Genshin Impact: Awakening in the Darkness

Chapter 156 First Meeting with Tinari

The boy was thus taken to the ranger's habitat and placed in Tinari's workshop.

Upon hearing that Tina was still out gathering herbs, the boy nodded obediently, indicating that he understood and wouldn't run off. He certainly won over the older brothers and sisters with a wave of goodwill.

However, they still had some tasks to complete and couldn't stay any longer, so they had to leave disappointed.

"Phew~ They're finally gone. I didn't expect what I learned from Barbatos to be somewhat useful. I can still charm people so much." That's right, the one showing off her charms was Xuan Yue, who was preparing to go to Sumeru.

This time, he was really looking forward to it.

Xuan Yue's eyes faintly glowed red, and the ferocity in them almost materialized, but it quickly dissipated as if nothing had happened.

Before anyone returned, Xuan Yue wandered around the house by herself.

There were several bottles and jars on the shelf next to me, as well as scientific research instruments. No wonder they're top students; they can understand such complex equipment.

Xuan Yue: "I shouldn't have had any illusions about myself. I can't understand a single one of these documents. These black and white words put together don't even form a single sentence."

"Hmm? Who's looking for me?" A sound came from the doorway; it seemed to be Tinali returning.

Xuan Yue quickly adjusted her emotions and expression, and tidied up her things as if nothing had just happened.

"Hello." Xuan Yue had just finished tidying up her things when someone came in through the door.

Tinari roughly understood the situation. Upon hearing that it was a boy who had gotten lost in the jungle, she knew that he was probably not a Sumerian.

"Hello, may I ask what brings you here?" Tinari asked in a friendly manner.

"...Are you Tinari?"

"I'm."

"Alright, let's make this quick. I still have a long way to go to Sumeru City." Xuan Yue turned around to face him.

(Strange, why...) The moment Tinari saw the boy, he sensed something was amiss.

"What is your relationship with Nafis?"

"Teacher? You have contact with the teacher?" Tina was surprised for a moment.

His teacher was a sage of the School of Life Theory, and unless one was a member of the Order of the Church, it would be difficult for outsiders to have any contact with him, let alone the boy in front of him who seemed to be about his age. This inevitably raised some questions.

"I just want to ask you for a favor. You and Grand Disciplinarian Seno should be acquainted, and I need you to send him a letter for me."

Xuan Yue took out an envelope and handed it to Tina Li.

“Sino?” Tinari took the envelope, still puzzled. “If it was just to send a letter, you could have sent it directly to the Council of the Church and had them forward it. But you didn’t… Could you tell me why?”

“You’re very perceptive.” Xuan Yue nodded in agreement. He hadn’t intended to hide it, but he didn’t tell the truth either: “Have you been in contact with Nafis recently? Does it seem any different from before?”

Tinari: "...There is something strange about this. Now that you mention it...could something have happened at the Church of England?"

He remained calm, without any deliberate speculation or the arrogance of those scholars; he simply raised questions.

“There are some things you don’t need to know too much about, or you’ll get into trouble. I came to find you on someone’s behalf; that person mentioned your name and Sino’s. That’s why I came to find you.”

Xuan Yue briefly described what had happened, which, to him, wasn't exactly a lie. After all, that person was none other than Azar. He himself said he didn't want them to know, so how could someone with such a villainous role let him have his way?

Of course, we'll team up to take him down. He doesn't want people to know, but we'll make sure they do, disrupt his plans, and ultimately—ruin him.

Whether it's skinning and dismembering, breaking limbs, or slow slicing... all the punishments available during wartime can be used.

Who told him to be an "accomplice" in forcing them apart?

"Sir, sir..."

"Ah...uh, sorry, I was thinking about something and got distracted for a moment." Xuan Yue replied to Tina apologetically, "I'll leave this letter to you. I'll get going now and hopefully reach Sumeru City before dark."

"Okay, I wish you a safe journey."

Xuan Yue nodded slightly and then walked out of there.

“…” Tinari watched his departing figure, and only after he was gone did he murmur softly, “He came from the rainforest, but he didn’t have a strong grassy or woody scent on him. His identity is a mystery…”

"Should I send this letter?" He looked at the letter entrusted to him, feeling somewhat worried. He hesitated.

------

Beneath the towering abyss of rock, Dain led the way toward the city.

"It seems like a strange force is surrounding the city, making it impossible to move forward."

Paimon looked at the black mist blocking his way and dared not approach.

Kong: "Logically speaking, there should be some kind of mechanism or trap nearby. Paimon, let's bring out our old skills in exploring ruins!"

“No need to waste time.” As Dain spoke, a ball of black energy condensed in his hand. When it approached the mist, the faint protective shield dispersed and disappeared.

"Huh!? It's that easy..." Paimon flew to Dain's side in surprise, looked around, and indeed there was no trace of the black mist.

"Kanria's technology, the aura of the abyss... all too familiar. These things are nothing but illusory bubbles in my eyes."

Kong: "As expected, the Abyss Order is trying to hide some secret. They created this barrier to prevent outsiders from prying into their lives."

"Hmm... Dain acted like he knew so much about the inside story just now, no wonder he's being targeted by the Abyss Order."

Paimon now truly understands this; having an enemy who understands him so well, it's no wonder he wants to eliminate him.

"Dain, is this upside-down city related to the Abyss Order?" Kong looked at the ruins again and asked.

"I'm afraid there's no necessary connection. The closer I get, the more certain I am that these ruins originated from a much earlier civilization. It's just that the Abyss Order got there first."

"However, the architectural structure here is indeed somewhat similar to that of the old Kanria, hmm... it would look even more like it if you turned it upside down."

Dai reminisced about her former home without much emotion.

"Let's go, there's light there. Be careful not to fall off the platform ahead."

Paimon: "Okay, I won't fall."

(→_→) "That's because you keep flying and never land."

"Oh, is that so...hehe." Paimon scratched his head and smiled sheepishly.

"Let's go, watch your step." Although he knew this was somewhat unnecessary, being extremely careful was necessary when venturing deep into enemy territory.

"Yes, you also said that you came to pursue the Abyss Apostles. Now the enemy is in the shadows, and we are in the light. The advantage lies with them."

“Of course, I won’t forget.” With that, Dain led them toward the ruins.