I, the Rock King Emperor with 21 billion in power, have joined the chat group.

He hadn't finished speaking.

Then, a faint yellow light seemed to flash across Gui Zhong's vision behind Zhong Li, and then the towering stone pillar behind him suddenly broke in two.

Rumble!

The sound of the stone pillars cracking was like the collapse of a giant skyscraper, stirring up countless black soil and fine snow.

Abedo looked at the fallen stone pillar, his expression not changing much, he merely nodded slightly.

"It seems that the people of Teyvat can do this too, so it's not exactly intentional."

"So, for the third question, can you smash that smaller mountain over there with a single punch?" Abedo continued.

This time, the traveler did not answer directly, but looked at Zhongli and the others.

Fu Hua remained silent, taking one step forward and the other step back. One hand hung naturally at her sides, while the other clenched into a fist at her waist. Endless power began to gather in her fist, and even the surrounding air began to distort because of this power.

The next moment, she suddenly threw a punch, and the enormous power transformed into a torrent of elements, crashing towards the summit of the mountain.

Boom!

Boom!

Rumble~~~~!

A tremendous roar immediately resounded through the ears, and countless lights, fires, and storms flashed and appeared on the mountain peaks, before transforming into a vast, pure radiance.

As the radiance gradually faded.

The once towering peaks and valleys seemed to have been pressed down by a giant hand, transforming into neat platforms.

"In terms of physical capabilities, the Teyvats seem incredibly powerful, beyond my comprehension." Abedo looked at Fu Hua intently. "This is the first time I've ever seen someone actually shatter a mountain with their fist. It's even more extraordinary than other experiments."

"...Hmm??" The traveling girl also understood the implication behind Abedo's words—had he seen someone break a stone pillar with their mind before?

“The results of these three experiments are not ideal.” Abedo closed his notebook and looked at the Traveler, saying softly, “Although Mr. Zhongli and others intervened unexpectedly, the Traveler, on a physical level, seems to be no different from an ordinary person in Teyvat.”

“However, we can’t draw conclusions from this... Hmm... Let’s ask about the fourth experiment first.” Abedo said, “Traveler, one last question: can you jump off this cliff without getting hurt? Or rather, can you jump directly from here to the next mountain peak?”

"How could that be..." Little Paimon crossed his arms and said impatiently, "Why have you been asking such difficult questions since the very beginning? Do you think my Ying is a god?"

"No..." the traveler's voice suddenly broke in softly.

"I think I can try it."

"Huh??" Little Paimon looked over with a question mark on his face.

“I think I can try jumping from here to the opposite mountain peak,” the traveler said, a long-awaited remark.

"My... strength has been restored a little."

"Huh~~~? Huh!!!!!!!!!?"

Paimon was utterly astonished.

Chapter Seventeen: The Ancient Kingdom of the Snowy Mountains and the Witches' Gathering in Mondstadt

Emerging from Abedo's laboratory, Gui Zhong continued chattering animatedly around the traveler girl.

She seemed quite surprised that the traveler girl, Ying, could jump such a long distance.

Zhongli, on the other hand, was not surprised by this.

The Traveler Girl is, after all, a trans-world traveler who can traverse between worlds. Although she may have some tricks up her sleeve, she is probably no less powerful than Gui Zhong and Fu Hua, who cannot even escape their worlds on their own.

It's perfectly normal for someone to jump hundreds of meters in an instant.

Where are we headed now?

Fu Hua, who was walking at the back, asked the Traveler Girl and Gui Zhong, who were walking at the front.

"Go directly deep into the snowfield?"

"Exploration." The traveler was sparing with words, but he did reveal his purpose.

Little Paimon, true to form, immediately took over the conversation: "Explore the snowfield. Our goal this time is to find Ying's brother, so it would be best if we explored the surrounding area."

"Ying also heard that there are many Hilichurls in the Abyss Order active in this snowfield, so she wondered if her brother might be here—after all, the fortune teller that Mr. Zhongli asked said that Ying's brother might be in the hands of the Abyss Order."

“Yes, that’s perfect.” Gui Zhong said with a smile, “I had already studied this place before I came to the snow mountain. I know exactly where the Abyss Order’s traces are.”

"Come with me."

.......

Boom!

With a loud bang, the guardian of the ruins lost his balance and fell to the ground. Then, with a simple punch, the guardian's head was completely destroyed.

However, before it began to destroy, the guardian of the ruins emitted a sound that defied comprehension.

"@＃！@＃￥！@"

Fu Hua slowly retracted her fist, an invisible Honkai energy covering her entire body, and exhaled a breath of hot air.

The white mist was blown away by the strong wind from the cold air.

It blended into this white, snow-covered landscape.

"What exactly are these guardians of the ruins saying? I've noticed that none of the guardians of these ruins outside the snow mountain ever spoke nonsense before they died." Little Paimon crossed his arms, looking serious. "Mr. Zhongli, do you know what? I think there's definitely a big secret behind this."

This time, Zhongli did not object to Xiaopaimeng's words.

He nodded slightly: "These guardians of the ruins are indeed creations of a kingdom that was destroyed 500 years ago."

"Haha~!" Little Paimon laughed smugly: "I think so. There must be a big secret in there. Who knows, it might even be the reason why that country was destroyed 500 years ago."

