He changed Tiwat

In good weather, it takes less than half a day to get from the Mondstadt mainland to Musk Reef by sailboat. When the wind is favorable, you can even try flying directly to Musk Reef using a "Windwing".

According to Yingmei, Amber, who won the "Mondstadt Flying Champion" title three times in a row, once tried to jump off the cliff at Cape Oath and glide all the way to Musk Reef with her Wind Wings. Although it was a successful flight, the flying champion was later stranded on Musk Reef for a day and a night.

Musk Reef is ultimately just a small island protruding a few meters above the sea, lacking sufficient height difference for Amber to fly back... I heard that Yura couldn't find Amber in the city and sent a ship to Musk Reef to bring her back.

Although both Luminous and Paimon seem eager to "fly to Musk Reef," neither Mona nor Han Fulai possesses the Wind Wings or a "flying license," and Mona strongly refuses to fly, so they can only dream about it.

The group boarded a boat provided by the Adventurers' Guild at Eagle Beach in the morning.

The ships prepared for them by the Adventurers' Guild were not ordinary sailboats, but rather adventurers' exclusive vehicles developed by the Adventurers' Guild headquarters—the "Wave Ship" that Han Fulai was very familiar with.

The "wave boat" is a magical and comfortable watercraft with a pointed bow and wide stern. It is about two meters long and resembles a "motorboat" on Earth. Its speed on the water is much faster than that of ordinary sailboats, and it can be compared with speedboats in modern society.

Unlike conventional ships, wave boats do not rely on sails and oars for propulsion; their power source is manufactured using some kind of magical technology.

Not only can it break free from the constraints of wind and waves and travel smoothly and quickly on the water, but it also possesses "magical weaponry"—it is equipped with cannons of two calibers, "Swift Cannon" and "Heavy Cannon," and uses the ship's own energy blocks to fire cannonballs. Its power is only slightly lower than the "Mountain-Splitting Cannon" that Han Fulai saw at the bottom of the Rocky Abyss. At least ordinary pirates and sea monsters would not be a match for these cannons.

According to Han Fulai's observation, the power source of this ship is probably related to the "Ruins Guardian". It is an internal combustion engine structure with an internal power source, which is very likely a product of Kanria technology - after all, the headquarters of the Adventurers' Guild is located in the Winter Country, and most of the industrial technology of the Winter Country originated from Kanria.

These high-tech products of unknown origin can usually be traced back to Kanria, and mounting energy cannons similar to the "Ruin Guard" on speedboats is also very much in line with Kanria's style...

Of course, for adventurers, it doesn't matter which country's technology the ship uses, as long as it works well.

The person steering the boat was naturally a professional adventurer—Ying.

As a traveler who has traversed multiple worlds, Yingmei is already a seasoned veteran.

Although she claimed she had never ridden a surf boat before, she was better at driving than anyone else.

She could handle the control levers and rudders that Han Fulai and Mona couldn't understand at first glance, and she could even fire cannons to shoot up leaping sea fish while sailing at high speed—her accuracy was so good that it made people wonder if she had been a gunner on a warship before.

—Speaking of which, whether it's wind wings, carriages, or even cooking, Ying is a natural-born proficient in everything. Although she has lost her past memories, her body has clearly retained various practical skills; anything related to travel and adventure, Ying can basically master it instantly…

This miraculous display of "mastery of all techniques" is practically a standard feature of protagonists in time-travel novels—see, clinging to the traveler's coattails is definitely the right thing to do. Han Fulai reaffirmed his resolve to cultivate a good relationship with Yingmei.

Yingmei, who was piloting the wave boat, seemed a little excited. She circled the waters around Cape Oath several times, allowing Han Fulai and Mona to experience the feeling of "going for a ride".

—The actual reason seems to be that Ying drove too fast and didn't confirm the direction, so she got lost halfway and went around in circles... But there's no need to investigate such details.

Paimon, who was usually very active, behaved very well on the boat, hiding in Ying's arms and not daring to stick her head or hands out of the boat—although she could fly, she didn't seem to be able to swim, and she said she never wanted to experience being fished out of the sea again.

Around dusk, the group arrived at their destination, Musk Reef.

