He changed Tiwat

Ying and Mona both glanced at Paimon sideways—they still vividly remembered what happened in Liyue when they fought the slime group—how ​​dare you, a cheerleader who only shouts "666" from behind, include yourself?

At this moment, Han Fulai walked up to Catherine.

"Count me in."

“Who is this gentleman…?” Catherine could remember every registered adventurer in the Adventurers’ Guild—after all, she was an autonomous doll, and as long as her memory matrix was not damaged, she could definitely “remember everything she saw”—but there was no one named Han Fulai in the Adventurers’ Guild.

Catherine had initially assumed that Han Fulai was either a traveler or a friend of Mona who happened to be traveling with them. She never expected that this seemingly weak and scholarly young man would suddenly volunteer himself.

Han Fulai smiled and said, "This concerns my hometown, Liyue. As a Liyue native, I also want to contribute my share."

Then he reached out and the Salt Sorrow Spear appeared in his hand, gleaming brightly.

Fischl and the others were stunned—although they did not recognize the spear, the power flowing through it was far greater than that of ordinary martial artists' weapons—Ying even thought of the "Sky Harp" she had stolen from the cathedral.

Han Fulai brandished his spear in a seemingly professional manner and said, "Please register my name in this mission as well, Miss Catherine. Just write...Han Fulai, Acting Leader of the Guhua Sect of Liyue."

He had missed the "Unreturned Star" event before, but now he could experience it firsthand. Moreover, it was for the safety of the people of Liyue, and from his perspective, he felt the same "duty" as Yingmei.

On the other hand, he also came to Mondstadt hoping to discuss economic cooperation between the two countries with Venti or Jean if the opportunity arose. If he had leverage in helping Mondstadt resolve the meteorite disaster when promoting Liyue currency, negotiations would proceed more smoothly.

Both Ying and Mona wore expressions of "I see," as if to say something like, "So that's how it is." When they encountered Yura earlier, Yura had mentioned that Han Fulai was a man of hidden strength. Furthermore, Han Fulai had told Ying that he and Dain met during their adventure at the bottom of the Abyss of Layered Rocks, suggesting he possessed some martial arts skills. Adding to this, he had even compared himself to the Knights' leader, Jean, at the Maple Garden…

Now that he has mentioned the name of the Gu Hua faction, Ying and Mona feel as if everything has been explained.

Just like how the inheritors of the "Zephyr Swordsmanship" in Mondstadt are all members of the Knights of Favonius, it's normal for the important figures in Liyue to be very skilled in martial arts, right?

Although his deeds and titles as "Han the Great Hero" and "Han the Divine Lord" have not yet spread throughout Mondstadt, it doesn't feel out of place for Yingmei and the others to imagine him as a great hero from a prestigious sect in Liyue. Moreover, his status as the sect leader seems to match his wealthy appearance.

As for Fischl... she once again adopted the posture of covering her eyes with one hand.

"Hmph, since you have requested this from me for the sake of your homeland, I will generously grant you the honor of accompanying me. Rejoice! To embark on this journey with the condemned Princess Fischl is something you should be proud of for the rest of your life!"

Oz's automatic translation: "The lady said, 'Welcome to the group, please take care of me.'"

Since all three agreed to Han Fulai joining the investigation team, Catherine nodded, asked Han Fulai to sign the power of attorney, and then handed the power of attorney to Ying.

"So, I hope you will all look out for each other and act only when your own safety is guaranteed. I await good news from you all here."

Chapter Twenty-Four: Qingquan Town

The first investigation location given in the Adventurers' Guild's commission letter is Springvale, located on the outskirts of Mondstadt.

The distance from Mondstadt to Springvale is roughly the same as the distance from Liyue Harbor to Luwachi, a walk of only one or two hours.

Qingquan Town is one of the most important agricultural and sideline product bases in Monde, with not only farmland and orchards, but also a famous mushroom farming industry.

Upon entering Qingquan Town, you'll see a sign at the town entrance with the words "Mushrooms are good stuff!"

Below the sign, smaller print described the various benefits of mushrooms, such as:

"Whether it's a grilled mushroom pizza, a buttered matsutake mushroom dish, or a wild mushroom and chicken skewers, mushrooms are the soul of it all... not to mention the various nutrients they contain! They're simply the gold standard of delicious flavor!"

"To help you understand the wonders of mushrooms while reading this sign, I've placed a mushroom next to it. Please take one. I hope you like mushrooms too."