"What secret could it be?" She slowly stroked her chin, as if deep in thought. "Perhaps it perished in an irresistible natural disaster? Or a war that engulfed the entire civilization? Or perhaps it found some kind of secret weapon that the gods did not approve of, and then it was destroyed by the gods?"

"I think if we unlock this secret, we'll definitely get a lot of money, maybe even a treasure from before the whole country was destroyed."

"Come look this way." Gui Zhong's voice suddenly came from not far away, interrupting Xiao Paimon's thoughts.

“There’s an inscription here,” Gui Zhong exclaimed. “Perhaps it can help.”

The crowd quickly gathered around.

"[...with its soul as its foundation and starlight as its bones, yet it can wield it to cut through the ice and snow of the foreigner, Immonlo...]"

Gui Zhong silently read the words on the stele.

“It seems to be a record,” Fu Hua said.

"Hmm..." The traveler nodded slightly.

“According to my guess,” Paimon raised his eyebrows smugly, “this sentence refers to a stranger named Immonlo who acquired a weapon made of star silver that can cut through ice and snow.”

"Everyone knows that." As for Paimon's smugness, only Gui Zhong would probably say it outright: "If the records I read are correct, there are a total of eight in this snow mountain."

"Hmm, has anyone explored these inscriptions before?" Little Paimon asked with surprise.

"Yes, but no one has recorded all the contents of the inscriptions. Adventurers aren't interested in them, and real historians can't directly go to this snow-capped mountain with its harsh ecosystem," Gui Zhong explained. "If you, the traveler, are interested, perhaps we would be the first to record all of these inscriptions."

“Hmm,” Ying nodded seriously, her big eyes sparkling—she liked the feeling of adventure and the unknown.

At this moment, Fu Hua, who had been silent since the beginning, suddenly interjected: "Approximately how much time has passed since this inscription was written?"

"Two thousand years ago?" Gui Zhong himself wasn't quite sure: "According to historical records, it was around two thousand years ago that this snow mountain began to become a snow mountain. It seems that this area was a fertile region before."

“Then, I remember Zhongli, you seem to have lived for thousands of years, right?” Fu Hua looked at Zhongli.

“Yes, more than six thousand years.” Zhongli nodded slightly.

"Do you remember the changes to this snow mountain? After all, it's right next to Liyue, I think you do remember." Fu Hua said directly, "Just tell me what happened back then, that'll be enough."

“Hmm… From a generally rational perspective, that is indeed the case.” Zhongli shook his head and refused: “However, I think that for an adventurer, exploring a once-abandoned kingdom in a deserted snow-covered mountain is a great adventure experience, and I think travelers would enjoy it.”

"Wouldn't it be incredibly boring if I told the whole story?"

"Yes, yes." The traveler nodded suddenly; she thought so too.

As a traveler from another world, one of her few pleasures in exploring the continent of Teyvat is uncovering its historical mysteries—but of course, her greatest pleasure is admiring the diverse and beautiful legs of the many Teyvat women.

“I think so too.” Gui Zhong sided with the Traveler this time: “I love things that are almost like puzzles; they bring back the feeling of being a wise demon god back then.”

Although Fu Hua felt it was a bit unnecessary, she didn't refute it; she wasn't so oblivious to the atmosphere that she couldn't read between the lines.

So the group didn't waste much time and quickly continued searching for the different inscriptions.

It took them about four days to finally collect all eight inscriptions.

"...with its soul in its bones and starlight in its flesh, it can wield it to cut through the ice and snow of the foreigner, Imonro..."

[...In an attempt to heal the earth's veins, the tree had already withered and died. After a simple burial for the princess...]

[...Without result or response, Farusi heads to the summit...]

[...Snowstorm raged, and the pillar that fell from the sky collapsed into three...]

[...far from ice and strife, they arrived at this verdant paradise. Thus, this monument was erected, and the capital was established here, named Scharführ...]

[...I dreamt of a jet-black dragon that blotted out the sun. This is an ominous sign. In the same month, a stranger from a foreign land...]

Guided by […], they proceeded to the location of the pale tree in the mountains; in the same month, they explored the underground waterway…

[...She has passed away, and there is no longer any need for a secretary. The greatest regret is that I could not witness her completion of the murals in the main hall...]

Looking at these disjointed contents, even Gui Zhong couldn't fully understand them.

After all, there is too little information. If we make random guesses now, the result may be far from the truth. In the end, he is a meticulous person and would not make such random guesses.

However, while she wouldn't offer her own guess, she could shift the topic to Paimon and let Paimon use her boundless imagination to come up with a guess.

"Little Paimon".

"Hmm?" Paimon frowned and took over the conversation: "What's wrong? Don't interrupt my train of thought, I feel like I'm about to grasp the key point."

"Mr. Paimon, tell us your guess!" Gui Zhong found little Paimon's appearance increasingly adorable and encouraged him with a smile.

"Ahem~~!" Little Paimon cleared his throat: "Then I'll tell you."

"Speak, speak," Gui Zhong continued.

“I think these eight stone tablets are all easy to understand.” Little Paimon cleared his throat, like an old scholar, and put on a pair of glasses that he had somehow acquired.

"Once upon a time, there was a kingdom called Shalfin. They came here to escape the snow and war. At that time, the snow mountain was not yet a snow mountain. The mountains were lush and rich, truly a paradise on earth."