Su Ming began to organize the information in his memory, recalling the main storyline of Liyue.
Aside from the iconic scene where Rex Lapis was "assassinated," the plot mostly involved the tedious process of handling the deity's funeral, the Rite of Parting, alongside the Geo Archon himself.
Oh, and there was the battle against Osial.
On the surface, it didn't seem like there was much room for him to intervene. After all, Su Ming's goal was to deviate from the established plot, not to ruin the old man's grand retirement plan.
Therefore, the overall flow of events couldn't be touched. However, if he started with the details—making everything look completely different while still reaching the intended goal...
"The Fatui!"
Su Ming suddenly had a flash of inspiration.
Right! Even though the entire affair was a deal between Zhongli and The Tsaritsa, with the Fatui acting as collaborators in the performance, only La Signora was privy to the true nature of the agreement.
The entire time, it was Childe, that battle maniac, causing all the trouble. Whether it was using Lumine to pinpoint the location of the Exuvia or secretly researching and mass-producing the Sigil of Permission to weaken the seal and release Osial all in the hope of forcing the "dead" Geo Archon to reveal himself Childe was the primary engine.
Looking at the plot, he was the most crucial driver and the focal point of all contradictions. If Su Ming entered the game and threw a wrench into those works, what kind of scene would that create?
The more he thought about it, the more Su Ming formulated a plan that might not deviate from the plot by a huge margin, but would certainly be a lot of fun for him.
As expected, he was a chaos seeker at heart. There was so much plot left to explore anyway; there was no need to be so fixated on this one Rite of Parting.
"Whoa... Su Ming, what are you thinking about? Why are you smiling so sinisterly!?"
Paimon's startled voice snapped Su Ming back to reality.
"Oh, nothing. Just thinking about what to do next." Su Ming looked at Lumine and said, "Once we reach Liyue Harbor, I'm afraid I'll have to separate from you for a while."
"Hmm... can I take that as acting separately for the time being?" Lumine seemed a bit unhappy, her tone carrying a hint of grievance.
Su Ming smiled. "To be more accurate, we're splitting up. Just as you have your own goals, I have mine in going to Liyue Harbor. Don't worry, we're all staying in Liyue Harbor. It's not like we won't see each other. At the very worst, we can meet for dinner every night."
Paimon's eyes lit up at the word 'dinner.' "Dinner! Yes, yes! Lumine, hurry up and agree!"
"Sigh... fine, we'll act separately for now."
Shenhe looked at Su Ming and asked, "What about me? Can I come with you?"
"Of course," Su Ming laughed. "I can't do this without your help. You guys chat for a bit; I'll go have the manager prepare a carriage. Or would you rather I carry you through the air again?"
Paimon waved her hands frantically. "No, no! The carriage is fine! I'm afraid of heights..."
Su Ming chuckled and looked at Lumine and Shenhe. Neither of them had any objections.
A carriage wasn't particularly fast, but it was relaxing. Though the distance from Wangshu Inn to Liyue Harbor was long, the road was flat, allowing a carriage to make good time. If they left now, they would arrive by evening.
The carriages at Wangshu Inn were specially equipped with shock absorbers, making the dirt roads feel smooth.
"If no one objects, I'll go talk to the manager. After the big favor we did them yesterday, I doubt they'll mind providing a free carriage and a driver."
With that, Su Ming pushed open the door and left. After he stepped out, Lumine glanced at Shenhe with a touch of jealousy and a wary gaze.
Sensing the unfriendly look, Shenhe tilted her head and asked, "What's wrong, Lumine? Is something the matter?"
Lumine shook her head. "Nothing... By the way, you two are really just fellow disciples?"
"Naturally. Though Su Ming hasn't been a disciple for long, we both study under Cloud Retainer," Shenhe confirmed with a nod.
Lumine felt a bit choked up at the literal answer. "Er... that's not what I meant."
"Oh? Then what did you mean?"
"Never mind, just act like I didn't ask."
"Okay."
Not long after, Su Ming came back up to call them down. The carriage had been readied quickly, and the driver was already waiting.
The interior of the luxurious carriage was stocked with snacks and pastries, along with several bottles of fine wine from Dawn Winery. The four of them boarded, chatting and laughing about their experiences along the way.
Actually, it was mostly Paimon talking. She took Lumine's adventures in Mondstadt and embellished them so much they became entirely new stories. Legendary tales like Lumine being on equal footing with Barbatos or suppressing Dvalin with one hand poured out of her like gospel.
It lasted until Lumine finally put an end to Paimon's tall tales by threatening to cut her snack budget for a month. She really couldn't bear to listen to any more of it.
They encountered monsters a few times on the road. However, with Shenhe and Su Ming taking action, the creatures were usually frozen into ice sculptures the moment they appeared before shattering into dust.
The most troublesome encounter was a tribe of Hilichurls who had blocked the road with wooden stakes. Hilichurls themselves weren't an issue; Su Ming resolved them by tossing a few ice spears from the carriage. However, they still had to get out to move the stakes manually.
This made Su Ming wary. The frequency of monster appearances along the road seemed a bit high. Coupled with the monster riot at Dihua Marsh earlier, Su Ming couldn't help but be on guard.
"Restless evil is a precursor to coming calamity... Could the Abyss Order be planning to stick their hands into this event as well? Interesting... I wonder if I'll run into that big brother of hers this time."
While Su Ming was wondering if the Abyss Order would interfere, the carriage smoothly entered Liyue Harbor.
"Everyone, we have arrived at Liyue Harbor."
At the driver's voice, the group disembarked one by one.
"Liyue Harbor? It's been a long time." Shenhe sighed as she took in the bustling night view.
The last time she had been here was when she and Su Ming had snuck down the mountain. Before returning, they had shared a meal in the city and bought some pastries. Thinking back, it had already been a year.
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