The island is not small, estimated to be several hundred meters in diameter, more than enough to build a house.

The island is covered with lush vegetation and is home to many beautiful seabirds, making it a tourist attraction in itself.

However, Musk Reef is destined not to become a scenic spot. In fact, the Knights of Favonius have already banned ordinary people from setting foot on the reef—because someone has actually built a house on it.

On Musk Reef stands a peculiar gate-shaped structure, a mysterious portal leading to a secret realm known as the "Spiral Abyss."

The Spiral Abyss is a massive underground capital built by a long-extinct ancient civilization; its true form is actually a spiral tower.

The identity of who built the Spiral Abyss and for what purpose remains unknown. According to information from the Adventurers' Guild, its structure is divided into the "Abyssal Corridor," which connects the world, and the "Abyssal Spiral," which leads to the unknown; hence, it is collectively known as the "Spiral Abyss."

It is said that secrets and treasures long forgotten by the world are buried within, and humans and monsters who covet these treasures and knowledge have occupied this spiral tower.

However, this is not a "dungeon" where players can obtain challenge rewards and enter and exit safely; it is a true secret realm full of unknowns and dangers.

The order prohibiting ordinary people from landing on the island was issued by Vanessa, the "Lion Fang Knight," who was the one who led the journey to Sky Island.

Historical records indicate that Vanessa explored this secret realm and, in her divine vision—or rather, in a hallucination—saw a "ladder to heaven." That "ladder to heaven" was also in a spiral shape.

She left behind a message: "Whether we go to the universe or descend into the abyss, it makes no difference, because both are unknown darkness."

Adhering to the spirit of "towards the stars and the abyss", adventurers in later generations also organized several explorations of the "Abyss Spiral".

They did encounter monsters and find very valuable treasures along the way—but there were also countless side paths and strange ley line anomalies, and many adventurers paid with their lives.

The most dangerous place is the so-called "Abyssal Moon Spiral," which seems to be influenced by the unseen "Abyssal Moon," changing on its own and generating new branching paths. Exploring the "Abyssal Moon Spiral" is tantamount to suicide; almost no one who enters ever comes out.

After Vanessa, the only adventurer who explored the "Abyss Spiral" and emerged safely was Honor Knight Ying, who searched for clues about her blood relatives but returned empty-handed. She only scratched the surface of the "Abyss Spiral" and failed to delve into its depths.

All she knew was that the Spiral Abyss was filled with all sorts of monsters and dead people—these were "Lyke Memories" generated by the anomalies in the ley lines. The souls of the dead would be forever bound within the spiral's ley lines, harming new explorers.

In short, this is not a suitable place for sightseeing.

But in this place unsuitable for tourism, a tourist had already arrived before them.

Chapter 43 The starry sky itself is a giant lie

Yes, some people have already arrived on the island.

Musk Reef is relatively flat, with some hills and bushes on the east and west sides, and almost unobstructed views on the north and south sides, allowing you to see from one end to the other through the "spiral of the deep".

The first person to arrive was sitting on the beach at Musk Reef, and they could see him at a glance.

Moreover, they had just met this person yesterday—the sixth seat of the Fools' Executive, a scout.

The executor of the Fools of the Winter Kingdom naturally didn't need to pay attention to the ban of the Knights of Favonius, nor would he need to go to the Knights or the Association to report or apply. So he just came.

With the Knights' current manpower stretched thin, they can't even defend Musk Reef, let alone prevent the Wind God from having his heart ripped out by the Fools' Executors in front of the Cathedral of the West...

The soldier clearly didn't come to Musk Reef for sightseeing—the evidence being the enormous blue meteorite, as tall as a person, floating in mid-air in front of him.

The meteorite's shape was very similar to the meteorite fragments they had collected over the past few days; visual inspection alone was enough to confirm that this large meteorite was the "core" that had appeared in Mona's divination. The faint power emanating from the meteorite also proved its origin, and Mona's Eye of God had already reacted.

Besides being larger, this meteorite was also surrounded by a ring of strange red runes—Han Fulai didn't recognize the runes, but he had seen similar things before—there were also such strange characters in the buildings at the bottom of the Layered Rock Abyss.

