ReruoIzayoi
patreon
Chapter 62: The Guide Who Led the Wrong Way
🕑 Added 2025-04-11 08:05:02 +0000 UTC"Why are you thanking me?" Ling Xue asked, puzzled.
"I remembered many things I shouldn't have forgotten. I remembered a girl I like," Yun Fan said, his gaze softening.
"Is that so... So you already have someone you like? Then I wish you happiness," Ling Xue said sincerely, clasping her hands together.
"I will," Yun Fan nodded solemnly, then turned to his roommates. He waved at them. "Goodbye, guys." Although A Zhen and the others were confused, they waved back.
In an instant, the scene froze. The waving figures shattered like a reflection in water, dissolving into countless fragments.
First trial completed... Congratulations, holder. Partial power unlocked.
Yun Fan opened his eyes, lying on his soft bed. He sat up and felt the surge of power within him. Clenching his fist, he casually swung it forward, creating a sonic boom.
"My strength has more than doubled? And this is just the first seal. If all seven seals are broken, I should easily reach star-shattering levels, right?"
Yun Fan murmured to himself, "Void Archives, what are the conditions for breaking the second seal?"
The second trial also focuses on mental fortitude. The holder must defeat a Herrscher of Sentience of equal strength.
"I see." Yun Fan didn't plan to attempt the second trial immediately. After all, the Herrscher of Sentience specialized in controlling consciousness. Although he had the Fenghuang Down, he still needed to be cautious. If it weren't for the Feather's help, he wouldn't have cleared the first trial so easily.
With that in mind, Yun Fan summoned the card representing the Fenghuang Down. Looking at its evolution conditions, he pondered.
The evolution of the Fenghuang Down was different from that of the Eden's Inverse. The latter required pure, high-quality energy, such as the divine power within a Gnosis. The former, however, required vast amounts of mental energy, or emotional energy.
But if he were to collect this energy from humans, it would take decades, if not centuries. Clearly, that path was unfeasible.
So he needed to find another source of energy, such as the resentment of Archons or karmic debt. Those should count as mental energy.
"I'll try asking Xiao when I go to Liyue in a few days!" With that thought, Yun Fan stopped overthinking.
"I wonder how Lumine is doing. Where has she gotten to by now?"
Achoo! Achoo!... Paimon, are you sure this is the right way? Lumine couldn't stop shivering. If only she had asked Acting Grand Master Jean for a map. Clearly, Paimon was an unreliable guide. Where on earth had she taken them?
"N-No mistake. Once we... once we cross this mountain, we'll reach Liyue," Paimon stammered, also shivering from the cold. But she was sure her memory was correct.
"Let's... let's find a fire first. Otherwise, we'll freeze to death here..."
After some searching, the two finally found a campsite with a still-burning bonfire. However, there were clearly other people at the campsite.
Several burly men were huddled around the fire, and two others were keeping watch. They were a group of Treasure Hoarders.
"Do you think there's really treasure on this mountain? We've been in this godforsaken place for days and haven't found so much as a gold hair," one of the men complained.
"Tell me about it. If it weren't for the boss's orders, I wouldn't be here," another man agreed.
"Whatever. After this job, we're heading to Liyue. If we can't find treasure in Mondstadt, we'll just take it from the rich folks in Liyue," the first man said, his eyes gleaming with greed.
"Sounds good."
Just as the group was chatting happily, the two lookouts suddenly spotted a girl approaching. They didn't let their guard down just because she was a girl. Instead, they drew their weapons, ready to attack.
"Who are—"
"Begone with the wind!"
Shivering from the cold, Lumine didn't waste time talking. She unleashed her Elemental Burst, Gust Surge, sending a massive tornado sweeping toward the Treasure Hoarders' camp. The men, caught off guard, were swallowed by the tornado.
The tornado carried them over the cliff, their fate unknown.
"Traveler, wasn't that a bit too harsh?" Paimon flew to the edge of the cliff, peering cautiously into the bottomless abyss. She sounded hesitant.
"Paimon, after everything we've been through, you should know by now that Treasure Hoarders are no good. What we did was for the greater good, so don't dwell on it," Lumine shook her head. Although she was inherently kind, her thousand years of experience had taught her not to be overly naive. There had to be limits.
"Alright, come here. Let's make some Radish Veggie Soup to warm up," Lumine said, dumping the original contents of the pot and replacing them with snow to melt. She began preparing the dish.
"Yay, Radish Veggie Soup!" At the mention of food, Paimon's hesitation vanished.
Lumine hummed a cheerful tune as she chopped the radishes and other ingredients, adding a pinch of salt for flavor.
"What's this... a map?" While waiting for the soup to cook, Lumine picked up a yellowed piece of parchment from the ground. It seemed to be an ancient map of Teyvat, likely quite old. It could probably fetch a good price from an antique dealer.
But as Lumine examined the map, her face darkened. She could see that there were other routes to Liyue—routes that didn't involve crossing a mountain. In fact, the path they had taken was the abnormal one.
Who in their right mind would choose to climb a mountain instead of taking the wide, open road?
"Paimon!" Lumine grabbed Paimon's face and began squishing it. It was all this little creature's fault! If she hadn't led them the wrong way, they wouldn't be freezing in this desolate place. So much for being Teyvat's best guide!
"Twavelor, pwease stob..."
