『 [ What's the fastest way to the bottom of this prison, Miss Hanya? If we don't get there quickly, we'll soon be outnumbered by all the enemies inside. ]
Dan Heng asked Hanya.
[ As things stand, we can only resort to some clever shortcuts. Everyone, follow me. ]
[ If we want to reach the bottom of the Shackling Prison as quickly as possible, we must make use of certain tools. ]
[ Follow me to the next level. ]
Hanya began to lead the way, with Stelle and Dan Heng following closely behind.
[ The path is broken? ]
[ Someone must have altered the mechanism. ]
[ No matter. A little manipulation will clear the way. ]
Upon reaching the next level, Hanya found the path ahead severed. She operated the nearby mechanism a few times.
Immediately, the mechanism began to turn, and after a rotation, the path ahead successfully reconnected.
The group continued down the path.
[ The paths in the Shackling Prison are difficult to navigate. Occasionally, some underworld messengers, seeking a quicker journey, use the mechanisms from the Artisanship Commission to shuttle back and forth. ]
[ Using devices like the Shifting Screen was originally forbidden within the prison to prevent prisoners from escaping easily. ]
[ But now, in this emergency, we cannot worry about such orders. ]
After descending another level, Hanya led Dan Heng and Stelle to a Shifting Screen mechanism. She began using it to speed up their journey. 』
『 ....』
—✦Omniscient Viewer's Chat Lodge✦—
Stelle: "I've used this thing before!"
Stelle: "As long as you align it with the screen on the other side and dive in, you can fly across in an instant."
Stelle: "I didn't expect the Shackling Prison to have this stuff too."
Stelle: "This makes traveling so much more convenient!"
Furina de Fontaine: "In that case, is there still time?"
Dan Heng: "Yes. By speeding up our travel, we might still have a chance."
March 7th: "Please don't let Hoolay escape!"
....
『 [ The prison key has opened the path. I hope we are not too late… ]
[ Sister, you must hold on! ]
After a rapid dash, Hanya finally brought the two to the entrance of the path leading to where Hoolay was imprisoned.
The three looked at the entrance ahead and went straight in without any hesitation.
A moment later, they arrived at the site where Hoolay was kept.
But what met their eyes was only a ground littered with the corpses of Borisin and prison guards.
[ It looks like a fierce battle took place here not long ago. ]
This chaotic scene made Dan Heng frown.
[ … ]
[ The prison gate has lost connection with the prison domain. Hoolay has still managed to escape. ]
[ Where is the Yaoqing envoy? And my sister? Are they still alive? ]
Hanya looked at the state of the prison gate in the distance, her expression becoming anxious.
[ Search around. There should be some clues. ]
Dan Heng began to go deeper to search for clues.
Seeing this, Stelle and Hanya also split up to inspect the scene.
After searching for a short while, Hanya and Stelle found Xueyi's broken body.
[ Xueyi… is here. ]
Looking at Xueyi's lifeless form, Stelle's expression darkened.
[ Miss Xueyi bravely sacrificed herself... My condolences, Miss Hanya. ]
Hanya looked at Xueyi's broken body without saying a word. Seeing this, Dan Heng had no choice but to offer some words of comfort. 』
『 ....』
—✦Omniscient Viewer's Chat Lodge✦—
March 7th: "Did Miss Xueyi really get killed after all?!"
Paimon: "Waaah, Miss Xueyi is so pitiful!"
Paimon: "Her body is even a bit deformed…"
Paimon: "Paimon can't bear to look anymore, waaah…"
Furina de Fontaine: "This tragedy came way too fast."
Furina de Fontaine: "Miss Xueyi had barely just appeared, and now she's sacrificed."
Furina de Fontaine: "It really makes one feel awful."
Dan Heng: "Miss Xueyi fought to the death to stop Hoolay. She is truly a model among judges."
Dan Heng: "Her deeds will be remembered by the Xianzhou."
Mualani: "Miss Hanya is speechless looking at her sister's body…"
Mualani: "She must be so heartbroken right now…"
....
『 [ Condolences? Well, that's unnecessary. ]
Hearing Dan Heng's words, Hanya turned around with a calm expression, showing not a single trace of grief. 』
『 ....』
—✦Omniscient Viewer's Chat Lodge✦—
Kachina: "Eh?!"
Kachina: "Why isn't Miss Hanya sad at all??"
Kachina: "Is… Is she just putting on a brave face?"
Xilonen: "But it doesn't look forced."
Xilonen: "Did we misunderstand something?"
Hanya: "Did I not mention this to you before?"
Hanya: "My sister has a puppet body. Even if she dies, she can return to the living world again."
Lumine: "Ah, that…"
Lumine: "I remember now. Miss Hanya really did say that before."
Lumine: "I completely forgot about it."
Hanya: "Is that so?"
Hanya: "I assumed you still remembered, so I didn't explain."
Mavuika: "No wonder Miss Hanya said earlier that her sister was going to die in battle again."
