Walnut used me to boost her sales performance.

She sat up and looked out the window toward the snow-capped mountains.

"He's been in the snow mountain for almost two days now, I wonder how he's doing. It's strange not seeing him all of a sudden, I miss him..."

The little ghost crawled out of her body and landed on her head like a white hat.

It also misses that guy a little...

......

The sky had brightened sometime earlier, and Jiang Bai emerged from the coffin, stretching out with a big yawn.

The snow is still falling outside, but not as heavily as it was yesterday.

After washing up and having breakfast, Jiang Bai set off again.

It's been almost two days since we set off from Liyue Harbor. This snow mountain is truly enormous. Even with the compass pointing the way, Jiang Bai still hasn't found a path to the summit.

It's no wonder that adventurers can spend years or even decades on this snow-capped mountain, because exploring it is no easy task.

He walked along the rugged mountain road, not knowing how long he walked or where he ended up, when the wind and snow gradually disappeared and his view opened up.

Jiang Bai saw an unusual environment, not one that could be formed by normal rocks.

Upon closer inspection, it turned out to be a huge skeleton. The skeleton had sunk into the mountainside, with other parts either buried by wind and snow or assimilated by rocks, leaving only the huge ribs that had originally supported the body.

These ribs, one by one, are stuck diagonally into the rock, exuding a somewhat sinister aura that makes people hesitant to approach them.

"what is that?"

Jiang Bai found it hard to imagine what kind of creature could be so huge.

Driven by curiosity, he disregarded the possibility of straying from the original path, found a plank to use as a sled, and slid into the valley formed by the giant skeleton.

Upon entering the valley, the already awe-inspiring skeletons grew even larger in view. Jiang Bai stood beneath one of the skeletons, attempting to wrap his arms around it, but he couldn't even reach halfway around it.

"How did such a huge creature die in the snow-capped mountains?"

He tapped the skeleton, which made a dull thud.

He followed the skeleton's path forward, trying to figure out what the skeleton looked like in front of him. As he walked, he gradually came into view a kind of red mineral. He had seen this mineral in other parts of the snow mountain before and even tried to dig one up. Apart from being able to use it as a hand warmer, he didn't find any other use for it.

Moreover, this ore is like ice; it cannot be carried for long. Once it leaves the ground where it grows, it will melt and disappear after a period of time.

But this mineral gradually became more abundant here, scattered on the white snow like spilled blood.

"The further we go this way, the stronger that sinister aura seems to become..."

Jiang Bai followed the direction where the ore increased and entered a small cave covered in ice and snow. The cave was filled with this red ore, and a chaotic and eerie aura permeated the space.

At the end of the cave, there is a huge, bright red heart that is beating.

A figure stood in front of the enormous heart, turned around when he heard footsteps.

Chapter 112 Abedo

He was a young boy with off-white hair tied back, revealing his smooth forehead. He wore a thick, warm white hooded trench coat.

He has metal armor on his shoulders and knees, and arm guards on his arms, so that he can start fighting immediately if he encounters danger.

His demeanor was quite remarkable. Even in this eerie setting, his expression remained calm and composed, not giving the impression that he was conducting some kind of evil research. Instead, he seemed like a noble young master who had stumbled upon this place by mistake.

"Someone?"

Jiang Bai stopped in his tracks when he saw the boy standing in front of the giant heart.

He never expected that there would be people in this place, and they didn't look very old.

Before Jiang Bai could even ask who he was, he heard the boy speak in surprise, his eyes filled with curiosity.

"Huh, you have the aura of the Star Sea on you..."

Jiang Bai's pupils contracted slightly; this was the first person to see through his identity upon their first meeting.

This triggered his self-preservation mechanism, causing his body to tense up instinctively, and the atmosphere in the cave became somewhat tense for a moment.

Perhaps realizing that his words were somewhat inappropriate, the boy gave an apologetic smile and took the initiative to introduce himself.

"Hello, I am the chief alchemist of the Knights of Favonius, my name is Abedo."

"The Knights of Favonius, what are those?"

Jiang Bai felt like he had heard it somewhere before, but it seemed like he had heard it in casual conversation and he didn't have any specific impression of it.

However, he remembered the word "alchemist." When Hu Tao took him to Bubulu for treatment, Bai Shu mentioned that he could go to Mondstadt to find an alchemist who was knowledgeable about non-human matters.

Although it's unclear whether this is the person Bai Shu was referring to, the title "Chief" speaks for itself.

"You didn't know?" Abedo was somewhat surprised, and after looking him over, he suddenly realized.

"So you live in Liyue. No wonder you don't know about the Knights of Favonius."

Everyone in Mondstadt knows the Knights of Favonius, but it's hard to say for people from other countries.

"I really don't know. My name is Jiang Bai, and I currently live in Liyue. I am a soul ferryman at the Hall of Rebirth."

Jiang Bai gave a brief self-introduction, not forgetting to mention his name from the Hall of Rebirth.

It's not that I think the name "Wangshengtang" is intimidating; I just want to make a basic impression so that it will be easier to promote Wangshengtang's business later.

He has become a very successful employee who proactively seeks out clients!

Abedo nodded, without asking what the Hall of Rebirth was, and explained the duties of the Knights of Favonius:

"The Knights of Favonius is an organization that manages various affairs in Mondstadt, similar to the Thousand Rock Army and the General Affairs Department in Liyue."

