Walnut used me to boost her sales performance.

Chapter 100 Diary

At the summit of Tianheng Mountain, Yelan, draped in a moon-white cloak, stood atop the peak.

This cloak was a spoil of war she had seized from the Fools a few days ago. She had slightly altered the style, and it fit her fairly well.

The mountain wind ruffled her hair as she gazed at the rushing blue river in the distance, her expression obscured by her hair.

"My lord, all the information you requested has been collected."

A middle-aged man, slightly out of breath, climbed to the top of the mountain and handed her a scroll.

Ye Lan took the scroll and began to examine it.

This is an investigation report on why Jiang Bai appeared in Bishui River.

They investigated everyone living along the banks of the Biyue River, including but not limited to anglers who frequently went fishing, treasure-hunting gangs stationed on the riverbank, and merchants who stopped to rest.

They questioned everyone who might have seen the scene in the lake, striving not to overlook any clues.

Ye Lan glanced at it briefly and then took out a map from her bosom.

The Azure River connects the entire hydrology of Liyue. Whether it is the snowmelt flowing down from the snow-capped mountains or the underground waters of Huaguang Forest, they all eventually converge in the Azure River.

Therefore, figuring out how Jiang Bai ended up in the Biyue River is not a simple matter.

"Since neither people on either side of the river have seen him..., the possibility that he was thrown into the river midway is relatively small..."

"[Someone saw ice floes as large as boulders floating on the river... The appearance of these ice floes coincided with the time Jiang Bai was retrieved...] Therefore, we can rule out the underground watershed of Huaguang Forest..."

"Liyue doesn't have any particularly cold places, and the temperature isn't high enough to form large icebergs. So the only place where large icebergs can form is Dragonspine..."

She quickly made her analysis, her gaze fixed on the towering Longji Snow Mountain.

Longji Snow Mountain covers a vast area, towers into the clouds, and has countless underground rivers and channels beneath the ice and snow.

Jiang Bai was very likely to fall into the underground riverbed along with that huge ice floe and be washed all the way to Biyuan.

He was even part of the floating ice, and his body was only revealed as the ice slowly melted, which is when he was discovered.

"That means he... he might not be from Liyue..."

It was only because he wasn't initially within Liyue that no trace of him could be found in Liyue.

But snow-capped mountains are not exactly ideal places to visit...

That area is not part of Liyue's territory either...

"Sir, should we continue the investigation?"

"Go and check if anything happened on the snow mountain a month ago..." Ye Lan said calmly.

No one appears out of nowhere, and no one who has been in the ice for a long time will suddenly leave the snow mountain without any external force.

If we find this, we might be able to uncover Jiang Bai's true identity.

Upon receiving the order, his subordinates quickly departed, while Yelan stood atop the mountain, gazing alone at Liyue Harbor below.

For her, Jiang Bai's identity was not important.

Rather, it is being aware of all of this.

As Liyue's unsung guardian, she must ensure that all dangers are under control.

……

For Katis, the road through the snow-capped mountains had been traversed countless times.

He skillfully avoided the monsters and hid in a cave before the heavy snow arrived.

Night fell along with the heavy snow, and the falling snow turned the whole world white.

He lit the dry firewood that had been stored in the cave, and the crackling flames chased away some of the chill.

He set up a pot, scooped up a handful of clean snow from outside the cave, and put it into the pot. The snow slowly melted into clean drinking water, which would boil soon.

He rubbed his hands together, exhaled a breath of warm air, and then carefully took out a notebook from the lining of his clothes. By the light of the fire, he began to read it.

This notebook is a record of his travels, documenting his observations and experiences.

He didn't have the habit of keeping a diary before, since his experiences were no different from those of ordinary adventurers.

But his later experiences changed his mind.

He was trapped in a cave, but escaped by following the notes left by his predecessors.

He was thinking then that he should also record his travel experiences so that he could leave something behind after he died.

He learned from his predecessors' recording methods and meticulously documented his observations and experiences on his journey.

June 3rd, this is my second time visiting the snow mountain. Although I almost lost my life here the first time, I'm clearly not someone who gives up easily.

On June 5th, following the guidance of my senior's diary, I arrived at a collapsed ruin. This ruin had been abandoned for quite some time, and it was completely impossible to tell what the building was used for before.

There were many traps and some relic monsters here. I carefully lured them away one by one and dealt with them.

On June 6th, I finally managed to unlock the mechanism here. The stone wall rotated, revealing a path. This path was completely dark, and I had no idea where it led. I wasn't ready to go in and explore.

