When Shenhe and Idris emerged side by side from the mysterious domain of the World Tree, Zhongli and Nahida were already waiting outside.
Nahida's eyes darted back and forth between the two of them, as if she had already pieced together several very interesting conclusions. The corners of her lips curled up mischievously.
"Grand Sage Idris," she whispered,
"Looks like you gained quite a lot this time. Any… new discoveries?"
Zhongli, meanwhile, focused his gaze on Shenhe, examining her carefully, as though trying to sense what had changed.
"Shenhe," he said slowly,
"You seem different. Did something happen?"
Idris paused for a fraction of a second, then laughed lightly, choosing the safest possible answer.
"Well… yes. I did come up with some new ideas," he said.
"Mostly about the Abyss Mages."
Shenhe's face turned red instantly. She lowered her head, her voice barely audible.
"I… I just feel strange. Like my body is mine… but also not entirely mine."
Nahida's smile grew even more dangerous. She glanced at Idris again.
"So?" she asked sweetly.
"You saw everything, didn't you?"
"—Cough, cough!"
Idris nearly choked on air.
Shenhe didn't dare lift her head at all now.
Zhongli watched the scene with a faint smile, his suspicions quietly confirmed. He only spent one day in Liyue and already took two people with him… If he stayed any longer, would anyone be left?
Clearing his throat, Zhongli smoothly changed the subject.
"Since Shenhe is fine," he said,
"Let's talk about the Abyss Mages. We interrogated the captives, but we can't understand their language. Judging by their expressions, they clearly have no intention of talking."
Idris nodded.
"That's normal. Abyss Mages are extremely tight-lipped. Their silence itself is meaningful—we'll have to read their habits, reactions, and behavioral patterns instead."
A sharp glint flashed in his eyes.
"Their silence is both the fog before us—and the key to unlocking their secrets."
He paused, then added casually,
"And if we can't get answers… we'll just make them useful in other ways."
"…Useful?" Nahida echoed, giving him a very strange look.
Then, completely ignoring the tension, she leaned closer again.
"But seriously, Grand Sage—did you really see everything?"
Idris raised a hand threateningly.
Nahida stuck out her tongue and finally shut up.
Only then did Idris continue.
"The Abyss Order's plans are far deeper than we expected. They intend to swallow the entire continent. We need to warn the leaders of the other nations—before one of them gets taken down silently."
Zhongli nodded solemnly.
"I'll handle that. Liyue may be better suited for inter-nation coordination than Sumeru."
Nahida also became serious, nodding in agreement.
"Then let's go see the Abyss Mages," Idris said.
"And I'll show you a bit of my craftsmanship."
On the way, Idris explained his plan in detail.
Shenhe and Zhongli listened with increasingly confused expressions.
"Power generation… burning… extraction…?"
None of those terms existed in their usual vocabulary.
Seeing their confusion, Idris patiently clarified.
"I studied the Abyss Mages' elemental structure. Instead of killing them or tossing them into the soil as fertilizer, we can extract their excess energy and put it to use."
Shenhe hesitated, then asked cautiously,
"When you say 'extract'… you don't mean a combat technique, right?"
Idris laughed.
"No, no. It's a strategy. Like squeezing fruit—you press until every drop of juice is used."
Shenhe nodded slowly.
"I see…"
Zhongli couldn't help but comment,
"That sounds suspiciously like something a black-hearted merchant would say."
Idris burst out laughing.
"Pretty much. Abyss Mages aren't good people. There's no reason to let them live comfortably."
Nahida scratched her head. This was exactly how their Grand Sage was—anything he obtained must provide value.
Zhongli, however, was beginning to understand Idris on a deeper level.
Soon, they arrived.
After passing through a concealed passageway, they entered a dim underground chamber.
Idris lit a torch.
Inside, numerous Abyss Mages were restrained within cages formed of dense Dendro energy. The elder-class mages, in particular, radiated violent elemental fluctuations.
Idris's eyes lit up.
Now these… These are premium materials.
At his command, Sumeru's soldiers escorted three different Abyss Mages into the adjacent laboratory.
Idris pointed at one of them.
"Now," he said calmly,
"Let's see how much energy we can squeeze out of a single Abyss Mage."
The mage was sealed inside a reinforced containment frame. A newly assembled energy-transfer device was attached to its body.
The moment Dendro energy stimulated it—
The Abyss Mage shrieked wildly.
Elemental power burst out uncontrollably.
And on the other end of the device—
A massive machine began to hum.
Lights flickered.
Then stabilized.
The generator roared to life.
The laboratory flooded with light.
Idris watched the energy readings and nodded in satisfaction.
Shenhe stared, stunned.
"Grand Sage Idris… What is this? Why is the Abyss Mage lighting up the room?"
Zhongli's brows furrowed deeply. This defied conventional elemental usage.
Idris smiled.
"This," he said,
"is what I meant by extraction."
He tapped the machine.
"It's called a generator. A military-grade industrial device from Sumeru."
He paused, then added casually,
"And once things stabilize, we'll be sharing this technology with other nations as well."
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