Kiana and the Captain's Bizarre Adventure

Chapter 120 Bella: The Silly Author Finally Remembered Me

"Hmm, it hasn't been that long since we left, but it feels like we've been gone for a year!"

Paimon, stretching as he disembarked, remarked that since the lifting of the isolationist policy, trade routes between Liyue and Inazuma had been fully reopened. Taking advantage of this opportunity, Beidou's fleet, carrying Ningguang's letter, once again set foot on Inazuma's land. After handing the letter to Kongdou, Beidou departed.

Sora looked at the letter in his hand. The letter said that the Moon Festival in Liyue was coming soon, and the purpose of sending the letter was to invite the Inazuma officials to come to Liyue to celebrate the Moon Festival together and to discuss the future development of Liyue and Inazuma.

Among them were many praises for Kong's bravery and fearlessness in helping to resolve the Eye Hunt Order. Paimon exclaimed that he was truly worthy of being one of the Liyue Seven Stars, as even the isolated Inazuma could obtain so much information from them.

What Paimon didn't know was that this information was actually brought out by Fu Hua, who left with the caravan after the Eye Hunt ended and returned to Liyue. The reason Fu Hua left first was because the research on the Cloud Reaver's side had ended, and the Book of Azure had finally been freed.

Therefore, Fu Hua hoped to take the Book of Azure and explore Liyue, which is extremely similar to the ancient Shenzhou, so after explaining the reason to Kiana, she left with the caravan.

This time, thanks to Ningguang's invitation, everyone was able to have a relaxing vacation. Since Ying returned to the Pure Land of One Heart for meditation, Kiana and the others' mission remains unfinished. Bronya speculates that the mission might only be considered complete when Ying reappears to issue a new decree.

So, with a sudden burst of free time, everyone toured the entire Inazuma Castle at the invitation of Ayaka Kamisato, and during this time, they also witnessed the signing of the peace treaty between the Tenryo Magistrate and the Sangokyuu Palace together with Sora.

Although the process was somewhat tortuous, thanks to the efforts of Coral Palace Heart Sea, a second conflict did not break out. After all, before the treaty was signed, Kujo Sara had approached Mei, hoping that she could serve as a witness to the talks, and Kage also specially came out of Isshin Jodo to endorse Mei.

With Kage's words, "Seeing her is like seeing me," Kujo Sara was naturally able to completely suppress some discordant voices within the shogunate army.

Meanwhile, because of Mei's appearance, the resistance fighters at Sangokiya assumed that General Raiden had personally arrived when they saw Mei there. Even if they had objections, they dared not be the first to speak out.

After Sora showed them Ningguang's letter, Kiana and the others naturally agreed. As for the diplomatic representative representing Inazuma, Sora originally planned to invite Yae no Miko. After all, she was a member of the Thunder God's familiar, and diplomacy needed someone to keep things in order, and Yae no Miko was undoubtedly the most suitable candidate.

Unfortunately, one crucial point was overlooked: Yae no Miko was unfamiliar with diplomatic tactics, and she was also too lazy to engage in diplomatic activities. She preferred to stay at the shrine and read her light novels.

Therefore, she recommended the Kamisato siblings to go to Liyue for diplomatic activities. After the list was finalized, everyone returned to Liyue with the Kamisato family's ship.

After disembarking, Kiana grabbed Mei and headed straight for Sanwanbukonggang. According to the pattern, Zhongli happened to be nearby listening to Tian Tiezui tell stories during this time.

Kiana dragged Mei to see Zhongli this time not for any other reason than to see how Zhongli would react.

Unfortunately, Fu Hua had already spoken with Zhong Li before Kiana arrived and learned some of the true story from him. So even though Kiana brought Mei to Zhong Li, he remained calmly sitting there, drinking tea and listening to the storyteller.

The atmosphere suddenly became a little awkward. After briefly introducing Zhongli to Mei, Kiana completely ran out of things to say.

Fortunately, Kurumi, who came to see Zhongli at this moment, broke the awkwardness. Compared to Zhongli's composure, Kurumi's talkativeness suited Kiana's taste better. Before long, Kurumi became familiar with Mei, and Kiana didn't know if it was just her imagination, but she always felt that Kurumi was more interested in Mei than in herself.