After he said that, Jiang Bai understood.

It is the official institution that manages a country, and its identity is officially certified.

With official identity and certification, it seems perfectly normal for him to appear in such a strange and dangerous place.

Just as he was about to speak and ask where he was, Abedo spoke first.

"It's dangerous and contaminated here, not a good place to talk. Let's go outside!"

Even though a considerable amount of time has passed, the pollution carried by the dragon has not been completely purified and continues to flow from its heart.

If you stay here for too long, you are likely to get contaminated.

"okay."

Jiang Bai had no knowledge of this place; he just looked at the red and black fluid surging from the heart, which didn't look like anything good.

Abedo was only there to check on the situation. After confirming that everything was the same as before and there were no abnormalities, he left the Heart Cave with Jiang Bai.

"What was that just now?" Jiang Bai asked curiously.

"That is the heart of the dragon Durin."

"Dragon Dulin?"

"A dragon that ravaged Mondstadt long ago was later slain on the snowy mountains by the wind god Barbatos and the East Wind Dragon."

"So these remains belonged to a dragon..."

Jiang Bai looked up at the enormous skeleton lying across the valley and finally realized what kind of creature it was.

"And what about these red stones?" Jiang Bai pointed to the red ore on the ground.

"It's called the Crimson Stone, a unique crystal found only in the snow-capped mountains that can bring people a brief period of warmth."

Why are there so many in that cave?

Jiang Bai had a feeling that these crystals were not so simple; they were as red as blood spilled on the ground.

"In a way, the Crimson Stone is related to the Demon Dragon Dulin. When the Demon Dragon Dulin died, his blood seeped into the earth's veins, and under the influence of the scorching dragon blood, this strange crystal was born in the snow mountain."

Perhaps because he had many questions to ask Jiang Bai, Abedo answered almost all of Jiang Bai's doubts without reservation.

"Wouldn't this kind of [Deep Crimson Stone] be very dangerous?"

"Why do you think that?" Abedo asked, somewhat surprised.

"A demonic dragon, a demonic dragon, that sounds like a very dangerous creature, and it was ultimately killed by a god. Logically speaking, wouldn't its blood carry resentment, pain, and karmic burdens?"

As far as Jiang Bai knew, what Xiao cleaned up every day was the pollution and filth born from the remnants of the demon god's death.

If the Demon God is like this, then the Demon Dragon should be similar after it dies, right?

Abedo gently shook his head. "Durin is not an evil dragon."

He died without resentment, so naturally there was no such pollution.

"If it's not an evil dragon, then why is it called a demonic dragon, and why was it slain by the wind god?"

This one sentence completely piqued Jiang Bai's curiosity, making him eager to know what had happened.

“This matter is very complicated…” Abedo’s long eyelashes drooped, concealing the complex emotions in his eyes, and he was unwilling to say more.

The secrets here are not suitable to be told to someone you've just met, even if that person carries the aura of the Star Sea.

Jiang Bai was in great pain, extremely in pain!

It's like having a delicious meal in front of you, but it's locked in a glass case. You can only look at it with drooling eyes, but you can't eat it.

"Can't I say?" Jiang Bai tried to struggle.

"It's complicated and can't be explained in a short time."

"All right......"

Jiang Bai was very upset, but whether or not to speak was Abedo's own right, and he couldn't interfere.

The only way is to find out the secrets behind it yourself.

"It's too cold here. Let's go to my camp first. I have a lot of questions I want to ask you."

"it is good."

Jiang Bai nodded and followed him forward.

Since Abedo had answered so many of his questions, he couldn't just leave like that. Besides, he was also very curious about why Abedo could sense the aura of the Star Sea on his body.

What exactly is the aura of the starry sea? Why can it be sensed?

Chapter 113 Are you human?

"Wasn't the dragon Dulin dead? Why does the heart in the cave still feel like it's beating?"

As they walked, Jiang Bai asked questions, and his questions only multiplied as Abedo explained them.

"The life force of dragons is powerful; even after hundreds of years, that life force still lingers on the earth. It's not pulsating; the pulsation is just your illusion..."

"Doesn't that mean it can be resurrected?"

Aberdo shook his head. "I don't know."

He only comes to check periodically to see if there are any abnormalities.

Jiang Bai followed Abedo forward, and he was shocked to find that Abedo was not breathing.

Normally, in such a cold environment, because the body temperature is higher than the outside temperature, the exhaled air will turn into a white mist, just like himself.

But Aberdo didn't exhale any air after walking the whole way!

This suggests that Aberdo may not have been human!

Now Jiang Bai was absolutely certain that the alchemist Bai Shu had mentioned earlier, who was very knowledgeable about the non-human realm, was him!

But he didn't ask, since asking "Are you human?" would be rather impolite.

After circling around, Abedo led Jiang Bai to a cave.

"We've arrived."

The cave contained many books, bottles and jars on the desks and cabinets, and a number of experimental equipment such as crucibles and boilers.

These things were just casually placed in the cave, making one worry that someone might steal them.

"Isn't there a door here?"

"A door? Why would we need a door?" Abedo retorted.

"Without a door, aren't you afraid your things will get stolen?"