I'm in the Teyvat running group

"That's good, we can save Dvalin!" Wendy stepped forward with a smile: "Brother Yun seems to know a lot about this traveler from another world, but do you know anything about me?"

Of course I understand, I listen to "The Poet's Work" several times a day...

Yunxiu complained, but did not answer Wendy's question. He might have been able to say he understood it very well before, but he couldn't understand it now, or at least he didn't understand it that well.

He gave Wendy a helpless look, and then the group went to Diluc's dining room, where they ate and discussed the current situation.

Afterwards, the group began discussing the design template for the purification array. As a master of alchemy and magic arrays, Abedo proposed using the Traveler as a node to "pass" the abyssal energy through her once. This would reduce the concentration of the abyss, and with just a few cycles, all the high-concentration abyss could be cleared away without harming the Traveler. All that was needed was to control the speed of the abyss flow.

Yunxiu, however, offered a different perspective: even if the Abyss were to be purified quickly, the effectiveness would be uncertain, and using the Traveler as a node would be both risky and difficult to guarantee subsequent efficiency.

"What is Mr. Yunxiu's opinion?"

Chapter 32 When the Wind Rises and the Hunt Begins

“The idea is fine, but we need to change the approach.” Yunxiu looked at Ying and said, “We should reverse it. We should let the power of the abyss ‘circulate’ first, and then gradually enter the magic circle to purify it. This way, even if the first wave is not suitable, we will have enough time to make adjustments. We still have at least two months. Even if we have to give up Dvalin in the end, we must not sacrifice an innocent traveler.”

“Hmm…you’re right.” Abedo thought for a moment, then said, “If the traveler agrees, I can start preparing according to this plan now. I have already moved the materials and the energy stones needed over using the magic circle. With Sugar’s help, I can get the magic circle ready within three days.”

Ying glanced at the eyes of the group looking at her and nodded seriously. At that moment, even Diluc, who was known for his composure, visibly breathed a sigh of relief.

Now we're just waiting for good news from Qin...

The next few days weren't so easy, but they were the most comfortable days Yunxiu had experienced recently.

After Diluc and Luminous went to the front lines, Yunxiu, Abedo, and Sugar began working together to create the Reversal Array. Like Yunxiu, the two mages were basically creatures who only started to move around in the afternoon. So for the past few days, they worked from afternoon until late at night every day. After washing up and resting with the help of Diluc's servants, they continued to build this huge and intricate Reversal Array the next day.

During the days he spent creating the magic array, he also took the time to sort out his own situation.

After teaming up with Diluc to awaken the Wind God, his level was directly boosted from 6 to 8 by Diluc. Since his Intelligence had reached 20 after adding attribute points at level 4, temporarily reaching the upper limit that could not be broken before Legendary, and his current 24 Intelligence was still obtained through Legendary items and racial feats, he chose to add two points to Constitution at level 8, officially reaching 20 Constitution and entering the realm of +5 strongmen.

For her level 8 specialization, Yunxiu chose "Resilience," which increases her health based on her level.

Therefore, Yunxiu's base health directly reached 80 points, with an increase of 1D4+5 per level, reaching 72 points at level 8, and an additional 8 points of resilience.

The world correction coefficient of the fourth ring reached 253 points, and Yunxiu's health points surged to 20240 points, which is almost three times that of level 6!

Arcane Shield reached 5819 points, causing Yunxiu's actual health to surge to around 26,000, almost half that of her sixth-ring father. This made Yunxiu marvel at the power of the Unrestricted Talisman artifact. Without it, she would only have a maximum of +2 to her Constitution adjustment value, and even then, she might not be able to get the maximum value each time, resulting in a maximum of 13,000 to 14,000 health. While that wasn't bad, it was still a full third less than it was now...

Upon reaching level 8, one can choose fourth-circle spells. Although one could learn them directly from the Book of Myriad Laws and it would be easy to prepare them with high intelligence, after thinking for a while, Yunxiu still chose four spells that he thought were more practical and likely to be used in the upcoming battles.

【Otiruk's Frozen Orb】: Creates a cold zone with a diameter of 5 meters centered on an ice orb that lasts for 1 minute. All creatures' movement speed is reduced to 20% of their original speed and must pass a check of Agility 18. Failure results in 2D20 damage, while success halves the damage.

