In Sumeru, pretend to be a scholar

The scholar before me wasn't even slightly drunk, so continuing the competition would only lead to the same outcome.

Of course, the key point is that Falgar had a good time drinking and there was no need for him to get drunk any further.

"What a pity."

"Yes, if it weren't for those twenty cups just now..."

"fantastic!"

"They all have a good capacity for alcohol!"

[The fish] made a shushing sound, but instead let out a sigh of regret.

Wang Yan also politely replied, "I'm the one who got the better deal; the Grand Commander just drank twenty extra cups."

Falgar waved his hand: "A loss is a loss. My secret is that I once secretly drank the wine meant for the Wind God under the statue of the Wind God."

Falgar's confession elicited a wave of well-meaning but ultimately inappropriate remarks.

The imposing group leader leaned back in his chair, rubbed his forehead, and looked at Wang Yan with no resentment, only pure curiosity and appreciation: "Scholar, how shall I address you?"

Wang Yan smiled and said, "Wang Yan is a scholar of the epistemological school."

"Okay, I lost this time. Next time we go to Mondstadt, I'll treat you to some of Mondstadt's best wine."

Falgar stood up: "Demian, put it on the tab, we'll pay next time."

“Yes, Grand Master,” Demian replied with a smile.

Others naturally cannot be reimbursed, but this head of the group is an exception; he certainly won't renege on his debt.

Falgar walked away unsteadily.

Wang Yan returned to his room amidst the awe-inspiring gazes of the other patrons.

He needs to practice the "Purification of the Three Karmas Mantra" to purify the "passing guests" within his body.

Chapter 169 Meeting an Old Friend

On the other side.

Having accepted the commission, Ying and Paimon traveled from Sumeru to Nodcalai via leyline anchors.

"Nordcalai is so big, where are we supposed to look for Wang Yan?" Paimon asked hesitantly, suddenly looking a little confused.

"Of course I'll ask my friends."

As Ying spoke, she walked towards Xia Town.

To avoid attracting attention, unless it's an emergency, Ying and Paimon generally don't teleport directly to towns via ley lines.

"Who are you looking for? Catherine?"

“Wang Yan isn’t an adventurer, of course she’ll go to Nefer. She’s an intelligence strategist, she definitely knows where Wang Yan is.”

"Hey, doesn't that mean I have to pay?"

Paimon was somewhat reluctant to part with it.

Unlike her other friends, Nefer actually does charge them money.

"This deal is worth over a million Mora, what's wrong with spending a little money? Wang Yan's information can't be super expensive, can it?" Ying laughed nonchalantly.

Paimon thought for a moment and nodded in agreement: "That's true."

……

"What? Finding out Wang Yan's whereabouts requires 100,000 Mora!"

Paimon let out a sharp scream, expressing strong doubt and dissatisfaction towards Akoda.

Ying also crossed her arms and looked at Yakoda with the same eyes she used to look at Dolly.

Yakoda quickly explained, "It wasn't me who set the price. It was Sister Nai. Scholar Wang Yan is an important client of the Secret Bureau. Inquiring about his whereabouts will definitely cost extra."

"Hmm? Wang Yan has been to the Secret Archives." Ying asked subconsciously.

Yakoda answered instinctively, "Yes, just this morning."

"Oh, so Wang Yan should still be in Xia Town, right?" Paimon added.

Yakoda nodded: "I think so."

"Okay, we got it. Paimon, let's go." Ying got up from the sofa and called to Paimon.

Yakoda: "Huh? Don't you need intelligence anymore?"

“Ying already knows, thank you, Yakoda.” Paimon smiled and waved, then quickly left the secret room with Ying.

Nefer came out through the back door and shook her head slightly: "Deduct it from your salary, Yakoda."

"Huh? I didn't mention any information, boss!"

Go back and think about it yourself!

Nefer glared at her silly employee with annoyance, then went back to the meditation room at the back. She would have to put in some effort to complete Wang Yan's request.

……

“Since Wang Yan came to the Secret Archives this morning, he should be in Xia Town. As an outsider, Wang Yan will definitely find a place to stay in Xia Town.”

Yingge Paimon was analyzing it.

Paimon nodded slightly: "So, go find them on the flagship!"

"That's right!"

The two exchanged a glance, smiled, and walked towards the flagship.

In fact, they always have rooms on the flagship, and they stay on the flagship whenever they return to Nordkalley.

Therefore, when it comes to Wang Yan finding a place to stay, this is the place that naturally comes to mind.

The two quickly arrived at the flagship and heard the patrons discussing something that seemed to have happened not long ago.

However, Ying and Paimon were in a hurry to find someone, so they didn't pay much attention to it.

Upon finding the bartender, Demian, Ying asked directly, "Demian, has any scholar stayed here recently?"

Demian naturally knew Ying and Paimon.

These two are great heroes who saved Nordkalley, just like Falgar before them.

"Are you two referring to Scholar Wang Yan?" Demian asked.

