Chapter 585: Eleazar Disease

After a quick wash, Su Yuan stepped out of his room and headed to the main hall of Yuehai Pavilion—only to run right into Kirara.

“Kirara! Perfect timing! I can’t believe it’s such a coincidence to meet you here!”

Su Yuan spoke with genuine delight—everything was going far more smoothly than he had imagined.

“Hello there, Su Yuan! What a coincidence indeed!” Kirara replied with a cheerful smile.

“I just had a few deliveries to drop off here at Yuehai Pavilion. Didn’t expect to run into you!”

“Now that the packages are delivered, I’m a bit pressed for time. Let’s chat another time—I’ll get going first!”

As she turned to leave, Su Yuan quickly called out, “Wait, Kirara!”

“I’m really sorry to interrupt your work, but there’s something important I need your help with.”

He then explained everything—how he planned to travel through Sumeru on his way to Natlan.

After listening, Kirara blinked in surprise. “Wow, Su Yuan, isn’t that quite the coincidence?”

“I actually have a delivery bound for Sumeru! Once I complete that job, I’ll be free—and after that, I can take you and your friends to Natlan. I’m pretty familiar with the route, too!”

“Oh? That’s perfect, then!” Su Yuan nodded in satisfaction.

“It won’t interfere with your work, and we’ll be heading the same way.”

“So, Kirara,” he asked, “where exactly in Sumeru are you delivering that package?”

“Hmm…” Kirara checked the label on the parcel.

“Looks like it’s some kind of academic document—destination: the Akademiya, right in the center of Sumeru City.”

“The Akademiya, huh…” Su Yuan nodded thoughtfully—but then his expression shifted.

“Wait, that’s no good. The entire city of Sumeru has already fallen. The Akademiya definitely wouldn’t have been spared!”

“Ah? Then what should we do?” Kirara asked, troubled.

“We’ll just have to take things one step at a time,” Su Yuan said with a resigned sigh.

Soon after, Su Yuan and Kirara regrouped with Aether and Paimon.

They stopped by the Ministry of Civil Affairs to say their goodbyes, then began their journey westward from Liyue Harbor.

According to the route, they would first pass through Mt. Tianheng, then Lingju Pass, and finally cross the surface area of The Chasm—after which they’d reach the borderland between Liyue and Sumeru: Gandharva Ville.

That was where Tighnari, the forest ranger, resided.

When Su Yuan’s group arrived at the surface area of The Chasm, he gazed upon the devastated landscape and couldn’t help recalling the battle that once took place here—between Zhongli and Azhdaha.

He felt a wave of emotion—Azhdaha’s tragedy, and Zhongli’s sorrow over losing a dear friend and companion…

Such was the cruel reality.

Even without the presence of the Eerie or the Abyss, erosion alone was despair enough for anyone to bear.

After crossing the mining zone of The Chasm, the group finally stepped into the territory of Gandharva Ville, and before them stood a Statue of The Seven belonging to the Dendro Archon.

However, the statue now emitted a dark, blood-red glow, an aura so unsettling that it made one’s skin crawl.

Clearly, it had already been corrupted by the Eerie.

“We’ve seen plenty of corrupted Teleport Waypoints before,” Aether muttered, frowning, “but a corrupted Statue of The Seven… this is a first. Looks like the situation in Sumeru is even worse than we thought.”

“Let’s keep going,” Su Yuan said firmly.

“We need to find Tighnari, warn him about the Eerie presence and his potential corruption condition—and learn what’s really going on in Sumeru.”

The group pressed onward.

Before long, through the trees and grass, several small wooden huts came into view—likely the lodgings of the forest rangers.

One ranger, who seemed to be patrolling nearby, spotted them and called out warily, “Who are you? What business do you have in Gandharva Ville?”

Before anyone could answer, the ranger’s eyes widened in recognition.

“Wait—it’s the Traveler and Paimon! Thank goodness you’re here!”

He turned and shouted excitedly, “Tighnari! Collei—she might be saved!”

Moments later, the group followed the ranger into one of the cabins, where they found Tighnari sitting beside a bed, his expression heavy with worry.

On the bed lay Collei.

But now, her entire body was covered in black and crimson scales, spreading densely across nearly all her skin.

The sight alone was enough to make anyone’s hair stand on end.

“Ah! Tighnari! What happened to Collei?!” Paimon cried out, covering her eyes, too frightened to look directly at her.

“Traveler, Paimon… I didn’t expect to see you two at a time like this.”

Tighnari sighed softly before continuing, “Do you still remember the illness I once told you about—the Sumeru-specific condition known as ‘Eleazar Disease’?”

“The appearance of grayish-black, scale-like patches on the body—that’s the defining symptom. It’s also how the disease got its name.”

“But… wasn’t Collei’s condition already under control? She was getting better, wasn’t she?”

Aether frowned, visibly confused.

“Also, you said the scales should be grayish-black… but now they’re—this color?”

“You’re right. That’s exactly what puzzles us,” Tighnari said with a helpless tone.

“This doesn’t seem to be an ordinary case of Eleazar Disease—it appears to be some kind of special variant. None of our previous treatments or research have had any effect at all.”

Su Yuan looked thoughtfully at the unconscious Collei.

“Judging by this coloration… could it be connected to the Eerie power?”

Tighnari, being a scholar himself, immediately grew curious upon hearing this unfamiliar term.

Turning to Su Yuan, he asked, “Sir, may I ask—what exactly is this Eerie power you speak of?”

“Tighnari, allow me to introduce myself first,” Su Yuan replied calmly.

“My name is Su Yuan—Su as in tiramisu, and Yuan as in ‘ruins and walls.'”

“As for the Eerie power… let me explain it to you in detail.”

Then, Su Yuan spent some time recounting everything he knew about the mysterious Eerie force.

When Tighnari finished listening, his expression grew grim.

He furrowed his brows and muttered solemnly, “So that’s what the Eerie power is… Truly troublesome indeed.”

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