Yes, there really was a "Windblown Mushroom" the size of a human hand in the small basket next to the sign. It's a specialty of Mondstadt, renowned throughout the continent. This fungus, which grows bathed in the gentle breeze, is as ever-renewing and nourishing as the wind itself.

Mona took the mushrooms without any hesitation.

In addition to these, Qingquan Town has two other "special products".

One of the local specialties comes from the area's long-standing hunting tradition. In addition to farmers, there are many skilled hunters in the area, and the nearby Wolf Ridge is their natural hunting ground. The game hunted and the furs made by the hunters are one of the important pillar industries of Qingquan Town.

It is said that during the annual "Wind and Flower Festival," young hunters would go to Wolf Ridge to catch the most cunning foxes in the forest. After catching a fox, they would put a flower garland around its neck and release it, hoping to find love that year. Although according to the research of folklorist Dr. Edith (28 years and 28 months old, unmarried), releasing a fox after catching it does not help with finding love at all, the hunters still adhere to this tradition—it at least helps hone their hunting skills.

Another local specialty is the clear and sweet spring water that was bestowed upon Qingquan Town by heaven, which is also the origin of the name "Qingquan Town". According to legend, kind "spring water spirits" live in the spring water of Qingquan Town.

This "spring spirit" once left behind a folk song in Qingquan Town, which is still sung by the children of Qingquan Town today:

Every day, a child flows forward.

Every day, streams flow into the sea.

Love, love is our destiny.

But I still have the world to see.

Every day, a child moves forward, discovering everything in the world on his own.

What he saw became a part of him.

— This child flows ever forward, through the span of a lifetime.

It is said that the "Spring Spirits" bestowed upon Springvale the clearest water source in all of Mondstadt to ensure the healthy growth of the children of Springvale. In addition to the local farmland being irrigated by the spring water, even the water used for brewing wine at Dawn Winery is transported from Springvale.

Many tourists from other places come to Qingquan Town to see the legendary spring spirit, which has boosted the town's tourism industry. Selling the spring water and "lucky cups" for drinking from it has also become one of the local specialty industries.

In other words, if something goes wrong in Springvale, it will be a major blow to many industries in Mondstadt.

Unfortunately, the town of Qingquan suffered the most from the "meteorite shower" that occurred in the early hours of June 4th.

Of course, given the importance of Springvale, the Knights of Favonius could not simply ignore this.

Upon entering Clearspring, the investigation team encountered several Knights of Favonius stationed there.

One of the knights recognized the blond-haired Knight of Honor and stepped forward to bow: "Knight of Honor, we meet again! I am Joyce from the Sixth Squad. Today, I have come to Springvale on Captain Herta's orders to investigate the wounded. May I ask... is Your Excellency Knight of Honor also here for this matter?"

The Sixth Squad is the Knights of Favonius's logistical support unit. They are usually stationed in the city to store supplies and regularly deliver provisions to the Grand Master's expeditions. However, the "Meteor Shower" incident was quite extensive, and the Knights of Favonius, short-handed, had no choice but to send out even these logistical personnel.

Ying had helped Captain Hertha with many so-called "reputation quests" in the past (mostly helping Mondstadt residents with their daily chores), and over time she became quite familiar with the members of her team.

Of course, even though we're familiar with each other, official business must be handled officially.

Ying intended to show the Adventurers' Guild's letter of commission to explain the mission—but someone beat her to it.

The most senior member of the Adventurers' Guild among the four present, Princess Fischl, who styled herself as the leader of the investigation team, stepped forward with a three-part "Oh ho ho" laugh: "The bells of consecration shall toll! The time for judgment has come! Praise be to those who call for redemption, for the Princess of Judgment has descended upon this place!"

Joyce's face was filled with "???".

Fischl haughtily tossed her head: "Mortal, I, the princess, grant you the privilege of being exempt from formalities. Just report all the confidential information."

Joyce's face turned into a "...".

Not only him, but the other knights also looked quite grim... Well, being dragged out to work overtime by the captain while they were sound asleep was already bad enough, but now a strange little girl suddenly appeared, condescendingly ordering them to report clues. Anyone would be a little annoyed.

Fortunately, the honor of being a knight prevented these knights from causing trouble. Joyce suppressed his anger, put on a serious face, and waved his hand: "Identity check."

Several knights immediately surrounded Fischl.

