I'm in Genshin Impact, and I started by teaming up with Luna.

"Ah!!!! NO!!!! My life is over!!"

In the dark underground, Wu Qiu let out a howl, drowning out Paimon's screams. But you can't blame him; ever since they came in, they'd been sliding down like down a slide—fast and terrifying.

They didn't know how much time had passed, but they finally reached the end. But it was a cliff! Wu Qiu and Paimon hugged each other and rushed straight off.

Wu Qiu didn't know what was going on around him, but looking down there, it was at least twenty meters high. If he fell down there, his brains would be flying out.

"Paimon! Fly fast!!!"

Wu Qiu quickly turned Paimon, who was about to faint from fright, over and slapped her twice.

Paimon winced in pain, but before he could curse Wu Qiu, he realized they were plummeting at breakneck speed. Terrified, he screamed in alarm.

"Whoa!!! Hurry up! Let go of me! You're too heavy, I can't carry you!"

In truth, Wu Qiu knew very well that Paimon couldn't possibly carry him. With the situation nearing its end and Paimon waking up, Wu Qiu concluded that he was unlikely to survive.

Without hesitation, he threw Paimon away with all his might. Wu Qiu then crashed to the ground with a thud.

Okay, Wu Qiu is dead. This book is finished. Hooray! Bye-bye!

................................................

It's definitely not over. Paimon quickly regained his balance after being thrown by Wu Qiu.

Seeing that Wu Qiu was about to fall to his death, Paimon was so anxious that he almost cried, but at that very last moment, just as Wu Qiu was about to face death...

An updraft suddenly rose. Wu Qiu's falling speed was gradually slowed down, and finally he landed steadily on the ground.

All of this happened so fast that Wu Qiu's face was still filled with fear, and even Paimon's eyes still had a few tears.

When Wu Qiu realized she was still alive, tears welled up in her eyes. Paimon flew over and hugged Wu Qiu tightly.

The two of them cried as if their entire family had died. They were so utterly devastated; even someone in ancient times who had their entire family executed wouldn't have been able to cry like that.

"Waaah! It's all your fault. If you hadn't tripped, none of this would have happened."

Paimon spoke while crying. Wu Qiu was also crying with snot and tears streaming down his face, "You fucking talk about me! If you hadn't insisted on taking a dump, if you hadn't moved around so much, would I have tripped and fallen?"

The two cried for a long time and blamed each other for a while. When they separated and looked at each other, they couldn't help but laugh.

It was a close call, incredibly difficult. Thinking about what had just happened, Paimon asked, "Hey, why didn't you just grab me and die with me, or find another way to be rescued?"

"Why waste time waking me up and then throw me out?"

Paimon smiled at Wu Qiu. Wu Qiu hurriedly waved his hand, "Hey, don't misunderstand, I woke you up so you could carry me, but who knew you were so useless that you couldn't even fly, so I had no choice but to throw you away in disgust."

"Hmph!" Paimon put his hands on his hips, but he wasn't really angry. At least, in that most dangerous moment, Wu Qiu was thinking about waking him up so he could survive, and Paimon could see that.

"By the way, where is this place?"

At this moment, they finally remembered to observe their surroundings. After Wu Qiu and Paimon carefully examined their surroundings, they couldn't help but widen their eyes.

This appears to be a large, natural underground cave. However, the place they are standing on, and within this cave, there is a structure.

A ruin. It looks very old, but it's not that dilapidated, so it's clear that no one has ever been here before.

The ruins were enormous, so large that they could easily be mistaken for a small mountain. But Wu Qiu was very curious because the entrance was clearly not well hidden; it would be easy to spot if someone got too close.

But judging from the outside, it seems that no one has ever been to this site, which is very strange.

Moreover, the ruins are actually pyramid-shaped, only without a apex. At the apex is a huge square stone pillar that extends upwards, its exact height unknown.

“Could that be the exit?” Paimon pointed to the massive stone pillar. She was right to think that, since they were underground and that was the only possible path to the surface.

"Anyway, let's go in and take a look."

