He changed Tiwat

Yelan recounted the events that had occurred on the ground to Katarina once again.

Katarina lowered her head, her expression mirroring Anton's and the others': confusion, anger, and sorrow. Then, she silently pulled her hood back up, covering most of her face.

"I see... We had a falling out with the Liyue people on the ground... That explains why our supply lines were interrupted..."

When she raised her head again, her voice returned to the same cold, icy tone she had when they first met.

"That's how war is... enemies and friends change in an instant, and that's the environment in which the Fools live. It's normal that outsiders can't understand the Fools' ideology. All our actions, regardless of their purpose, are just preparations for the final battle."

"The final battle?" Han Fulai frowned; this was a phrase he couldn't ignore.

Katarina gripped the edge of her hood tightly, as if trying to conceal the surging anger and sorrow within it. In the end, only words devoid of any emotion escaped from her cherry-colored lips.

"Yes, what we will ultimately face is a common enemy and an inescapable long night... The people of Winter's End have all accepted this warning. Therefore, for the sake of this cruel world, every tear and drop of blood shed by humanity... is not meaningless."

"A common enemy"? "An inescapable long night"? Does it refer to the "Black Catastrophe"?

Han Fulai frowned.

The Winter Queen's ideology and the Fools' actions seem to have always had a clear objective.

Anton had previously stated that they were always prepared to combat the "dark calamity."

Logically speaking, the calamity five hundred years ago should have been shared by all seven kingdoms of Teyvat. Why is it that, apart from Winterhold, the other six kingdoms seem to downplay the event and treat it as just another page in history?

If the "Dark Calamity" is truly as terrifying as Anton and Katarina described, and is worth the Winter Kingdom's five hundred years of vigilance... why has Zhongli never mentioned it?

The more Han Fulai interacted with Zhongli and the deeper his understanding of this Rock King Emperor became, the clearer it became for him that this most ancient deity never had any "forgetfulness" and even kept jokingly saying that he had "too good a memory".

The saying "The Emperor must have had a deeper meaning in doing this" is not just a joke, but a genuine statement.

Everything Zhongli has done so far has a deeper meaning behind it, but Han Fu can understand some of it and not others.

So the question lingered in his mind and became increasingly difficult to suppress—why didn't the Rock King Emperor step in to deal with the anomaly in the Layered Rock Abyss two years ago?

If the anomalies in the Layered Rock Abyss are truly related to the "Dark Calamity," isn't Zhongli's inaction akin to nurturing a tiger only to have it grow bigger? It's like having a time bomb at your doorstep, with the ticking of the bomb's clock a constant reminder of its impending doom. How could Zhongli possibly ignore it?

Now look what's happened. The Fools, abandoned by their superiors, are shedding blood and tears for Liyue, while the people of Liyue stand idly by in the face of their own crisis.

That's not right!

He didn't know the reason, and he didn't want to know the reason; he only knew that this was wrong.

Even though this matter has developed to the point where "the people of Liyue suffer, and the infamy of the Abyss and the Fools bear the brunt," this is Liyue's usual administrative style, which Han Fulai has seen many times before... but Han Fulai knows that this is wrong.

The Geo Archon, the Liyue Ascendants, the Liyue Seven Stars, the Thousand Rock Army... all of them were absent during this period, while the Fatui, the "source of all evil" of Teyvat, have been fighting in the Rocky Abyss ever since?

Young people from the depths of winter lost friends and family in the towering abyss of rocky cliffs, shedding blood and tears on land that was not theirs for people who had nothing to do with them.

They are fighting for Liyue, while Liyue is kicking them while they're down.

What kind of joke is this?

Han Fulai forced a smile, but found that he couldn't laugh at all; the joke wasn't funny at all.

“But right now… at least right now, I only care about Kolya.” Katarina murmured her brother’s nickname, tied the supply bag tightly, held it in her hand, and then struggled to stand up.

