He changed Tiwat

From the moment they entered the ruins, not a single member of the Abyss Order appeared. This was highly unusual.

The "Black Serpent Knights" couldn't stop him; not only could they not stop him, they even made way for him.

If it was more than just a miracle, more than just that Halfdan possessed a strong enough will to resist the corruption of the curse and retain the memory of his "captain"—it was also because of someone, Ye Mingxiang, who gave Halfdan instructions…

"That's why you were so confident that our path to the 'Clock Tower' would be smooth, and you even predicted that someone would force the 'Black Serpent Knights' to retreat." Daines Reeb finally understood where Han Fulai's confidence came from.

“That’s right. I originally thought Ye Mingxiang would personally give the order, but he probably thought that his appearance would arouse your curiosity, and you might turn to investigate this special ‘Black Serpent Knight’ out of curiosity, so he sent Hafdan, who has an old relationship with you, to come.”

“So none of this was a coincidence after all…” Dain’s voice was low.

“Besides that, there’s another ‘coincidence,’” Han Fulai continued. “Because of the existence of Hilichurls, you took the protective will of the ‘Black Serpent Riders’ for granted, causing you to overlook a very, very basic issue.”

"What's the problem?" Dain frowned.

"'Black Serpent Knight'...why did he appear in the Rocky Abyss?" Han Fulai asked calmly.

"Why... Ah!" Dain was startled. Indeed, he had been ignoring this matter.

Han Fulai continued, "The Laminaria is Liyue's territory, not Kanria's. Besides, you yourself said that you have never set foot in the Laminaria. What right do Kanria's court guards, the 'Black Serpent Knights,' have to come to the Laminaria? Perhaps it's true that they've been cursed and lost their reason, mistaking this ruin for Kanria and the Hilichurls for Kanria's citizens... but did they come to the depths of this Laminaria on their own?"

“Before today, this place was a secret realm that no one had ever set foot in, even for the locals of Liyue,” Jiang Xue added at the opportune moment.

This was a decisive blow, leaving Daines Reb no choice but to believe it.

“...I did indeed order Hafdan to protect the people of Kanria...so he shouldn’t have left Kanria, he shouldn’t have come to this place.”

While other things could be explained by coincidence, Daines Reb refused to believe that this was a coincidence.

Because he knew that Hafdan was a true knight, a guardian worthy of his trust. Even death could not take him from his post.

Unless Hafdan has lost his own will... he has been corrupted by the curse, and... controlled by someone else.

"To paraphrase an old saying from Liyue—'When things are out of the ordinary, something sinister is sure to happen, and when things are really weird, something strange is sure to happen,'" Han Fulai concluded.

Dai was thus forced to seriously consider the “killing trap” that Han Fu had mentioned targeting him.

He soon discovered another unusual thing.

"...You clearly know that there might be a trap set by the 'Abyss Order' on the top floor, so why did you suggest that we go directly to this 'Clock Tower'?" Dain asked.

Han Fulai was all smiles.

“Because Senior Jiang Xue and I are outsiders, neither of us has the ‘curse of immortality’. If the ‘Abyss Order’ set a trap for your ‘curse of immortality’, then Senior Jiang Xue and I are the key to breaking the deadlock. Moreover, I suspect that this is the will of Senior Jiang Xue’s senior brother, Ye Mingxiang. The reason he pulled us into this is to ensure your survival.”

Chapter 204 Forming an Alliance with Dayn

If you were to ask when Han Fulai noticed something was wrong, it would probably be when he was beaten down by Ye Mingxiang and lying on the ground waiting to die.

Ye Mingxiang talks a lot and her sarcasm is forceful, but her words are not harsh.

Although he did harbor murderous intent towards Han Fulai, and Han Fulai believed that Ye Mingxiang genuinely intended to kill him at first, her murderous intent seemed to lessen after he revealed his Salt God powers.

After witnessing Jiang Xue's skills, Han Fulai clearly understood the path Jiang Xue's "Wind-Slaying Sword" followed—killing enemies was a matter of a single sword strike, and the speed was so fast that the opponent might not even be able to see Jiang Xue's figure before they died.

Admittedly, Han Fulai took Ye Mingxiang's speed into account, using his Salt God power to dig a pit to restrict Ye Mingxiang's mobility, and chose an inescapable wide-range attack as the final blow to finish her off—but Ye Mingxiang was a ruthless character who could take his "breath-turning-stone" attack head-on.

