The Embers of King's Teyvat Journey

Working on documents under the lamplight is something Qin has done countless times, and she has gradually adapted from being exhausted at first.

"what--"

After finishing the last document, Qin, whose body was stiff, stretched and yawned. This languid movement meant only one thing—that today's work was finally over.

But Qin's movements were unexpectedly stiffer than when she was working at her desk before.

"Who?!" Qin quickly drew a rapier from the scabbard hanging on the wall behind her, her sharp eyes scanning the small space in front of her.

"As expected of the famous 'Lion Fang Knight,' he detected my presence so quickly."

A dry laugh rang out, and then a monster with a deep blue body and swords in its arms walked out in front of Qin.

"An Abyss Apostle?" Qin's vigilance instantly surged.

"That's right, I came here this time..."

"watch out!"

"grass!"

The blue wind whipped into sharp spikes and attacked the apostle of the abyss, who had not uttered a single word.

"boom!"

The swirling wind spikes were incredibly sharp, tearing a jagged, circular hole in the office wall.

The Abyss Apostle glanced at his battle robe, which was missing a piece, and couldn't help but think more highly of the woman before him.

"Lion Fang Knight, don't you think we..."

"Swoosh!" Qin interrupted the Abyss Apostle's words with a strong and powerful shout.

The upward thrust, imbued with the power of the wind, aimed to send the Abyss Apostle soaring high into the air.

"Damn it! Can't you humans even speak properly?!" The Abyss Apostle was furious. Hearing footsteps approaching from afar, it decided it was best not to linger.

"Humans, if you want to kill each other but don't want to do it yourself, we'd be happy to help."

"As long as you're willing to pay a small price."

The envelope, sealed with purple runes, was thrown onto the table by the Abyss Apostle, who then stepped into the abyss passage and disappeared without a trace.

"Commander Qin, what happened?"

"Did someone just try to assassinate us?"

Kaeya and Rosalia were the first to arrive. When they saw the disheveled state of the captain's office, they knew that things were probably not so simple.

"Yes, an Abyss Apostle just came in." Jean picked up the envelope in her hand, which was sealed with special purple runes, making it look extremely mysterious.

"Abyssal Apostles? What are they doing in the captain's office?" Kaeya rested his chin on his hand, lost in thought.

"Perhaps they're trying to sow discord among the seven kingdoms?" Qin didn't look at the envelope; instead, she simply used a breeze to shred it.

"It's hard to say. Who can understand the thoughts of abyssal monsters?" Kaeya shrugged, unable to deny it.

"Alright, everyone disperse. The Abyss Order is difficult to defend against by manpower alone." Seeing the Knights of Favonius approaching, Jean waved her hand, signaling them to go back.

The Abyss Cult is impossible to defend against.

……

Mondstadt was briefly abuzz with excitement due to the arrival of the Abyss Apostles. Not long after, a similar scene unfolded at the Jade Pavilion, a thousand miles away from Mondstadt.

"Your Excellency... could you perhaps be an apostle of the Abyss Order?" Ningguang looked at the uninvited guest with some surprise. This appearance seemed to belong only to an Abyss Apostle.

Ningguang recognized the Abyss Apostle at a glance, which made the Abyss Apostle feel a little depressed. Could it be that the Order had sent out apostles too many times in the past?

How come everyone knows that I am an Abyss Apostle? This made the Abyss Apostle, who wanted to show off, feel like he couldn't even sneeze.

"Not bad." The Abyss Apostle could only nod irritably. Its only consolation was that this human hadn't immediately attacked it like the previous one; perhaps this time it would work!

“Apostles of the Abyss, what leisure do you have to come to my Jade Pavilion?” Ningguang turned her back and gestured to Baiwen, Baishi, and Baixiao in the shadows.

The three understood each other perfectly and immediately went to make preparations.

The Abyss Apostle noticed the actions of Baiwen, Baishi, and Baixiao, but it paid them no heed.

Three humans who couldn't even defeat a wild boar are not worth the Abyss Apostles wasting any energy on.

"Hmph, this time I came here..."

"What do you think of this screen? It depicts the famous mountains and rivers of Liyue."

The Abyss Apostle was about to talk to Ningguang about something, but Ningguang was quicker to change the subject, immediately shifting the topic to the screen next to the Jade Pavilion.

The screen is inlaid with mahogany on the outside and gold thread on the inside, each stroke depicting an endless scene that is pleasing to the eye.

Of course, the Abyss Apostle felt only annoyed looking at this object whose name it didn't know. Humans always seem to like to put useless things in their dwellings.

"It's...it's very beautiful." Considering that Ningguang might be a potential collaborator, the Abyss Apostle still forced himself to praise her.

What are these things drawn on? I can't understand them at all.

"You belong to Liyue..."

"Thank you for the compliment. Please take another look at this bonsai. I specially asked someone to bring it from the depths of the Sumeru Rainforest."

