"Ahh, the experiments are finally over!"
Holding the Mora Albedo had given them, Paimon cheered excitedly.
"Now that we've got Mora, what should we do next?"
Aether thought for a moment. "I want to go check out the summit."
Since they'd come all this way, it would be a shame not to see the summit. He was especially curious about the mysterious Skyfrost Nail.
Albedo kindly offered, "Would you like me to guide you there?"
"Yes, please! We were worried about finding the right path!"
Quickly gathering their belongings, Albedo led the two towards the peak.
Along the way, Aether saw many crumbling ruins. Recalling what he'd read from the ancient book, he gently traced his fingers over the intricate patterns still etched clearly on the fallen pillars.
An ancient kingdom that had flourished a thousand years ago now lay in ruins, with only these massive stone columns silently attesting to its once-glorious existence.
Noticing his interest, Albedo suddenly asked, "Do you remember when exactly you and your sister arrived in Teyvat?"
Aether shook his head slowly. "Honestly, I'm not sure."
He didn't know how long he had slept or how long he had been separated from his sister. He wasn't even certain precisely when they had arrived in Teyvat. It felt as though large pieces of his memory were missing.
All he remembered clearly was his sister waking him, their attempt to leave this world, and their encounter with the self-proclaimed Sustainer of Heavenly Principles. After that, everything became a blur.
Aether saw no reason to hide these facts from Albedo.
As Mondstadt's leading alchemist—one who had instantly recognized him as someone from beyond this world—there was little point in secrecy. Perhaps Albedo could offer some unexpected insights.
Listening intently to Aether's account, Albedo fell silent, deep in thought.
Due to his connection with a master once deemed a sinner, Albedo knew certain hidden truths—things related to both the Abyss and Celestia.
But what exactly had Aether's sister done to attract the attention and interference of Celestia?
He didn't have enough information to form a solid theory yet.
A quiet tension hung in the air until Paimon broke the silence, her voice bright with optimism.
"Don't worry! The Knights have already put up posters looking for your sister. And when we reach Liyue, we can ask the Liyue Qixing to help! We'll find her in no time!"
Aether's mood lifted slightly. "Yeah. Thanks, Paimon."
After seeing the Skyfrost Nail, he'd head straight for Liyue.
He needed to repay Jiang Bai's loan and maybe ask him to show them around, giving them a firsthand experience of Liyue's culture.
Speaking of which, Jiang Bai had been injured earlier. Had he returned to Liyue by now, or was he still recovering in Mondstadt?
Maybe later he'd use the teleport waypoint and visit Mondstadt first to check.
At the same moment, back in Wangsheng Funeral Parlor…
Thanks to his exceptional healing ability, Jiang Bai's leg injury had already healed significantly. But he remained comfortably seated in his wheelchair, deliberately acting as though his injury still hadn't healed completely.
In the courtyard, he adjusted the wheelchair's backrest until it reclined fully, leisurely basking in the sun while lazily directing Bloop to water his Sweet Flowers.
At the same time, he multitasked, manipulating a hoe made of Geo energy to loosen the soil.
He planned to plant a batch of Sweet Flower seeds from Sucrose. He'd save the remaining seeds to replace the flowers after they bloomed and withered.
Since soil wasn't a pure elemental substance, he couldn't manipulate it directly with Geo. Thus, he resorted to using tools.
Jiang Bai had currently devised three ways to improve his elemental power:
The first method was sustaining elemental constructs over long periods.
For example, creating the largest Geo construct he could manage and maintaining it continuously for days, months, or even years. Sustaining these constructs would steadily enhance his mental strength, forming a positive feedback loop to sustain even larger constructs in the future.
Over years of diligent effort, he'd inevitably become immensely powerful—albeit slowly and steadily.
The second method was improving control and precision over elemental power.
Right now, he was using a Geo hoe to plow the soil. If he could control ten, a hundred, even a thousand hoes simultaneously, his elemental control would significantly increase. Eventually, manipulating elemental energy would become as effortless as lifting a finger—his powers responding to mere thought alone.
The third method involved raw elemental output.
If he could command enough elemental energy to raise mountains from the earth, create islands at sea, or trigger earthquakes strong enough to shake Liyue Harbor itself—that would be the pinnacle of elemental mastery.
Thanks to the Goblet's enhancement, Jiang Bai's control over Geo energy had more than doubled. Still, the best he could currently manage was a modest 20-meter hill—far short of reshaping entire landscapes.
After his crushing defeat by La Signora, Jiang Bai resolved to practice all three methods simultaneously.
He had recently found a remote, deserted area outside Liyue Harbor and created the largest mountain possible with his current strength, leaving himself just enough energy for daily use.
He had sustained that mountain for two exhausting days now.
Constantly maintaining a large-scale construct was exceptionally taxing, leaving Jiang Bai lazy and sluggish, unwilling to move unnecessarily.
Suddenly, Hu Tao appeared atop the roof, tossing a fruit at him, which Jiang Bai deftly caught.
"Why haven't you stepped out these last couple of days? Afraid you'll run into Mr. Zhongli?"
When Jiang Bai had chased her down earlier, intent on painting revenge on her face, he'd accidentally shattered Zhongli's priceless inkstone, overturned the brush rack, ruined a precious carved calligraphy brush, and stained rare, expensive xuan paper…
In the end, Zhongli had intervened, thwarting Jiang Bai's plan.
To avoid being "sent to an early grave" by Zhongli, Jiang Bai—already in debt—had accrued even more.
"Director Hu, how can you even bring that up…" Jiang Bai replied, shooting her an accusing glare filled with deep resentment.
Half that damage was caused by you kicking things over in your struggle! Why was I the only one blamed...?
"Hey! Who told you to try drawing a turtle on this Director's face!" Hu Tao placed her hands firmly on her hips, sounding completely justified.
"I'm the seventy-seventh Director of Wangsheng Funeral Parlor! Do you think I have no dignity?"
Jiang Bai's voice grew eerily soft. "Director, I'd be careful if I were you when sleeping tonight…"
"Oh-ho-ho, are you threatening me now?" Hu Tao crossed her legs casually, biting into a Sunsettia and whistling cheerfully.
"I've got Yuyu guarding my door. If you think you can sneak into my room, keep dreaming~"
Pointing two fingers like a sword at Hu Tao, Jiang Bai declared dramatically, "Hmph, just wait! Once my peerless powers are perfected, your little ghost companion won't stand a chance!"
Hu Tao gave another carefree whistle. "Well, well! Big words from someone so small. I'll just wait patiently for your legendary powers!"
Yuyu materialized from her body, hands proudly placed on her hips, clearly taunting Jiang Bai:
Jiang Bai, you overestimate yourself.
---
T/N:
"Mm. If you've read this far, I suppose you're at least a little invested."
"If you want to support the translator, there's a Patreon here: patreon.com/wisetl. It's optional—think of it as tossing a few extra coins on the counter. Early chapters are just a bonus side-effect of that support."
"This place also has its own strange currency… Powerstones. For every 100 Powerstones the story gets, you'll receive 1 bonus chapter. 100ps = 1 chp, 200ps = 2 chp, 300ps = 3 chp… you can do the math."
"If you'd rather talk than throw money or stones, there's a Discord: discord.gg/wisetl. Go there if you want to complain, theorize, or poke the translator for more updates. Just don't expect me to mediate your arguments."
Say thank you to Maomao guys