Mavuika: "I thought she just misspoke out of a complicated state of mind…"
Furina de Fontaine: "So… Miss Xueyi didn't actually die?"
Furina de Fontaine: "We worried for nothing?"
Hu Tao: "Clearly, yes."
Hanabi: "Oh my~ what kind of tragic-hero archetype is this?"
Hanabi: "Can't even be killed off for real, huh?"
Hanabi: "Now this is truly amusing~"
Hotaru: "Just now, electricity flickered on Miss Xueyi's body, and I thought I saw it wrong."
Hotaru: "Thinking about it now, it was probably just because Miss Xueyi's puppet body was too heavily damaged, causing a power leak?"
Hotaru: "But regardless, it's great that Miss Xueyi is fine."
Xueyi: "Thank you all for your concern."
Xueyi: "For me, such a situation is actually a normal occurrence that happens from time to time."
Boothill: "What in the Xianzhou technology is that? That's fudging incredible!"
Boothill: "Infinite respawns, huh?"
Boothill: "When can this old pal get to try that out?"
....
『 [ You misunderstand. ]
[ By the grace of the Ten-Lords, sister became a mechanical puppet body hundreds of years ago. ]
[ After death, her soul returns to the archives of the Hall of Karma. For her, this has long been a daily routine. ]
[ Though I do not wish to see her expend her body so recklessly every time, like a part that can be easily replaced. ]
[ But… ] 』
『 ....』
—✦Omniscient Viewer's Chat Lodge✦—
March 7th: "Even though Miss Xueyi didn't truly die."
March 7th: "Seeing her like this must still make Miss Hanya feel complicated inside."
Hanya: "Yes. Seeing sister like this does make me feel distressed."
Xueyi: "Apologies, little sister. I made you worry."
Hanya: "It is fine. You had no choice, sister."
Mualani: "After death, her soul returns to the archives of the Hall of Karma…"
Mualani: "And then she can revive by changing into a new body?"
Mualani: "This sounds a lot like the Ode of Resurrection from our Natlan, doesn't it?"
Stelle: "Huh? Your Teyvat also has a resurrection mechanism?"
Stelle: "Man, the water on your planet is really deep."
Stelle: "All kinds of bizarre things exist there."
Kinich: "The Ode of Resurrection only works on Ancient Name bearers. It's still quite different from Xianzhou's form of resurrection."
Hu Tao: "Became a mechanical puppet body hundreds of years ago?"
Hu Tao: "Which means Miss Xueyi is at least several hundred years old?"
Xiangling: "Then Miss Hanya, as the younger sister, must also be several hundred years old, right?"
Paimon: "Uh… You really can't tell at all."
Paimon: "They both look incredibly young."
Silver Wolf: "They're long-life species. Eternal youth is just basic for them, isn't it?"
....
『 [ By the way, did you find any casualties who might be the Yaoqing envoys? ]
[ One of them is a Foxian in fine clothing, and the other wears a dark cloak, looking like a desperate outlaw. ]
After being momentarily lost in thought, Hanya quickly asked the two.
[ …No, apart from the Borisin, I didn't see any deceased among the remains who looked like a Foxian. ]
Dan Heng shook his head, indicating he hadn't seen any.
[ Which means the prison breakers and Hoolay have taken the Yaoqing envoys hostage. ]
[ This is truly the worst-case scenario. ]
[ With hostages in hand, the guards will likely be helpless against those guys. ]
[ If anything goes wrong, the relationship between the Luofu and the Yaoqing… will likely fall into an irreparable rift. ]
[ We must rescue the envoys, escape this place, and send word outside. ]
[ As long as there is a sliver of hope, we must not give up! ]
Hanya's expression was resolute as she prepared to rescue the Yaoqing envoys. 』
『 ....』
—✦Omniscient Viewer's Chat Lodge✦—
Moze: "A desperate outlaw in a dark cloak?"
Moze: "Is that my image in the eyes of others?"
Hanya: "No, only in my eyes."
Hanya: "If I caused offense, please bear with me."
Moze: "It's fine…"
Moze: "Perhaps I really should look into changing to a different style."
Jiaoqiu: "Moze, you escaped pretty fast, kid."
Jiaoqiu: "To think they couldn't even find a trace of you?"
Jiaoqiu: "You didn't actually run away, did you?"
Furina de Fontaine: "What do you mean 'actually run away'?"
Furina de Fontaine: "Didn't Mr. Moze just escape?"
Moze: "What he means is, after I withdrew, I should have sent word out as quickly as possible or looked for reinforcements."
Moze: "But you've overlooked one thing."
Moze: "The Shackling Prison is so vast and complex. Without spending some time, I might not necessarily figure it out."
Navia Caspar: "Since Miss Xueyi can revive, she's fine, and Mr. Moze successfully escaped, so he's fine too."
Navia Caspar: "Then the only one in mortal danger left is Mr. Jiaoqiu."
Hu Tao: "It really is just as Mr. Moze said… he was confident in his own escape."
Hu Tao: "But what about Mr. Jiaoqiu?"
