Northwest Sumeru, in the area of what was once the desert of Gavireh Lajavard and the Amrita Pool.
This was also the location of the Tunigi Hollow.
Due to the Celestial Nail and the influence of the Abyss, this area had been exceptionally barren. So much so that despite being the closest Sumeru region to Fontaine's largest external port, Romaritime Harbor—the two even facing each other across the sea—it had become one of Sumeru's most desolate lands.
However, since Fontaine and Sumeru began their close cooperation—after Jiang Qiao had led Apep away, removed the Celestial Nail, and simultaneously reinforced the Abyssal breach in the Tunigi Hollow—this place, closest to Fontaine, became Sumeru's gateway to Fontaine, flourishing with prosperity. With the most difficult obstacles gone, its potential was unlocked.
Standing on high ground, one could see countless ships arriving from Fontaine. Simultaneously, numerous stalls and buildings, blending Fontainian and Sumerian architectural styles, coexisted in perfect harmony.
The number of Melusines and Fontainians here far exceeded that in Sumeru City.
This wasn't surprising. After all, a new port also meant vast wealth.
Sumeru was actually quite a rich land. Due to the Akademiya's former policies promoting scholarship, many Sumeru products were bestsellers abroad.
For example, the famous "Canned Knowledge" (Akasha System) technology.
The popularity of this technology in Teyvat was immense. While other regions required arduous study to acquire knowledge, Sumeru's Canned Knowledge was unique, a runaway bestseller.
However, due to the Akademiya's past monopoly on knowledge and Sumeru's highly conservative policies, most of Sumeru's ports, like the coastal Port Ormos, were barely presentable.
As for Dornman Port, the closest to the major trading nation of Fontaine... one could only say that even a little effort would have been better than none at all.
Fortunately, after Nahida took power, she lifted these restrictions. The northwestern region—now known as Vajra—began to thrive immensely.
The Sabzeruz Festival, being a grand event for all of Sumeru, naturally included Vajra.
Since there was still some time before the festival officially began, Lumine and Paimon, who had volunteered to give Kiana Kaslana and the others a taste of the adventurer's life, brought them to Vajra.
If asked why, it was because people in Vajra were generally more generous than in Sumeru City; even the Adventurers' Guild offered significantly more Mora for commissions.
However, unexpectedly, an incident occurred during their visit.
"...It's the Fatui!"
Paimon exclaimed in surprise, looking at the young man wearing a wide-brimmed hat and the Fatui skirmishers behind him.
Lumine, too, instantly became wary, her hand resting on the Dull Blade at her waist.
Unlike in the original story where she fought the Fatui from Mondstadt all the way to Natlan, nearly battling every Harbinger, her journey starting from Fontaine meant she hadn't had as many encounters with the Fatui.
But as an adventurer, and given the Fatui's notorious reputation, it was hard for her to harbor any goodwill towards these people from Snezhnaya.
"Hm?"
The young man, noticing the commotion, slowly turned his head, revealing a face under the hat that bore a striking resemblance to a certain girl known for her cooking.
The Sixth of the Fatui Harbingers—Scaramouche.
"Hey, Mei, he looks a lot like you..." Kiana, standing beside Lumine, was initially confused upon seeing Scaramouche, but then her expression turned to surprise.
Seele chimed in, "Indeed... he really resembles Mei-nee."
"Uh..."
Raiden Mei glanced at Scaramouche with a peculiar expression. He really does look similar. If I didn't know this world wasn't my own, I'd almost suspect Father had an illegitimate child besides me.
Scaramouche, of course, heard their words. But right now, he was staring intently at Mei.
Honestly, he had no interest in this group. His trip to Sumeru was merely to deal with the mess that idiot Dottore had made, and incidentally, to conduct some reconnaissance before the Fatui made their move.
Passing adventurers and the like were just nuisances to be dealt with.
"You... are also her creation?" Scaramouche asked Mei coldly.
"Uh... who are you referring to?"
"Hmph... Playing dumb?" He scoffed at Mei's reaction, then, without pressing further, continued as if to himself, "Whatever. I have no interest in learning about her affairs anyway."
"What's with this guy? Mei, do you know him?"
"Silly Kiana, how could Mei possibly know him?"
"Perhaps he just mistook me for someone else. After all, it's a different world; it's not strange for someone to look very much like me."
"Oh, right."
The three of them chatted as if no one else was around, completely lacking any sense of crisis, seemingly ignoring him. Scaramouche smirked.
"Are you done talking?"
"Barging in here, muttering to yourselves..."
"He doesn't seem like a good person," Bronya observed, her tone serious.
Kiana's eyes widened. "Eh? Really? I thought he was a good guy."
"Kiana, don't judge him by his appearance just because he looks like me..."
"Is this world's Sister Mei a bad person?"
Raiden Mei felt like crying but had no tears as Seele joined in. "He's probably a 'brother'... No, wait, he's not me at all...!"
Scaramouche finally seemed to have lost his composure. He coldly ordered his subordinates, "Get rid of them."
"Yes, sir!"
