Genshin Impact: I am the Great General of Liyue

Looking at this character whom she had seen several times in the game, Huiyuan became wary.

The combat drones flying around also all turned their red eyes toward the other side.

"Intruder... state your purpose."

Looking at the small red eyes in the dark space and the cloud radiating wind element light in the center of them, the man named Dainesreb raised his hands.

“I apologize, I meant no offense. I just happened to be passing by and heard some noise coming from the cave. I thought it was a monster from the abyss, so I came to investigate. My name is Daines Reeb. Miss, would you please put down your weapon?”

Upon hearing this, Huiyuan waved his hand and put away the combat drone.

"The Abyss? This is Jueyun Pass, and it's also the territory of the Cloud-Leaving Wind True Monarch near Mount Aozang. How dare the Abyss Order come here?"

Emerging from the dark cave, Huiyuan approached Dainesreb.

Upon seeing this, Dain said, "So it's you... I recognize you. You and that girl named Ying are friends. General Dawn, right?"

"I have countless appearances, how did you recognize this one as belonging to Dawn? Never mind... since you know Sister Ying, let's lower our guard for now and talk about the Abyss Order. First question, the Abyss has indeed been active in Jueyun, hasn't it?"

"Yes, I followed the scent and passed by this cave."

"My second question is, what is your relationship with Ying now?"

"She hired me as her adventurer when she was adventuring in Mondstadt. It's common for adventurers to find teammates, right?"

"An employment relationship... Then the third question, how much do you know about me?"

"The Scions of Dawn who saved Mondstadt, the Scions of Dawn who led the army against Ocel, the self-proclaimed alien, ah... the last one I heard from Paimon."

"Fourth question: Can the investigation into the Abyss Order include me?"

"Of course. After all, this is something that will benefit both of us. If you leave them unattended, you'll have safety concerns, and I'll have a reason to chase after them."

After hearing the answer, Huiyuan breathed a sigh of relief.

(It's the first time I've used my domineering aura to suppress someone of this level, so I'm still a little nervous.)

Looking back at the cave, Huiyuan used his smart scanning glasses to observe it; it was ravaged and scarred.

There were craters everywhere, big and small, mostly caused by being too focused on training these past few days.

Huiyuan is so relaxed! He either doesn't train at all, or when he does train, he trains for days on end without rest, doing whatever comes to mind. What's that saying again... he's really bold!

They didn't stay long. After taking a long shower, they changed back into their original JK uniforms and set off with Daines Reeb.

Meanwhile, on the other side, Ying and Paimon arrived at the ruins marked on the commission form.

Sure enough, there were traces left by the Treasure Thieves and the Abyss Order here.

The journey was smooth, and no guards were found. Perhaps the thieves' plan to lure the enemy away from the mountain had succeeded.

The lighting was dim, and the further you went in, the more eerie it felt. It was definitely not the kind of eeriness you'd expect from a typical ruin; it felt more like... a demon? A ghost? A phantom?

In short, there was a sense of danger about it.

Paimon gripped Ying's clothes tightly, examining the dilapidated ruins.

Unknown purple luminous particles filled the air, making it difficult to breathe.

Following the trail left by the treasure-hunting group, they soon arrived at a secret room.

Spotting a glimmer of light in the darkness, Paimon moved in that direction and entered a small area illuminated by purple light.

After Ying followed him in, Paimon rubbed his eyes, and his heart suddenly skipped a beat.

"This... looks like a person!"

A black-haired man dressed as a member of a treasure-hunting gang was kneeling with his hands clasped together as if in prayer.

"Could he be... a master treasure thief? That posture... is he 'praying' to something?"

Why is this Fontaine treasure hunter, invited by the two major powers of Liyue and Mondstadt, kneeling here?

Wasn't he here to retrieve the treasure?

Just then, a sound of energy overflowing suddenly came from above.

Paimon was startled and quickly looked up.

"That...that's..."

The thing above their heads surprised not only Paimon, but also Ying.

"Is it... the Statue of Seven?"

The wind god statue was hanging upside down in the air, chained together, holding a purplish-black energy ball in its hands.

Furthermore, this energy cluster, like a black hole, is absorbing more and more purplish-black energy from the surrounding area.

The purple light surrounding it comes from its hand.

Seeing this scene, Paimon felt very uneasy.

"Why...why are the Seven God Statues...hanging upside down like this...and...in their hands...I remember...they were supposed to be holding a precious jewel, right? Now...what are they holding? Ugh...it's so depressing..."

Shivering, Paimon looked again at the devoutly kneeling treasure hunter.

"That great treasure thief is also motionless. Could it be that he's already... Hey, are you alright?"

Holding onto a sliver of hope, Paimon tentatively asked.

However, the other party did not respond and remained motionless, without even the rise and fall of their breath.

Mustering his courage, Paimon floated forward and took a look.

The other person's face was pale and bloodless, like a female ghost in a horror movie who had been overly photoshopped, with dry, cracked skin and dilated pupils.

"...He...he's dead. I...feel terrible."

Paimon's heart was pounding. Ying leaned closer and comforted him.

If it were anyone else, they'd probably be cowering in a corner by now, too scared to move.

Fortunately, Paimon had Luminous by his side, otherwise Gao Di would have fainted on the spot.

Feeling the warmth of the hand behind him, Paimon's nausea lessened somewhat.

They didn't stay long before deciding to return immediately and inform Gan Yu of the situation.

At this moment, the ground suddenly trembled, and black energy cracks appeared on the ground.

Seeing that things were not going well, he quickened his pace and ran away.

Just as they were about to reach the exit, a tall, thin man, taller than both Ying and Paimon combined, blocked their way.

It was clad in jet-black armor filled with water elements, its exposed skin resembling a deep abyss, its face veiled so that its eyes were obscured, making it appear like a noble guardian of a dark realm.

It emitted a majestic voice, like a judgment, and revealed its weapon.

"The mysteries of the Abyss are not to be fathomed. You have come here, you have looked directly into it. Therefore, you should bear the price commensurate with it—punishment, brought down by the Apostles."