Now Fischl was even more excited: "Me? Hmph. Remember this well, I am Fischl von Rufschloss Nafidott, the Princess of Judgment, the master of the Pure Land of Dark Night, the Princess of Judgment, who judges all sins in this world and understands all the truth here!"

Then she once again assumed the posture of covering her eyes with one hand and staring intently at the other person—this posture had a name: "The Great Illusionary Dream, the Myriad Manifestations of Madness, the Eye of Judgment!!!"

Under the oppressive force of the princess's Eye of Judgment, the frail knights could not withstand the pressure... and were already preparing to draw their swords and drive them away.

Fischl's servant Oz quickly flew forward to explain to the knights, "No offense intended, sir. We simply wish to ask you for some information about the patient."

“…that kind of judgment, that kind of thoroughness…?” Joyce asked.

“He’s an investigator from the Adventurers’ Guild’s intelligence department,” Oz quickly explained.

Paimon, holding the association's letter of authorization, flew forward: "Ah, please don't misunderstand! We are all here to investigate the situation on behalf of the association!"

Behind the farce, Mona quietly pulled Han Fulai aside and asked, "Is the 'Princess of Judgment' a princess from which country?"

From her first encounter with Fischl at the association, Mona had been filled with curiosity about this girl who was even more arrogant than herself, though she hadn't dared to inquire when they were traveling together. Han Fulai, on the other hand, seemed completely unfazed, clearly knowing something.

Han Fulai nodded expressionlessly, pulled a book from his person, and pointed to an entry to explain to Mona: "The hometown of the Princess of Judgment is the Pure Land of Night, an ancient, extinct kingdom..."

—The book's cover reads "The Night Tales of Princess Fischl".

Chapter Twenty-Five: Flying Without Wings

The Goethe Hotel is a renowned luxury hotel in Mondstadt, known for its comprehensive leisure facilities and excellent service. This book, "The Nights of Princess Fischl," is one of the reading materials offered to guests by the Goethe Hotel.

Han Fulai fell asleep while reading this novel last night and took it with him when he went out. Now it's come in handy.

Mona nodded as if she understood, then asked, "Does the crow next to her also have a story?"

Han Fulai turned another page and continued reading expressionlessly: "When the princess on her solitary pilgrimage arrived at the Kingdom of Eternal Twilight, the Twilight royal family, resisting fate, chose denial in their irresistible despair."

"Their denial was so thorough that it not only denied Fischl's noble status and mission as the princess who ruled the Pure Land of Night, denied her duty to guard the Pure Land of Night, denied her bloodline of 13,000 years as a member of a royal collateral branch, but also denied her nobility and dignity as a human being, thus degenerating into a stupid and ferocious horde of beasts."

"In the twilight of the palace, amidst the tearing of wild beasts, the princess's pure blood was sprinkled like pearls onto the ancient coat of arms."

"In the moment of crisis, a vast expanse of black wings, as wide as the night sky, tore through despair and sheltered the wounded and trapped princess. Following the scent of noble blood, Oswald Hefnavanis, the King of the Night Ravens, finally came to the lonely princess's side and swore eternal loyalty to her..."

"...So Oz's full name is 'Ozwaldo Hefnavan'?" Mona read the tongue-twisting name. She was already shocked when Fischl gave her a name that was longer than her full name, but she didn't expect that the raven would have such a big background.

At this moment, Fischl seemed to have finally broken free from the knights' interrogation. Having overheard their conversation, Fischl sighed heavily to Mona: "Alas, mortals know almost nothing about the Dark Night Sanctuary."

"Fan...who are you calling a mortal?!" Mona stomped her foot heavily. "I'm a very powerful astrologer! No matter what kind of earth element you are, a little divination will tell me your origins. I'll tell you right now—"

As she spoke, she summoned the water basin.

Oz hurriedly flew over and pleaded, "Lady Mona! Please don't delve into this. The young lady always feels down when her fallen kingdom is mentioned. A great sorcerer like you can surely understand the little sorrow of a princess from a vanquished nation, can't you?"

“No, this…” Mona paused slightly. Oz’s flattery pleased her, but Fischl’s arrogant attitude made her extremely unhappy.

At this moment, Ying and Knight Joyce walked over: "Sorry to interrupt you, let's prioritize our work."

Fischl nodded very elegantly: "Indeed, I, the princess, am concerned for the unfortunate people and will naturally take this to heart."

"Uh...cough cough." Mona felt she couldn't lose to this young girl in terms of manners, so she coughed twice. "That's true, the commission takes priority."

