The Embers of King's Teyvat Journey

"Keep this safe, and remember not to let it come into contact with the power of the Abyss."

After leaving behind a vague statement, the doctor quickly left the underground base.

"Keep it safe? It's easy for you to say that when you're not in the situation!" The soldier glanced in the direction the doctor had disappeared, his face showing resentment.

It's unbelievable that he could say something like that. Sooner or later, the skirmishers will tie the doctor to a time bomb, and we'll see if he can still be as calm and collected then.

……

"Ta! Tat! Tat!"

The Doctor has more than one stronghold in Sumeru. At this moment, he moves with great speed, skillfully traversing the spiderweb-like underground tunnels.

"boom!"

The heavy door closed, and he had now entered a brand new secret room.

Looking around, the place is big enough and spacious enough.

"Huff... huff..." After taking a few deep breaths, the doctor seemed to have made a major decision and stretched out his arm.

Then, something extremely bizarre crawled out of the void.

First came the unsettlingly thin palms, then a face twisted to the extreme, and finally the withered, collapsed body of the "person".

The doctor looked at the "person" lying on the ground, and judging from the shrunken facial features, it was him.

After a brief silence, the doctor calmly pulled out a journal.

"consciousness."

"Chaos...something...is...replacing me..."

The slender "person" has become increasingly pale and thin, and now you can see the skeleton beneath the skin.

The doctor glanced at his own slice. He could have directly connected with the consciousness of this slice, but inexplicably, he chose the simplest method.

"Specific feelings."

"Complex..., lots of... negative emotions..., and... my... feelings are... slipping away..."

The skin, which had turned abnormally pale, began to develop a mud-like, viscous substance, making the contrast between the black and white skin stand out even more.

Not only that, but scabs began to form on his distorted face, concealing his shrunken features, and countless black and yellow curly hairs grew out from underneath.

"What do you mean? Didn't we already discard useless emotions?" The doctor was puzzled by the slice's words. He had already discarded emotions when making the slice.

"Meat...eat...meat...I...want to be...completely...devoured...be careful..."

“Mosi Mita!”

"hiss!!!"

The slice had completely lost its connection with the doctor; it lay on the ground like a trembling stick insect.

The twisted "person" lunged at the doctor, causing the doctor's pupils to contract beneath his mask.

"Om-"

A huge, buzzing sound with a specific frequency resounded from the vast, sealed chamber. The tangible sound wave swept across, and the leaping monster instantly turned into dust.

Fine, white powder slowly fell from the sky. The monster's body vanished, but some things did not.

Silt seeped out of the powder, and the silt surged, showing a tendency to merge.

"What... what exactly is this thing?" The Doctor looked at the mud on the ground that resembled a caterpillar wriggling, and inexplicably felt that what he had just seen was both like a worm and a Hilichurl.

The thought of "me becoming a Hilichurl?" sent a shiver down his spine.

The doctor quickly shook his head, trying to banish the terrifying thought from his mind and avoid considering the possibility.

The doctor raised his palm, forcing himself to look away. He stared at the ashes that had appeared on his palm—the ashes of his arm.

"Will the abyss separate the binding forces of that thing?" He tilted his hand, and the ashes in his hand scattered.

"Flames, flames of this intensity..." The doctor recalled the scene when his arm came into contact with that heat, the intense heat making him feel danger.

Such terrifying flames are incredibly powerful, and of course, they are also very useful.

"Haha, so many things have popped up, looks like I won't be bored from now on." The Doctor chuckled softly, rubbing his forehead.

His gaze fell upon a small, mud-like mass that had already coalesced on the ground, and he naturally took out a specially made test tube.

However, just as the mouth of the test tube was about to touch the mud on the ground, his movements suddenly stopped.

Looking at the viscous, muddy substance on the ground, it wasn't like an abyss flowing with starlight; it was pure black.

No… no, the Doctor narrowed his eyes slightly, and saw something else in the darkness—a Hilichurl, a Hilichurl that looked a lot like himself.

The doctor's hand holding the test tube trembled involuntarily a few times, and then he straightened up.

He looked down at the writhing mud on the ground, and the image of himself groaning and twisting just now seemed like an illusion.

"Forget it, let's just throw this thing out. The outside world is its true home."

The doctor discovered that previous experiments were not perfect; at least theoretically, he should have eliminated all unnecessary emotions, yet he was now experiencing an emotion called "withdrawal."

Chapter 642 Mr. Kaiya, a Kind-hearted Citizen

2024-05-03

Mondstadt, after the scourge of dragons vanished, returned to its former tranquility. Countless raw materials from all over the world were brought into the city, then transformed into various fine wines that were sold throughout the continent.

At this moment, Alois got lost in the crowds of Mondstadt.

He was the first Hilichurl to be purified from the Embers. Because he was obsessed with the friendships he had made during his time as a Hilichurl, he came to Mondstadt from underground specifically to meet the girl named "Ella".

However, he had just awakened from the curse, and his human memories were only from five hundred years ago, with his memories of the Hilichurl era being so blurry that they were unrecognizable.

