Walnut used me to boost her sales performance.

"You chose this name so casually!" Hu Tao expressed her disdain for Jiang Bai's naming method.

"You're in the same boat, Hall Master!" Jiang Bai retorted without any politeness.

The little ghost is named Youyou. How is this naming method, which picks a single character from the name, any better than his?

In the future, you can't let Hu Tao name your child, otherwise the name might turn out horribly.

Jiang Bai's thoughts wandered. He wondered whether his and Hu Tao's child would have the surname Hu or Jiang...

Seeing Jiang Bai suddenly lost in thought, Hu Tao leaned close to his face and waved her hand, "What are you daydreaming about?"

Seeing that he still didn't react, as if he were frozen in place, Hu Tao grabbed his face with both hands and pulled it from both sides.

Jiang Bai's eyes gradually focused, and looking at the still immature Hu Tao in front of him, his old face turned red.

He mentally took a sip of himself!

The sect leader is still so young, what is he thinking! He's a real beast!

Chapter 248 An Encounter in the Snow Mountain

Longji Snow Mountain.

Kong, wrapped in a thick cotton coat, shivered in the snow-covered mountains. Paimon huddled on his back, peeking out from under the tightly wrapped coat.

Even though the fire was lit, the cold still came from all directions, seeping into the bones through the clothes.

"It's so cold...maybe we should go back..." Paimon's teeth were chattering.

“No! Mora isn’t enough!” Kong shook his head in refusal.

Having only been in the snow mountain for two days and not even ventured deep into it, he had already discovered several treasure chests covered by thick snow and ice. After painstakingly opening the chests, he obtained some good items and even a considerable amount of Mora.

Although it was enough to pay off the debt, it wasn't enough for the two of them to live on, especially since he also had a gluttonous child to support.

Even if we head to Liyue Harbor now, there's still a long way to go from the snowy mountains to Liyue Harbor. We'll need Mora for food, drinks, and lodging, and the cost of getting into Liyue Harbor will be even higher.

In order not to be stumped by a single Mora, this honorary knight of Mondstadt, and to ensure the future living expenses for the two of them, Kong, having rested enough, extinguished the fire, braved the cold, and continued his journey deeper into the snow-covered mountains against the wind and snow.

"I really admire that adventurer Caster, it's so cold..." Paimon exclaimed.

Kong nodded in agreement, "Jiang Bai is also very capable."

You might not realize it when you're reading about it, but once you actually enter the snow-capped mountains, you'll understand how difficult it is to explore them.

Whether it was Katis, who was the first to reach the summit and find the way, or Jiang Bai, who found Katis's remains in the vast snow-covered mountains, they were both remarkable!

As we slowly climbed up, the snow and wind on the mountain gradually subsided.

Through the falling snow, Kong could vaguely see a person standing in the open space ahead. He stood there in the wind and snow, doing nothing.

"Hey, there's someone here!" Paimon saw it too.

"Let's go take a look."

As he drew closer, Kong realized that the person wasn't simply standing there.

He had an easel in front of him, and he was painting with a paintbrush and a palette in his hand.

Even with snowflakes falling, it didn't affect him in the slightest.

Kong walked over curiously, "Isn't it cold drawing here?"

Abedo heard the voice, turned his head to look at him, and said, "Wait a moment, I'll be finished soon."

Abedo finished his last few strokes; he was drawing a rather distinctive plant.

Even amidst heavy snowfall, it blooms beautifully.

Kong didn't disturb him, but instead focused her gaze on the easel in front of her.

In the owner's eyes, the painting was nearing completion, but to Kong, an outsider, it was still far from finished.

In this painting, the branches, leaves and flowers are depicted in great detail and are lifelike, but when it comes to more branches, only a few strokes are used.

With the final stroke, Abedo put down his paintbrush.

He gently closed his eyes, making a grasping motion in the air with one hand, saying, "The ashes of life between the universe and the earth's strata grant you new life."

A vibrant, beautiful flower appeared in his hand, exactly the same as the flower he had painted.

"Wow!"

Paimon's eyes widened, and ignoring the cold, he crawled out of his thick cotton coat and peered closer.

"They're real flowers!"

"Is this magic?" Sora was also surprised; this was the first time he had ever seen such an ability to create things out of thin air.

"What is magic?" Abedo asked humbly, having never heard of this unfamiliar term.

"It's about using visual deception to achieve effects that are impossible in normal circumstances, such as pulling a pigeon out of an empty hat, but in reality, the pigeon was always in the hat, just hidden from the audience."

"Is that so? That sounds interesting. But this isn't magic; it's alchemy."

"Alchemy?" Kong knew alchemy; he had even used the synthesis table in the alchemy shop.

But to create a flower out of thin air is truly beyond the normal scope.

"Alchemy is an art that touches upon the mysteries of all things; creation is merely one stage within it."

Abedo handed him the flowers and introduced himself, "Hello, Knight of Honor, I am Abedo, the chief alchemist of the Knights of Favonius."

Kong accepted the vibrant flower and looked at him with a puzzled expression. "I don't think I've ever seen you before."

This person knows him, but he doesn't know the other person.

“I’ve heard Claire mention you, and Paimon, who’s with you,” Abedo chuckled.

"Hey, Klee! You know Klee?" Paimon was quite surprised, not expecting to run into an acquaintance.

“Yes, I’m Klee’s brother,” Abedo invited them, “Would you like to come to my camp for a bit?”

"Yes, yes, yes!"

Paimon cheered happily, but then she sneezed and quickly hid inside her empty cotton coat.

Abedo quickly packed up his art supplies and led the two towards the camp.