[June 8th. I went down to the campsite to resupply, replenishing my food supplies and bringing enough torches to burn for three days and three nights. I returned to the ruins and reopened the door.]

On June 9th, I don't know how long I walked along the passageway, but I saw many murals. These murals must be very old; some of the paint is even no longer clear, but they were still clear enough for me to see and record.

The mural begins with a group of people dancing around a huge ancient tree, as if in a ritual. A man puts on a crown in front of the tree, and the people in front of him kneel on one knee. He raises his scepter and becomes the first king of this place.

Every so often, the king would offer sacrifices under the big tree, praying for the stability of the country and favorable weather.

Under the king's command, people built magnificent buildings and carved murals on the walls. This small community, without divine protection and with few people, began to take the form of a nation.

Gradually, a princess joined the king's side.

As the princess grew up, she and Ziming jointly offered sacrifices to the enormous, pure white ancient tree.

However, the good times didn't last long. Punishment came from the sky: the ancient trees withered and the earth froze.

Heavy snow began to fall on this land, and the cold caused the people to die one after another. The people knelt down and begged the heavens for forgiveness.

The old king died in the bitter cold, and the princess took over his responsibilities, leading her people to rebuild their lives in this frigid land. She dispatched a warrior to the outside world, hoping to find a way to earn the heavens' forgiveness.

The snowstorm intensified, and people died one after another; the brave warrior who had ventured out never returned.

Chapter 101 The Ancient Kingdom Sealed by Ice and Snow

After seeing the murals, I felt heavy-hearted. I didn't know if there were any more murals ahead, and I hoped there were, but this path had come to an end. My food was running low, and my torch was almost burned out; it was time for me to leave.

[On June 13th, I returned to the campsite at the foot of the mountain. It was already the 6th; I had unknowingly spent so many days on the snow-capped mountain. Even though some time had passed since I saw the murals, my heart remained heavy.]

What did that ancient kingdom do to deserve such punishment from the heavens? And what kind of punishment turned this place into a world of ice and snow? Will Mondstadt one day experience a similar catastrophe?

No, no! Lord Barbatos will not stand idly by and watch this happen!

October 21st. Several months have passed since I last left the snow-capped mountains, and I still can't shake the feeling about that mural. I desperately want to know what the punishment from the sky was. I read through that senior's diary; their feelings were the same as mine.

On October 25th, I returned to the snow-capped mountains. This time, I stayed there for half a month, but found nothing except a few frozen wild boars.

[On November 28th, York said he discovered a prison in the snowy mountains, supposedly where old nobles of Mondstadt were once imprisoned. I have no interest in that.]

On January 17th, I discovered a place with a very peculiar terrain. I spent half a month figuring out the mechanisms there. After the mechanisms were activated, the ground sank, revealing a hollow in the previously frozen area.

I jumped down excitedly, only to discover that a powerful monster lived inside, and I almost died in the process.

On March 8th, I discovered a huge cave inside the snow mountain. It's enormous, but also quite dangerous, with icicles constantly falling from above. The Hilichurls seem to have always lived in this cave; I wonder how long they've been there…

March 10th. I followed the path inside the cave upwards, trying to reach the highest point of the snow-capped mountain, but even after exiting from the highest exit, I was only halfway up. How can I possibly reach the summit?

May 15th. I plan to climb up the mountainside until I reach the highest point. I've been preparing for this for a month.

On May 18th, I failed. The higher I went, the worse the visibility became. In the wind and snow, my limbs were stiff, and I could see nothing but snow. I even fell off the mountainside because of the cold, but thankfully I was rescued and saved from freezing to death.

On November 9th, after recovering for more than half a year, I attempted to fly from a high altitude to the summit of a snow-capped mountain, but I couldn't find a place higher than the mountain nearby.

On March 26th, I entered the snow mountain again. I discovered several new camps of Fools, but fortunately, these people generally don't attack passing adventurers. I wonder what these Fools are doing in the snow mountain...

January 1st. Another year has passed, and my doubts remain unanswered; I still cannot find a way to reach the summit. I occasionally peruse the diaries left by those who came before me, trying to find some useful clues.

On January 12th, I learned what kind of tree they were worshipping; it turned out to be a ley line tree. But what exactly is the purpose of a ley line tree?

On January 15th, I found a frozen headdress. It was quite ancient in style, resembling a metal crown made of bound white branches. Because it was frozen, it was remarkably well-preserved. I brought it to my scholar friend.

