Yelan also noticed Su Yuan's sowhat uneasy expression and asked, "Su Yuan, what's going on? Do you think Mr. Zhongli has been taken over by an eerie?"
"Although he's indeed been acting a bit strange, not every abnormal behavior is caused by an eerie, you know..."
"Besides, there haven't been any disappearances or murders in Liyue Harbor in the past few days."
Su Yuan also fell into deep thought.
Although he knew so intel, due to the warning from the ssage in his left palm, he didn't dare to share it with Yelan...
Eeries are capable of disguise, and the more powerful they are, the better they seem to be at hiding themselves...
That old granny in Mingyun Village, for example—she was elderly, and after becoming eerie, her strength wasn't great.
She wasn't good at disguising either—she would attack anyone on sight...
Then there was that shopkeeper Liang—he could put up so façade, but he couldn't suppress his urge to kill...
Sotis, those eery ones who show obvious signs and can't restrain their behavior are actually the easiest to detect...
But the ones who hide themselves so well, who don't reveal anything easily... those are the truly troubleso ones...
If Zhongli has already fallen into eerie transformation, then it's like the Liyue Chapter has just begun—and we've been thrown straight into hell difficulty...
At this point, we still know absolutely nothing about the conditions for Zhongli's eerie transformation, or what kind of abilities he might have in that state...
"Yelan, I won't waste any more words. Just... please trust on this—we have to head back to Liyue Harbor imdiately!"
Su Yuan looked at Yelan with utmost seriousness and determination, and said:
"I must et Mr. Zhongli face to face!"
.................
Aether and Paimon looked out at the swirling sandstorm outside the cave—the massive storm still showed no signs of stopping...
But Aether was truly worried now.
He really wanted to know what exactly was going on in Suru.
After thinking it over for a long ti, they finally decided to use the intact teleport waypoint nearby...
"Haaah... huff..."
Aether took a deep breath, then exhaled slowly. He looked at Paimon and said:
"Paimon, are you ready? Here we go!"
"Mhm!"
Paimon nodded and tightened her grip on Aether's collar...
Then, Aether slowly reached out and touched the teleport waypoint, closing his eyes as he followed the flow of ley lines, searching for the place he wanted to go...
In the next mont, a swirl of blue energy surrounded both Aether and Paimon, and in a flash, they vanished from the cave...
—
The very next second, when Aether opened his eyes, he found himself standing at the teleport waypoint beneath the Palace of Alcazarzaray.
"Yes! We made it!" Paimon cheered, flailing her arms in excitent.
Though the teleportation had been successful, Aether frowned slightly.
Sothing felt... off.
More than that, the experience just now didn't feel like the teleportation he was used to.
Normally, teleporting felt smooth and seamless—like drifting gently through warm water with the current...
But this ti, it felt like his body had been twisted, pulled apart, and sliced again and again...
If he hadn't arrived here in one piece, Aether would've thought he'd just been chopped into bits.
Aether glanced over at Paimon again, puzzled.
Why was she acting like nothing was wrong?
Didn't she feel that strange teleportation experience just now?
He was just about to say sothing to her when he suddenly noticed sothing else that felt off...
Every ti he'd teleported to this location before, there were always two Eremite squads stationed nearby—two groups of thirty rcenaries guarding the path up to the Palace of Alcazarzaray.
But now... where were they? Where did they go?
That's when Aether finally realized what was missing—it was the sound of those two greeting him!
Every ti he ca here in the past, those two would always greet him with enthusiasm, saying:
"Haha! The famous Traveler is back again!"
Aether ran a few more steps and looked toward the pavilion below, only to find that the blue flower in the center had withered, and the scholar nad Faqani was nowhere to be seen...
That scholar Faqani practically spent all day here, lost in thought.
For him not to be here at this hour—sothing must have gone terribly wrong!
And the flower in the center of the pavilion had clearly wilted from lack of watering and care...
It was obvious no one had tended to it in so ti.
A growing sense of unease welled up inside Aether.
He quickly grabbed Paimon's hand and ran up toward the Palace of Alcazarzaray.
But when they arrived at the palace gates, they found no sign of the Eremites stationed there either—and the scholar Ashke, who always liked to gaze up at the sky and contemplate life, was also completely missing...
Standing high up with a wide view, Aether anxiously approached the edge of the overlook and peered down at the city of Suru below...
Only to be struck with horror—at this hour, the usually bustling and lively streets of Suru City were completely empty.
Not a single soul could be seen.
Where were the people of Suru? Where had everyone gone?
The unease in Aether's heart had reached its peak.
He turned to look at the tightly shut doors of the Palace of Alcazarzaray.
He had a strong feeling—there was so earth-shattering secret hidden inside...
Nahida... What's your situation right now?
Suru... What exactly has happened here?
Aether swallowed hard, beads of sweat forming on his forehead.
Staring at the sealed entrance ahead, he hesitated—should he go in?
Even Paimon had finally sensed sothing was wrong.
She hid behind Aether, trembling as she spoke:
"Traveler... What's going on? Why haven't we seen a single living person this whole ti..."
"I'm afraid... Suru has already been touched by the Eerie as well," Aether said slowly.
"Paimon... I've decided to go into the Palace of Alcazarzaray to find out what's going on."
"This could be dangerous, so... you shouldn't co with ."
In the end, Aether made his decision—to enter the palace and uncover the truth.
Even if sothing happened and he died... it didn't matter.
He could still preserve his mories and rewind ti.
"Traveler, don't do this..." Paimon looked at the Traveler, her voice trembling with fear.
"I don't want to be separated from you..."
"Traveler, how about we just leave Suru for now..."
"Whether it's going to Fontaine to seek help from Neuvillette and the others... or heading to Liyue to see if Su Yuan can help us..."
"Either way, let's not stay here..."
"Paimon... I understand how you feel..."
Aether looked at Paimon, cald the fear in his heart, and showed a faint smile.
"A hero... can't run away from the battlefield!"
"Nahida... everyone in Suru... I'm coming to save you now!"
As he spoke, Aether slowly pushed open the doors to the Palace of Alcazarzaray.
What t his eyes next was the sight of countless human bodies, suspended from the ceiling of the Palace of Alcazarzaray by ropes—dangling in the air...
Just like how hams are hung in rows from the rafters in so rural villages...
Their bodies were covered in blood, their breathing faint...
Among them, Aether saw many familiar faces...
Nilou... Dehya... Alhaitham... Kaveh... Dori... Deyha... and many, many more...
And right in the center of the palace sat Nahida, smiling as she looked toward the doorway.
"Traveler... you've returned to Suru so soon, huh..."
"Welco... to my humble ho..."
---------------
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