(T/N: I'm back! Miss me?)
"How did Ningguang handle this? Ningguang is that Tianquan, right? I recall she was presiding over this year's Rite of Descension."
"Um... that Tianquan?"
Lumine hesitated, unsure whether to tell Su Bai how Ningguang had handled the situation. If Su Bai went to confront that Tianquan and something went wrong, things would become even more complicated.
Lumine's hesitation puzzled Su Bai. Being a clever fox, he could tell from her expression that Ningguang's handling of the matter had likely been less than ideal.
"Paimon, how about I treat you to lunch, and you tell me what happened?"
"Deal! That Tianquan said Rex Lapis had been assassinated and sealed off the entire scene. The Millelith are still at Yujing Terrace questioning suspicious people."
Paimon spilled everything she knew like a student called upon in class. Lumine wanted nothing more than to cover Paimon's mouth right then and there. Couldn't this food-obsessed Paimon see that Su Bai's expression was growing darker by the minute?
Hearing that Ningguang had announced Rex Lapis's "assassination," suspected Lumine of being the killer, and issued a wanted notice for her, Su Bai could hardly believe his ears.
"What was Ningguang thinking? Lumine has the strength to assassinate Rex Lapis? If she could kill the Archon, I could spank that old hag Ei and get away with it."
"Doesn't Ningguang know she should have immediately notified the adepti? An assassin capable of killing Rex Lapis is not something ordinary people like them could handle."
After hearing Paimon's account of the Rite of Descension, Su Bai's first reaction was that Ningguang had become foolish. His second was sheer disbelief. If Lumine had the power to assassinate Rex Lapis, would she be worrying about a few Mora? Ridiculous.
Lumine didn't know whether to be happy that Su Bai believed her or angry that he called her weak.
"Calm down, calm down, Su Bai. Maybe that Tianquan has her own plans. She looks like someone you don't want to mess with."
Seeing the fur on Su Bai's tails standing on end, Paimon quickly tried to soothe him. She had only met Ningguang once, but she felt that the Tianquan probably wasn't as dumb as Lumine—at least as smart as Paimon herself, she hoped.
Su Bai reluctantly suppressed his anger. Paimon had a point. Ningguang wasn't brainless. She likely had her own plan. But concealing the news of the Archon's assassination was truly a misstep. In the face of absolute power, any scheme was useless.
"Sigh... You've probably never truly fought a god. The power of a god is beyond what ordinary people can imagine."
"You've been in Liyue for several days now. You must have heard of Guyun Stone Forest."
Lumine and Paimon exchanged a glance and nodded. They had gone there to collect Starconches for a commission posted at the Adventurers' Guild.
"Guyun Stone Forest was created by Rex Lapis. Legend has it that when the Archon threw his stone spear, the stone forest was formed."
"With such power, do you really think ordinary people can stand against it? Even little Paimon here—if any god flicked her forehead, she'd go flying."
What? Guyun Stone Forest was created by the Geo Archon? Lumine wouldn't have believed it if she didn't know that Su Bai wouldn't joke about something like this.
"Hey! I'm right here! And Lumine and I will help you. We're good friends, aren't we?"
Lumine nodded. As Su Bai's good friend, she would help him get to the bottom of this. And she herself needed the truth to clear her name.
"I never imagined Rex Lapis would one day leave us. This matter may not be as simple as it appears on the surface."
Xiao jumped down from upstairs, his tone carrying a hint of melancholy. Paimon and Lumine were startled by this sudden appearance.
"Hey, do you know how dangerous that move was?"
"If anything went wrong, you could have fallen off the inn."
"Kids should act like kids. Don't be so reckless."
Paimon lectured the 'young man' with her hands on her hips. Lumine nodded along. That had been quite dangerous. If he had made any mistake, this 'young man' could have been seriously hurt.
"Haha, heard that, Brother Xiao? Kids should act like kids. No being reckless every day. Hey, hey, why is Primordial Jade Winged-Spear coming out?"
Seeing Xiao draw his spear, Su Bai quickly straightened up. That was no wooden stick—getting hit by that could leave him sore for days.
"Ahem, let me introduce you. This is the famous Conqueror of Demons of Liyue, Xiao."
"Huh? Isn't he about the same height as Lumine?"
Paimon's words struck Xiao's heart like a sharp blade. His previously positive impression of Lumine and Paimon plummeted to zero.
"Paimon, don't talk nonsense. I'm a bit taller than this adeptus, okay?"
"Disrespect for the adepti!!!"
"Brother Xiao, calm down, calm down! They're my friends. Take it easy, take it easy."
After some commotion, the atmosphere gradually eased. Su Bai's rationality regained the upper hand. He noticed that many things about this incident seemed off. Whether it was the assassination during the Rite of Descension or the black rain, it was as if everything had been timed perfectly.
What if he made a bold guess? What if this was all a scheme? What if Rex Lapis wasn't dead at all but hiding in the shadows, observing how Liyue would handle the crisis?
Having spent a long time in Inazuma, Su Bai had some understanding of Ei. The minds of gods were always hard to fathom, just like how he couldn't understand why she had ordered that drink stalls could only be set up in Inazuma City. Perhaps this was a test from Rex Lapis. Even so, Su Bai had to prepare for the worst.
"Su Bai, stop overthinking. You go inform Moon Carver, Mountain Shaper, and Cloud Retainer about this matter. The adepti will handle the rest."
Xiao patted Su Bai on the shoulder, signaling that he would take care of everything with the adepti. The truth was, Xiao was worried Su Bai might figure things out. Su Bai had always been clever, able to guess much of what happened from small clues. So Xiao had no choice but to redirect his attention.
Su Bai nodded. This was the best plan. Given the situation, it was indeed necessary to gather his elders for a discussion. Lumine also offered to help—she knew the locations of the three adepti.