[February 18th. My scholar friend told me that this headdress is called the Ice Ritual Headdress, which was likely worn during ancient sacrificial rites and is quite old, possessing very high research value.]

On March 20th, I continued my search from where I found the crown and found a stone tablet. The tablet bore a few short inscriptions recording that this country had once established its capital here.

"Far from ice and snow and strife, they arrived at a verdant paradise, and thus erected this monument, and established their capital here, naming it Schar Fendnir."

I finally learned the name of this ancient kingdom, buried by ice and snow; it was perhaps even more ancient than I had imagined.

On March 29th, I returned to Mondstadt to verify some information and brush up on some of Mondstadt's history. This country called Fendnir is indeed very ancient, even predating the founding of Mondstadt itself.

Long ago, during the War of the Demon Gods, the land of Mondstadt was covered in snow and wind, making it completely unsuitable for human habitation. The people of Mondstadt were imprisoned within high walls by a tyrant. At that time, the snow-capped mountains were completely different from the land of Mondstadt; they were a paradise without ice and snow, lush and green.

Later, the wind god Barbatos led the people of Mondstadt to overthrow the tyrant's rule, dispersed the snowstorm, and established the free city-state of Mondstadt.

But that verdant land, as punishment from the heavens, was ultimately covered in ice and snow...

As Katis flipped through his diary, he poured the boiled water into a thermos.

Unbeknownst to him, his footprints were now found all over the snow-capped mountain.

He looked out into the pitch-black darkness of the cave and at the white snowflakes falling softly from the sky. After a long while, he exhaled a breath of warm air, turned the notebook to the latest page, and began to write on it with his slightly frozen fingers.

October 13th. This should be my last time visiting the snow mountain.

My health isn't very good anymore. My past adventures have left me with a lot of ailments. My knees start to ache when the weather gets cold, and my adventurous spirit isn't as strong as it used to be.

I know that if I don't set off now, I might never have the courage to climb the mountain again.

I wonder if I'll be able to reach the top this time. I really want to know what it's like up there...

What exactly was the punishment that descended from the sky? Will the question that has troubled me for so many years finally be answered this time? Unfortunately, too much time has passed. Apart from the murals, no other records of this ancient kingdom, which was once covered by snow, have survived. I don't even know which period they existed in.

However, one thing is certain: this place was already a snow-covered mountain before the dragons ravaged Mondstadt.

Perhaps this country existed before Mondstadt was founded?

However, so much time has passed, the remains of the dragon Dulin have turned into skeletons, and the punishment from the sky should have left no trace...

Cartes wrote down these scattered thoughts, leaving no detail out.

Just as he once found his predecessor's diary and learned the story of this ancient kingdom hidden in the snow-capped mountains, one day his diary will also guide others.

Chapter 102 Hugging and cuddling is utterly inappropriate!

Peaceful days always pass quickly. Jiang Bai wandered around the streets of Liyue every day with a "huge sum" of more than 10,000 yuan in his pocket, and didn't spend a single Mora.

It's definitely not because he's stingy; he just doesn't know what to buy.

Buying candy is not as good as sending someone to the wild to pick sweet flowers, which is clean and hygienic. Buying food is not as good as going to the kitchen of the Hall of Rebirth. At the very least, you can let Xiangling taste the dishes and get something delicious.

He doesn't need to buy daily necessities; there are plenty at the funeral parlor. He doesn't need any pretty but useless little trinkets anyway.

This means that he still has the same amount of Mora he had at the beginning.

Jiang Bai squatted by the roadside, listlessly tossing pebbles he'd picked up from who-knows-where. "So boring..."

The leader is really something, going out without him, leaving his underling completely useless.

He desperately wanted to rush up to Hu Tao and demand: "Am I not your favorite little brother? You never take me with you when you go out to play!"

Unfortunately, I didn't have the guts...

Besides Hu Tao, Xiang Ling was the only friend he made in Liyue Harbor.

However, Xiangling was helping out at the family restaurant, and even Guoba was helping to serve the dishes, so he really couldn't bother her.

Their "Returning Home" service has received three clients so far: in addition to the adventurer from Katis who went to the snow mountain, they have received an adventurer who is preparing to go to the desert, and an adventurer who plans to cross the sea to Inazuma.

He now takes the pointer out from time to time to check if anything has come up.

He pulled out the pointer, his gaze somewhat casual, but the next second, his eyes widened.

His first client, the adventurer, is dead!

Everything was fine this morning, but when I checked just now, my name had turned gray!