Because of the sword energy protecting her body by the "True Technique", Ye Mingxiang was able to neutralize his saltification attack from the very beginning and was completely unharmed. Why did she wait until he went to finish him off with the black-tasseled spear before launching a surprise attack?

He could have easily launched a surprise attack when Han Fulai was most relaxed after unleashing his ultimate move—given Ye Mingxiang's speed in the final display of "Extreme Step Kill: Silence," he was fully capable of instantly killing Han Fulai, who was not protected by the Jade Shield at the time.

Moreover, even though Jiang Xue blocked the fatal blow, Ye Mingxiang's speed in raising her sword to finish them off after knocking them both away was far too slow...

Finally, even if Daines Reeb suddenly teleported over, Ye Mingxiang didn't need to turn around and attack Daines Reeb... because Ye Mingxiang could have killed him with a sword first and then turned around to deal with Daines Reeb's affairs, right?

Daines Reeb had just emerged from the portal and was completely bewildered, not recognizing Han Fulai or Jiang Xue. It was hard to imagine that Daines would intervene to save Han Fulai or attack a "Black Serpent Knight" he had just met under those circumstances.

Unless Ye Mingxiang was actually showing mercy and was consciously waiting for Daines Reeb's arrival—or rather, his appearance at the entrance of the ruins was part of a plan targeting Daines Reeb.

Even if Jiang Xue hadn't killed the two Abyss Singers, and even if Han Fulai and Jiang Xue hadn't appeared here, Ye Mingxiang would still have waited for Daines Reeb at that time and place.

Presumably, under such circumstances, Ye Mingxiang might personally provide hints about the layout of the Dainesreb Ruins, or secretly assist and guide him.

As for why Ye Mingxiang did this, Han Fulai was not clear about the details, but Ye Mingxiang revealed some secrets in his conversation with Jiang Xue - he repeatedly emphasized to Jiang Xue that he had not joined the "Abyss Cult".

Ye Mingxiang had his own plans, and his goals were not aligned with those of the "Abyss Cult"—this was what Han Fulai realized at the time.

“That ‘Black Serpent Knight’ I saw at the entrance of the ruins? Why would he… do such a thing?” Dain frowned, things seemed to be getting more and more complicated.

“I think he and the ‘Abyss Order’ might have a mutually beneficial relationship. In a way, he and you could also be considered… ‘comrades’,” Han Fulai replied.

During his journey with Daines Reeb, Han Fulai's thinking gradually became more refined, and he considered more things, such as Ye Mingxiang's attitude.

He once said, "Humans can also kill gods," and "From outside the world, we obtain the power to deny the world"... To put it simply, this guy is a "traitor."

He opposes the existing divine governance system and has gained the power to "deny the world." At the same time, Ye Mingxiang is afflicted with the "curse of immortality" and possesses the ultimate skill of Kanria's "True Art." If we consider the degree of kinship, it's possible that he and Dainesreb are old acquaintances.

Dainesreb and Ye Mingxiang are both descendants of Kanria, and both harbor national and personal grievances. They should be able to easily negotiate cooperation, at least Ye Mingxiang doesn't seem to consider Dainesreb an enemy. Judging from their meeting, Ye Mingxiang's sword strike seemed more like a greeting and a test of his strength.

From the perspective of a "rebel"—although Ye Mingxiang did not know that Han Fulai was actually a "rebel," she recognized the Salt God's inheritance on him.

The special status of the Silver Plains in Liyue, the distorted misunderstandings among the Salt God's followers about the Geo Archon, and so on, were not difficult for Ye Mingxiang to know, especially since he had a junior brother who was a member of the Seven Stars.

If Ye Mingxiang, after seeing Han Fulai's Salt God power, mistakenly believed that he was related to the Silver Plains Hall and was a hidden force of the Anti-Rock King Emperor—this seems to make sense.

So Ye Mingxiang used mockery... or rather, "provocation" to lure her junior brother Jiang Xue and the "traitor" Han Fulai into the game.

A deadly trap set for Daines Reeb is certainly not easy to break, and even someone as strong as Jiang Xue might die in these ruins.

That phrase, "Leave," was perhaps his last act of tenderness towards his junior brother, Jiang Xue.

Daines Reeb pondered for a long time before asking Han Fulai a question: "You saw that there was a trap in this ruin, and you also saw that the other party let you leave... So why did you choose to step into this ruin?"

Not only Daines Reeb, but even Jiang Xue looked at Han Fulai.

Although Jiang Xue wasn't particularly skilled in strategy, she knew that they didn't necessarily need to enter this ancient civilization ruins immediately.

