Chapter 564: Ch 564 : A pleasant surprise

Su Yuan, Aether, and Paimon took a short rest, then returned to the room where the scholar Dottore had previously been.

After checking around and finding nothing noteworthy, they decided to continue along the narrow passageway toward the chamber that had originally been the thirteenth floor...

When they arrived at the thirteenth floor, the group unsurprisingly found that the door ahead was already open.

"So it’s just as I thought — does that mean we’ve technically cleared the thirteenth floor now?"

Su Yuan looked at the scene before him and said thoughtfully,

"The challenge of the thirteenth floor shouldn’t have been Bennett himself, but rather that strange worm, right? Since the system counts this floor as cleared, that must mean the strange worm has already been digested by me..."

"Anyway, let’s keep going!" Aether said.

"The rest of our friends are still waiting for us to rescue them!"

Thus, the group passed through the doorway and continued forward.

As they walked, Su Yuan seemed to recall something and asked,

"By the way, Aether, Paimon — didn’t you two successfully clear your stage? Then how did you end up unconscious and captured by Dottore?"

"Oh, that..." Aether said, recalling the moment.

"After we cleared it and walked through the door, it felt like someone smacked us on the back of the head. The next thing we knew, we were out cold..."

"That Dottore and Aji are so despicable!" Paimon fumed.

"We did exactly what they asked and cleared the floor, yet they still ambushed us!"

"Well, at least the Darknight Hero who got dismembered wasn’t actually Diluc. That’s a relief," Aether said with a hint of gratitude.

"And now that this Dottore segment is dead, all we have to do is be cautious of Aji, find the companions Dottore imprisoned, and then escape together!"

After walking through a long, narrow, and dim corridor, the group finally arrived at a brand-new area.

And right before their eyes were — their companions, all tightly bound with ropes!

"I can’t believe it went so smoothly — it’s like everything was destined to happen this way!" Paimon exclaimed with excitement.

But almost immediately, her joy turned to terror as she realized something was off.

"Wait... What’s going on here? Am I seeing things? Why do I see Master Jean, Rosaria, Klee, Lisa, and the others...?"

"Weren’t they the ones who went down a dead end and... died? How can they be here?"

"Dottore and Aji seem to have a certain degree of control over the Spiral Abyss," Su Yuan said thoughtfully.

"So it’s not impossible that they prevented those who were supposed to die from actually dying — and instead captured them as hostages."

"Either way, the fact that they’re still alive and not dead is a good thing!" Aether said with clear relief, stepping forward to untie them.

"Yeah, since it’s a good thing, there’s no need to overthink it," Su Yuan and Paimon agreed, also stepping forward to help free their companions.

However, soon after, the group began to feel uneasy.

No matter how they called out to their friends, none of them responded or showed any signs of waking — just like Aether and Paimon earlier.

"Su Yuan," Aether asked, "how did you wake me and Paimon up before? Maybe try the same thing again?"

Su Yuan recalled the scene when he faced the Eerie Bennett.

"Back then, the Eerie Bennett tried to hurt you, and Paimon suddenly woke up. Then I shouted Lumine’s name, and you woke up right after..."

"So... does that mean mentioning someone important to them can wake them up?" Paimon said thoughtfully.

"Either way, let’s give it a try!" Aether said, walking up to Jean.

"Master Jean! Barbara’s calling you home for dinner!"

However, Jean didn’t respond at all.

"Huh? So that’s not it?" Aether said in confusion.

"Maybe it’s not just about mentioning names... maybe they need to be put in some kind of crisis," Su Yuan suggested.

"Alright, let me try again," Aether nodded and continued, "Jean! Bad news — Barbara’s been hurt!!"

Yet, even then, Jean remained exactly as before — completely unresponsive.

"Strange... could our theory have been wrong?" Su Yuan said helplessly, feeling completely puzzled by the situation.

Although they had found all their companions alive, if none of them could wake up and walk on their own, there was no way Su Yuan, Aether, and Paimon could carry so many people by themselves!

"Wait—maybe it’s not just about people... maybe it also includes things?"

After thinking for a moment, Paimon suggested another possibility.

"After all, when we talk about what someone cares about, it’s not always limited to people—it could also be things that matter to them."

"Either way, let’s try it out," Su Yuan nodded, then turned toward Jean and called out,

"Jean! Wake up—someone in Mondstadt needs your help!!"

To everyone’s delight, the moment Su Yuan finished speaking, Jean suddenly opened her eyes and stood up, full of energy as she looked around.

"Where is the person who needs my help?" she asked seriously.

Seeing her like that, Su Yuan and Aether didn’t even know what to say anymore.

Jean truly was the model of responsibility—an ever-dutiful leader through and through.

After Su Yuan briefly explained the situation to her, the group began using similar methods to wake up the others one by one.

"Lisa... Lisa, wake up! Someone’s trying to damage the books in the library—you have to stop them!!"

"Kujou Sara, I think I just heard someone whispering insults about the Almighty Shogun—go bring them to justice!!"

"Clorinde, there’s a strange person over there claiming you’re the challenger and insisting on dueling you!!"

"Qiqi, wake up! Hu Tao’s coming to bury you again—run for your life!!"

"Head Nurse Sigewinne, Su Yuan looks absolutely starving—please make him a nutritious meal, quick!!"

"That’s nonsense! I’m not hungry—it’s Paimon who’s starving! Nurse Sigewinne, make the food for her instead!!"