This is very likely the script of some ancient civilization or Kanreia.

It's a pity Yelan wasn't there, otherwise she might have been able to decipher it on the spot, and perhaps the rune contained some secrets.

As Han Fulai was inwardly marveling at how important it was to master a foreign language, he heard Mona's voice beside him: "Ad virtutem... means 'towards courage'."

The red runes surrounding the meteorite were the ancient script that Mona had learned in astrology. In fact, the "water divination chart" that Mona used also contained the same runic power.

Those runes seemed to be Leonard's inner voice as an adventurer.

Paimon, seemingly seasick, finally floated down from the swaying ship and cried out in alarm upon seeing the skirmishers: "Ah! It's him! The villain from the Fools!"

The scream carried far across the reef, startling seabirds that flapped their wings and hurriedly took to the sky.

The skirmishers with their backs to them also seemed to be startled by Paimon's shouts.

Suddenly, he stretched out his arms, and then... yawned, even rubbing his eyes.

It's like—

"Did he just wake up?" Ying muttered to herself.

Paimon shared the same thought: "Does he look like he just came out of a dream?"

Mona's eyes widened, her face filled with disbelief: "Someone can actually wake up on their own... How is that possible?"

This meteorite is the "destiny star" of the adventurer Leonard, containing "two thousand years of obsession"—an obsession that is almost equivalent to a "curse," or, in Liyue's parlance, "karma."

Judging from the way the skirmisher was just now, he had clearly also fallen into a deep sleep. The fact that he could awaken on his own after being affected by Leonard's spirit means that this person can defeat Leonard's two-thousand-year-old obsession?

Although the skirmishers looked like they had just woken up, they still clearly heard Paimon shout, "You scoundrels of the Fools!"

He straightened up, glanced at the crowd, and said disdainfully, "Hmph, just because you can't do it doesn't mean I can't. You're too late; my 'research' is already complete."

"So all of this was a trick by you Fools?!" Paimon stomped his little feet angrily in mid-air, while Ying drew her sword.

Seeing their nervous expressions, the soldier sneered, "Don't be so nervous, I don't have time to play with you today."

His eyes swept over the faces of the group, finally settling on Han Fulai: "It's not too late to cause you trouble next time."

...Han Fulai, who had remained silent, shrugged indifferently.

He offended not only the Fools, but also the Abyss Order, and perhaps even the high and mighty Heavenly Principle... Judging from the order of "holding grudges," the Skirmisher really doesn't even qualify for the top spot...

The stragglers wanted to leave, but Ying didn't want to let them go.

With a flick of her bladeless sword, Ying blocked the path of the scattered soldiers: "Wait! What exactly is your purpose!"

Mona no longer cared about her fear of dangerous people; rather, her thirst for knowledge had already overwhelmed her fear—she even took the initiative to stand in front of the skirmishers and assumed a fighting stance.

"You just entered that shared dream of the snowy mountains, didn't you? How much do you know about Leonard?"

Oz had told her before that she would get the occult knowledge she wanted at the end of this journey—but this knowledge might have been obtained by someone else first, so how could Mona not be anxious?

However, the skirmishers' reaction to their questions was quite peculiar: "Leonard? What Leonard... Hmph, never mind, now is not the time to care about small fry."

He looked at Mona and gave her a mocking smile: "I've discovered... something even more terrifying and important."

The soldier's voice was full of provocation, like a mischievous owner using a cat toy to lure their cat.

Although they knew the soldier had ulterior motives, Ying and Paimon still unanimously supported him: "What is it?"

The stragglers smiled and said, enunciating each word clearly—

"The starry sky itself is a giant lie."

"The starry sky... a lie? What does that mean?" Mona frowned. "The stars clearly reflect the reality of the world!"

Paimon chimed in, "Are you trying to refute Mona's astrological theories? You don't need to say 'the starry sky itself is a lie.' At night, if you look up at the sky, you can see the stars directly, right? It's common sense..."

"Ha...hahahahahaha!"

A burst of laughter interrupted Paimon's words, and the skirmisher clutched his stomach, laughing uncontrollably.

"You guys are so... naive..."

Having finished laughing, the stragglers finally straightened up again: "However, it's not your fault, because until recently, I believed the same thing..."

