's not like you think. "Field Tiller" was just a code name. The people of Khaenri'ah liked to give code names to their weapons... "The land is not to be tilled with farming tools, but rather to be fought for with steel and blood." -This is how the "Field Tiller" came about."
Paimon: "Fought for with steel and blood"? Well that's an interesting way of understanding "tilling"... Paimon doesn't think it's a very positive interpretation."
[Dain slightly frown his eyes as he remembers about the destruction of that nation.]
Dainsleif: "After the destruction of Khaenri'ah, these masterless "Field Tillers" went completely out of control. They wandered aimlessly over the centuries, gradually spreading to every corner of Teyvat. Perhaps resonating with the sorrow of other civilizations across the time, they found their way to various ruins across the land, where they lie dormant."
[The trio seems sad after hearing Dainsleif's sad story about "Field Tillers".]
Paimon: "That sounds... so sad..."
Lumine: "Wandering aimlessly for 500 years..."
Musashi: "It seems... we should put an end to their suffering."
Paimon: Yeah... Paimon thinks you've been doing a real good job of that.
Dainsleif: "Once you understand more, those details won't mean much to you. But no matter their past, all that remains of them now is the danger they pose... so destroy them all."
[Musashi walks away towards the The Ruin Guards and Abyss Mages. But, Lumine swiftly grabs Musashi's hand.]
Lumine: "Musashi... Are you okay?"
Musashi: "...."
[Musashi grips the tilt of her katana tight. Lumine knows something is really wrong with her "girlfriend". Musashi sighed a bit... before she glanced back at Lumine with... forceful smile.]
Musashi: "I'm fine, Lumine."
Lumine: "...But, you seems acting strange today."
[Musashi shakes her head slowly.]
Musashi: "I'm okay. No need to worry, okay?"
Lumine: "But..."
[Musashi softly removes Lumine's hand from hers and walk away towards the enemy.]
Lumine: "Ah..."
[Lumine is really worried about Musashi's condition. She knew very well that Musashi is actually hiding something, but she didn't know what.]
Lumine: "Musashi.."
Musashi: "Let me..."
[Without hesitation...]
Musashi: "THIS IS THE END!!"
*WUSH!* *SLASH!* *SLASH!*
*SLASH!* *SLASH!* *SLASH!*
Paimon: "Yowza!!"
Lumine: "...."
[With ultimate speed, Musashi manages to destroy all Ruin Guards and all Abyss Mages around the area.]
Lumine: (She... Something is not right with her feelings.)
[Musashi sighed as she put her katana back to it's scabbard. At the same time, Paimon found something on the ground.]
Paimon: "Huh? This Abyss Mage dropped a talisman... Could it be a communication of some kind?"
[Paikon gives that thing to Dainsleif. Dainsleif looks intently on that thing, and..]
Dainsleif: "Hmm, this talisman seems connected to the Abyss Herald. But why would an Abyss Mage be carrying it...? Perhaps it really does contain information about their operation."
Paimon: "But, Paimon can't read the writing on it... Is that the script of Khaenri'ah?"
[Dainsleif tries to read the script of Khaenri'ah.]
Dainsleif: "...Engulf the faith of the enemy in flame, and bring glory to His Highness, the Prince..."
Paimon: "Wha-!? Is that what it says?"
[Dainsleif nods as he keeps the script in his hands.]
Dainsleif: "...'Loom of Fate,' initial operation. They... the Abyss, seem to be carrying out a large operation. The keyword here is "Loom of Fate.". It seems like they are still launching the operation, or rather, are still conducting preliminary tests..."
Paimon: "Loom of Fate"? What's that? Is it literally a... fate-weaving machine?"
[They all tried to find out what is the meaning of "Loom Of Fate".]
Lumine: "The Abyss Mage came from those ruins..."
Musashi: "Is it related to the inverted statue?"
Paimon: "From the horrible feeling Paimon's been getting, those eerie ruins are super likely to be related to this fate-weaving operation. So Dain, what message does this talisman contain?"
[Dainsleif reads the content of the talismant intently, and...]
Dainsleif: "Hmm... An ambitious operation, but some parts are difficult to understand."
Paimon: "How so?"
Dainsleif: "In short, the first phase of the plan is related to Osial, Overlord of the Vortex."
[Both Lumine and Paimon shocked when they heard the name of Osial.]
Paimon: "The Overlord of the Vortex!? You mean that god in the ocean?"
Lumine: "It was sealed by Musashi's power..."
Paimon: "What do they want with Osial?"
[At the same time, Musashi seems knows the connection of the incident at Mondstadt and Liyue.]
Musashi: "Could it be the same as with Dvalin?"
Dainsleif: "I know of your past heroics regarding Dvalin, and I also know of the Abyss Order's role in the Stormterror incident. Though you may not have been aware of it at the time, you were thwarting an Abyss Order operation similar to this one."
[And they all know... it's all connected. It seems the incident at Mondstadt and Liyue has something to do with Abyss Order.]
Paimon: "Last time it was Venti's old friend, this time it's a huge ancient god... The Abyss Order keeps setting their sights higher and higher. Will the Abyss Order use their lies and dark magic to corrupt Osial, just as they did Dvalin?"
Dainsleif: "No... From the contents of the talisman, this operation goes one step further. They won't just corrupt Osial's mind. They also plan to use the ancient technology behind the "Field Tillers" to completely transform Osial's body."