If it weren't for the fact that "making friends with humans" left such a deep impression on him as a former Hilichurl, the only remaining marks of his Hilichurl days on Alois would probably be his fluent Hilichurl language and those bizarre instincts that greatly affected his life.

As a native of Kanria, Alois's impression of the Seven Kingdoms was limited to various hearsay, and even those were rumors from five hundred years ago.

So he was already thankful that he had even come to Mondstadt; as for finding a specific person in such a big city, it was nothing short of a pipe dream.

The crowd was rushing by. Alois stood there, wanting to speak, but he didn't know what to say. He had heard that the humans on the ground all worshipped gods, but he had never felt any special affection for them.

Alois was afraid that he might inadvertently violate a taboo of the Mondstadt people.

"Hey! Look what I found? A lost traveler?" Just as Alois was at a loss, a joyful shout came from behind him.

Turning his head, Alois saw that the person who had patted him on the shoulder was a strange man wearing an eye patch.

“Traveler, that’s true. I have indeed been in Mondstadt for a few days.” Alois smiled. In just a few days, he had only explored a portion of Mondstadt.

"Really? What do you think of the scenery in Mondstadt?" Kaeya looked at the cross-shaped star in Alois's pupils, trying her best to remain calm.

"Haha, I haven't accomplished anything, how can I be in the mood to enjoy the scenery?" Alois didn't notice Kaiya's unusual behavior at all. He scratched his head and said helplessly.

“Is that so? I guess you need a qualified guide.” Kaya smiled and extended her hand to Alois.

“I think so too, and it seems there’s a good option right in front of us.” Alois shook hands with Kaia.

……

In a private room on the second floor of the Deer Hunter's Restaurant, Kaeya and Alois chatted while enjoying Mondstadt specialties.

"Looking for Ella?" Kaia was somewhat surprised when he heard Alois's purpose for coming. This was someone he hadn't expected.

“That’s right, it’s some of my…” Alois paused for a moment, then smiled with relief, “It’s some of my memories.”

Regardless of whether he can become friends with Ella in the end, he can say goodbye to his past as a Hilichurl.

"Finding Ella won't be easy; she always likes to hang out with Hilichurls..."

As Kaiya spoke, he lowered his head, and his voice grew weaker and weaker.

"What's wrong? Are you feeling unwell, Kaiya?" Seeing Kaiya's unusual behavior, Alois immediately became worried.

Can my luck really be that bad? A kind person offered to help me find someone, and then this happened?

"Oh? It's nothing. You don't know, but Ella always likes to run to the Hilichurl camp, which is a real headache for us."

Kaiya tilted his head back and took a big gulp of the drink next to him, then shook his head, looking quite troubled.

"Really? That's quite unique." Alois nodded in agreement. If she weren't like that, how could she have made friends with a Hilichurl?

"Haha, it would be even better if she could tone down that personality a bit," Kaiya laughed in agreement.

He glanced at Alois's attire, which seemed to belong to no particular nation, and asked, feigning nonchalance:

"Judging from your appearance, you don't seem to be one of us Mondstadt people. How do you know Ella?"

Upon hearing this, Alois paused for a moment, his expression unnatural, but he quickly concealed it.

“Oh, I’m also interested in the Hilichurls’ language, and Ella is an expert in it. I admire her a lot, so I came to Mondstadt to find her.”

Alois explained quickly, having revised his explanation several times before finally putting it to good use.

“I see.” Kaiya nodded, then looked at the clean table and said to Alois, “Let’s go, it’s time for our patrol. I’ll go with you to look for Ella.”

"The time for the inspection..." Alois stood up, looking at Kaiya in surprise.

"Kaya, the cavalry captain of the Knights of Favonius, serves the traveler who comes on the wind." Kaya rose and pounded his chest at Alois, chivalry shining through his body.

"To think you're the captain of the Knights! Kaeya, you've really been hiding your true abilities!"

"It's nothing special, just a grueling job. What did you do before? It must have been easier than mine, right?"

"Um... well... I'm just doing odd jobs now, I'm out of work, so I have time to come out and wander around."

Alois smiled awkwardly. The apostles were really too capable, leaving a large group of Kanria survivors with nothing to do.

"Really? Are you interested in finding a job in Mondstadt? I have a lot of great recommendations."

Kaiya raised an eyebrow and extended his hand to Alois as he walked.

Looking at the enthusiastic Kaeya in front of him, Alois suddenly recalled the scene when Sora explained the situation to everyone.

The Seven Gods and the heavens destroyed Kanria. As citizens of your homeland, will you choose hatred or forgiveness? I believe you will make your own choice.

"Forget it, I'm the kind of person who acts on impulse. I'm afraid I can't handle a stable job." Alois shook his head, rejecting Kaiya's suggestion.

“Well, that’s a pity.” Kaiya didn’t press the matter further. He nodded and led Alois out of the city.

Outside Mondstadt lies a vast expanse of green fields; an outsider would likely easily lose their way in it.