Although Jiang Xue had a past with Ye Mingxiang and wanted to enter the ruins to resolve his past with his senior brother, he wasn't in a hurry. If necessary, Jiang Xue could wait a few more days before coming back.

After Ye Mingxiang revealed her hostility to him, this ruin was already fraught with danger. Moreover, Han Fulai was injured and had lost his ability to defend himself. It would be best for him to retreat to the camp to recuperate, or even return to Liyue Harbor to seek support.

In fact, only Dainesreb truly had the necessity and urgency to enter this ruin. Whether it was the plot of the "Abyss Order," the "Black Serpent Knight" of Kanria, or even the power to weaken the "Undying Curse," all of these were matters closely related to him.

The biggest beneficiary of resolving the anomalies occurring within this ruin is Dainesreb.

Although Han Fu claimed to be friends with Traveler Ying, he had never met Daines Reb before, so there was no reason for him to help him like this.

Moreover, Han Fulai just said that he would protect Daines Reeb in this trap.

Although he spoke rather casually, Daines Reb was well aware of the risks of the trip and knew that there was no such thing as unearned kindness in this world.

So he was waiting for Han Fulai to give him an answer.

Han Fulai replied, "You have the people of Kanriya in your heart, and I have the people of Liyue in mine. We share a common goal—neither of us wants to see our people suffer, right?"

Dain lowered her head and remained silent for a long time.

When he raised his head again, his eyes were filled with determination.

"Mr. Han Fulai".

Han Fulai nodded and smiled, “Mr. Dai Yin is much older than me, so just call me Xiao Han.”

"Mr. Xinghan".

Jiang Xue shook her head. "I prefer the name Jiang Xue."

"Okay, Jiang Xue."

Daines Reb extended his right hand and placed it in front of the two men.

"We are allies only within this abyss of layered rocks. I swear by the honor of the 'Sword of the End,' I, Dainesreb, will do everything in my power to help you both, and I hope that you... will help me as well."

"Thank you, Mr. Din." Han Fulai placed his hand on the back of Din's hand.

“I have no objection.” Jiang Xue also reached out and placed her hand on the back of Han Fulai’s hand.

A temporary alliance was thus formed. However, Daines Reeb never expected that this young man named Han Fulai would inexplicably run into him in various places and shamelessly hire him as a bodyguard and thug for five hundred Mora time and time again.

Chapter 205 The Upside-Down Fountain Pool

After the three finished their discussion, they walked up the stairs to their final destination, the top floor of the "clock tower".

As Han Fulai had predicted, the three of them encountered no further obstacles along the way. It was as if neither the "Abyss Order" nor the "Black Serpent Knight" had ever appeared.

Only the three of them remained in the entire ruin, along with the Hilichurls who awaited their own demise.

In every dilapidated room on every floor of this "clock tower," in the darkest corners, Hilichurls gather.

They almost always maintain the same posture, silently buried in the darkness, motionless and silent, as if they have completely merged with the darkness.

Han Fulai and his companions even saw a Hilichurl whose body was half melted away. Half of its body had turned into putrid black mud flowing everywhere, while the Hilichurl sitting in the black mud beside it remained unmoved, seemingly indifferent to the death of its companion... or perhaps, death was the only salvation for them.

After climbing two floors, the three of them were no longer willing to look at the Hilichurls' miserable state and quickened their pace in tacit agreement.

Soon after, the endpoint, which was flashing with blue light, appeared in front of the three of them.

They finally reached the top of the tower.

The top of the tower has the largest area of ​​all the floors (after all, this tower is upside down) and is also the best preserved. Only by going here can you see the whole "clock tower".

There is only one large hall on the roof, surrounded by eight stone pillars over twenty meters tall, and the blue light comes from the ceiling—a fountain pool.

The fountain's platform is square, with clear spring water flowing out in all directions. The water flows into the pool, creating shimmering waves that cover the floor beneath everyone's feet with a blue glow, as if they were underwater.

Buildings with fountains and pools on the ground floor are not uncommon; similar buildings can be found in Mondstadt and Fontainebleau. However, fountains that hang upside down are quite rare.

Neither the fountain nor the pool water defied the direction of gravity; despite hanging above the three people's heads, not a single drop of water fell.

There are no "Abyss Order" or "Black Serpent Riders" here, nor are there any Hilichurls.

This makes it appear exceptionally spacious.

Dain closed her eyes slightly and tilted her head back to feel the power of the pool.

He felt as if he were in that pool of water, and his whole body felt a cool and refreshing sensation.