As his men responded, Scaramouche, not expecting any trouble, headed directly towards the Tunigi Hollow, leaving them behind.
The Fatui operatives slowly closed in.
"Are we gonna fight? Perfect, I haven't stretched my muscles in ages... Leave that big fatty for me, Seele!"
"Hah... I want to stretch my muscles too. Those Hilichurls earlier were no challenge at all... Fine, I'll take the one with the gun."
In a few words, Scaramouche's Fatui squad had been divvied up.
Because Jiang Qiao had advised them that if they wanted to experience the 'adventure' in this world, it was best not to overuse their Herrscher powers, they, wanting to treat this Teyvat trip as an 'adventure RPG,' had readily agreed.
Of course, Mei didn't participate.
Or rather, she had little interest in fighting.
After all, she had come to Teyvat simply for travel and because he had invited her.
As for adventure games and such, the culinary expert wasn't exactly the playful type.
"Alright, leave these Fatui to us. You and Lumine go follow that 'Bad Mei' and stop him from doing anything evil."
"Really now... don't call him that just because he looks like me..." Raiden Mei felt helpless at Kiana Kaslana's suggestion.
"'Bad Mei' or something... doesn't that make it sound like I'm bad?"
The white-haired Tuna head scratched her head. "Hehe... he just looks so much like you, Mei, and we don't know his name..."
"Hey, big guy over there, what's your boss's name?"
"How dare you speak of Lord Scaramouche in such a manner!"
"Oh... so his name is Scaramouche. What a strange name."
Looking at Kiana's dazed expression, Raiden Mei sighed, then followed Lumine and Paimon, who were chasing after Scaramouche.
As part of Vajra and also Sumeru's most vulnerable point—after Vajra was established, the Tunigi Hollow, suppressed by a certain someone, was naturally put to use.
However, both Sumeru and Fontaine understood the dangers of this place.
When utilizing this area, Nahida, learning from Egeria's methods, planted a Spirit Tree here. Of course, she had to borrow a considerable amount of power from Furina for this, as she was still a weak Archon who hadn't fully matured.
Using Egeria's Primordial Seawater as a conduit, she enshrined the divine authority of Justice within the Hydro Archon's Gnosis, which was used to seal the Tunigi Hollow.
Fontaine's power had gradually transitioned from divine rule to human governance. After the Oratrice Mecanique d'Analyse Cardinale was destroyed and the people of Fontaine no longer needed the guidance of divine justice, this divine authority of Justice indeed found a new purpose.
However...
Such a large-scale operation inevitably attracted the attention of the Fatui.
"Hehe... there's definitely something wrong here."
Stepping into the temple that suppressed the Abyss, Scaramouche looked at the erected scales and couldn't help but sneer.
"That good-for-nothing Dottore, returning defeated from Sumeru, and now I have to make this trip. Hmph."
—Although Dottore had been crippled by Fontaine's Hydro Archon, the Fatui's plans for Sumeru couldn't just end there. After all, for the Tsaritsa of Snezhnaya, who sought to collect the Gnoses to rebel against the Heavenly Principles, both Irminsul and the Dendro Gnosis itself were irreplaceable.
Therefore, a new Harbinger was needed to come to Sumeru to complete Dottore's unfinished mission.
Originally, it should have been Arlecchino or Capitano. With Dottore, who possessed Archon-level combat power, captured, sending another Archon-level combatant was a necessary measure.
However, Arlecchino's relationship with Dottore was far from good, and Capitano had arrangements in Natlan. As for the current Scaramouche...
He was precisely the one recommended by Dottore, and... on the night before his departure.
"Hehe, I didn't expect you to become so comical after returning from Sumeru." Scaramouche, draped in the Harbinger's exclusive greatcoat, looked at the childlike Dottore, sneering repeatedly.
Although Dottore had, in a sense, done him a favor, Scaramouche's relationship with him wasn't good—or rather, among the Harbingers, none had a favorable impression of Dottore... Of course, Scaramouche himself wasn't much better.
"Shut up!" Though small, Dottore, with veins bulging on his forehead, was exceptionally agitated.
Honestly, given his temperament, he shouldn't have lost his composure like this. When facing Scaramouche, this experiment, this toy, he had always been the one with the upper hand.
However—That damned Hydro Archon and Dendro Archon...
How dare they... How dare they!
Dottore's childlike face looked incredibly ferocious.
Archon Curses... 'The Judgement of Justice' and 'The Sage's Obstruction.'
The former made him endure pain equivalent to his sins every moment—it wasn't merely physical punishment, but a meticulous torment from the physical level down to the cellular level, while also ensuring, on a mental level, that he felt the pain of the crimes he had committed. An ultimate 'judgement.'
Death was insignificant before this 'Judgement of Justice'; after all, death was but a fleeting moment.
But the judgement of the God of Justice would accompany him for the rest of his life. As long as he lived, he would suffer, endlessly.
Of course, this alone wasn't enough to break Dottore.
It was the other curse, 'The Sage's Obstruction,' that truly drove him to despair.
His proud intellect, dulled—for someone who revered wisdom and pursued truth, this was like the sky falling.
