Paimon: We're back!
Lumine: Mr. Zhongli, we've brought the incense back.
At this moment, Zhongli was still looking at the Seven Archon Statue.
Paimon: Huh? Mr. Zhongli seemed to be staring blankly at the statue just now. Did he wait too long?
Qixuan: It's fine, perhaps he was reminiscing about something.
Mr. Zhongli? Wake up.
Zhongli: Hmm… Ah, my apologies, I was distracted.
“It’s good that you’re back. I didn’t wait too long.
Compared to the Lord of Geo's vigil carved into the statue, it was but a brief moment.”
Paimon: Hehe, how can a person be compared to a “statue”?
Zhongli: That’s true. How is it? Did you bring the incense back?
Paimon: Three portions of incense, not one less.
Zhongli: Thank you for your hard work. Let’s try to worship them one by one.
After the third type of incense was worshiped…
The statue emitted a burst of light.
Paimon: Eh? What was that just now?
Lumine: It seems Lord of Geo is very fond of the third type.
Paimon: That’s the kind of incense mature big sisters like to use, right?
Could it be… Lord of Geo is a mature big sister?
Qixuan: (Hold it in… don’t laugh).
At this moment, Qixuan’s face was beet red from holding back laughter.
Zhongli: Hahaha… Who knows?
Lord of Geo has countless incarnations; perhaps such an image “exists” indeed.
Qixuan: Oh? What would that be called? Lord of Geo Princess?
Zhongli: Cough, cough… Let’s not talk about that anymore.
Paimon: Sigh, I hope the Qixing can catch the culprit soon.
Zhongli: Let those in high positions worry about such things. We only need to complete the Farewell to Sefarer Ritual for Lord of Geo.
Lumine: (Childe and the Qixing must be up to something…)
Paimon: So, we’ve completed another preparatory task.
What’s next?
Zhongli: Next, I hope the two of you can borrow the bell of fleeting dreams for me.
Paimon: The bell of fleeting dreams?
Zhongli: Currently, the bell of fleeting dreams is kept by a friend of mine, named Granny Ping.
She is near Yujing Terrace. If you ask her, she will naturally know.
Paimon: Okay… But is Mr. Zhongli not coming with us this time?
Zhongli: Hmm… There are some reasons why it’s inconvenient for me to show my face. I’ll trouble the two of you to do it on my behalf.
Miss Qixuan will go with you.
Paimon: Eh? Alright, but why is Mr. Zhongli’s attitude so mysterious this time?
Qixuan: Let’s go, let’s go. Mr. Zhongli has his privacy, so it’s not good for us to bother him too much, right?
Paimon: Alright~
Subsequently, Qixuan led Lumine and Paimon away from the Seven Archon Statue and headed towards Yujing Terrace.
Granny Ping: Things are impermanent… Things are impermanent…
Lumine: Hello?
Granny Ping: Eh? Young people, are you also here to admire the flowers?
It’s a pity, you’ve come at the wrong time. These glaze lilies are all about to wither…
Then she saw Qixuan behind them.
Granny Ping: Qi…
Qixuan shook her head, and at the same time, gestured to Lumine and Paimon with her eyes.
Granny Ping understood instantly.
Paimon: (Did I see wrong? Granny Ping seemed to be looking at Qixuan-jie all this time.)
Lumine: Why have all these flowers withered?
Granny Ping regained her composure and said: In my time, people said that glaze lilies were sentient.
If they heard good sounds, like singing or laughter, they would be very happy and grow very well.
But if, on the contrary, they heard too many bad sounds,
like all sorts of “gossip,” they would “wither” very quickly.
Paimon: So… the situation in Liyue Harbor now, these flowers feel it too.
Granny Ping: Yes, the rumors of Lord of Geo’s death are no small matter.
In the streets and alleys, there are all sorts of things being said. Some say it’s a Fatui conspiracy,
some say the “things from the sea” are about to break free.
“And some say all this is a ‘self-directed play’ by the Qixing…
This harbor is like a pile of firewood.
Just a spark, and the fire will be unstoppable.
Sigh, let’s stop talking here. I’m an old woman, and I just love to ramble… Young people,
what can I help you with?
Lumine: We’d like to borrow your bell of fleeting dreams.
Granny Ping: Oh, that old item… I remember.
It is indeed with me, but exactly where it’s placed… I, an old woman, can’t quite recall.
It was a little trinket an old friend wore when I was young…
He saw me constantly looking at it longingly, so he gave me this bell.
But he told me back then that if someone came to borrow this bell in the future, I mustn’t be reluctant to lend it.
Over so many years, this bell has been borrowed countless times.
However, I don’t know since when, but it’s been a long time since anyone came to borrow this bell again…
Sigh, my old bones are slow at finding things, you probably can’t wait, oh…
Lumine: We can find it ourselves.
Paimon: Right. Granny, we’ll go home with you, and then we’ll find it ourselves.
We can even… even help you tidy up your house.
Granny Ping: All right, children, I haven’t put that bell far away, so don’t worry too much.
Paimon: Eh? Granny, is your house nearby? Wow… This is Yujing Terrace, it’s really rich…
Granny Ping: Heh heh, I, an old woman, can’t afford a house in the city— (She said, pointing to a pot on the stone table nearby).
Look at this pot, all my belongings are in there.
Paimon: All belongings…
Lumine: Do you mean you put the house key in there?
Granny Ping: Heh heh heh… Children,
Anyway, the bell is in this pot. If you want to find the bell, just go and look for it yourself.