Han Fulai smiled as he looked at the two girls. What kind of sparks would these two proud and arrogant girls create? He had a feeling that this investigation trip would be full of fun... Well, it's good to be focused on work, but we can't forget to balance work and rest.

Joyce led the group to a row of houses in Clear Spring Town.

This place has been temporarily requisitioned by the Knights as a makeshift medical camp for the wounded. The unconscious residents of Clearspring Town have all been moved here to gather, where the nuns of Westwind Cathedral are responsible for taking care of them.

Joyce explained the situation to everyone: "Last night, these people touched the meteorite on the ground and immediately collapsed and fell into a deep sleep, and they couldn't be woken up no matter what. Their vital signs are currently stable, but they occasionally talk in their sleep or show expressions of pain... The nuns at the church are also helpless."

"By the way, I would also like to give you a special warning: never touch the meteorite directly during the investigation. Even some of the Knights' investigators have been victims."

Fischl responded with another round of "Oh, hehe".

"A rude remonstrance. This princess is protected by the secret techniques of the Abyss Pearl. What can a mere black crystal do to me?"

As a member of the Association's intelligence department, Fischl had previously sent Oz, who could share her vision, to investigate the meteorite fragments near Mondstadt, so she knew a little about the characteristics of meteorites.

But Joyce heard it differently; it was as if he was kindly reminding Fischl, and Fischl was complaining that he was being nosy… So he glared at Fischl.

If Oz could sweat, it would be drenched in sweat by now. It quickly flew to Fischl and skillfully positioned itself between Joyce and Fischl: "No, no, Miss, you are a princess and it is necessary to listen to sound advice."

Han Fulai recalled when he first teamed up with Keqing and felt deeply moved by Oz's hard work—being a secretary is no easy job.

Without Oz, I really don't know how Fischl, that chuunibyou girl, would have survived in the Adventurers' Guild...

“Is that so… It is also the duty of a princess to listen to the advice of her subjects. Then let it be done.” Fischl waved her hand, looking as if she was granting permission.

The group split up to check on the injured in the houses. Fischl deliberately chose to team up with Mona, as their earlier bickering would likely continue for a while in the houses. Han Fulai, on the other hand, teamed up with Ying.

Most of the injured in the houses were asleep, but occasionally some would suddenly scream a few times with terrifying expressions. However, upon closer inspection, they were completely unaware of the outside world, just as Joyce had provided.

It seems that this is what happens after coming into contact with those meteorites falling from the sky—but the good news is that at least these unconscious people are not in immediate danger of losing their lives.

They couldn't get any more information from these unconscious people, so the focus of the investigation should indeed be on the meteorites. After all, these symptoms were caused by the meteorites, so the treatment should start with the lesions.

Ying and Han Fulai talked for a while and agreed that they should go outside to find a meteorite to investigate.

Ying understood what Fischl meant by "protected by the secret magic of the Abyss Pearl"—"She probably means... people with the Eye of God won't be affected by the meteorite, right? Then I should be able to go directly to the scene to check."

Although Ying doesn't have the Eye of God, the meteorite shouldn't affect her. And if it doesn't affect Ying, it shouldn't affect Han Fulai either.

Of course, you have to try these things out in person to know for sure.

Paimon, recalling the interaction between Fischl and Oz, suddenly became interested and flew to Luminous, bowing deeply: "Luminous, you are...you are an adventurer, it is necessary for you to listen to sound advice!"

Ying tried to imitate Fischl's tone, but couldn't quite get it right. In the end, she could only nod and say, "Okay... then I won't touch the meteorite. I'll leave the meteorite search to Paimon, okay?"

Paimon quickly shook his head: "I was just imitating! It's rare for me to say something like that, and it feels pretty good!"

"Unfortunately, I can't imitate Fischl..." Ying shrugged.

Paimon nodded: "After all, Fischl gives off a very different vibe."

Ying blinked: "For example?"

Paimon tilted his head and thought for a moment: "For example, traveling with a talking raven."

“Well, then traveling with Paimon wouldn’t be so bad,” Ying shrugged. “However, Oz can at least be Fischl’s translator. But Paimon… well…”

Paimon stomped his foot in the air, unconvinced: "What?! I'm much better than the crow!"

Ying drawled, "For example... how... would you say?"

Paimon pondered for a long time before finally coming to a conclusion—"Uh… for example, I can fly without wings!"