"Why did you come to the snowy mountains? Aren't you going to stay in Mondstadt a little longer?"

Abedo knew they were travelers from the outside world, and he could also smell the scent of the starry sky on Kong's body.

But at this point they were still strangers, and they weren't in a hurry to bring up some research ideas.

Paimon explained, "We originally wanted to go to Liyue to check out the Summoning Ceremony, but it's still a while away. We didn't have anything else to do, so we thought we'd come to the snowy mountains to look for treasures..."

"I read a book, so I'm very interested in snow-capped mountains," Kong added.

Abedo immediately knew which book he was looking at, since he had designed and illustrated the cover and illustrations.

"The snow-capped mountains do indeed hold many lost treasures. Due to the climate, organizations like treasure-hunting groups rarely come here, and adventurers are also rare. If you're lucky, you can get a good haul."

"So, Abeldo, you know the locations of many treasures?" Paimon blinked, eager to hear the answer he wanted.

"I'm sorry, I haven't specifically explored the location of the treasure..."

Seeing Abedo leading them through the winding mountain roads with ease, Paimon asked curiously, "You seem very familiar with the snow-capped mountains, and you're not afraid of the cold at all."

Compared to their thick coats, Aberdo was dressed much more lightly, and there was no sign that he was cold.

"Warmth is a basic skill for an alchemist."

Hearing Aberdo say these words so casually, Paimon felt a bit like he'd been struck by Versailles.

But considering the other party's ability to create flowers out of thin air, she really couldn't say anything.

"If only I weren't afraid of the cold..." she muttered enviously.

Abedo glanced at her, also curious about why she felt cold.

"Logically speaking, elemental beings don't have the concept of cold... You're not like an animal, nor an elemental being, nor a human... What kind of being are you, then?"

Chapter 249 The Empty Space of the Society's Death

"What?! Paimon is Paimon! It's not some weird thing!" Paimon protested from inside the clothes.

"I'm sorry..." Realizing he had offended her, Abedo offered a straightforward apology.

After crossing a mountain pass, Abedo led the two to his campsite. "We've arrived at my campsite."

Reaching the campfire, Paimon emerged from his fluffy coat. "Wow! What a huge cave!"

“This is a place where I conduct research.” Abedo opened the pot that had been kept warm over the fire, ladled out two bowls of thick vegetable and meat stew, and poured hot water for the two of them.

"The conditions are basic, so let's eat something to warm ourselves up."

Paimon and Kong sat by the fire, happily drinking a bowl of hot, thick soup, feeling the surrounding cold dissipate.

It has to be said that in such cold weather, being able to drink a bowl of hot, thick soup is an extremely wonderful thing.

Aberdo sat to one side, poking at the fire to make it burn brighter.

"I've heard a lot about your performance during the Dragon Plague. Your extraordinary control over elemental forces, and many other mysterious aspects, have piqued my interest..."

Kong turned his head to look at him, wanting to see what Abedo wanted to say. "I wonder if you would be willing to assist me in completing some research? I will pay you accordingly."

"Research? What kind of research? Like the kind of research you did before, where you created amazing things in a flash?" Paimon asked curiously.

Abedo shook his head. "There is some connection." He looked at Sora and asked, under Sora's questioning gaze, "You came from afar from [another world], didn't you?"

Kong was stunned, not expecting that his true nature would be seen through so easily by someone he had only met once.

How did you know?

Currently, only a handful of people know this, and Abedo is clearly not among them.

"You and a friend of mine both carry the scent of the starry sea."

"Friend? Can you tell me who it is?" Sora was very curious about the friend Abedo was talking about.

Could this friend be Ying?

Aberdo didn't rush to answer him, but instead fell into thought.

As of now, not many people know Jiang Bai's identity. According to him, only he and Mr. Zhongli know about it. Even his master is unaware of it.

Furthermore, judging from the fact that he carries the false god's eye with him, he probably doesn't want people to know about his special nature.

Thinking it over, and seeing the disappointment in Kong's eyes, he shook his head. "I'm sorry, I can't reveal his identity without his permission."

"What kind of research do you want to do?" Kong asked.

Abedo pulled out a seed. "This is a seed from outside the world that I obtained before. With the help of my friend, I have a little idea of ​​how to make it bloom, but I need more experimental samples."

“I have a question: what will grow from this seed after it sprouts?” Paimon floated over.

"I don't know, but I think the key isn't the result, but the process. If I can use alchemy to awaken life forms that don't belong to this world in Teyvat, my understanding of the essence of life should advance further. After that, even creation wouldn't be impossible..."

Once he is able to create, he will be able to take his own life form a step further, and in the essence of life, he will be no different from humans.

“I don’t quite understand… but I only care about one thing: how much will you pay us?” Paimon rubbed his hands together expectantly.

Abedo thought for a moment, "Hmm, in terms of value... wouldn't one million Mora be a bit too little?"

“One million Mora!” Paimon’s eyes transformed into the shape of Mora, and without hesitation, he agreed, “No problem! We’ll take this job!”

Kong's lips twitched, but it was too late to stop it.

Judging from Aberdo's words, they could have easily raised the price further, perhaps even to two or three million...

But one sentence from Paimon caused him to lose two million.

If Jiang Bai were here, he would definitely shamelessly pester Abedo to double the amount, but that's impossible. He can't do such a thing and can only silently suffer this loss.

"Let's take a short break and then begin our first research project..."

What was the first study?

"It's about elemental power. I want to observe whether you use elemental power in the same way as my friend. Before that, I need to ask you a few questions."

Kong nodded to indicate that he was ready.

Aberdo took out his notebook, preparing to compare it with Jiang Bai's situation at the time.