Paimon was taken aback: "Huh? Even Demian knows Wang Yan?"

Demian smiled and pointed to the entire tavern: "It's not just me, you could say that we all know this scholar Wang Yan."

As soon as he finished speaking, a cacophony of sounds erupted around them.

"Those scholars in the Order of the Fathers, hey, they look so frail, but when they start drinking, it's like a bottomless pit!"

"You're right, I've never seen such a capable person before."

"In the end, they drank a full forty cups before Grand Master Falgar finally conceded defeat! The scholar was even polite, saying that he had gotten the better deal!"

"If you ask me, Scholar Wang Yan is the biggest drinker in all of Nordkalley."

"I don't agree with that. I think the lamplighter is the best drinker."

"Bah! I'd say the foolish are cruel and merciless!"

"If you ask me, that scholar must have used some kind of Mount Sumeru elixir."

"Hmm, that's possible. I've heard that Sumeru has some kind of miraculous medicine that's very powerful."

"... "

As Ying listened to these increasingly outrageous descriptions, filled with personal imagination and exaggerated embellishments, her forehead twitched slightly.

Fortunately, with her extensive travel experience and ability to filter out exaggerated information, she managed to piece together the general outline of the incident from the noisy discussions: Wang Yan arrived at the tavern, accepted Falga's roulette challenge, and then Wang Yan won.

Paimon flew close to Ying and muttered, "Sounds amazing... but is it true? Even Wendy has praised Falgar's alcohol tolerance!"

Ying shook her head slightly, indicating that she also found it difficult to make a complete judgment, but the fact that Wang Yan was able to hold his own in a drinking contest and even make Falga admit defeat was already quite surprising.

However, Ying is not interested in drinking. After all, although she is a master bartender, she doesn't drink much herself.

"So, Wang Yan is currently staying at the hotel across the street?" Ying looked at Demian.

Demian nodded: "Are you two looking for Scholar Wang Yan? Then I'll take you there."

There weren't many customers at the bar, so I didn't bother the waiters.

"Okay, thank you, Demian."

"Haha, you're welcome."

……

Inside a room at the tavern.

Wang Yan was sitting cross-legged on the bed, his hands forming the "Purification of the Three Karmas Mudra," and he was softly chanting: "Om, Svabhava, Shudha, Sarva, Dharma, Svabhava, Shudha, Ah Han..."

As the mantra was chanted, a layer of almost transparent, warm light emanated from Wang Yan's body.

The light was not only not dazzling, but also had a pure and clean quality, as if it could wash away all the dust and grime in the world.

The precious light of purity in the three karmas.

Its essence is the projection of Wang Yan's increasingly refined and pure inner will.

As Wang Yan practiced the "Purification of the Three Karmas Mantra," his will grew stronger and stronger. Perhaps this was why Naxi Da gave him the "Purification of the Three Karmas Mantra."

Willpower is the key to conquering the world.

With each breath, faint golden dust drifted around his mouth and nose, as if he were exhaling pure crystal.

Beneath the skin, faint, intricate runes and shadows flowed, representing the purified karma and distracting thoughts being combed and broken down by an invisible force, dissipating into specks of starlight.

At the same time, the negligible amount of alcohol in the body is naturally purified as well.

While I was practicing, there was a knock on the door.

'Tuk tuk tuk'

"Wang Yan, Ying and I have come to bring you something!"

Paimon's cheerful shout rang out from outside the door.

Wang Yan's cultivation was interrupted. He opened his eyes, a hint of surprise flashing across them: 'Paimon and Ying? What are they doing here?'

Despite his doubts, Wang Yan acted swiftly, getting up and opening the door.

Sure enough, outside the door were bartender Demian, along with Ying and Paimon.

"Gentlemen, I'll head back now." Demian said goodbye as Wang Yan opened the door, then turned and left.

Wang Yan then looked at her two friends: "What brings you here? What did you bring me? Oh..."

As he spoke, he remembered the request he had made: "Could it be a photograph with an engraved seal?"

"Hehe, not only that, we also accepted Kavi's request and brought you a whole bunch of materials," Paimon said with a smile.

Wang Yan suddenly realized, and then felt somewhat helpless.

He hasn't even settled in Nordkalai yet, so how did he manage to send things over?

According to Wang Yan's original plan, by the time Kavi delivered the materials, he should have been in Nordkal for more than ten days. These ten days should have been enough for Wang Yan to find a place where he could make the [Azure Jade Carriage].

However, Kavi found someone who could use teleportation, and the item was delivered within a day.

This put Wang Yan in a bit of a dilemma.

"What's wrong?" Ying probably noticed Wang Yan's predicament and asked.

"It's nothing," Wang Yan shook his head. "Come in first, let's look at the photos."

Wang Yan stepped aside to let Ying and Paimon enter first.

The three entered the room and sat down. "Seventy-two Xuanming" floated to the side and poured three cups of hot tea.

Yes, it also boiled the water.

After Wang Yan checked in, "Seventy-two Xuanming" took over the daily arrangements in the room.