He changed Tiwat

Because of the black mud that seeped from the bodies of the dead Hilichurls, Han Fulai had always thought it was normal for the "Black Serpent Knights" to be composed of black mud.

Moreover, those "Black Serpent Knights" clearly had physical forms, could be touched, and could touch others. So even though those "Black Serpent Knights" had the characteristic of emerging from the black mud and always appeared and disappeared mysteriously, Han Fulai did not consider the possibility of them being "ghosts".

But think about it carefully—those cursed Hilichurls don't emerge from the black mud. Dead Hilichurls slowly turn into black mud like they're rotting, unlike the "Black Serpent Rider" which dissipates incredibly quickly.

They are all people who have been cursed with "immortality". Why did the other survivors of the Kanria become Hilichurls, while the "Black Serpent Knight" still retains the appearance of the knight from back then?

If only the mind was corrupted, why did the body turn into black mud?

If your whole body is corrupted by the curse, why didn't you turn into a Hilichurl?

Furthermore, "Black Serpent Knights" like Ye Mingxiang, who actually possess physical bodies, or Kanria survivors like Dainesreb, are all people afflicted by the "Curse of Immortality," and they wouldn't suddenly emerge from the black mud—that black mud isn't a portal!

Finally, Han Fulai did indeed see a ghost in that ancient civilization ruins... He really saw Hafdan's soul! After Hafdan's soul dissipated, his body, made of black mud, also disappeared at the same time!

Dain had told him before, "There is more than one power gathered here, so it wouldn't be surprising to see spirits."

At the time, Han Fulai simply thought that Daines Reeb was an old riddle-maker, and it was normal for him to say things that others couldn't understand. He assumed that Daines was trying to express that the ley lines in this area were disordered and prone to abnormal phenomena. But now, thinking back... was Daines implying that they had been "encountering ghosts" along the way?

Apart from Ye Mingxiang, the special "Black Snake Knight," the other "Black Snake Knights" who turn into black mud are simply ghosts without physical bodies! They are merely special spirits whose souls reside in the black mud and move with the help of its power.

That's why Daines Reeb specifically emphasized that Hafdan's "soul is very resilient"!

Han Fulai felt goosebumps rise on his back. Although he had killed several "Black Serpent Knights" before, the thought that he had been encountering ghosts all along the way still gave him the creeps.

If only I had asked Chongyun and Hu Tao to come along, this should have been left to the professionals. This Rock Abyss is literally a "ghost place"... Han Fulai suddenly missed Liyue Harbor.

Chapter 246 "The Chronicles of Hamavaran" [4k]

Not only Han Fulai, but also Zhiqiong, Jinwu, and even Hussein all had expressions of gritted teeth.

For the people of Teyvat, encountering monster attacks is actually a "daily occurrence." You can practically always see Hilichurls and Slimes in the wild. Humans and monsters coexist in this world.

But ghosts are quite rare, and most people might never encounter one in their lifetime—if monsters are creatures of nature, then ghosts are supernatural beings.

Moreover, the "Black Serpent Knight" is powerful and harbors deep resentment. In Liyue's legends, it is known as a "vengeful ghost," a super vengeful ghost that has been wiped out and whose grudge has accumulated for five hundred years. It is far more terrifying than ordinary monsters.

In Liyue, dealing with such supernatural things is generally the responsibility of sorcerers and immortals, and exploration teams obviously wouldn't be accompanied by sorcerers who perform exorcisms.

—But there was also Miss Yelan, who came from a family of sorcerers, standing there.

Although she is currently an intelligence agent, she can also be a highly professional sorcerer if necessary—even more professional than Chongyun and Hu Tao combined.

Ye Lan's work usually involves outsmarting and outmaneuvering humans, but occasionally she encounters unexpected situations. For example, when she catches a fraud gang that uses trickery to make money, it turns out that the other side is actually "possessed by a ghost"... In this case, Ye Lan doesn't mind using her family's magic to send the ghost to its final rest.

Therefore, she was the most composed person at the scene.

As an expert, Yelan also has a considerable understanding of souls. Souls do exist, but they generally do not possess the power to harm the living. The Liyue funeral institution "Hall of Rebirth" has a secret place near Wuwang Slope called "Boundary Between Yin and Yang." Most of the souls of the dead in Liyue are sent to the other side by "Hall of Rebirth," and they are rarely seen.