Mei was also interested in this girl whose personality and voice were somewhat similar to Kiana's. Seeing this, Kiana didn't say much. After a brief farewell, she left as the two seemed to be having a pleasant conversation.

After reverting to her original, solitary state, Kiana's once sunny and cheerful expression gradually turned melancholic.

She realized she'd been in Teyvat for several months now, and during that time she'd been desperately trying to find the Captain. But no matter how hard she tried, she couldn't find any information about him. Even Bella, whom she'd recently found, had disappeared during the previous shipwreck. The only thing she knew was that Bella was indeed in this world, but she seemed to be trapped in a strange place, unable to get out for the time being.

Because Bella has an innate aversion to modern technology, she showed a firm attitude towards Ai-chan's suggestion to install a tracking system on her.

At that time, Kiana felt guilty towards Bella, which led her to be too accommodating to Bella and not agree to Ai-chan's suggestion. Even the fact that she knew Bella was still in this world was because of the special connection between Bella and her as a familiar. Due to the lack of specific coordinates and the limitations of the Herrscher of the Void's abilities, Kiana was currently unable to use the Herrscher of the Void's powers to find Bella.

This matter was thus delayed, but the good news was that Bella was not alone in the place where she was; there was also a being who called himself the Dragon King of Rota.

According to King Ratna, that place was the space Morax used to seal him away. Originally, he was a blind dragon brought to the surface by Morax, who found him because he longed to see the world and come to the surface.

After making a three-point agreement with Morax, Morax granted him eyes that could see clearly and brought him to the surface. In return, he signed a contract with Morax to protect Liyue together.

Unfortunately, as time passed, the wear and tear caused him to gradually forget the contract and the people of Liyue he was supposed to protect. In addition, the unrestrained mining by the people of Liyue damaged the ley lines on which he depended for survival. Completely losing his mind, he wreaked havoc in Liyue and eventually had a great battle with Morax in the Lava Pit.

The great battle raged from the Abyss of Layered Rocks all the way to Mount Amber, and finally, after a brief period of regaining his senses, he cooperated with Morax and the other immortals to seal himself there.

Over the long years, his consciousness split into two parts: evil and good. Some time ago, the evil thought's misdeeds almost destroyed the seal. Fortunately, the good thought appeared in time with Morax, defeated the evil thought, and stabilized the seal again. His consciousness fell into a deep sleep as the evil and good thoughts were reunited.

Bella's arrival shattered his slumber, and miraculously, after his good and evil thoughts reunited, the wear and tear on him lessened considerably. While it didn't fully restore him, at least he no longer viewed anything with malice.

This is why he didn't choose to attack Bella directly after she broke in. Moreover, for some unknown reason, Bella broke in in the form of a Honkai Beast. Seeing the dragon-like creature in front of him, the Dragon King Rhodo instinctively assumed that she was one of the second-generation Elemental Dragon Kings who had come to help him escape the seal after hearing about his deeds.

Feeling that he hadn't chatted with his own kind in a long time, King Rota warmly invited Bella to come inside the seal and have a chat with him. After all, the seal inside only worked on King Rota; to others, it was just a pretty light barrier.

Although there was no fine wine or meat, King Rota thought he was having a pleasant conversation with his kinsman and was completely unaware of Bella's blank expression and the anxiety that grew as time went on.

However, after reconnecting with Kiana, Bella gradually breathed a sigh of relief. At least she was still in the same world as her queen, and knowing that was enough. All that remained was to wait for Kiana to come and liberate her.

Bella initially wanted to break the seal and escape, but this was opposed by both Kiana and the Dragon King Rota. Unable to comply with Kiana's orders, Bella could only continue chatting with the Dragon King Rota, who had taken human form, while Kiana searched for a way to break the seal.

Kiana had already contacted Bella the moment she set foot on Liyue's land. She had even considered asking Zhongli for help to break the seal, but she couldn't come up with a reasonable reason to convince him. Furthermore, she was focused on finding Mei and getting Bella to persuade her to prioritize completing the mission. She also hoped that after completing the mission, her Herrscher of the Void abilities would no longer be restricted, allowing her to easily rescue Bella.

However, Inazuma's mission remains unfinished. Bella has been trapped within the seal of the Dragon King Rota for several months. Upon returning to Liyue, Kiana resolved to bring Bella out this time!

Kiana originally dragged Mei to see Zhongli not only to see Zhongli's reaction, but also to tell him about Bella being sealed in the Dragon King's seal.

