Genshin Impact: I Made the Entire Playerbase Cry

Mu Yang came and went like the wind.

Even the fishermen on the ship he had been standing on couldn't quite grasp the current situation.

All they heard was a single line: "There's danger in the sea—get to shore."

As for the other boats, there was no need to elaborate—everyone was now staring at each other in wide-eyed confusion.

What had just happened? One moment they were at Guyun Stone Forest, and the next, they were back in Liyue Harbor.

Old Mo, the most senior fisherman among them, spotted the Millelith approaching.

Recognizing a familiar face, he stepped forward to ask, "Hey, Xiao He, what in the world is going on?"

The Millelith soldier named Xiao He explained the whole story to them.

Only then did the fishermen realize just how perilous their situation had been that day.

Had it not been for the Adeptus who intervened, they might have all ended up at the bottom of the sea.

A few of them still refused to believe it, insisting they hadn't seen any signs of danger—until they heard that Tianquan Ningguang had already ordered the port to be sealed.

That was when they understood the gravity of the situation.

"So it was Adeptal magic… No wonder we were brought back in an instant. The Adepti have blessed us, the Adepti have blessed us…"

"My family relies on me going out to sea to make ends meet. If something had really happened… what would they have done?"

"The Adepti have protected us… Thank you, Adepti…"

...

The fishermen bowed briefly in the direction where Mu Yang had disappeared.

"Alright, alright, everyone, please follow us and leave the port for now."

——————

Let's rewind time just a little.

Over on Lumine's side…

After leaving the Jade Chamber, Paimon spoke with concern, "Lumine, did you see the look on Mu Yang's face just now? Things seem really serious…"

"Yeah."

Lumine was worried too, but she figured Mu Yang must have his own plans.

Paimon asked, "So what should we do now? Go find Zhongli, or investigate the Fatui?"

After some thought, Lumine decided that the Rite of Parting wasn't so urgent.

It'd be better to figure out the whole Sigil of Permission situation first.

They could ask Zhongli about it later—he knew a lot.

And from what Mu Yang had implied, Zhongli was someone they could trust.

Lumine: "Let's investigate the Sigils of Permission first, then go find Zhongli afterward."

Paimon: "Alright, whatever you say!"

Following the locations marked on the paper, the two arrived at a small ruin.

Such a shabby place… yet it was being guarded by Fatui Skirmishers.

That alone spoke volumes.

"There's definitely something fishy here…"

"Shh—keep your voice down, Paimon."

"Uh… it's a bit late for that now! They're already charging at us with hammers!"

The Electrohammer Vanguard rushed forward and swung down hard.

Lumine didn't hesitate either, weaving Anemo and Geo together in combat.

Within moments, the Fatui were all knocked out.

Lumine ventured deeper into the ruins.

Paimon spotted a chest.

"There are so many talismans here… and stacks of blank paper too. The patterns on them…"

Lumine pulled out a Sigil of Permission and compared them.

"Exactly the same."

Paimon was shocked. "Are they trying to mass-produce Sigils of Permission?"

"But… isn't one of these Adeptal tokens enough to prove your identity?"

Paimon rubbed her chin, puzzled.

Lumine, however, realized the severity of the situation.

"Cloud Retainer once said that the original purpose of the Sigils of Permission wasn't to serve as proof of identity."

"They were used to channel divine power during the Archon War… the Archon War… God?!"

Paimon: "What's wrong? Why so jumpy?"

The worry on Lumine's face deepened.

"Do you remember what Ningguang said? The being sealed beneath Guyun Stone Forest was a God defeated by the Geo Lord's spears."

"And Mu Yang—he only decided to seek out Cloud Retainer after seeing Guyun Stone Forest."

Now Paimon panicked. "Our enemy is an God?! But… didn't Rex Lapis already slay all the Gods?"

Lumine didn't know how to explain it either.

"Let's hope so…"

She examined the chest full of talismans.

"Looks like these are all defective. The one I have doesn't have much power either."

"The real ones capable of unleashing power… must be in Childe's hands."

Paimon: "We won't figure anything out just standing here. Let's go find Zhongli first."

The two arrived at Dihua Marsh.

Zhongli had just gotten there as well.

After exchanging greetings, Lumine immediately brought up the Fatui's activities.

"They're counterfeiting Sigils of Permission."

Hearing those words, Zhongli paused for a moment before steering the conversation elsewhere.

"Whatever the Fatui are scheming, when dealing with them, it's best to remain cautious in all matters."

Lumine couldn't shake the feeling that Zhongli was hiding something.

But Mu Yang had said Zhongli was trustworthy.

What now? Her head was starting to hurt. Should she bring up Mu Yang's involvement?

Zhongli shifted the topic back to the Rite of Parting.

They had come here to search for wild Glaze Lilies.

First, Zhongli gave a brief lecture on Glaze Lilies.

Then he mentioned that wild Glaze Lilies weren't completely extinct.

These lilies had an intense fragrance.

When ground into powder and placed in the incense burner of Everlasting Incense,

it would fulfill the complete tradition of a "grand send-off."

However, picking these flowers required Lumine's help.

She needed to sing to them—this would draw out their fragrance to its fullest.

Paimon: "How's your singing, by the way?"

Lumine proudly placed her hands on her hips.

"I'm amazing at it."

Paimon: "Really? I kinda doubt that…"

[I'm super brave, okay? Super good at drinking too!]

[This Bin is just trash]

Lumine found a Glaze Lily and began to sing.

Ahem. "Da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da~"

[LMAO, what is this, Barbara's concert?]

[I'm dying, the Traveler is so cute]

[Paimon's debut]

[Barbara: ???]

[Question: Does Aether sing this too?]

However, the moment Lumine finished singing, the Glaze Lily suddenly jumped up.

And attacked her.

Lumine had an idea. Instead of drawing her sword as usual,

she immediately dashed behind Zhongli.

"Help me, Mr. Zhongli!"

Paimon: ???

Zhongli: ???

Players: ???

Zhongli raised his hand.

"Shield."

A stone pillar erupted from the ground, instantly obliterating the three Whopperflowers.

Effortless.

Lumine had wanted to gauge Zhongli's strength—

to see if he was really as powerful as Mu Yang claimed.

There were too many mysteries surrounding him.

Most importantly, he had very obviously dodged the topic of the Sigils of Permission earlier.

Maybe she could glean something from his combat style.

But Zhongli had dealt with them so effortlessly that she learned nothing at all!

Paimon flew over. "Lumine, what was that? You usually take care of enemies like this in, like, two seconds!"

Zhongli turned around. "Those were Whopperflowers. Given your combat experience, I find it hard to believe you'd be so frightened."

Lumine stepped out from behind Zhongli and declared with absolute confidence:

"Mu Yang said, 'If you're in danger, just hide behind Mr. Zhongli—he'll protect you.'"

[Lumine is absolutely unhinged LMAO]

["HELP ME, MR. ZHONGLI!"]

[Mu Yang, you taught her well!]

[Mu Yang: Did I say it like that? You took it to the next level!]

[Zhongli: Mu Yang… so it was you.]

Zhongli fell silent.

At a loss for words, he could only quietly pick up the petals from the ground.

"Hmm… these petals… are quite interesting."