Furthermore, the souls of the dead are not the kind of beings that can travel freely across the world; they generally lack the power to leave the region where they lived. In other words, there's no reason for the souls of the Kanria Royal Guard to appear in the Lava Abyss of Liyue... unless these souls originated from some kind of special, ubiquitous portal that permeates the entire continent of Teyvat.

“Those ‘Black Serpent Knights’ shouldn’t be ‘ghosts,’ at least not the ‘ghosts’ we in Liyue usually talk about. I guess Mr. Hydif was actually trying to express something like ‘records of the past,’ right?” Yelan said.

Upon hearing the phrase "past records," Hydif couldn't help but glance at Yelan again. This mysterious woman, who had been brought back to the exploration team's camp by Deputy Minister Han the previous night, not only had a powerful background but also knew significantly more than the average "Liyue historian."

Ye Lan simply smiled and stroked the tassels on her chest, as if she had just been talking about some everyday gossip.

Haidif pondered for a moment, then suddenly bent down and began rummaging under the workbench.

He wasn't a tidy person; most of his lab supplies and records were usually just piled up on his workbench. Now that the "Pulsina Light Nail" was on the workbench, all the documents he usually left on the table were moved to the floor.

Heidif struggled to flip through the pages for two or three minutes before finally finding a small booklet with slightly curled edges on the corner of the table. He handed the booklet to Yelan.

Ye Lan carefully examined the booklet in her hand.

This booklet is about the size of an adult male's palm and can be easily slipped into a coat pocket. According to Inazuma, this should be what is known as a "light novel," and this format is a "paperback" produced by Yaedo, Inazuma's largest publishing house. It is marketed as easy to read and convenient to carry, and it was once very popular in Inazuma.

As for why Yelan even knows these things... of course it's because the cover is printed with the words "'This Novel is Amazing' Award Winner, Trendy 'Paperback' Special Offer," and there's also Yaedo's cherry blossom logo.

“Uh, Miss Yelan, do you know Inazuma script? If you have difficulty reading it, I can translate it for you…” Haidif belatedly remembered this. As a scholar of the Order Academy, being able to read foreign language documents without difficulty was a basic skill before graduation, and he himself was proficient in at least five languages.

In fact, the "intellectual school" of the Church of Christ even requires that "every young person must master at least twenty languages ​​before graduation," including various dialects and ancient scripts... However, as a scholar of life, the requirements for languages ​​are not that strict.

"No need, I know a little bit about Inazuma script." Yelan smiled and declined Haidifu's offer.

In terms of foreign language proficiency, Ye Lan has long since reached the graduation standard of the "intellectual school"—if you finally obtain intelligence but can't understand it, overhear a secret conversation but can't understand it, or disguise yourself as a local but can't speak the local dialect... how can you have the nerve to call yourself an intelligence officer?

"This book is called 'The Chronicles of Hamwaran'?" Yelan read the title aloud, her brows furrowing slightly.

Han Fulai also looked at Haidifu with a questioning gaze.

The title sounds like a Teyvat version of "The Heroic Legend of Arslan" or something... but what is Hydefar doing bringing out a novel?

Before Haidif could speak, Husseini, sitting to the side, suddenly clapped his hands and preemptively asked, "Is this the work of that senior, Purshina?"

“Yes.” Haidif’s voice rose slightly. The works of the famous scholar Pursina were highly sought after in the Institute of the Church, and Haidif had used his “money power” to get his hands on them from Inazuma as quickly as possible.

"Ah, then this book must contain the brilliant ideas of our predecessor, Pursina! Every word she uttered could guide the latest research directions in academia!" Hosseini adjusted his glasses several times, clearly very excited.

Heidi stroked his goatee. "Otherwise, do you think I'd have time to read any 'light novels'? This book contains important ideas from Senior Pulshina about ley line research!"

"Ah, could it be related to the 'past records' that Miss Yelan mentioned earlier?" Husseini, being a scholar of the Order of the Church and specializing in ley lines, quickly connected the dots.

"This novel...contains academic research?" Ye Lan raised the book in her hand.