Kiana had already prepared various excuses to persuade Zhongli to come with her on the way, but when they arrived at their destination, she became flustered. She didn't know where to begin with any of the words she wanted to say until Kurumi's appearance broke the silence. After asking Kurumi to look after Mei, Kiana left on her own, and Zhongli, who was standing nearby, got up and left as if to understand.

Finally, the two met on Mount Tianheng.

Looking down at Liyue Harbor, Zhong Li spoke.

"I wonder what business Miss Kiana has with me here?"

"I won't say those roundabout things, nor do I want to," Kiana said, taking a deep breath. "Morax, please help me break the seal on the Dragon King Jotaka! Please!"

Zhongli stared into thought as he looked at the girl bowing to him. After all, he didn't know where Kiana knew about Ruoduo, and besides, she wasn't using Zhongli but Morax. It seemed that Kiana clearly knew that he was the god of Liyue.

That makes sense, considering Kiana is one of Fu Hua's companions and I had revealed my identity to Fu Hua, so it's not surprising that Kiana knew about this.

But how did she know about Ruoduo?

Zhongli pondered for a moment and said, "Miss Kiana, could you please explain how you know about the Dragon King Rota? Although it's not appropriate for me to say this, the legend of the Dragon King Rota has indeed not been circulating in Liyue for a long time."

"Because I have an important companion or family member there..."

Zhongli listened as Kiana slowly recounted how they came to Teyvat, how they were separated from their companions, and how Bella, as her familiar and family member, managed to contact him.

After listening to Kiana's explanation, Zhongli keenly grasped the key points.

"Does Miss Kiana mean that Rota's consciousness has awakened once again, and it's even possible that he has a complete, rational consciousness?"

At this point, Zhongli's long-dormant heart stirred with emotion. For so many years, he had carried the weight of losing his comrades. Now, Kiana was telling him that his companions had a chance to return—how could he not be thrilled?

"Based on Bella's description, it seems so."

After closing his eyes and thinking for a moment, Zhongli opened them and said, "Before that, Miss Kiana, I hope to make a contract with you. Only then will I take you to break the seal on Ruoduo."

"can."

“Very good. The terms of the contract are that I will help Miss Kiana break the seal, and Miss Kiana must promise to only take away your companion, Miss Bella, and assist me in resealing the seal. If Rota loses his mind again during this period, Miss Kiana will also need to help me suppress him first before completing the seal on Rota.”

Overall, there were no traps in the contract for Kiana to fall into. Rather, Zhongli wouldn't stoop to planting any pitfalls in the contract to trick Kiana. There was just one thing Kiana couldn't understand.

"Why doesn't Mr. Zhongli take this opportunity to bring the Dragon King Ruotu out with him?"

“If I could, I would certainly like to,” Zhongli said. “But firstly, Ruotuo broke the contract I made with him, and as punishment, I sealed him in Mount Hulao. Secondly, he has forgotten too many things due to the wear and tear. Although he has regained some of his memories and rationality, who can guarantee that he won’t revert to his previous state? Besides, the power that Liyue currently possesses is no longer sufficient to deal with Ruotuo, the Dragon King, who has fully broken the seal. Let the past remain in the past.”

After saying that, Zhongli looked up at the sky and waited for Kiana's response. Kiana also wanted the two of them to reunite, but as Zhongli said, who knew whether this recovery was temporary or permanent?

As Zhongli said, Morax, the Geo Archon, is now dead, and Liyue has lost their greatest guarantee of strength. Facing the Dragon King Rota, who can go toe-to-toe with Zhongli, Liyue is clearly no match for them now.

Even if something goes wrong now, Kiana and the others can clean up the mess, but what about the aftermath? They can't stay in Liyue forever; one day they will leave Liyue and even this world.

If the Dragon King Ruotu were to retaliate again, who would be able to suppress him? Perhaps only Zhongli himself could do so. But this would officially scrap his retirement plan, and in more serious cases, his previous arrangement to return power to others might also be nullified.

Zhongli dared not gamble, nor did he want to. Kiana also understood that she could not bring about an irreversible situation for Liyue because of her momentary kindness. After much deliberation, Kiana finally agreed to Zhongli's conditions.

"Then the contract is established, and the one who breaks the promise shall be punished by being eaten by rocks."