Chapter 332

For this reason, adventurers and Liyue officials need to go and investigate.

"It’s hard to say, in recent days, news has been received from The Chasm that many Hilichurls have entered it, but they have never appeared again."

Keqing’s face became heavy; this news actually reached the General Affairs Office a few days ago, but because of the Lantern Rite, it was temporarily put aside.

She planned to wait until the Lantern Rite was successfully concluded before conducting a serious review.

And now, Keqing, who came to the General Affairs Office, was just preparing to start dealing with this matter.

Otherwise, if it kept dragging on, it would be hard to avoid some major loopholes.

Upon hearing the news revealed by Keqing, the Traveler and Paimon were greatly shocked.

“You just said that a large number of Hilichurls entered The Chasm and never appeared again?”

The two knew very little about this news, only understanding through certain channels that there were anomalies in The Chasm and that many Hilichurls were lurking there.

But the fact that they never appeared again after entering truly surprised them.

“That’s right. This news hasn’t spread yet; I hope you two can keep it confidential.”

Paimon hurriedly said, “Don’t worry, my lips are the tightest!”

The Traveler glanced at her, skeptical of this claim.

However, she knew from deep experience that Paimon was indeed quite reliable when it came to critical matters.

Put this way, it was no wonder the Liyue side wasn’t planning to reopen the mines there soon. With so many problems piled together, it would be irresponsible to the people of Liyue if they weren’t resolved.

Therefore, even though the mineral deposits in The Chasm were beneficial to all walks of life in Liyue, the Liyue the Liyue Qixing remained very cautious, preferring to suffer a temporary loss rather than fail to address safety issues first.

To ensure the safety of Liyue’s citizens, the Liyue the Liyue Qixing had already contacted the Adventurers' Guild, preparing to have them dispatch elites to investigate The Chasm first.

Of course, this would be under the surveillance of the Millelith. There was only one passage leading to the mines, but everyone going in or out had to record everything they saw and heard.

As for any treasures or similar items the adventurers might find inside, the Liyue side would not demand them.

This could be considered a benefit for the adventurers; otherwise, with only danger and no rewards, only a fool would go.

Adventurers were not a suicide squad, and that small amount of Mora alone wouldn’t catch the eyes of those experienced adventurers.

Only The Chasm, which had become a battlefield between Liyue and the monsters of the Abyss five hundred years ago, would naturally spark their desire to explore.

Whether it was learning secrets about ancient events, obtaining ancient treasures, or even precious ores, they wouldn’t come out at a loss.

After telling the Traveler and Paimon this news, Keqing indicated that this was also considered a confidential matter, but since they were going to follow along to The Chasm, it couldn’t be hidden anyway, so she simply informed them in advance.

“The elites of the Adventurers' Guild are going too?” Paimon became excited at once.

Come to think of it, the Traveler was also a member of the Adventurers' Guild, and her great fame had spread across the seven nations.

“Yes, the specific time is in three days.”

“Three days later…”

The Traveler’s gaze sharpened, and she said, “Please allow me to go with you!”

Keqing smiled, “Even if you didn’t ask, I would have invited you.”

“Eh?! Doesn’t that mean we did all that work for nothing during this time?”

Paimon felt a huge loss; they had run here and there, only to find out they had obtained the qualification from the very beginning.

Keqing shook her head gently, “No, I have seen your contributions. This time, when going to The Chasm, the Adventurers' Guild will only investigate the risks on the surface, but you are different…”

Staring straight at the Traveler, Keqing exposed the truth, “Your goal, in all likelihood, lies beneath the ground.”

“Uh…”

The two could not refute this.

Without minding their silent posture, Keqing continued, “Your achievements make us feel very reassured, so even if someone accidentally slips underground, most of us will likely turn a blind eye.”

The words were spoken quite clearly, and the Traveler and Paimon understood them in an instant.

“Thank you, Keqing.”

“No, for this matter, you had better thank Xiang Luoli. If not for him, the Liyue the Liyue Qixing would never have let it pass so easily.”

Undoubtedly, the Traveler and Paimon had made contributions to Liyue, but the Archon had been dealt with by Eula, Noelle, and Shenhe—though, of course, Xiang Luoli had helped with a “billion” little things during that time.

After changing the world line, the Traveler’s contribution to Liyue hadn’t reached such a great extent, so the Liyue the Liyue Qixing had been somewhat hesitant.

But yesterday, while chatting at the Jade Chamber, Xiang Luoli had put in a few words for the Traveler, and only then did Ningguang fully make up her mind.

She assigned the Traveler and Yelan to explore the deep secrets of The Chasm, one in the light and one in the dark.

“That guy, so he was secretly helping us behind our backs. Really, he didn’t even say anything,” Paimon muttered in complaint.

The Traveler secretly kept it in her heart, feeling an extra layer of gratitude toward Xiang Luoli.

Having obtained so much news, the two then bid farewell to Keqing, no longer disturbing her as she handled official business.

Emerging from the General Affairs Office, the Traveler and Paimon felt very refreshed under the sunlight.

Keqing had promised them that their official status would be finalized within a day, and three days later they could head to The Chasm, where people would meet them.

“So what do we do now?” Paimon asked a fatal question.

Since they wouldn’t be leaving until three days later, it meant the two had nothing to do for these two days.

The Traveler shook her head slightly, just about to say they should rest for two days to recharge.

But then she heard a patrolling Millelith soldier on the street call out to her, “The blonde Traveler over there, please wait a moment!”

The two turned around and saw a rather familiar face, instantly stunned.

Traveler, I would like to ask you for a favor…

The Traveler and Paimon: “…”

Good grief, just as they were preparing to rest, trouble automatically came knocking at their door.

When she returned to Mondstadt, she would definitely have Mo Na look at her fate to see if she had a constitution that attracted trouble, as all sorts of commission requests always found her.

At the very least, she could return to Inazuma and have Yae Miko help her perform an exorcism.

…………

On the other side!

Unlike the tool duo who had fallen into commissions again, Xiang Luoli left Keqing’s private residence early in the morning and returned to Yujing Terrace.

This trip was to see an old friend and, incidentally, to take back some things that belonged to him and Guizhong.

And the person responsible for keeping them was Ping, who, unlike the other adepti, had chosen to integrate into the human world.

Others might call her Granny Ping.

“According to what Keqing said, it should be in this area.”

Walking along the street of Yujing Terrace, Xiang Luoli’s extraordinary and refined temperament drew countless sidelong glances.

Long accustomed to this, he slowly crossed the street and arrived at a place that could be considered quiet and elegant.

It was an artificial garden located by a side gate of Yujing Terrace.

Glazed Lilies and Silk Flowers were planted there, layer upon layer, forming a beautiful landscape.

Passing pedestrians stopped one after another to gaze, expressing their admiration for beautiful things.

Arriving at the edge of the garden, Xiang Luoli saw a familiar back.

She was in the garden, her waist slightly hunched, holding a watering can to water the clusters of flowers, her posture appearing quite leisurely, like a hermit hiding from the mortal world.

The other party was the target Xiang Luoli was looking for.

Granny Ping!