Ningguang chuckled softly upon hearing this, then drew the Abyss Apostle's gaze to a meticulously manicured bonsai.

This made the Abyss Apostle feel as uncomfortable as if it had swallowed a fly. It looked down at the unknown bonsai and couldn't help but put its trembling hand behind its back—because it was afraid that it would lose control of its arm and uproot the bonsai.

A refreshing fragrance wafted over, causing the Abyss Apostle to pause. It suddenly realized that its trembling hands didn't seem to be trembling from anger.

I really couldn't control my hand!

"boom!"

"It seems that Doctor Bai's skills are even more profound than I imagined. This incense should be distributed to the Qianyan Army by the General Affairs Department from now on."

Ningguang looked down at the Abyss Apostle lying on the ground while toying with the long incense stick in her hand.

"you……"

"What do you mean, 'what do you mean, 'what do you mean, '? You Abyss Cult have some nerve, daring to come to my Jade Pavilion'!"

"Knowledgeable, knowledgeable, and discerning—pack this guy up and dump him at the Iwagami Tea House!"

Ningguang snorted coldly, and the three followers who had just disappeared behind her approached, each carrying ropes, sacks, or similar items.

"Humans! You just wait!"

In the light of the abyss passage, these were the last words the abyss apostle left for Ningguang and the others.

Chapter 613 Negotiations between the Abyss Apostles

2024-04-17

"Huff...huff...Damn humans, how cunning they are!"

As starlight flashed, the Abyss Apostle dragged his weak body out of the abyss passage.

It had been busy with the cult's plans underground, rarely coming into contact with humans on the surface. Only today, upon seeing them, did it realize that humans truly lived up to the "treacherous" reputation of their companions.

That woman named "Ningguang" probably found her own burial plot the moment she came out.

Recalling Ningguang, Baiwen, and the others' faces, filled with inexplicable smiles as they held cloth bags and ropes before leaving, the Abyss Apostle couldn't help but shudder.

What exactly did those humans want to do with me?

The Abyss Apostle stretched its limbs, but the incense that had made its body inert was no longer replenished and was instantly wiped out by the immense power within the Abyss Apostle.

"Next... should we try our luck in Inazuma? I wonder if the human rulers there are as cunning as those in Liyue?"

After flipping through the "Survival Guide to the Human World" that he had hastily compiled for the apostles, the Abyss Apostle decided to take it over himself and go check on Inazuma.

"Om-"

Fragments of starlight from the night sky were scattered on the ground once more, and inside the abyss passage adorned with stars, a blinding purple light suddenly shone.

"Damn it! I haven't said anything yet!" The Abyss Apostle's furious voice rang out from the abyss passage, and then its figure immediately jumped out of the purple-glowing passage in a disheveled state.

"boom!"

The Abyss Apostle had barely jumped out when it heard a loud bang behind it.

"Inazuma... how come the other two places are even more ferocious?!" Looking at the huge crack in the ground, the Abyss Apostle involuntarily swallowed.

It had just arrived at the castle tower from the abyss passage and hadn't seen a single person when it found itself struck by lightning above its head.

Without hesitation, the Abyss Apostle retreated back into the abyss passage. Looking at the power of the ensuing lightning, the Abyss Apostle was only thankful for its quick thinking.

If it had been struck by lightning, it would probably be able to glow and generate heat in a physical sense by now, like charcoal.

"Damn it! Are humans really that hard to get along with?!" The Abyss Apostle slammed his fist on the ground, completely forgetting the arrogance the Abyss Order used to have when facing humans.

It was precisely because of this attitude of the Abyss Order that humanity generally believed that the Abyss Order was impossible to communicate with.

Debts owed in the past must eventually be repaid.

"Let me see, which country seems more willing to cooperate?"

Despite its frustration, the Abyss Apostle continued flipping through the guide in its hand. Soon, it locked onto its target again.

"Hmm... a nation where scholars are absolutely dominant? That looks very civilized." The Abyss Apostle looked at the information about Sumeru in front of him and nodded in satisfaction.

That said, this was the first time it had learned that the kingdom above the ruins of its ancient homeland was called "Xume".

They used to be able to go to whichever country they wanted, without caring about the boundaries.

Of course, it's pretty much the same now. To the Abyssal Apostles, arbitrarily invading the residences of human leaders is no different from entering a Hilichurl camp tent.

The abyss passage opened again, and the apostle stepped into it without a second thought.

……

"The Great Sage's room... this is the spot, isn't it?"

In the complete darkness, the Abyss Apostle blinked. The Abyss Order had collected many of the locations where important figures in the human world often resided, and the Great Sage of the Order's Council was naturally among them.

Strangely, the Abyss Apostles clearly selected the teleportation nodes strictly based on intelligence, yet the Great Sage was nowhere to be seen here.

"Tick! Tick!"

In the vast office of the sage, only the clock hanging on the wall was chiming.