“He got separated from his squad during our retreat… He was trying to draw away the pursuing enemy… He was an excellent soldier, and I knew he wouldn’t die there. So, I came to find him, to bring him home.”

She walked past Han Fulai, her steps unsteady.

Jiang Xue remained silent, while Ye Lan watched coldly from the sidelines.

Anyone could see that Katarina's body simply couldn't withstand any combat; she was likely to collapse on the road, or even be killed by the monsters in the Rocky Abyss.

But this has nothing to do with Han Fulai and his group.

They agreed to Anton's request to take Katarina back as a matter of convenience, and if Katarina insisted on going her own way, they had no right to stop her.

A "pop" sound came from behind Katarina.

Katarina turned around and saw Han Fulai pull out the cork from the bottle, tilt his head back, and pour the bottle of "fire water" into his mouth.

The "fire water" was very spicy and pungent, but Han Fulai drank it all down without hesitation.

The strong liquor went down my throat, and a surge of heroic spirit arose.

Han Fulai shoved the empty wine bottle into Katarina's arms and then grabbed her shoulders.

Katarina, clutching the bottle, looked unusually bewildered.

Every day during the winter solstice, people would get drunk and cause a ruckus in the streets. People who drank an entire bottle of "fire water" in one go would usually become drunkards like that... But Han Fulai didn't seem drunk. His eyes were clear and bright.

"I heard Sergeant Anton and the others say that people only invite friends for drinks during the winter. So, if we drink your wine, we're friends, right?"

“Hmm…” Katarina blinked, and the two rabbit ears on her hood twitched restlessly.

"My name is Han Fulai. You should remember your friends' names, right?"

As he spoke, he took Katarina's hand and, with his fingers, wrote his name in Liyue script on her palm, stroke by stroke.

"Miss Katarina, we've been chatting for so long, but I still haven't asked your full name?" Han Fulai looked at Katarina.

Katarina stared blankly as she grasped the hand with the name written on it and pulled it back to her chest.

There were no words in her palm, but she had already memorized the name.

“I, my name is Katharina Schneetsvna… You can call me Katya.”

“Alright, Miss Katya.” Han Fulai took out the simple map he had obtained from Timor. “Could you mark roughly where your brother was last seen? Although I cannot help the Fatui find people as a Liyue civil servant, I am willing to do my part to help my friend Miss Katya find her lost brother Kolya.”

"Thank you, thank you." Katarina felt her eyes suddenly well up with tears and quickly raised her hand to wipe them away. "Even if it's just finding traces or clues he left behind, I'll go..."

Han Fulai patted Katarina's shoulder.

"Miss Katya, please stay here to recover. I'll be back soon."

He smiled and pointed to the two "followers" behind him.

“Ask them around. There’s no one in this giant abyss that I, Han Fulai, can’t find.”

Chapter 231 A Lost Traveler in a Foreign Land (Part 4)

After leaving Katarina's hiding place, Han Fulai and his group once again headed towards the "fluorescent passage" they had previously encountered.

According to Katharina's annotations, her brother Corporal Nikolai disappeared in that "fluorescent passage" while covering their retreat.

Katarina had come all the way from the distant Fools' camp alone, clearly having endured considerable hardship.

It's important to understand that even with the strength of Han Fulai and his two companions, it took them a long time to get here, even with a map, equipment, and supplies. They encountered many insurmountable obstacles along the way. For Katarina, it was naturally even more difficult. She was able to get here almost entirely thanks to her unwavering determination.

Now that the "fluorescent narrow passage" is right in front of you, but your body can't hold on, the feeling of collapsing just one step before the finish line is something no one can accept.

Han Fulai could completely understand Katarina's regret, which was why she had been so reckless in trying to continue searching for Corporal Nikolai. If she hadn't done so, she would probably have lived with regret for the rest of her life.

Han Fulai didn't want such a regret to happen before his eyes.

"Look, we're just looking for someone along the way," Han Fulai explained to Jiang Xue and Ye Lan.

Jiang Xue was indifferent; he was just a "bodyguard" anyway.

