"Master… is there something wrong with this Traveler?"
The Hydro Abyss Herald asked cautiously.
"Mm… the problem is very serious."
Aether's gaze grew heavy.
He would never forget that battle with Lin Mo.
A human without a Vision—
yet he had carved his way through the Abyss and stood before him.
Even after Aether had regained his power,
he hadn't lasted ten exchanges against Lin Mo.
That swordsmanship…
It looked like Mondstadt's Favonius style, yet carried traces of many others.
Liyue's ancient Guhua sword art.
The Kamisato clan's sword style of Inazuma.
The wandering flow of the Kaedehara school.
No—
it was far more than that.
When Aether recalled that terrifying swordplay now,
it felt as though he hadn't been fighting a single man at all,
but every swordmaster from every school across the whole of Teyvat.
That man's blade changed endlessly, unpredictable as spirits and demons.
And it wasn't just his technique.
Within that one-meter-eighty body
was strength rivaling elemental creatures like the Ancient Geovishap.
Aether truly couldn't understand
why such a monster had appeared in Teyvat.
Fortunately, after defeating him,
the man had simply left the Abyss.
He hadn't said a single word when he departed—
mysterious to the very end.
Now, as Aether stared at the image projected by the Hydro Abyss Herald, his expression darkened.
If this man aligned himself with the Knights of Favonius, then—
the plan to corrupt and enslave Dvalin
would surely be destroyed.
Thinking of this, Aether immediately turned to the Abyss Herald before him.
"You. Go and make the arrangements."
"Organize an Abyss unit at once. Keep constant watch on this Traveler."
"If he shows any sign of interfering with the plan, find a way to stall him. Understood?"
Aether's voice was grave.
"Stall him? Why not kill him directly?"
The Abyss Herald asked, confused.
"Kill him?"
Aether let out a cold laugh.
"With just you?"
"You're not worthy."
"To kill him, at least five Abyss units working together would have even the slightest chance."
"With plans underway across every region, we don't have the manpower to spare."
"Just do as I say."
"…Yes, Master!"
The Abyss Herald bowed immediately.
Yet his mind was filled with questions.
How strong could an ordinary man without a Vision really be?
A single Abyss unit consisted of four Abyss Heralds of different elements.
Even Vision bearers would be overwhelmed.
Even Andrius, the Wolf of the North Wind, would struggle to escape unscathed.
Even Dvalin at the height of his power could be fought head-on.
And yet Aether said one unit wasn't even qualified to kill him?
What kind of strength did that man truly possess?
Five Abyss units—
twenty Abyss casters of different elements, working in perfect coordination—
only then would there be a sliver of hope?
The Abyss Herald recalled Lin Mo's harmless, gentle-looking face once more.
Did such terrifying power truly lie within that man's body?
…
At this moment, Lin Mo had no idea that the Abyss had already set its sights on him.
He was still in Jean's office, having been deftly led off-topic by her.
"In the story we experienced, there was no dragon crisis, right?"
Jean looked at Lin Mo curiously.
"Do you have any thoughts or suggestions on resolving the current crisis, Grand Master?"
"Well…"
Lin Mo glanced out the window.
He was weighing whether to lend Lumine a helping hand.
At this stage, Lumine had only recovered about one-seventh of her power.
It might not be enough for her to free Dvalin from the Abyss's corruption and manipulation.
After some thought,
Lin Mo decided to have the Knights give Lumine a bit of support.
"From my observations, Dvalin's condition seems… abnormal,"
Lin Mo said.
This immediately caught Jean's attention.
"What's wrong with him? Is he sick?"
"No."
Lin Mo shook his head.
"To be precise, it's a scheme by the Abyss Order."
"They're trying to corrupt and control Dvalin, turning him into a weapon of war."
"What? How do you know this?"
Jean asked, astonished.
After all, she had never heard of the Abyss Order targeting a god's familiar before.
"Well… observation."
Lin Mo replied casually.
"In my dreams, I taught you to observe carefully.
Careful observation reveals many things."
As he spoke, he picked up the book recording Dvalin's habits.
"Here, Jean—look at this illustration."
He pointed at a drawing of Dvalin.
"Normally, the back of his neck should look like this, right?"
"Yes, that's correct."
Jean nodded.
Lin Mo continued,
"Before meeting Klee, I saw Dvalin flying over Mondstadt."
"There was a very obvious needle-like protrusion on the back of his neck."
"It was emitting a revolting Abyssal aura."
"If my guess is right, that's the reason his temperament suddenly became violent and unstable."
"…That does seem to be the case."
Jean nodded slowly, her expression grave.
During the early days of the crisis, she and the Knights had gone to Stormterror's Lair.
Suddenly recalling something, Jean hurriedly rummaged through her desk.
Soon, she pulled out several photographs.
"Grand Master, look. These were taken with a Kamera when we visited Stormterror's Lair a few days ago."
"As for the Abyssal corruption you mentioned…"
She pointed to the back of Dvalin's neck in the photo.
"You mean this purple spike, right?"
"Yes. That's it."
Lin Mo nodded.
"As long as we can purify that spike filled with filth, Dvalin will regain his sanity."
"Purify…"
Confusion flickered in Jean's eyes.
She had no idea how Abyssal corruption could be cleansed.
"For this matter, I think the Knights should seek one person's help."
"Seek someone's help? Who?"
Jean asked.
"Another Traveler—her name is Lumine."
Lin Mo smiled.
"She possesses the power to purify corruption."
"What the Knights need to do is assist her—help her reach the back of Dvalin's neck so she can cleanse that corrupted spike."
"Lumine… I think Amber mentioned her before."
Jean said thoughtfully.
"She has a small floating companion by her side, doesn't she?"
--------
T/N:
You'll also get 5 extra chapters just for being a free member!
Access 40 chapters in advance on my Patreon : [email protected]/furinaimpact