Paimon: Hmm…
At this moment, as Lumine touched the “pot’s surface,”
Lumine and Paimon were sucked in by a beam of light.
Outside…
A flash of light passed over Granny Ping’s body, and she transformed into the appearance of a young girl.
Ping’er: Qixuan-jie, when did you come back! Why didn’t you come to see me?
And what exactly happened to Lord of Geo, that old man?
At this moment, Granny Ping… no, Ping’er, looked anxious.
Qixuan: Ping’er, what is this?
Ping’er: Oh, Qixuan-jie, you know,
I like the hustle and bustle of the mortal world, which is why I didn’t seclude myself in the mountains with Guizhong-jie and Xianyun.
And since I’m an Immortal, to avoid exposure, I can only change according to human age.
Don’t worry, there’s no danger in my “Serenitea Pot,” those two little ones will be fine.
So, what exactly happened to Lord of Geo, that old man? Could it be that he really…
Qixuan: Sorry, Ping’er, all I can tell you is that Lord of Geo isn’t dead, he just finds it inconvenient to show his face.
Ping’er: It’s good that he’s fine, you scared me to death.
Qixuan: Then you have to keep it a secret, okay?
Ping’er: Don’t worry, don’t you trust me?
“Hehe”
Then she transformed back into the kind and amiable “Granny Ping.”
On the other side…
Paimon: Wow, where is this? What… what just happened?
At this moment, Granny Ping’s voice came: All right, children,
This is the pot where I, an old woman, put things. Go quickly and find the bell.
Paimon: Wow! It sounds like Granny’s voice,
She said… this is her pot?
What on earth is going on?
Granny Ping: Sigh, it really seems like it hasn’t been cleaned in a long time.
Why are there so many spiderwebs…
At this moment, Lumine was clearing some “small monsters.”
Granny Ping: Children, I’ll trouble you to help me, an old woman, clean up this place.
Paimon: Did you notice? Those “spiderwebs” just now… were made of element energy…
The dust in this pot… how many years has Granny not cleaned it, I wonder…
You say, with such a magical pot, and holding that bell of fleeting dreams.
Could this Granny also be an Immortal?
Lumine: I felt it before, Qixuan-jie is probably hiding something from us, but it’s just inconvenient for her to say.
Paimon: Now that you mention it, it does seem a bit…
That’s right, Qixuan-jie is known as Chiyuan Immortal in Mondstadt, so the people she knows…
“I’m increasingly starting to think Granny is an Immortal.”
But, shouldn’t Immortals all live in Jueyun Karst?
Why would she stay in the city?
As Lumine delved deeper…
Paimon: Wow, how many layers does this “pot” have?
If only we had a pot like this too,
at least… we wouldn’t have to sleep outdoors.
Lumine: When we get out, we can ask Granny if she can make one for us too.
After a few more forks in the path,
Lumine finally found the bell of fleeting dreams.
Granny Ping: You’ve already found it? Young people are just so quick.
Let me see… what was the exit again? Why is my memory like this… Ah! All right, children, come out quickly.
Suddenly, a white light flashed before Lumine and Paimon’s eyes,
and when they opened their eyes again, they were already outside.
Qixuan: Hi, you’re out?
Granny Ping: Young people are so quick and nimble. In such a short time, you got it…
Lumine: Are you an Immortal?
Granny Ping: Immortal… I, an old woman, haven’t heard those two words spoken seriously in a long time.
As for whether I am an Immortal, child, don’t you understand in your heart?
Paimon: Hmm… I sort of get it, and sort of don’t fully get it.
But Granny, you… you just gave us the bell like that?
Aren’t you surprised? Lord of Geo just had an accident, and we’re rushing to you for the bell…
Granny Ping: Silly child, throughout Liyue Harbor’s history, who knows how many Immortals have left,
and who knows how many storms they’ve stirred up.
But no matter which time, it was always according to the rules, always by holding a proper Farewell to Sefarer Ritual first,
and then arranging the subsequent matters.
Constantly shouting “catch the culprit” but delaying the Farewell to Sefarer Ritual,
in my opinion, that is truly putting the cart before the horse.
Granny Ping: Now that you’ve come to borrow the bell, I surmise that some old friend has finally had enough,
and has come out to take charge of the situation.
So, why wouldn’t I lend you the bell?
Lumine: What if your old friend “borrows” it and doesn’t return it?
Granny Ping: Not return it? Hahaha, if they really had the nerve to do that, then I, an old woman, might have to pay them a visit.
It’s been a long time, going to find them for tea and a chat would be nice too.
Alright, now that you’ve got the item, hurry back. Don’t delay things.
And please pass a message to the person who sent you,
just say… if he has time, coming over for tea is also welcome.
I, an old woman, don’t have much in the way of belongings, but I do still have a teapot.
Paimon: Mmm! We’ll remember, thank you, Granny!
Lumine: Don’t worry, Granny, we’ll tell him.
Granny Ping: Hahaha, good, good.
Qixuan: Then let’s go back.
On the way back…
Lumine: Qixuan-jie, since you know Immortals, then Lord of Geo…
Qixuan: Lumine, you’ll know some things eventually. It’s not the right time yet.
In any case, our journey is still long, isn’t it?
Paimon: Mmm! That’s right, Lumine, stop being so suspicious. Qixuan-jie wouldn’t lie to us,
and she often treats us to delicious food.
Lumine grabbed Paimon’s face and began to knead it.
All you know is eat, eat, eat. Sooner or later, I’ll eat you as “emergency food.”
Paimon: Mmm… Mmm… Un… save me, Qi… Qixuan-jie.
Qixuan: Hahaha…