As he spoke, Paimon floated over there. "Hey, Paimon, be careful, don't be so reckless."

Wu Qiu was much more cautious. He knew that the ruins were a place where one-eyed little treasures, or ruin guardians, could easily appear.

That thing is no joke; in terms of strength, it would definitely crush a Cooling Flower or an ordinary Hilichurl.

If you encountered even one of them, let alone them, you'd probably have to run away even if you were here. After all, the Ruin Guardians are already quite strong in the game; it's a headache for ordinary players to encounter just one or two. If there are more, like the F4 from Lonely Cloud Pavilion, you'd be completely crushed without some tricks up your sleeve.

The two cautiously advanced until they reached the massive gate of the ruins. The gate looked enormous and incredibly heavy; it was clearly beyond their ability to push open.

However, this thing is definitely not something that can be pushed open; Wu Qiu and Paimon have already seen a switch similar to the one above.

There are two switches, so it seems they need to be activated simultaneously. There's no need for discussion; Paimon and Wu Qiu arrived at the mechanism without prior arrangement.

They exchanged a glance, took a deep breath, and Wu Qiu counted to three. The two of them then exerted force simultaneously to activate the mechanism.

The sound of a mechanism activating rang out. Both men nervously stepped back. Before them, the massive gate slowly opened, not outwards or inwards, but from both sides.

The main door opened, but not fully. Another door was visible inside, and above it was a painting—a scrambled painting.

The painting is very large, like a jigsaw puzzle. Part of it is hung inside the frame, but most of it is scattered on the ground.

Beside the painting, there was a stone tablet. The tablet was large, and it was covered with densely packed characters.

However, Wu Qiu didn't recognize these characters, so he asked Paimon, "Paimon, do you recognize these characters?"

Paimon nodded. "I recognize these words. I saw them in an old book once. Luckily, I studied them and could barely understand them."

"Then hurry up and take a look at what's written on it."

“Hmm.” Paimon nodded, then began to read.

This is a story, a story with a tragic ending, yet one that was inevitable. What kind of story it is, we'll tell in the next chapter.

Chapter Twenty-Nine: The Puzzle

The story is simple: it is said that there was once a country called "Hidden Stone Kingdom". This country belonged to Mondstadt, which was founded by the wind god, and was considered a branch country of Mondstadt.

However, this Hidden Stone Kingdom is actually just a larger version of Xiaolin Village. Their country is too far away from Mondstadt or the main areas under the jurisdiction of the Anemo Archon, which makes this small country very isolated.

Although they worshipped the wind god, their entire nation was completely different from Mondstadt. It was an exceptionally closed country, and at that time, male dominance and female inferiority were still prevalent.

While it's not fair to say women had a miserable life, they certainly lacked social standing. Especially in matters of state, no matter how capable a woman was, she could never wield any real power.

Originally, this small country could have survived for a long time. Although they were a small country, they were located in a very remote area and had nothing of value to plunder. Therefore, as long as they could deal with the attacks of monsters, this country would be basically safe.

However, one day, they suddenly discovered that the king who had ruled for twenty years was actually a woman disguised as a man.

It is said that the previous king's queen died while giving birth to their first child. The king was devastated and never remarried or had a second child.

According to the laws of that country, if a king has no male heir to inherit the throne, a new king must be chosen after the king abdicates.

The king was well aware of this, because the old king had only three daughters, and it was only after his death that he became king.

As for the three princesses, although the old king had arranged everything for them and they had their own care, in this patriarchal world, noblewomen without a powerful backer were in greater danger and more tragic than ordinary women.

The three princesses all met tragic ends; while not exactly miserable, they certainly deserved our sympathy. And the thought that my daughters might suffer the same fate after my death is even more unbearable.

So the king had an idea: to have his daughter disguise herself as a man.

So the king announced to the world that he had given birth to a prince. From then on, the king never allowed his daughter to leave the palace, and rarely even let her see anyone.

The princess was very beautiful, and the description on the stone tablet was, "Even in middle age, she still brought disaster to the country and its people."

