Mu Yang recounted his entire conversation with Clarisse without omission.

"These were her exact words?"

Mu Yang nodded.

Yaojun fell into thought—this seemed somewhat different from what she had previously understood. She voiced the discrepancies she had noticed earlier.

Mu Yang had returned from Liyue Harbor with news of Guizhong's demise. Shortly after, he shared Morax's and Liyue Harbor's response. Not long after that, Clarisse relocated from Yilong Wharf to Mt. Lingmeng.

At first, no one paid it much mind. After all, her words and actions remained unchanged from usual.

But not long ago, Yaojun had some matters regarding Chenyu Vale to discuss with her and went to Mt. Lingmeng to find her. Upon entering, however, she noticed something off about Clarisse's demeanor.

"She said she had a dream but didn't tell me the specifics," Yaojun explained. "During our conversation afterward, she seemed distracted, staring blankly at the materials on her desk several times."

"Before I left, I checked her condition and caught a glimpse of those documents."

Mu Yang picked up where she left off. "I'm guessing they were reports about other gods being defeated by Morax?"

Yaojun's expression darkened. "Correct. The 'Chi' of Qingce Village."

"Rumor has it that it was torn into several pieces, each sealed in different locations..."

Mu Yang asked, "You suspect Clarisse was frightened by this?"

"Mn." Yaojun nodded. "That's part of it."

"But the bigger reason is likely that dream."

Yaojun sighed. "In the end, what exactly is this so-called 'war' about?"

She looked into Mu Yang's eyes, hoping he would offer a reasonable explanation as he usually did.

"I'm not sure either. Perhaps only those at the level of gods would know..."

Mu Yang avoided elaborating.

In Genshin Impact, this war was only hinted at through fragmented information, and it involved the Heavenly Principles—knowledge this identity of his shouldn't possess. Explaining further would be futile.

He pointed at the medical notes on the table.

"Are these preparations for an emergency?"

"And that line in the journal just now—'distributing adeptal energy to the butterflies so they can guide mortals to the prescriptions...'?"

Yaojun admitted helplessly that it was indeed the case.

There was no other choice. Mortals were too fragile.

If Clarisse truly intended to negotiate peace with Morax as she claimed, that would naturally be for the best.

Mu Yang suggested, "Since it's just a precaution, why don't I teach you a few self-defense techniques?"

"Hehe, I thought your swordsmanship consisted of untransmittable secret techniques."

Yaojun teased him lightly. "Help me finish organizing these things first."

With Mu Yang's assistance, the two quickly sorted out the documents in Fuxian Cave.

Afterward, Mu Yang asked Yaojun if she knew where Fujin had gone.

"I didn't see her at Qiaoying Village earlier, and Lingyuan didn't know her whereabouts either."

"I'm not sure, but Fujin might have noticed something too..."

The two left Fuxian Cave to search for Fujin.

As soon as they stepped out, they saw a figure leap down from the opposite mountain and plunge into the small stream of Yaodie Valley.

Had they not sensed the adeptal energy emanating from her, they would have immediately dived in to rescue her.

After a while, a small fish poked its head out of the water.

Who else could it be but Fujin?

"Ah, it's you two! What a coincidence, hehe..."

The two on the shore exchanged glances and shook their heads in amusement.

Fujin was as carefree and unrestrained as ever.

Mu Yang asked her where she had been earlier—why had she jumped down from the mountain?

Fujin swam a few laps in the water before hopping onto the bank to answer.

She said she had been searching the southern ridges of Chenyu Vale to see if there were any other areas suitable for human habitation and development.

Yaojun asked why she was doing this. "Was it Clarisse's idea?"

As one of Chenyu Vale's leaders, Yaojun, along with Fujin and Clarisse, decided the region's developmental direction.

Yilong Wharf and Qiaoying Village were both located in the upper valley of Chenyu Vale.

Currently, both settlements were thriving—so much so that they could hardly be called villages anymore. They were practically small city-states.

Why, then, was there a need to seek out new living areas?