“Until just now? You mean…” Mona’s gaze pointed to the meteorite behind the skirmisher.

"Hmph, I don't have time to discuss this with you guys anymore." Realizing he might have said a bit too much, the skirmisher grunted, shook his head, and muttered to himself, "'Clown' guy... he assigned me this kind of mission without warning about possible 'discoveries' beforehand... was he trying to scare me on purpose?"

Then, without warning, the skirmisher was suddenly covered in a layer of purple lightning—just like the “Evil Eye Form” of Tartaglia that Han Fulai had seen in the Abyss of Layered Rocks.

In the next instant, the scattered soldiers soared into the sky, hovering high above everyone's heads.

"I need to verify the 'truth' now. Well then, goodbye, newbies!"

Leaving these words behind, the stragglers streaked across the sky like lightning and vanished in an instant.

Chapter 44 As long as one lives, one will eventually reach all visible places. [4k]

Han Fulai had no intention of stopping the stragglers. As long as they didn't cause him trouble, it was better to avoid it. After all, his purpose in coming to Mondstadt wasn't to fight the Fatui's enforcers. Both of them had official positions, and if they really fought, it would become a diplomatic issue between Liyue and Winterfell.

Besides, since the other party is capable of flying, it would indeed be difficult for them to stop them from leaving.

Speaking of which, the young master once demonstrated the ability to fly... Could it be that one of the powers bestowed upon his subordinates by the Winter Queen is flight? Being able to fly on one's own is indeed a very convenient ability. If Han Fulai wants to fly, he would have to rely on the energy of the earth's veins to climb to the rank of Demon God, which comes at a considerable cost.

Watching the Fools' Enforcers fly around, he couldn't help but feel a little envious.

However, in reality, the flight state activated by the Fatui Enforcers' Evil Eyes also comes at the cost of consuming their life force; the power to wield the sky is by no means cheap.

He didn't really care about the attitude of the stragglers. He had already experienced the guy's foul mouth in the Inazuma storyline. Besides, since they were enemies, he would retaliate with his own foul mouth sooner or later.

But Mona's mood wasn't so good after being humiliated by the skirmishers.

It's one thing to just leave with a few vague words and run away, but to call her a "newbie" is an even bigger deal! She's the great astrologer Mona!

She stomped her foot and yelled at the sky, "How dare you underestimate me! You're despicable... Just you wait, next time I'll make you experience the wrath of a genius!"

Ying and Paimon nodded in agreement, reaching a consensus with Mona—the next time they encountered a skirmisher, they would definitely give him a good beating.

Seeing that the group had vented their anger, Han Fulai reminded them at the opportune moment: "Everyone, don't forget why we came here."

They went to all this trouble to come to Musk Reef because they have important business to attend to.

Mona quickly realized, "Ah... cough cough, I got distracted by that guy. Well then, let's get to our most important task."

Rather than venting your frustrations in vain at the sky, it is far more important to investigate meteorites and gain knowledge from them.

Han Fulai nodded and pointed to the meteorite: "Let's go investigate that meteorite together..."

He stopped speaking halfway through his sentence.

—Because the meteorite changed its appearance.

Mona and the others noticed his expression and followed his gaze to the meteorite:

The massive meteorite, which should have been blue and surrounded by red runes, had somehow turned into an emerald green. The red runes had also disappeared, replaced by a faint, ethereal blue breeze that swirled around the meteorite.

Paimon tilted his head, looking at the meteorite: "Is this the core? It's different from other meteorites! It has a... bright feel to it?"

Her attention had been mostly focused on the skirmishers, so she hadn't noticed the meteorite's unusual behavior. Now, she simply thought it was normal for the "core" meteorite to be different from the other fragments. Yingmei's thoughts were similar to Paimon's.

However, Han Fulai and Mona still remembered what the meteorite looked like before—they clearly remembered that the meteorite was blue before the skirmishers flew away.

From the moment the stragglers flew away to the moment Mona and her friends stomped their feet and cursed, only half a minute had passed... In such a short time, why did the meteorite undergo such a drastic change?

"This..." Han Fulai looked at the meteorite and fell silent.