Ye Lan, however, let out a snort.

"I have no obligation to help the Fools find people."

"Hey... that's why I said I'm not helping the Fools, I'm helping a friend of mine find her brother." Han Fulai shrugged.

"Do you think we're on good terms?" Ye Lan countered.

It wasn't just a bad relationship, they were practically enemies... Han Fulai gave a bitter smile.

“Well… Miss Yelan, you see, we can look for Corporal Nikolai’s trail along the way. Maybe we can find some new clues about the changes in the Layered Rock Abyss, which would be beneficial to our mission.”

What he said makes sense. The captain disappeared at the same time as Corporal Nikolai. According to the map, the location where Corporal Nikolai disappeared was not far away. The "Mokosh Device" was also lost in the "Fluorescent Passage". Searching for Corporal Nikolai's whereabouts may also lead to clues about the "Mokosh Device".

However, Ye Lan wasn't buying it.

"We're just in a temporary working relationship. You can be the good guy if you want, and I'll be the bad guy. Just don't hold me back. That was true last night, and it's true today..."

Ye Lan glanced at him, and Han Fulai scratched his head helplessly, speechless.

He also knew he had no right to expect Ye Lan to help him with everything.

Ultimately, Ye Lan and he are not on the same page now. It's already good enough that they don't stab each other in the back, and we can't ask for anything more than that.

"Don't worry, I'll do my job well." Ye Lan, carrying a miner's lamp, stood at the entrance of the "fluorescent passage".

Ye Lan, being an intelligence officer by training and having visited the Layered Rock Abyss several times, was far more familiar with the Abyss and experienced in adventures than Jiang Xue and Han Fulai, even though this was her first time entering the "Fluorescent Passage." Whether it was scouting or searching for traces left by the Fools, she was far more professional than Han Fulai and the others.

In addition, she has experience in investigating and fighting in the abyss, and the anomalies in the Layered Rock Abyss are clearly related to the power of the abyss. With her taking the lead, she is the most likely to react to the power of the abyss.

According to their formation, this time Ye Lan was in charge of scouting and gathering clues.

Jiang Xue, as the main combatant, followed closely behind to eliminate danger for the team.

Han Fulai, whose combat strength has not yet fully recovered, is responsible for covering the rear and providing shield support for the team when necessary.

With their current strength, the "Abyss Order" and the monsters tainted by the black mud should be no problem for them—unless they encounter the special "Black Serpent Knight" Ye Mingxiang, they should not be in any danger.

However, Han Fulai still kindly reminded her, "Then please be careful, Miss Yelan."

Ye Lan stared at Han Fulai with a complicated expression, and sighed softly, "Let me give you a piece of advice: people who are too soft-hearted usually don't live long."

"Uh... thank you?" Han Fulai twitched the corner of his mouth, knowing that Ye Lan was unhappy that he had meddled and caused a lot of trouble.

However, I don't actually dislike soft-hearted people, because only such people consider the feelings of ordinary people. Ye Lan silently added in her heart, and then stepped into the "fluorescent passage" first.

The term "fluorescent passage" is relative to other areas of the strata rock abyss. This "passage" itself is more than 30 meters wide and high, enough to be more than a train tunnel, let alone a person walking through it.

The passage stretches for several kilometers, ending at the location of the "main fragment".

Besides the glowing, fluorescent fungi, the tunnel was filled with sprawling black mud. Unlike other places, the black mud here grew haphazardly, appearing not only on the ground and walls, but also in clumps emerging from the tunnel ceiling. These clumps hung precariously from the ceiling, seemingly about to fall on one's head at any moment, a truly terrifying sight.

Jiang Xue had already put away the "Aksha Chaos Probe". In this place full of black mud, the machine was just making noise and was completely useless. The three of them could only take it one step at a time.

According to Timor's map, the "Fluorescent Passage" appears to be an almost straight passage, but this is not actually the case.