“Exactly.” Haidif nodded seriously and gestured to Yelan, “I’ve marked the key points in the book. Miss Yelan, you’ll see them after flipping through a few pages.”

Ye Lan did as instructed, opened the cover, and began to scan the contents of the book at a glance.

The foreword was written by Yae Miko, the editor-in-chief of "Yaedo," and mainly expresses special thanks to authors from various countries for participating in the "This Novel is Amazing!" contest, for their support of the Inazuma light novel project, and for the collaboration of Kansei-no-Gyō Hiiragi Shinsuke, among other things. Furthermore, this book appears to be the product of a commission specifically made by editor-in-chief Yae Miko from her friend, Pursina.

The preface provides a brief introduction to the novel's content. Rather than a "light novel," this book, "The Chronicles of Hamavalan," is more accurately described as a "biography" or "documentary literature."

Before the "Isolation Edict" was issued, there were quite a few foreign samurai and swordsmen active in Inazuma. One of them was named Hamavaran, who came from the distant Sumeru Rainforest Kingdom but was doing chivalrous deeds in the Kingdom of Inazuma. He was originally an ordinary Sumeru traveling scholar, but unexpectedly he was assigned the obscure topic of "Marine Biology Research" and went to the distant Land of Thunder to complete his thesis, experiencing a wonderful adventure.

Yelan briefly explained the contents of the preface to everyone present, and then began to turn the pages. Soon she noticed the underlines that Haidif had made on certain pages.

She read those contents aloud:

"Compared to thunderstorms in the open sea, delayed graduation is probably more terrifying..."

On the ship bound for Inazuma, young Hamawalan thought to himself...

"Are you thinking that if you don't finish your thesis, you'll have to delay your graduation?"

A familiar voice came from outside the cabin.

"Enough with the nonsense—and who are you anyway!"

"Am I... that important?"

"That's true, it's not that important..."

"Hey--"

……

And so, amidst the thunderstorm that shook the sea and sky, I argued with the faint sounds outside the porthole. My worries about the thunderstorm and my fear of the thesis seemed less important.

However... by the time they reached the shore, the voice that had been arguing with them outside the porthole never appeared again.

"Perhaps they are just the ghosts of shipwrecked people..."

Hamwaran said this to himself.

So-called ghosts are nothing more than the earth's veins' memories of the dead, a resonance between the past and the present. While their appearance on the sea surface is strange, it's not entirely contrary to common sense.

"You're the ghost—!"

Just as Hamwaran picked up his luggage, finally finding an explanation for his delirium, the familiar voice rang in his ears again—

Han Fulai's brain was working at a rapid pace.

"The essence of 'ghosts' is the earth's veins' memory of the dead, a resonance between the past and the present... 'records of the past'..."

He rested his chin on his hand, once again entering that "thinker" mode. In his mind, some things had been tangled like a ball of yarn, never quite resolved. But now, he found himself holding a thread in his hand.

He had already vaguely grasped the key point.

“It’s not over yet.” Haidif gestured for it to continue.

Ye Lan turned the pages and continued reading:

"So, you really are a ghost?"

"No! I'm not dead yet!"

"But you didn't live either."

"Hmm...that's true..."

The talkative girl, who called herself a "shikigami," was gulping down glutinous rice balls, and Hamawalan was somewhat worried that she might choke.

"If I had to put it that way, my situation is more like what's called a 'ghost messenger,' isn't it?"

"Isn't that still a ghost...?"

"It's not the kind you're talking about!"

After another round of wrangling, Hamawalan finally realized that this guy might be something similar to the so-called "spirit suppressing" of Sumeru.

A contract is formed through the true name. Utilizing the true name for manipulation, the mystical arts of the world are essentially the same, perhaps reflecting one of humanity's most fundamental fears—the fear of being controlled.

Lost in these thoughts, Hamwaran began to regret not studying mysticism, but instead taking the obscure subject of marine biology research…

Not only do they have to travel to Inazuma, but they also have to face a thesis defense that feels like living hell...

But now that I have this noisy little thing by my side, perhaps it's a turning point...

"This Hamavaran is actually Senior Pursina herself, right... The so-called 'shikigami' is actually just the 'spirit she carries with her,' right...?" Husseini's old face twitched involuntarily, as if he could see this senior wandering all over Teyvat, enjoying the scenery and earning money for her writing.