It's a very direct description, but it still reveals the princess's beauty during her lifetime. However, this beautiful princess did not blossom at the age she should have.

To be like a man, she needed to have short hair, wear makeup, and wrap her chest in cloth. From childhood to adulthood, she was constantly learning how to be a man, and she grew up in this kind of life.

When she was twenty-two, the king died. By then, the princess had lost all trace of womanhood and resembled more of a handsome young man.

The princess was clever; she knew everything her father had done for her. So that year, she successfully deceived someone and became the new king.

The princess was kind. She knew that this policy of male superiority and female inferiority was wrong, but she did not choose to forcefully change it. Instead, she took a gradual approach.

For twenty years, the princess ruled the kingdom, working diligently every single day. During these twenty years, the Hidden Stone Kingdom developed rapidly, and the entire nation ushered in an unprecedented peak.

Clearly, the princess was more suited to be a king than her father, and her abilities were recognized by the entire nation.

Yet, this country still exhibits a patriarchal system. Because nobody knows, nobody knows the current king is a woman, and nobody knows the king is trying to change all of this.

The princess did so much for the country; she gave everything she had. And all of this was rewarded.

The Hidden Stone Kingdom is getting better and better. Thanks to her efforts, although it has not been completely changed, women have finally gained a little bit of status.

Women are gradually appearing in officialdom. This is a good start; as long as more outstanding female officials emerge, everything in this country will change.

However, in that accident, her identity was exposed. It was a bomb; once lit, it would be fatal.

By this time, many people in the country had been moved by the princess's abilities and her dedication, and believed that although she was a woman, her abilities were beyond doubt and that she was a good king.

However, the other half of the people believe that although the princess is very capable and led the Hidden Stone Kingdom to a more glorious future.

However, no woman has ever ruled the country since its founding. Furthermore, the princess deceived the entire nation for twenty years, a crime that is unforgivable and should be abolished.

On that day, the country was split in two, plunging into utter chaos. The princess was heartbroken; she wanted to stop it, but was powerless to do so.

The deep-rooted male chauvinism in this country cannot be changed even after twenty years of hard work.

In order to prevent the country from completely breaking apart, the princess made a choice. She voluntarily relinquished the throne and apologized for her twenty years of concealment.

Perhaps she had long anticipated this day, so in a natural cave underground, she built her own tomb, which was also a cage.

The story ends here. But as you can imagine, the princess eventually arrived here and ultimately died here.

This story is undoubtedly tragic. The old king was not a good king, but he was a good father.

Perhaps he knew what the consequences would be when the princess's identity was exposed. But he still chose to keep it a secret for his daughter and ignore it all.

The princess, however, was a true victim. Kind, beautiful, and noble, she should have blossomed in her youth and enjoyed everything life had to offer.

But she was forced to become a man from a young age. After becoming queen, she gave up everything for her country.

Her ending was tragic. Despite giving everything for her country, she ultimately failed because of her so-called identity as a woman.

"Hmph! These people are really going too far. What's wrong with women? They're infuriating Paimon!"

Paimon puffed out his cheeks, clearly angry. Wu Qiu shook his head, "I wonder how the Hidden Stone Kingdom is doing. If it still exists, it should be not far from here."

"If we can get out, we might be able to go and see. Hopefully, everything this princess has done wasn't in vain."

Paimon and Wu Qiu shook their heads and sighed together. But Wu Qiu quickly realized, "Right! How are we going to get out?"

I was so engrossed in the story just now, but now that I think about it, it seems like we're still in danger, aren't we?

And he had always thought it was a historical site. Only after seeing this story did Wu Qiu realize, "This...this is a grave? What's going on, are we going to read 'The Grave Robbers' Chronicles'?"

"I guess the exit should be at the top of the tower. So we have no choice but to go into these ruins."

Wu Qiu agreed with Paimon. After all, if there's an entrance, there must be an exit; otherwise, how would those who came in get out?

The two approached the jigsaw puzzle above the gate. They picked up a piece from the ground, tapped it, and found it to be made of wood.