The Embers of King's Teyvat Journey

"It's...it's so dark, are you sure you want to jump?" Paimon looked down through the gap in the altar and saw only darkness.

Without a light source, it's impossible to move an inch here!

"Lost? I think that's very possible." Hearing Yuan Shang's words, Yu Jin looked down at the darkness below.

His eyesight was quite good, so the darkness was nothing to him. Therefore, Ember could see the complex and rugged terrain of the Rocky Abyss; combined with the darkness, it wasn't impossible for a Hilichurl to get lost.

"You guys just stay here and study this so-called ancient civilization device properly, lest you be caught unprepared when people come."

After waving to the crowd, Ember jumped from the sky. Although he thought it was unlikely he could purify the Hilichurls with this, who knew what miracle might happen?

You can't say things too definitively, or you'll be proven wrong.

"Boom!"

A dull thud echoed in the darkness as the embers landed on the ground. They turned around and waved to the light above, unnoticed by anyone.

"Did Ember really jump down?" Paimon poked her little head out from the gap and saw a light extending upwards.

The light emanates from each stone, displaying a variety of colors and creating a dazzling effect.

And the source of these lights is, of course, the embers from which stones are constantly being thrown from pockets.

Rainbow Stone – A finished product made by simply processing relic stones. When placed, it can emit any of the seven colors, becoming a luminous road sign.

In addition, it can also be used to estimate the height above the ground. If a sharp sound is heard after dropping it, it means that jumping down will definitely result in death.

These stones are not floating in the air out of thin air; rather, the embers have found a path that leads directly to the top of the upside-down city.

With his amazing hand speed and throwing power, a road with seven-colored light flashing on both sides appeared before everyone's eyes.

Standing in the middle of the road, Ember waved to them. Now everyone saw it, and they returned the gesture.

"Looks like we should really study this thing properly!" Seeing that the problem of getting lost was solved so easily by Ember, Yuan Shang could only shrink back and run back to tinker with the altar.

The darkness outside the altar is being gradually torn apart by the light.

……

Where are the Hilichurls?

With a flick of his wrist, Yu Jinqu sent a glowing rainbow stone into the crevice, emitting a burst of light.

The area illuminated by the light contained only rubble and stalagmites, devoid of any sign of life.

“The Hilichurls aren’t here.” Ember shook his head, then started shooting rainbow stones around again.

Before long, the vast tunnel was illuminated as bright as day by the dense array of rainbow stones.

The seven colors of light intertwined, almost blinding the eyes of passersby.

However, while Ember was not particular about other things, he was very concerned about the dangers on the road.

For example, the mud that you often see on the road was surrounded by red rainbow stones by Ember. That bright red ring is something anyone who isn't blind can see.

For example, at some intersections, Ember used green rainbow stones to spell out an arrow in the middle of the road.

It's fair to say he did a very good job as a guide. After all, the ground he traversed along the way had all turned into a dazzling, iridescent surface, making it impossible to miss.

As he moved forward through the tunnel, throwing rainbow stones along the way, a bright light soon appeared in front of Ember.

The light wasn't from the rainbow stone he casually tossed out, but from a campfire that was about to go out.

The dim light from the campfire revealed a rudimentary hilltop camp.

Beside the campfire, several Hilichurls lay in twos and threes, some with a layer of straw under their bodies, while others simply slept on the ground.

If it weren't for the skin on these Hilichurls' bodies, at first glance, Ember would have thought they were all dead.

"Dang! Dang! Dang!"

The iron boots of the Ember Armor clattered crisply on the gravel. In the silent tunnel, such a sound was quite jarring.

However, the Hilichurl lying on the ground only arched its body slightly and did not move at all.

"Olah!"

Ember squatted down and poked the Hilichurl with his hand, uttering a series of strange syllables that meant "Hello!" in Hilichurl's language.

“Mi nye…”

The Hilichurls replied listlessly, "I'm not okay," and after that, no matter how much Ember chattered on, the Hilichurls didn't react at all.

"This is... an old Hilichurl?" Ember lifted the arm of a Hilichurl lying on the ground. Its dark brown skin was withered and rough, covered with countless scars.

It's clear that this Hilichurl is an extremely rare, elderly Hilichurl who has survived for a long time without being killed.

Ember tilted his head and suddenly realized why the Hilichurls in those Hilichurl camps were always so full of energy.

It turns out that once a Hilichurl reaches a certain age, it will voluntarily leave the camp and find a quiet place to wait for death.

Of course, only a minority of Hilichurls can die peacefully like this. Most Hilichurls don't live to old age and pass away for various reasons.

For example, he got blown up while catching a fire slime, he got gored by a wild boar while catching one, and he got suffocated by a stick while dancing after stealing something...

Hilichurls die in countless ways. However, like most monsters, they are unaware of death.

So despite the bizarre ways in which Hilichurls die, they learn nothing and continue to unleash their boundless energy on the continent.

