Zenless Zone Zero: Morax in a New World!

Outer Ring, on a desolate highway in the wilderness.

After helping Furina up from the ground, Clorinde looked around, puzzled. All she saw was yellow sand, scattered rocks, towering cacti, barren hills, and an abandoned checkpoint by the roadside...

No one else was in sight—only Clorinde and Furina.

The place was eerily silent.

Clorinde frowned slightly and muttered, "Lady Furina, is this really Liyue?"

In her memory, Liyue was on the eastern side of the continent—its terrain and climate were mild, with forests and grasslands being the norm. A vast desert like this didn't fit at all.

Compared to Liyue...

Clorinde thought this looked far more like Sumeru. Only Sumeru had such expansive deserts and badlands.

Suddenly, the earlier teleportation mishap came to mind.

Could the teleportation have malfunctioned? Maybe they weren't sent to Liyue after all, but instead landed in the deserts of Sumeru?

Nearby, Furina also glanced around in confusion.

"Clorinde, did you pick the wrong teleport location? How did we end up in Sumeru?"

Clorinde took a deep breath and shook her head with a hint of frustration.

"I'm sorry, Lady Furina... I'm not sure what went wrong."

It might've been a teleportation anomaly... or maybe she had indeed chosen the wrong destination and mistaken Sumeru for Liyue.

But Clorinde distinctly remembered selecting the newly appeared Statue of the Seven in Liyue.

For now, it was impossible to determine the truth.

She scanned the area again—no sign of human presence.

Their top priority now was to find some locals and figure out exactly where they were.

Furina looked up at the blazing sun.

"It's so hot... I hate Sumeru's desert."

Clorinde opened her backpack and pulled out a small blue umbrella, handing it to Furina.

"Let's follow the road ahead. We should be able to find a town or something."

To be fair, Sumeru's roads were surprisingly well built.

Even a small road like this in the wilderness was smooth and wide—wider than Fontaine's roads, even.

Beneath the scorching sun, the two had only walked for about ten minutes when a strange noise erupted behind them.

Clorinde and Furina turned around in alarm.

They saw something odd racing toward them at high speed, rumbling loudly.

Startled, Furina gasped, "Clorinde, this is bad! It's a monster from Sumeru!"

Of course. Just their luck.

They'd barely arrived in "Sumeru" and already attracted monsters. How unlucky could they be?

But Clorinde narrowed her eyes.

"No... I don't think it's a monster. It looks more like a machine."

They were from Fontaine, a place full of strange machinery. But even so, Clorinde had never seen a machine barreling down a road like this before.

Moments later, a strange vehicle—like a box on four wheels—came to a stop in front of them.

Then, several armed thugs stepped out, wielding guns, clubs, and machetes.

As soon as they got out, the gang leader burst into laughter.

"What luck! Two rich city girls just strolling along the road—this is our lucky day!"

He held a gun and stared at Clorinde and Furina with excitement.

Their elegant clothes and noble bearing made it obvious they weren't ordinary folk. Definitely wealthy city types.

The cute outfits, the refined air, and those delicate looks... just like movie stars.

Furina was already trembling in fear. Her legs gave out, and she clung tightly to her small umbrella.

"Y-You... don't come any closer! I'm the former Hydro Archon of Fontaine! If you touch us, it'll trigger a diplomatic incident!"

"Lady Furina, don't worry. I'm here."

Clorinde's brows knitted together. Instinctively, her hand moved to her waist, gripping her musket as she stepped in front of Furina to shield her.

She hadn't expected this.

They'd barely set foot in a new land, and already encountered bandits.

Whether this was Liyue or Sumeru, it was a huge disappointment. Was this how the leaders of these nations kept order?

Seeing Clorinde preparing to fight back, the gang leader only laughed louder.

"Oho? You want to resist? Just my type!"

He raised his gun and aimed it at Clorinde.

Then barked an order to his men.

"Get them! Once we finish this job, I'm heading to New Eridu to enjoy the high life!"

But before his lackeys could move, a white flash streaked through the air.

The gang leader's hand—and the gun in it—fell to the ground.

"If you keep pushing your luck, next time I'll take your lives."

"Agh...! You dare fight back?! Cut off their hands!"

But he didn't get to finish.

Clorinde moved again—her longsword piercing straight through his chest.

The sight left the remaining thugs petrified, as if staring at a demon.

They dropped their weapons and fled in panic.

Clorinde darted forward and caught one of them.

"P-Please! Spare me! It was the boss who tried to catch you—he's dead now!"

Clorinde had no intention of killing him. Instead, she dragged him to the strange vehicle.

"Tell me how to operate this machine, and I'll let you go."

"I-I'll tell you everything...!"

...

About ten minutes later.

Clorinde quickly learned the basics of how to operate the machine—something called a "truck."

Keeping her word, she released the thug.

Then, Clorinde got into the driver's seat and let Furina ride shotgun.

She was ready to drive them out of this wilderness.

Furina looked uneasy.

"Clorinde, are you sure you know how to drive this thing?"

Clorinde nodded.

"Don't worry, Lady Furina. It's not that complicated."

Even so, her eyes sparkled with curiosity as she studied the controls.

She'd heard that Sumeru held all the knowledge of Teyvat. Being able to build machines like this wasn't surprising.

Looking at the truck, she became more certain than ever—they weren't in Liyue.

This was definitely Sumeru.

A moment later, Clorinde followed the steps she'd just learned and managed to start the engine.

But since it was her first time behind the wheel, she accidentally floored the gas pedal—and the truck shot forward in an instant.

...