“Marine biology research is a niche topic, but it’s easy to achieve results… Senior Anissa gained the attention of Sage Nafis and the surname Purbiluni through this…” Haidif muttered to himself, still harboring resentment about it.

Jinwu and Zhiqiong exchanged a bewildered look. The passages Yelan read seemed incoherent to them, filled with incomprehensible terms and jargon, leaving them completely baffled as to what the author was trying to express. If asked to rate "The Chronicles of Hamwaran," Zhiqiong's assessment would be, "It's not as good as Tian Tiezui's."

Han Fulai kept his head down, muttering to himself, and didn't hear Haidif and Hussein's complaints about Pursina at all.

"Not dead...nor did they ever live..."

"Using real names to manipulate...being controlled..."

He remembered what Daines Reeb had told him a few days earlier—

“There’s a reason we saw Hafdan’s spirit just now. I was reminded of Hafdan back then… The bottom of this stratified abyss is different from the outside world. Here, all the power is amplified due to the disorder of the ley lines.”

Why did these "Black Serpent Riders" appear in the Layered Rock Abyss more than two years ago? Because at that time, an anomaly occurred in the Layered Rock Abyss's ley lines.

Why are these "Black Serpent Riders" controlled by humans? Because they are "driven by their real names".

Why was he able to see Hafdan's spirit? No, upon closer inspection, it's already strange that a person from five hundred years ago wouldn't have changed in appearance.

Why does Hafdan's soul retain its youthful appearance? Because Dainesreb only remembers Hafdan before the destruction of Kanria.

Haidif is right, the "Black Serpent Knights" are not "walking corpses"; they have no blood or flesh, neither alive nor dead. Yelan is also correct; the "Black Serpent Knights" are not "ghosts" either. They are actually images recorded in the ley lines, using the power of the ley lines! They are unique beings that can only be produced in the chaotic environment of the ley lines at the bottom of the Layered Rock Abyss.

The earth's veins flow with not only energy, but also a record of all things in the world, a conceptual network connecting everything in this world.

To resolve the anomalies in the Layered Rock Abyss, it is necessary to restore order to the disordered ley lines. Whether called "ghosts" or "Black Serpent Knights," they are all "memory entities," artificially released from the ley lines and controlled for use as troops.

To put it more vividly, these "Black Serpent Knights" are equivalent to Servants summoned from the earth's veins by Ye Mingxiang or the "Abyss Order," using black mud as their spiritual origin to fight bravely for their masters.

To put it another way, at least within this giant rock abyss, the opponent can rely on the earth's veins to have a continuous supply of energy and troops!

The enemy is powerful, but fortunately, Han Fulai has now discovered that he has a trump card that can be used to fight the enemy.

Han Fulai felt that many things had suddenly become clear. He reached into his pocket and gripped his "chip".

Yelan closed the book and handed it back to Haidifu.

“I have a question. Why did that scholar named Pursina hide her academic research in this novel? Was it… a ban from the Council of the Church?”

"...To be precise, the relevant research may violate a 'fundamental sin' that is even more serious than the Great Sage's prohibition." Haidif said solemnly, "The second of the six fundamental sins is to speak recklessly about life and death."

Chapter 247 The Root of Six Sins [4k]

"What are the so-called 'Six Root Sins'?" Han Fulai asked at this moment.

Although he was a time traveler, when he traveled here, Sumeru was just a "satellite in the sky," and he had never heard of the concept of the Six Root Sins before.

"I want to know too!" Zhiqiong raised her hand, looking like a student asking a question to the teacher.

For a moment, everyone's eyes were focused on Haidifu, waiting for his answer.

Haidif actually quite enjoyed the feeling of being the center of attention. He raised his chin, stroked his goatee, coughed lightly, and was about to speak when someone stole his lines.

"If 'wisdom' is freed from the constraints of teachings, it will turn into 'disaster'—this is a famous saying of our predecessor, the sage Gülesh, of the Sudatta school." These were the words of Hussein. He spoke with great pride when mentioning Gülesh.

"The 'Six Root Sins' are the precepts established by the original sages. All the precepts of the Council of the Doctrine are derived from these six root sins."