Genshin Impact's Incense Burner Of Liyue [508]

"Before you can become a millionaire, the Kanjou and Tenryou Commissions will arrest you for smuggling and disrupting Inazuma’s economy."

Gu Sanqiu smacked Itto on the head.

"Quit daydreaming and check if there’s anything dangerous nearby."

Dandelion seeds selling for 60,000 Mora per handful—yeah, he’d heard about that before. Honestly, he could accept that price.

After all, dandelions didn’t grow anywhere in Inazuma. It made sense for them to be expensive.

But that Liyue mill owner who sold Glaze Lilies for 50,000 Mora a piece?

That guy was a mystery.

Especially since Glaze Lilies literally grew in the fields next to his shop.

Qingce Village wasn’t some fancy tourist hotspot, either. The odds of scamming an outsider were slim. And locals? They weren’t dumb enough to buy a single flower for that price.

What kind of business model was that?

Moo—

Ushi suddenly let out a long call and waddled over to Itto, shaking his body as if trying to communicate.

Gu Sanqiu couldn’t understand a word.

For all he knew, this was some mystical, oni-exclusive language between Itto and his shikigami.

"Huh? You found something, Ushi?"

Itto turned toward a massive boulder ahead of them.

"Boss! Ushi says there’s something inside this rock! Should we break it open?"

"Step back."

Gu Sanqiu narrowed his eyes.

As far as he remembered, neither he nor Albedo had placed traps here. That meant this was something else entirely.

"This looks like artificial rock. At least the outer layer."

His Geo shield flared to life as he ran his hand along the cracked surface.

Then, with a powerful grip, he crushed the outer shell.

"Keh keh keh! HAHAHA! Hohohoho! Heeheehee—"

A bizarre, almost unnerving laugh rang out the moment the rock shattered.

Everyone immediately drew their weapons.

"They’re here! They’ve come at last—these pathetic challengers have entered my domain!

"Descendant of the elves, weak little Klee! If you wish to lay eyes upon the true form of your king, you must first overcome the trials I have prepared!"

"Fail, and in five days' time, I shall descend upon you! I will claim the world's greatest treasures and cast you into the depths of despair!"

The remaining rock crumbled away, revealing an intricate mural beneath it.

A masterpiece.

It depicted a massive, dark red figure with glowing violet eyes, surrounded by raging flames.

Countless warriors advanced toward the monstrous entity, but many had already fallen at its feet.

"So this is the true form of Dodo-King?"

Kaeya studied the artwork carefully.

"If this wasn’t painted by a survivor who escaped Dodo-King’s grasp, there’s only one other explanation."

He tapped his chin.

"This suggests Dodo-King has an entire religious following—and this is a sacred image glorifying their leader’s power."

Rumble—

Sudden, heavy tremors echoed from all directions.

The once clear blue sky rapidly became shrouded in thick mist.

"Heh. This scene looks familiar."

Kaeya smirked.

"Remember? Back when we ventured into that ruin—you know, before we met that entity—we encountered something very similar."

A trap.

Or perhaps, not quite.

Despite the ominous atmosphere, no immediate attack followed.

There was no swarm of enemies.

No island-wide lockdown.

Instead, the place remained eerily peaceful.

It was almost like... a vacation resort.

"A trial before the final audience."

Diluc nodded. "Are you saying this so-called ‘Dodo-King’ is a god?"

Kaeya shrugged.

"Who knows? But one thing’s clear—anyone this bold must have the strength to back it up."

Jean frowned. "So... are we actually going along with these trials?"

Albedo answered first.

"Yes. Enemies like this tend to be obsessed with ensuring their ‘rituals’ are properly completed."

He adjusted his gloves.

"If we play along, we can simultaneously prepare a countermeasure of our own."

"Boss, what are they talking about?" Itto whispered.

Gu Sanqiu raised a brow.

"You sure you wanna be part of the brainstorming team?"

He casually formed a small Geo crystal and handed it to Barbara, who was helping Klee make flower crowns.

"Ooooh."

Itto scratched his head.

"Sounds like a lot of thinking. Yeah, forget it."

He patted Ushi’s head.

"But man, how long are they gonna take? I just wanna punch that big, dumb Dodo-King straight in the face! Who does he think he is, playing tricks on me!?"

Gu Sanqiu gave him a long, hard look.

If they actually met, Itto would 100% be the one getting his face smashed in.

Actually, no.

Knowing Alice, she wouldn’t even beat him up.

She’d mentally break him.

Toy with him until he was on his knees, begging for mercy.

This was a woman as chaotic as Yae Miko—but with even more resources, deadlier tricks, and a destruction radius that made the Fatui Harbingers look like amateurs.

"Sanqiu."

Albedo approached.

"Considering how quickly we encountered this, something—or someone—is tracking our movements."

He glanced at the others.

"The decision has been made. We’ll proceed with these ‘trials’ while secretly preparing an ambush of our own."

"Works for me."

Gu Sanqiu nodded.

This was just a fun little trip anyway.

There was no real pressure.

It wasn’t like Alice would actually harm her own daughter.

And in the original timeline, nothing dangerous had really happened.

The biggest potential threat, Maguu Kenki, had already been dismantled by him and Albedo.

If there was a genuine crisis, Blondie and Paimon would’ve already shown up to stand beside him.

Because, as the old saying goes:

"If you're in danger, don’t panic. Just cling to the protagonist's leg, and even if you die, there's a chance you'll respawn."

(Scratched out.)

Blondie confirmed as the ultimate plot device.

Gu Sanqiu coughed lightly.

He wasn’t disrespectful toward the future "Savior of Teyvat"...

He just didn’t feel any particular admiration, either.

In fact, aside from Aether’s hidden identities, there was only one thing about him that truly fascinated Gu Sanqiu:

That absurdly unnatural ability to make people like him.

The way Aether somehow won the hearts of practically everyone he met.

And Gu Sanqiu did not believe for a second that it was just because he was "a good guy."

No, this was something else entirely.

A built-in "charm function."

Or maybe a divine fate manipulation system.

Whatever it was, it had to be connected to his destined role as the chosen one.

"Teyvat’s empty throne? Whoever wants to sit on it can go right ahead. I have zero interest."

Compared to all that nonsense, Gu Sanqiu suddenly remembered something far more entertaining.

That voice message from earlier.

The one left by Alice.

"If you fail to complete the trials in five days, Dodo-King will descend upon you!"

…So, what did that actually mean?

Would Alice reveal the truth to Klee?

Or would she get bored waiting and come over herself to forcefully guide them to the ending?

That meant…

If Gu Sanqiu intentionally stalled their progress—

Alice would personally show up to reunite with her daughter.

Hah. Now that’s a thought.

Wasn’t that better than setting up some elaborate puzzle for their entertainment?

A mother-daughter reunion was much more touching!

…But.

Knowing Alice,

Her definition of "casting them into the depths of despair" probably meant wiping the entire Golden Apple Archipelago off the map.

Yeah.

Maybe don’t piss off the chaotic elven madwoman.

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This is a fan translation of 原神之璃月奉香人 by 淡白蛋清. All rights to the original work belong to the creator. Please support them by exploring their original work or sharing it with others if you can. Thank you for reading and supporting my efforts to bring this story to a wider audience!