He could accept anything, even death, but he absolutely could not accept himself, a genius, falling to the level of common mortals, sharing a table with those foolish experiments.
After returning to Snezhnaya, he had pinned his hopes on the Tsaritsa, but she was powerless against these Archon curses.
She was merely an Archon of Benevolence; she couldn't interfere with Justice and Wisdom.
The only thing the Tsaritsa could do was perhaps use her authority of 'Benevolence' to slightly slow down the Judgement of Justice, making it arrive a little later.
As for actively approaching the Hydro and Dendro Archons to help Dottore, that was impossible.
After all, even to her, Dottore was not a likable figure.
Her tolerance for Dottore was entirely due to the necessity of rebelling against the Heavenly Principles and her having forsaken her own 'Benevolence.'
Dottore understood this too, so he sought a way to break the curses from Pierro, the former court mage of Khaenri'ah—as a nation without gods, Khaenri'ahns were the most adept at countering deities.
Unfortunately...
Despair... Despair, only despair...
The intertwining of Justice and Wisdom resulted in a power comparable to that of the Four Shades.
At least, until the rebellion against the Heavenly Principles succeeded, Dottore would absolutely not find release.
Ultimately, he gave up seeking liberation—and chose revenge instead.
But Dottore himself barely had the ability anymore.
Afflicted by two curses, he was now comparable to a stray dog on the streets of Snezhnaya. If not for some foundations he had laid before, given the harsh environment of Snezhnaya and the Fatui, he would have been kicked aside long ago—if nothing else, Arlecchino wouldn't have shown mercy; she hated this man to the core.
He had never cared about this before. After all, in Dottore's view, as a genius, he would always be superior to these fools. If so, their resentment and malice were merely the wails of experiments.
But now...
"I will grant your wish. In return—next, you will go to Sumeru!" Just as Scaramouche was about to flare up, Dottore's slightly trembling voice carried a hint of unyielding demand.
He didn't make many demands—his only request was for Scaramouche to go to Sumeru, and in return, he would give Scaramouche what he had always craved.
"Hehe..."
Scaramouche knew Dottore was definitely up to no good, but he didn't care in the slightest, merely sneering, "Deal."
In his eyes, no matter what Dottore was ultimately plotting, he had no fear—he hadn't feared him before, and he certainly wouldn't fear this crippled good-for-nothing now.
—Recalling all that, Scaramouche smiled disdainfully, then raised his hand, releasing a surge of energy towards the altar in the center of the temple.
According to Fatui surveillance of Sumeru, something extremely important to the Dendro Archon was likely hidden beneath this area—the Fatui speculated it might be the Dendro Archon's Gnosis.
And all he had to do was take it.
"Stop!"
Lumine's voice rang out.
"This temple is used to suppress the Abyss! What are you trying to do?"
Although most people didn't know a Gnosis was hidden in this temple, Lumine, due to her adventures, knew something of the temple's function.
And seeing what the leader of these Fatui was doing to the temple, the only thing she had to do was stop him.
"The Abyss?"
Hearing this word, Scaramouche paused his actions, then a look of understanding crossed his face. "So that's how it is..."
"Hehe, just as the report said."
He sneered. "But what does that have to do with me?"
According to the Fatui's report, the Tunigi Hollow was the site of the Abyssal outbreak five hundred years ago. This was also why the Fatui believed there was a 'suppressive artifact' in the temple.
If everything was accurate, then once the core was taken, the Abyss, having lost its suppressive artifact, would erupt.
At that time, Vajra, and even all of Sumeru, would fall, and even Fontaine might be affected.
Even a Fatui Harbinger would find such a situation hard to accept—some of the more upright ones might even choose to draw their blades against him.
But—Scaramouche was clearly an exception.
He wouldn't even mind if such actions displeased the Tsaritsa—after all, once he achieved his goal, he would have no reason to continue being a so-called Harbinger.
"I only want the Gnosis. As for the Abyss... hehe, you can deal with it yourselves."
"Of course, if I'm in a good mood, perhaps I'll help you out a bit?"
"This guy is rotten to the core! How outrageous! I'm going to give him a really nasty nickname!" Paimon stomped her foot in the air, quite angry.
Lumine didn't hesitate at all, drawing her Dull Blade and charging forward.
"Hmph... those incompetents..."
Facing the rapidly approaching blonde-haired girl, Scaramouche expressed some dissatisfaction with his subordinates, then contemptuously raised an eyebrow—while his other hand continued its work, he freed one to deal with her.
A terrifying burst of elemental power erupted.
In that instant, Lumine felt an irresistible force act upon her, sending her flying backward heavily.
However... it wasn't as she imagined. She didn't crash against the temple wall, nor did she feel the pain of shattered bones. Instead... a gentle sensation caught her.
Snapping out of her daze, she instinctively looked up. Her eyes met those of the purple-haired culinary expert who had come with her but whom she hadn't had time to look out for in her haste to stop the Fatui leader... Raiden Mei!
At the same time, a gentle voice, belonging to Raiden Mei yet somehow different, sounded in Lumine's ear:
"Looks like I arrived just in time, hmm?"