Dainsleif watched as Lumine and Paimon spoke.
"So, your brother told you—"
"That the fall of Khaenri'ah led to a cataclysm that changed the world, and he wanted you to leave this place called Teyvat with him."
Dainsleif's voice was calm as he looked at Lumine.
"Khaenri'ah's destruction… Is that really what he said?"
Paimon turned toward Lumine, her expression serious.
"Yes, those were his exact words," Lumine nodded.
"You both experienced that disaster… That was five hundred years ago."
"Which means your first awakening in this world must have happened during that time as well."
Dainsleif's tone carried a hint of contemplation.
"Then that means your brother…"
"Since he woke up first, he must have understood this world far better than you at the time."
Paimon spoke thoughtfully.
"And soon after that—"
"You encountered a god that blocked your path and failed to escape."
Dainsleif continued.
"Yeah, this part I know best," Paimon nodded.
After all, this was the first story she had heard when Lumine fished her out of the water.
At the mention of the unknown god, Lumine's gaze unconsciously shifted to Qiu Bai, who was standing beside her.
"Lumine, tell me."
"The god that stopped you—what did they look like?"
Qiu Bai turned to her, meeting her eyes.
Perhaps she thought he might know something.
Unfortunately, he had spent most of his time in deep sleep. As a traveler from another world, he did know what the Sustainer of Heavenly Principles looked like—but he chose to feign ignorance.
"Let me think…"
Lumine placed a hand over her chest, recalling the deity's features before describing them to Qiu Bai.
Then, she looked at him expectantly.
"…No."
"Of the gods I know, none match that description."
Qiu Bai furrowed his brows, pretending to be puzzled.
Technically, he wasn't lying. Among the deities he knew in this world, none looked like the one Lumine had described.
"Even Qiu Bai doesn't know?!"
"But aren't you—"
Paimon's eyes widened as she turned to Qiu Bai in disbelief.
Seeing Lumine's disappointment, Qiu Bai sighed inwardly.
Truth be told, he would have liked to know more as well, but having been asleep for so long, there was no way he could.
"I'm sorry, Lumine. I really don't know."
"The identity of the god you encountered is a mystery to me."
Qiu Bai spoke gently.
"Hmph. It seems this 'Mr. Qiu Bai' knows quite a lot."
"Even the Traveler is looking to you for answers."
Dainsleif narrowed his eyes at Qiu Bai, frowning slightly.
He didn't suspect Qiu Bai of being a god—rather, he assumed him to be some kind of powerful practitioner.
After all, Teyvat was home to countless beings, but there were only eight known gods.
Unlike in a game, deities weren't something one could simply meet at will.
"It's fine, don't mind me."
"Go ahead, Dainsleif."
Qiu Bai smiled, waving a hand.
"When you first awoke, you were in a hurry to leave this world and didn't know anything about Khaenri'ah."
"But now that you've learned more about Teyvat, you suspect that the battle you witnessed was the one that led to Khaenri'ah's downfall. Am I right?"
Dainsleif crossed his arms as he looked at Lumine.
"…Even though it was just a name to me back then," Lumine murmured, "it seems to be the most important clue, second only to the eight Archons."
"Yes, and if you seek the gods, you can travel across all seven nations."
"But Khaenri'ah, which was destroyed five hundred years ago… is nowhere to be found."
Paimon placed a hand on her head, shaking it slightly.
"I know more about Khaenri'ah than you do."
Dainsleif's expression darkened as he spoke.
"Khaenri'ah is a nation without gods. It's not that their gods died or abandoned them—
They simply never existed in Khaenri'ah's history to begin with."
He looked at the three of them and continued.
"It was a powerful civilization built entirely by humans."
"They took great pride in their unprecedented prosperity and technological achievements."
Dainsleif lowered his gaze momentarily, lost in thought. Then, he slowly lifted his head.
"…It was strong. And yes, it was worthy of pride."
"Yeah… Just look at Sumeru's two 'big treasures,' and you'll know what I mean."
Qiu Bai muttered under his breath, his lips twitching slightly.
Those two giant automatons had left quite the impression on him when he played the game before arriving in this world.
"A country… without gods?"
Paimon murmured, feeling unsettled.
"And as your memories suggest…"
"Everything was ultimately destroyed by the gods."
Dainsleif's tone was heavy.
"…You mean—"
Paimon's voice wavered.
"Five hundred years ago, the gods descended upon Khaenri'ah and annihilated it."
"They wiped away humanity's so-called pride… like weeds plucked from the divine garden."
Dainsleif's words carried an undeniable weight.
"How… how could that be?"
"There's no mention of this in any history book…"
Paimon's voice trembled with disbelief.
"This is beyond cruel."
"A world this dangerous… I need to find my brother as soon as possible."
Lumine clenched her fists, her gaze drifting toward Qiu Bai, brows furrowed.
Paimon, too, stared blankly at him.
Feeling their eyes on him, Qiu Bai couldn't help but twitch at the corner of his mouth.
"Hey, now… Don't look at me like that."
"I seriously don't know anything."
He rubbed his forehead in exasperation.
"…And yet, there were some gods who never appeared during that disaster."
"One of them was the God of Yin and Yang, Meleaus—
also known as Liyue's Immortal Lord of Yin and Yang."
Dainsleif spoke slowly.
"I heard that this immortal had been asleep for a thousand years."
"He only recently awakened, obliterated the Vortex Archon with a single strike… and then fell back into slumber."
Paimon quickly glanced at Lumine, who was still frowning at Qiu Bai, before hurriedly speaking up.
Qiu Bai immediately nodded along.
If he didn't, Lumine might start getting suspicious.
Seeing Qiu Bai's agreement, Lumine finally relaxed her expression.
After all, she had heard similar rumors—Qiu Bai had supposedly been asleep all this time.
"…Yes. That immortal has always been shrouded in mystery."
"But dwelling on the past here will only wear us down."
Dainsleif's gaze swept over them.
"Dainsleif, it's not that I'm mysterious."
"It's just that I was literally asleep the whole time."
Qiu Bai sighed, his lips twitching again.
Then, he turned toward Lumine, who was still deep in thought, staring at him.
"…Next time we see Venti and Zhongli," Lumine murmured, "I think we'll need to hear their explanations."
Her brows furrowed again.
If Qiu Bai truly didn't know, then Venti and Zhongli surely did.
"For now, let's keep moving."
"As for the answers you seek—"
"I'll share what I know along the way."
Dainsleif's voice was calm as he led them forward.