Regarding the origin of his existence, shaped by the corrective force of this world, Mu Yang had already formed some theories.
After all, the clues were piling up.
First, there was that [???] item players found in Dragonspine.
Mu Yang thought it over and felt it wasn't something from the original game.
And a 200-Primogem achievement? Would the stingy devs really give that out?
That's worth a ton of Sweet Flowers!
Second, Mu Yang had a suppressing effect on Forbidden Knowledge.
That was a big deal.
For Teyvat's natives, once tainted by it, escape was nearly impossible.
Even powerhouses like the Scarlet King and the Dendro Archon had to perish to eradicate it.
Yet Mu Yang could suppress Forbidden Knowledge.
Dragonspine plus suppressing Forbidden Knowledge.
Mu Yang's mind immediately went to the Skyfrost Nail.
He didn't know much about these matters.
All he knew was that the Skyfrost Nail came from Celestia's hand.
It served multiple purposes: intimidation, destruction, repair…
Beyond that, his knowledge was limited.
The devs had scattered this info, doling it out bit by bit.
His most detailed source was A Long Past.
Currently, the Skyfrost Nails Mu Yang could most easily access were in two places.
One in Dragonspine, one at the bottom of the Chasm.
Lumine had just gone to the Chasm to pave the way.
So Mu Yang decided to visit Dragonspine first.
With his plan set, Mu Yang left his office and went to the second floor.
He found his little disciple. "Shenhe, close the shop for a few days."
Shenhe panicked a bit. "Master, did I do something wrong?"
"No, I just want to give you a break."
Mu Yang continued, "You've been out here for a while. If you don't visit Mt. Aocang, Cloud Retainer might scold me."
Shenhe thought it over. She had indeed been away for a long time.
She wondered how Master Cloud Retainer was doing.
It was time to go back.
She agreed. "Master Mu Yang, you're so thoughtful. I still have much to learn."
"Give these to her for me."
Mu Yang handed Shenhe the gifts he'd bought in Inazuma.
Then he took out a letter.
The letter detailed his arrangements in Fontaine and Sumeru.
Since it wasn't convenient for him to show up, if someone wanted to confront him in person, he asked her to seek Cloud Retainer's help.
Cloud Retainer: ???
Shenhe was puzzled. "Master, aren't you going back?"
Wouldn't it make sense for them to return together?
They hadn't seen each other in a while, right?
That was just Shenhe's perspective.
In Mu Yang's mind, he and Cloud Retainer were old friends of thousands of years, knowing each other inside and out.
A few months were just a tiny fraction on that scale.
"I have some things to take care of. I'll head over once I'm done."
"Got it, Master. Be careful on the road."
After settling things, Mu Yang went straight from Liyue Harbor to the peak of Dragonspine.
He'd never observed the Skyfrost Nail this closely before.
The game didn't count.
The moment Mu Yang leapt up and touched the Skyfrost Nail, his world vanished.
He found himself in a blank room.
"Where the heck am I? Is this still Teyvat?"
The words from Mu Yang's mouth produced no echo.
They didn't even reach his own ears.
Sound didn't exist here.
Weird. Too weird.
Mu Yang tried to use his powers.
Neither his innate ice abilities nor his Cryo Vision worked.
Here, he was just an ordinary person.
No, an ordinary person who hadn't been turned off.
"System?"
System: "I'm here."
Mu Yang: "Can you get me out?"
System: "Yes. Would you like to extract your consciousness now?"
Mu Yang: "No rush. Let's play with it."
Mu Yang breathed a sigh of relief. At least he wouldn't inexplicably perish.
He looked around. The room seemed to stretch infinitely.
No point wasting time walking.
What he should do was sit down, meditate, and see if he could comprehend anything.
Mu Yang calmed his mind, sensing his surroundings.
The power here felt all too familiar.
It was like it was all part of him.
"Could I really be a fragment of the Skyfrost Nail?"
But that didn't feel quite right.
The Skyfrost Nails were blue.
Yet the fragment suppressing Clarisse on Mt. Mingyuan was transparent.
What was going on?
Mu Yang didn't get stuck on it.
Wherever it came from, the power around him was definitely of the same origin.
Since it was the same, don't mind if I help myself.
When Mu Yang first fell to Teyvat from the sky, he'd taken form by constantly absorbing surrounding energy.
With a thought, the surrounding power began to gather toward him…
He didn't know how much time passed.
Mu Yang opened his eyes again.
He'd absorbed about a tenth of it.
It wasn't that he couldn't continue, but he wasn't sure if it would affect Dragonspine or even Teyvat.
Having completed the absorption, Mu Yang no longer needed the system's help. With a single thought, he exited the Skyfrost Nail.
He looked around. Nothing nearby seemed to have changed.
Except the Skyfrost Nail's color seemed much fainter.
And he was now stronger.
Mu Yang finally confirmed it.
Whether he was a Skyfrost Nail fragment or some broken sword didn't matter.
What mattered was that his power came from Celestia.
Talk about turning the tables.
Mu Yang didn't know if his existence was permitted by the heavens or what.
For now, no one was bothering him.
He had no plans to go up there either.
For now, he'd use the system to shield this portion of his power.
If he had the ability to change the world, restoring Changsheng to her peak would be too easy.
But he needed to stay low-key to avoid any mishaps.
Mu Yang didn't plan to keep absorbing the Skyfrost Nail's power.
He'd wait and see if it caused any impact on Teyvat.
With his current strength, few in Teyvat could match him anyway.
No rush to improve.
As Mu Yang walked down from the peak, he ran into Eula.
Eula frowned. "What are you doing here?"
Mu Yang spread his hands. "Vacation. Soaking in the ice springs."
Eula felt he was implying something. Had Lumine told him about their Dragonspine encounters?
Given how close they were, it wasn't impossible.
"You think I, a knight, would stop you? I don't recall you breaking Mondstadt's laws."
That wasn't Eula's intention, of course.
They chatted for a bit, and Mu Yang left.
Eula definitely didn't buy the vacation excuse.
Mu Yang was surely plotting something.
His strength seemed to come and go.
But Eula was certain this guy had gotten stronger.
It was a warrior's instinct.
She had to report this to Acting Grand Master Jean.
Mu Yang didn't know how long he'd been inside.
He headed straight to Mt. Aocang.
Unbeknownst to him, a month had already passed.
Shenhe had long since left.
"A month, huh? Looks like the Chasm's been mostly dealt with too."
"Time to check it out."
After being dragged into catching up with Cloud Retainer for days, Mu Yang headed to the bottom of the Chasm.
He planned to see how the two Skyfrost Nails differed.