Genshin Impact: Awakening in the Darkness

Chapter 153 Deep Within the Rocky Abyss

"Any quests related to the Layered Rock Abyss? Let me look for them, please wait a moment."

Katherine from Liyue began searching through the quest list, and the ones who came to accept the quest were Kong and Paimon, who had just returned from Mondstadt.

"Phew—, the adventure in Liyue is finally about to begin again! I can't wait!" Paimon rubbed his hands together excitedly, waiting for the moment when Catherine would issue the quest.

“Yes, there just happened to be a request from a miner, it seems to be about investigating the Layered Rock Abyss.” Catherine handed over an empty task sheet and began to explain, “Let the client communicate with you in more detail. His name is Yuehui, and he should be near the Layered Rock Abyss right now.”

"Hey, has the lockdown been lifted over there?" Paimon asked, puzzled. She and Sora had been planning to sneak in earlier.

Catherine: "I'm not too clear on the specifics. Let the client give you an answer."

"Okay, let's get going!" Kong took the mission sheet and waved goodbye to Catherine.

Catherine: "Hmm, towards the stars and the abyss... well, this time it really seems to be towards the 'abyss.' Good luck to you both."

Along the way, Sky and Paimon also picked up a few treasure chests, just as Zhongli had described. They wouldn't overlook any suspicious spot in their field of vision; they were all filled with glittering Mora!

"We've arrived at Paimon! Good thing we're back!" Kong shouted to Paimon, who was searching for a treasure chest in the distance.

"Oh—! Here it comes—!" Paimon responded while throwing away the branch she had just picked up. She thought there would be one in the bushes, but it turned out to be just a few pine cones, no treasure chest.

Sigh, I'm a little disappointed.

"Alright, let's do the quest first. We can look for the treasure chest later, but if we delay any longer, people will get impatient." Sora rubbed Paimon's head to comfort her slightly disappointed mood, and she soon regained her spirits.

"Then hurry up and go! Mora Mora! Hehe."

Seeing Paimon's money-grubbing attitude, Kong was already used to it, but still reminded him, "Don't forget Qingyue's mission."

"Yes, Paimon remembers, cleaning the grime from the surface of the ley lines. That is, the more the better, we have luminous stones, which is very convenient."

“Let’s go. Do you think that person might be the client?” Kong gestured for Paimon to look ahead. A burly man was looking around, as if he was waiting for someone. He was sweating, and there were several carts of ore nearby, looking like he had just finished work.

"Hello! Are you... Yuehui? We're from the Adventurers' Guild." Paimon stepped forward, greeted them, and identified himself; they didn't want to be seen as suspicious individuals.

The merchant named Yuehui smiled and replied, "Oh, it's a pleasure to meet you. It was indeed the request I posted. Hmm? This person looks somewhat familiar... Is he a famous adventurer?"

Kong: "You should tell me about the request first; we can discuss the rest later."

Yuehui: "I see. Okay. Let me introduce myself first. I'm a miner who recently obtained a mining permit for the Layered Rock Abyss, and I have some brothers working for me."

"They actually managed to get a mining permit for the Layered Rock Abyss?"

Paimon was somewhat surprised, knowing that the last time they went to the Laminariat, they were with a professional team. He'd heard their commission took a long time to process, and that Liyue had explicitly prohibited mining in that area at the time.

It's easy to imagine how capable this miner named Yuehui was.

"Yes, Yujingtai has finally come to its senses. Under the protection of Qianyan Army, they have begun to permit some mineral mining limited to shallow areas. We were among the first to do so." Yuehui was also very proud, but when the rest of the conversation came up, his expression became visibly more serious.

"But recently some things have happened, and the miners are feeling uneasy."

Empty: "What happened? We don't think we've heard anything about it."

"Hmm... this matter isn't a huge deal, but it's not insignificant either, it's just a bit strange..." Yuehui hesitated for a moment, but finally explained the details: "One of our brothers was resting when he suddenly noticed several Hilichurls passing by looking dazed. And these Hilichurls didn't even glance at him, they just went straight into the depths of the Layered Rock Abyss."

"So that brother deliberately observed for a period of time and found that similar situations would occur from time to time."

Paimon: "Do Hilichurls have curiosity too? Or maybe they're just wandering around?"

"No, the strange thing is that he discovered the Hilichurls who had come to the Layered Rock Abyss..."

"...It's always been a 'one-way street' where nothing comes out."

Yuehui frowned, and his voice lowered, causing them all to pause for a moment.

“The Hilichurls always move in one direction; once they go in, they never come out again. Lately, this has become increasingly frequent.”

"What exactly were those Hilichurls' goals?", "What happened to them afterward?", "Could they be plotting some kind of calamity?"...

"These thoughts kept popping into the minds of the miners, and many of them were going crazy with fear."

The thought of the workers' condition deeply troubled him; it was a constant worry for them, and they would keep thinking about it as long as they didn't know the truth.

Paimon: "Hmm, I think I can understand... Just hearing about it gives me the creeps..."

“It is indeed a very strange event…” Kong frowned slightly. He had encountered many strange events before, and quite a few of them were related to the “Abyss Order”.

It seems that we must investigate this matter, whether it is because of Xuan Qing's request or for his own sake.

"Are we...are we really going to take this job? Um, miner, let us think about it some more..." Paimon was a little flustered, tugging at the empty corner of his clothes, preparing to avoid discussing it.

Kong shook his head slightly at her and said directly, "We accept."

Hey! Can you consider my opinion too?

Paimon stared at him with wide eyes, silently accusing him.

“Paimon, we have to go. These strange occurrences make me suspect a connection to the ‘Abyss Order.’”

"So that's how you see it... Well, okay then, maybe there really is some clue about your blood relatives hidden here."

Sora knew he had always wanted to find his sister Paimon, but unexpectedly, his sister was connected to the "Abyss Order".

Since it concerns the "Abyss Order," there's a reasonable explanation for why Sora would want to investigate.

"Have you two decided to take on this commission? I don't want my mining license to go to waste," Yuehui asked again, still not entirely convinced.

Sora: "Well, let's just say we want to satisfy our curiosity too."

"That's a huge help! I'll tell you roughly where those Hilichurls went..."

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