"The power that weakens the 'Curse of Immortality' must come from this pool... Mr. Dain, can you tell the origin of this pool?" Han Fulai asked.

“I don’t know.” Dain shook his head slightly. “The pool seems to be integrated with the entire city, and it must be a relic of an ancient civilization. When you are here, your body will feel an unprecedented tranquility. This feeling is even stronger than before. I think it is mostly because the pool water has a kind of ‘purifying’ effect.”

“‘Purification’…” Jiang Xue noticed Dain’s choice of words, “Does that mean that if you people with the ‘undying curse’ jump into the pool, you can completely remove the curse?”

"impossible."

Jiang Xue answered Han Fulai.

"If the power of this pool could truly eliminate the curse, then the 'Black Serpent Knight' and the Hilichurls would have already spared no expense to develop this place into a swimming pool. Why would they be holed up downstairs waiting to die?"

“He’s right,” Daines Reeb affirmed Han Fulai’s statement. “I have coexisted with the curse for five hundred years, and no one knows more about the curse than I do. It is a causal mark on this world, and the curse of the gods is even higher in status than that of humans themselves. The power of this pool of water… is not enough.”

Dain turned to Jiang Xue and explained, “I can feel the curse constantly seeping into everything about me, becoming a part of me, and even gradually ‘replacing’ me. This pool can only suppress the curse’s erosion to a limited extent. If you really jump into the pool… just imagine it as directly burning a part of your body. Before that, you won’t even be able to save your life.”

Jiang Xue actually only half understood what Dain was saying. He could understand each word individually—"a causal imprint of the world," "a status higher than humanity itself"—but put together, he simply couldn't grasp what Dain was getting at. If Dain hadn't actually been speaking Liyue language, he would have understood that Dain was saying jumping into the pool would lead to death; he almost had to ask his advisor, Han, to translate for him…

Of course, even though he asked Master Han to translate for him, Han Fulai himself only vaguely understood the first half of Dain's words. This was largely thanks to the story Zhongli had told him in the Salt God Ruins. Zhongli had once said that the "Prime Minister" on Sky Island was also an outsider to this world, and that this world had been transformed by the "Prime Minister." The appearance of humankind even occurred after the arrival of Heavenly Law.

Therefore, Dain must be saying that the curse was cast by a god of the "Heavenly Principle" level, and that the curse is bound to some fundamental power of the Teyvat continent, which beings of a lower level, such as humans, cannot break.

In addition, he had heard Zhongli say that the ley lines that run through everything on Teyvat also have the power to record everything, and their conversations would be recorded by the ley lines. Whether it was Zhongli or Dain, their way of speaking was similar to that of a "riddler," usually in order to avoid being recorded by the ley lines, so as not to reveal any secrets and suffer the merciless punishment of the heavens.

Han Fulai, as Yue Haiting's secretary, was very experienced in writing reports and using bureaucratic language, and he rarely spoke in plain language, so he could somewhat understand Dain's speaking style. However, for Jiang Xue, a member of the Seven Stars with a military background, the experience of talking to Dain was far from pleasant.

After saying this, Dai Yin gave Han Fulai a deep look.

Because he remembered what Han Fulai had said when they discussed countermeasures.

Han Fulai had never been to the rooftop, nor had he ever seen the pool of water. He was also completely unaware of the characteristics of the "Undying Curse," yet he had accurately predicted the existence of the rooftop fountain pool an hour earlier.

Strictly speaking, Han Fulai was not referring to the pool water, but rather to "a mechanism on the roof that seems to be able to lift the curse but can actually kill the cursed person."

Daines Reeb's gaze fell to the center of the hall, directly below the fountain pool.

There was a rectangular stone platform there, and on the platform was a sea-blue rhombus-shaped crystal.

It was obvious that this was a mechanism that could be activated by some force, but its design and decorative details were clearly out of place with the architectural style of this ancient civilization's ruins. Dainesreb could almost immediately tell that this thing was created by the "Abyss Order".

Moreover, Dain was certain that... his "blue flame," or rather, "power from outside the world," was the power that activated this mechanism.

Chapter 206 Trap and Hostages (Bonus Chapter 4/20)

If Han Fulai hadn't warned Dain about the existence of this trap beforehand, Dain might have actually activated it.

In fact, even now, a voice inside him is telling him, "Try activating that mechanism."

Both the "Abyss Order" and Kanria possess technology and power "from beyond the world." To surpass the curse left by the gods in terms of "rank," they can only rely on power of the same rank.

Since the gods also come from outside the world, then of course we should use forces from outside the world to fight against them.