[They all shocked when Dainsleif told them about Abyss Order's plan.]
Paimon: "Is... that even possible? So... the Abyss Order wants to make some sort of... Cybernetic Squid-God of Mass Destruction!?"
[Both Lumine and Musashi sweatdropped on the spot.]
Lumine: "Sounds about right...? 😅"
Musashi: "These nicknames keep getting longer! 😰"
[Dainsleif silently chuckled, but then... he keep his cold expression.]
Dainsleif: "Very few people today truly understand the civilization of Khaenri'ah, though of course, the accuracy of that understanding itself is difficult to judge. Only the Abyss Order has consistently sought out the remnants of Khaenri'ah. Despite being far from human, they seek out this lost human civilization quite persistently. The talisman's message states that they will use "the Defiled Statue" as a base, attaching Osial's limbs to construct a mechanized god. And the new core that shall replace the orb usually held by the Statue of The Seven... is the eye of the very first Field Tiller."
[So... they all just need to find the first Field Tiller.]
Paimon: "The eye of the very first Field Tiller"? ...Ohh, Paimon gets it! All those Abyss Mages are looking for this special eye, right?
Dainsleif: "It would seem so."
Lumine: "They haven't found it yet. We still have time."
Musashi: "Let's find the eye before they do."
[Paimon agreed with Lumine and Musashi's suggestion to find that "thing" before The Abyss Order does.]
Paimon: "This whole thing keeps getting more complicated, but basically it all has to do with that eerie Statue of The Seven we saw, right?"
Dainsleif: "Yes. According to the talisman, the eye should be placed in the hands of the Defiled Statue..."
Dainsleif: "Thereby imbuing the newly born god with the power to "topple the divine thrones of Celestia."
[The words of Celestia and topple the divine thrones... slightly goes inside Musashi and Lumine's mind.]
Lumine: (Celestia...)
Musashi: (Topple the divine thrones...?)
[On the other hand... Paimon tries to find out the location of first "Field Tiller".]
Paimon: "Oh boy... The Abyss Order sure isn't holding back with this plan. Hmm. Since no one knows where the first Field Tiller is, how about we take the information about the statue as the starting point for our investigation?"
[Swiftly, both Lumine and Musashi remembers about that corrupted statue inside that ruins.]
Lumine: "That statue... It looked like the Anemo Archon..."
Musashi: "Should we ask the Church of Favonius about it?"
Paimon: "Yeah, that Tone-Deaf Bard is too difficult to track down anyway. Let's go to the Cathedral first and ask around, maybe we'll learn something."
[Dainsleif sighed slightly when the trio agreed to go to Cathedral at Mondstadt.]
Dainsleif: "The Cathedral... Hmph."
Paimon: "Huh? What's the matter, Dain?"
Dainsleif: "Nothing. Let's get moving."
-------------- End Of Chapter 38 -------------
[A/N : That's the end of Chapter 38 of Genshin Impact : Shattered Void. In this chapter, the trio received another serious commission from Lan and Ganyu that connected to Abyss Order. As they accepts it, they found a cave that led them to the ruins of Abyss Order. And when they got there... They saw the corpse of "Grand Thief" and also they meet The Herald of Abyss Order. And aftet they cleared the ruins, they meet Dainsleif, who is also searching for the clue of Abyss Order. Will they succeed? Who is the Prince of Abyss Order? Is what Arlecchino said to Musashi about the Prince of Abyss Order all true? What will happen next? Find out at the next chapter of Genshin Impact : Shattered Void. You can vote the story if you like it, and you can ask me anything you want through comment.]
[P.S : Musashi's Current Relationship :
1. Lumine : Crush (Both Sides)
2. Paimon : Best Friend
3. Raiden Makoto : Best Friend
4. Guizhong : Best Friend
5. Dainsleif : Acquaintance
(Monstadt)
6. Venti : Crush (Both Sides)
7. Jean : Crush (Both Sides)
8. Lisa : Crush (One-Sided Love)
9. Amber : Crush (One-Sided Love)
10. Kaeya : Friend
11. Diluc : Best Friend
12. Eula : Rival & Crush (Both Sides)
13. Sucrose : Crush (One-Sided Love)
14. Razor : Friend
15. Klee : Big Sister & Little Sister Relationship
16. Noelle : Friend / Role Model
17. Mona : Crush (One-Sided Love)
18. Fischl & Oz : Friend
19. Albedo : Friend
20. Rosaria : Vigilant
21. Barbara : Friend
22. Bennett : Friend
(Liyue)
23. Keqing : Crush (One-Sided Love)
24. Ganyu : Crush (One-Sided Love)
25. Yanfei : Crush (One-Sided Love)
26. Xiangling : Best Friend
27. Xiao : Best Friend
28. Ningguang : Acquaintance
29. Wang Yuanji : Crush (One-Sided Love)
30. Zhongli : Teacher & Student
31. Xingcai : Friend
32. Qiqi : Big Sister and Little Sister Relationship
33. Baizhu : Acquaintance
34. Xingqiu : Friend
(Fatui-Snezhnaya)
35. Childe : Distrust
36. La Signora : Arch-Enemy
37. Arlecchino : Fre-enemy (?)
(That's all, folks! KeysOfVoid out!)