After walking a short distance, Han Fulai and his group discovered that there were occasional culvert-like gaps in the tunnel walls, leading to a dark and mysterious place with no end in sight. However, because the main force of the Fools had not explored these side paths, Timor had ignored them all.

It was impossible for the captain and Corporal Nikolai to disappear in such a straight passage. They must have run into one of the culverts to escape or distract the enemy, but which one it was is unknown.

However, for Ye Lan, an intelligence expert, even in a place full of black mud, there are still traces to follow. In such places, human traces are actually easy to distinguish from the surrounding environment. For example, unnatural cracks in rocks, mushrooms that are not stained by black mud but are inexplicably missing a piece, etc., are all excellent directional indicators.

“Someone has been inside.” In the middle of the “fluorescent passage”, Ye Lan stopped and pointed to a culvert about two or three meters high.

The culvert was now blocked by ankle-deep black mud, but there were unnatural cracks above the entrance, as if a battle had taken place there, and the aftershocks of the fight had swept across the opening. If the Fools' soldiers had indeed fought the monsters pursuing them there, they would very likely have entered this side passage to take refuge afterwards.

However, the opening was located right in the middle of where the captain and Corporal Nikolai disappeared, making it impossible to determine which of them entered the culvert—or whether both of them did.

In any case, it's worth checking out.

Han Fulai opened the jade shield, and the three of them stepped through the black mud and filed in.

Chapter 232 A Lost Traveler in a Foreign Land (Part 5) (Bonus Chapter 12/20)

The black mud didn't spread far inside the cave. After the three of them waded through a patch of black mud, they saw a broken miner's lamp on the road—undoubtedly something left behind by the Fools.

We've found the right path!

There is still illumination from fluorescent fungi inside the culvert, but it is much sparser than outside, with only a small clump of luminous fungi appearing at a considerable distance.

The cave is quite narrow, only wide enough for two people to walk side by side.

The three of them maintained their formation and remained vigilant as they walked through the culvert for several minutes. Along the way, they encountered black mud and mushroom beasts from time to time, but they were easily dealt with by Han Fulai's jade shield and Jiang Xue's sword energy.

The culvert was only about a hundred meters deep. At the bottom, there was a three-way intersection, leading to three different caves. Han Fulai and his companions had seen this kind of cave-within-a-cave terrain many times in the Layered Rock Abyss, but they still found it troublesome every time they encountered it—the wonders of nature had turned the bottom of the Layered Rock Abyss into a maze, which was simply a nightmare for those with decision-making difficulties.

The good news is that this time they don't have to guess which cave the Fools' soldiers ran into, because there's a small platform made of stones in front of the fork in the road, and on the platform is a backpack that looks to be the same style as the backpack that Night Orchid buried at the entrance of the black mist barrier.

Clearly, this was a clue left by the lost Fools soldiers for their comrades.

However, due to the proliferation of black mud, this backpack was inevitably contaminated as well.

"Threads, intertwine!" Ye Lan shouted softly, and the "Life-Binding Threads" in her hand nimbly passed through the backpack, forming a large net that scooped up the backpack bearing the emblem of the Fools and flew back into Ye Lan's hand.

Ye Lan used her elemental power to clean the black mud off the backpack before opening it.

Half of the backpack was corroded by black mud, and there was a hole at the bottom. Inside the backpack was something wrapped in oilcloth.

Ye Lan opened the oilcloth wrapping, inside were some cans, such as "raspberry preserves" or "sunset jam," but they were all empty tins. Surrounding these tins was a combat manual, indicating that the manual's owner had anticipated this situation and had done his best to protect the information he left behind.

Unfortunately, such protective measures were still insufficient. Many pages in the middle of the manual were stained with a black substance, and after the black substance was removed, the ink writing was completely destroyed.

Ye Lan held up her miner's lamp and read out the parts she could make out.

"...Damn it, Katya's balalaika broke. The operation was urgent, I don't know how it broke, but I have to fix it before I get yelled at..."

"Heh, you really weren't bragging." Jiang Xue chuckled and looked at Han Fulai.