"Are they all old and frail Hilichurls?" Ember turned over a few more Hilichurls and found that they were almost dead.

The fact that they could run from their original camp into the Rocky Abyss is enough to demonstrate the tenacity of the Hilichurls.

"He has a little conscience, but not much," Ember remarked as he lifted the Hilichurl from the ground.

It seems the Abyss Order also knew that the ancient civilization's device had a very low chance of purifying the curse, so they deliberately attracted the dying Hilichurls to conduct experiments.

"Fortunately, you've met me. I'm a kind-hearted person with a conscience!"

After a loud laugh, Ember carried the motionless Hilichurl and ran off.

Chapter 597 Friendship between Hilichurls

2024-04-09

"puff!"

"Ugh!"

"Cuck!"

……

On the small altar, Yuan Shang kept switching positions between the wall and the ground, making the onlookers' hearts pound with fear.

"Boom!"

The abyss was once again overturned by the invisible waves emanating from the altar, leaving deep human-shaped marks on the nearby walls.

"Shouldn't we try to persuade him? I think Yuan Shang will die if this continues." Paimon looked at the various deep and shallow marks around them and asked Yuan You and the others who were hiding far away.

Normally, Yuan Shang doesn't show off his abilities, but I never expected him to be so resilient. Paimon really learned a lot.

“Yuanshang should know what’s going on; he’s usually the most sensitive to danger.” Sure enough, as soon as Yuanyou finished speaking, Yuanshang, who was stuck in the wall, climbed out on his own.

"Huff...huff...the damage is much less. After a few more tries, I'll be able to find the right frequency!"

He stood up from the ground, took a few deep breaths, and encouraged himself.

The purifying power emitted by the device has reduced the harm to him considerably, and he should be completely harmless soon!

The thought of contributing to the Order's grand plan made Yuan Shang feel that his injuries were not so unbearable.

He completely forgot that he was a pure apostle of the abyss, and that he had no curse from the sky on him.

"Um... may I ask, were these marks from a fight you had?"

Just as Yuan Shang was about to reactivate the device, Yu Jin ran up along the path adorned with rainbow stones.

"Ember? You're back so quickly?!" Everyone looked in the direction of the voice and saw Ember, carrying several Hilichurls on his back and shoulders, appear at the entrance of the altar hall.

"Hilichurls, are they really lost?" Paimon quickly hid behind Luminous as soon as he saw the Hilichurls that Ember was carrying.

Upon hearing this, Ember slowly placed the several Hilichurls on the flat ground outside the main hall.

"That's not the case, they just don't have the strength to keep going."

"What do you mean?"

Seeing that the Hilichurls were behaving very well, Ying lowered her instinctive guard. She peered through the crack in the wall and looked down at the Hilichurls leaning against it with their heads tilted to the side.

With just a cursory glance, Ying sensed that these Hilichurls were quite abnormal. They gave off an air of impending doom.

"What's wrong with these Hilichurls? Are they sick?" Ying turned to look at Ember beside her and asked.

“No, these Hilichurls are a group of elderly Hilichurls,” Ember waved his hand and continued:

"I think this was all done intentionally by the Abyss Order, with the aim of using these dying Hilichurls for experiments."

"Is that so? It seems the Abyss Order is still as ruthless as ever." Paimon nodded, a pang of sympathy rising in his heart.

Paimon was somewhat moved to realize that the usually boisterous Hilichurls could be so quiet.

"They are ruthless, but it seems they didn't consider whether Hilichurls could actually get here."

"When I found it, the group of Hilichurls were lying motionless in the camp, looking like they were waiting to die."

Yu Jin gritted his teeth, feeling a chill run down his spine at the thought of countless Hilichurls waiting for him to carry them across the vast, dark abyss of layered rocks.

With so many Hilichurls, when will this ever end?

"So, should we still use them for experiments?" Ying asked the most crucial question. She looked up at Yu Jin, clearly indicating that only he could make the decision.

"Are you... going to do it or not? If you're not going, I'm packing my things and leaving." Yuan Shang originally wanted to give a firm and assertive answer. But seeing everyone deep in thought, his tone softened immediately.

“Hey, great men don’t concern themselves with trifles. Besides, these Hilichurls are already dying anyway.”

Yuan Shang felt that the experiment might not be able to continue, but he was also somewhat unwilling to give up, so he whispered a few words of advice.

Ember stroked his chin in thought. He looked down and saw the Hilichurl on the ground, breathing slightly.

"Clang!" Yu Jin patted his helmet, the loud sound bringing the contemplative crowd back to their senses.

"What are you doing? You can't figure out the answer, so you just slap your head?" Paimon looked helpless as he saw Ember slapping his head.

This habit is very bad. Paimon, the invincible and intelligent king, was about to come up with a solution when, because of Ember's slap, everything in his brain flew away.