Yunli: "Being held hostage by the Borisin is not a good prospect."
Yunli: "Those impatient beasts might kill the hostage at any moment."
Dan Heng: "At least, before Hoolay completely escapes the Shackling Prison, they won't do anything to Mr. Jiaoqiu."
Dan Heng: "The rest depends on whether we are fast enough!"
....
『 [ Huh? ]
Suddenly, a Cycrane in the distance caught Hanya's attention.
[ Did Miss Hanya find something? ]
Seeing Hanya's reaction, Dan Heng couldn't help but ask.
And at that moment, the broken Cycrane on the ground spoke in an eerie manner.
[ Han… Han… ]
A stuttering, intermittent voice came through, giving Stelle quite a start.
[ What the heck?! A cyber specter?! ]
Stelle looked at the speaking Cycrane, her expression becoming guarded.
[ Re... Reconstru... ]
The Cycrane was still speaking, but still couldn't make itself clear.
[ It's sister. ]
[ It seems her soul is performing its duty and hasn't returned to the Hall of Karma yet. ]
[ At this crucial juncture… sister's death has instead become our intelligence advantage. ] 』
『 ....』
—✦Omniscient Viewer's Chat Lodge✦—
Stelle: "Scared me. I was wondering how a Cycrane could talk!"
Stelle: "Wait, that's not right!"
Stelle: "Cycranes are supposed to talk, aren't they?"
Stelle: "So what was I scared of?"
March 7th: "Who knows what you were scared of?"
March 7th: "Look at how you shivered just now."
March 7th: "But speaking of which, how did Miss Xueyi become a Cycrane?"
Silver Wolf: "Soul possession, probably?"
Silver Wolf: "How interesting."
Silver Wolf: "Can she possess just about anything?"
Furina de Fontaine: "How magical. After Miss Xueyi's original body was damaged, she turned into a mechanical bird like this."
Furina de Fontaine: "But the thing is, I see this mechanical bird is also quite heavily damaged."
Hanya: "It is fine. It is not too severe. It can still be repaired."
Dan Heng: "In that case, once we repair Miss Xueyi, we will be able to learn the direction Hoolay escaped in."
Paimon: "Who knew it could work like this…"
Paimon: "The Xianzhou really has all kinds of strange technologies…"
....
『 [ Let me see. The damage isn't too severe. ]
[ If I can fix it, sister will have a temporary vessel to inhabit. ]
Saying this, Hanya began attempting to repair the Cycrane. Before long, the Cycrane took flight once more.
[ Hanya! I-I-I… am back! ]
The Cycrane emitted Xueyi's voice, though with some strange lag.
[ Welcome back, sister. I do not know what expression I should make at this moment. ]
[ Happy? Crying tears of joy? ]
[ Forget it. I have grown accustomed to you returning in all sorts of forms. ]
Xueyi's revival brought a joyful expression to Hanya's face.
[ A cyber specter! Your new form is kind of cute... ]
Looking at the clumsy, Cycrane version of Xueyi, Stelle found it slightly adorable in a contrasting way.
[ This is-is-is only a temporary measure. ]
[ This thing cannot carry… my-my-my en-en-entire… ] 』
『 ....』
—✦Omniscient Viewer's Chat Lodge✦—
Stelle: "Uh… this Cycrane version of Xueyi isn't very well optimized, is it?"
Stelle: "Why is it lagging so much?"
Guinaifen: "I get a feeling of déjà vu."
Guinaifen: "Oh, I remember. When Mr. Aventurine went to meet Mr. Sunday, the guide mannequin in that magical sandbox spoke with just this kind of lag!"
Xueyi: "Compared to my original body, the Cycrane is still far too crude."
Xueyi: "It is only natural for this to happen."
Paimon: "Miss Hanya is already used to her sister returning in all kinds of forms?"
Paimon: "Paimon is a bit curious, what exactly has Miss Xueyi turned into before?"
Hanya: "All sorts of bizarre things."
Hanya: "At first, I wasn't quite used to it, but as time went on, I became accustomed to it."
March 7th: "Hahaha, although it's a bit mean, seeing Miss Xueyi like this makes me want to laugh a little."
March 7th: "Miss Xueyi is usually such a serious and solemn person."
March 7th: "But this Cycrane is like a clumsy goose. It really doesn't fit Miss Xueyi's character."
Furina de Fontaine: "Apologies, I couldn't help but laugh out loud either."
Furina de Fontaine: "This version of Miss Xueyi gives off such a huge contrast."
Huohuo: "Oh no… Master Xueyi's embarrassing history has been completely exposed!"
Huohuo: "Is this going to be a social death?"
Huohuo: "Waaah, I feel so bad for Master Xueyi."
Xueyi: "Social death?"
Xueyi: "I do not quite understand your meaning."
Xueyi: "But I do not believe there is anything improper about this scene being witnessed…"
Hanya: "For sister, things like social death do not exist."
Hanya: "Because she is not a person of the living world to begin with."
Hanya: "There is no need to care about the eyes of the world."
....