Did Fujin and the others have new plans?

Fujin hurriedly clarified, "No, it's just..."

She hesitated before voicing the anomalies she had recently noticed.

Fujin's true form was a koi, so she was particularly sensitive to water quality.

Lately, she had detected a strange energy in the waters of Chenyu Vale.

She asked other aquatic creatures, and they seemed to sense it too, but none could identify what it was.

"Until a few days ago, when I entered Clarisse's abode on Mt. Lingmeng."

Fujin continued, "Though the energy vanished almost instantly, I still sensed it."

"It was identical to the residual energy in the water."

She was certain.

Yaojun wondered, "Could it be that the seals on those two jade pendants are failing?"

She was referring to the two large jade pendants at Baojuekou, which had been created using Clarisse's power to hold back floods.

Fujin denied this, explaining that the reason the energy felt unusual was precisely because it didn't belong to Clarisse herself.

Hearing this, Mu Yang frowned.

Could it be... Forbidden Knowledge?

Had Clarisse been driven to desperation and started researching such things?

This was not something to mess with!

On their way back to Qiaoying Village, Fujin and Yaojun continued speculating about possible explanations.

Though their opinions differed, both still believed Clarisse wouldn't do anything extreme.

For now, they merely made some basic preparations, such as constructing a few shelters for mortals.

———

A few days later, Clarisse appeared in Qiaoying Village and summoned Mu Yang and the other three for a discussion on their next course of action.

The group gathered around a table.

Given the gravity of the topic at hand, the setting seemed far too casual—this was Fujin's home, and the atmosphere was more like a casual get-together.

Clarisse assured them there was no need for formality; this was just an informal chat.

This time, she held nothing back, disclosing the details of the "Archon War" to those present.

In short, the one in the heavens sought to determine a single victor in each region.

The seven who emerged triumphant in the war would be granted the authority to guide Teyvat.

This was the first time Fujin and the others had heard of such a thing, and they were stunned.

"Does this mean... an alliance is no longer possible?" Fujin asked anxiously.

She understood what "a single victor" entailed.

Clarisse's answer was uncertain.

She admitted she didn't know whether submitting to another god would count as defeat.

This was precisely why she had called them here today—to hear their opinions.

As for Clarisse's explanation, Mu Yang no longer believed it.

After all, he knew how the story of Chenyu Vale's god ended.

Ever since Fujin mentioned the strange energy in the water, Mu Yang was almost certain Clarisse had touched something she shouldn't have.

The good news was that, after investigating, he found no signs of contamination on Fujin.

This differed from the situation in Sumeru.

As for why, Mu Yang wasn't sure yet.

During this discussion, Fujin and the others naturally still advocated for peace talks.

Clarisse also agreed with a smile.

But at the end, she posed a hypothetical:

If it truly came down to the worst-case scenario... what then?

The group exchanged uneasy glances, unsure how to respond.

Clarisse didn't press them for an answer. Instead, she stood up and left.

After that day, she chose to seclude herself, refusing all visitors.

Mt. Lingmeng was sealed off, and no one could approach.

This abnormal behavior forced Mu Yang and the others to take action.

They gathered once more to discuss.

"It seems we'll need to build more shelters," Mu Yang proposed. "Preferably in higher locations."

"Given what Fujin said about the energy in the water, she might try to use it..."

Fujin: "When I ran into you two earlier, I was exploring the southern ridges. There's a place there that's spacious enough."

Lingyuan: "But the issue isn't the shelters, right? How do we explain this to the humans?"

"No matter how you look at it, our lord..."

This question stumped them all.

The four of them could brainstorm solutions, but the people of Chenyu Vale remained completely unaware.

In their eyes, Chenyu Vale was as peaceful as ever.

Clarisse was still their beloved ruler—just one who rarely appeared nowadays.

"That's true, but... this is just a worst-case contingency."

In the days that followed, Mu Yang and the others hired over a dozen craftsmen to construct shelters throughout Chenyu Vale.

The largest one was at Chizhang Wall in the southern ridges...