[Summon Lesser Elemental Creature]: Summons a creature of any element with a base health of 30. Its attacks deal 1D4+4+4 elemental damage and have a special effect.

[Flame Shield]: Select the fire/frost shield type to gain the corresponding resistance, and take 2D20 damage when attacked by an opponent.

[Gravity Field]: Creates a gravity field area with a radius of 20 meters and a height of 50 meters that lasts for one minute. All creatures in the gravity field cannot fly, their movement speed is halved, and they must make a strength check of 18. Failure will result in 2D20 damage and they will be forced to lie face down. Success will result in halved strength.

Summoning elemental creatures was mainly for scouting, while the fire shield was something Yunxiu prepared for the upcoming head-on battle with the Fatui, whose most troublesome attributes are ice and fire.

The Frozen Orb and Gravity Field can be used to create the "Frozen Hell" combo. All opponents caught in it must constantly undergo a dual test of Agility and Strength. With Yunxiu's high Intelligence bonus of 7, the saving throw difficulty for this skill is 18 points!

This means that if their final opponent is indeed the lady, then even if the lady's combat power reaches Diluc's level, Yunxiu can trap her for a few seconds without spatial abilities!

A few seconds is enough for Diluc to activate "Steel Blaze" and unleash a combo. Judging from Diluc's attack frequency and speed, 5 seconds is enough for him to strike more than 10 times, with a total output of over 30. Even an 8th ring monster can be hacked to death!

Of course, as an existence personally blessed by the god of winter, she will most likely only have one chance. As long as the lady isn't stupid, she can easily force an immunity and then escape using a blinking skill like the Shadow Step...

In particular, the lady likely possesses a sufficiently strong partial elemental resistance. Although the exact number is unknown, based on the general level of a seventh-circle warlock with divine blessing, it should be around 30 points at most.

After all, a fourth-circle spell's protective energy generally only provides about 30 points of resistance, and the duration is only about ten minutes. If a lady has a God-blessed 30 points of stable single-element resistance, that's already quite remarkable.

Killing the lady would indeed be a bit more troublesome, but as a mere 4th-ring mage, Yunxiu never expected to play a significant role. Let Diluc and the others handle the direct confrontation.

Finally, on the fifth day, the massive and complex magic array was completed by the group working together. The biggest beneficiary was Sugar, who not only leveled up to level 6 but also learned Abedo's spell, the Art of Creating Yang Hua. However, Sugar's Yang Hua, which could only utilize wind elements, was composed of wind elements. While it was faster and had greater flight capabilities, it lacked the same defensive enhancements. Even so, Sugar was extremely happy.

She even had Yunxiu test it out, and then named the skill "Forbidden Wind Spirit Creation Yanghua Mimicry Wind Core Style 1104".

After briefly criticizing Sugar's naming skills, Yunxiu absorbed all sorts of information while simultaneously organizing her own spell system and learning about the vast spell system of this world.

To his surprise, the magic system of this world was greatly influenced by the rules, which meant that magic research in this world often had to be based on bloodlines and a kind of "blessing" product.

There aren't many spellcasters who can improve their magical abilities solely through their own knowledge and research skills. Even top-tier characters like Abedo, who are close to the ninth ring, are often greatly influenced by their bloodline and alchemy in their research...

In other words, the mages in this world are actually closer to "sorcerers," or a combination of mages and sorcerers.

"Perhaps it's because the power in this world is inherently 'owned'..." Yunxiu couldn't help but think, and he immediately began to ponder a new question: if the power is inherently owned, then how should he choose his future path of advancement?

But at this stage, it's clear that this isn't an urgent issue, and Yunxiu put it out of her mind after thinking about it for a while.

Wendy finally fully understood her divine power and honed her abilities to perfection. Because the front lines remained very stable, no major disturbances occurred.

The two even formed a drinking duo, opening bottle after bottle of Diluc's dandelion wine, and often appeared on the roof of the Dawn Winery with their arms around each other's shoulders. The two teenagers looked just like brothers.

Two days later, Jean and Diluc finally returned from the front lines, bringing back the first news from the front and a shocking piece of intelligence.

"There's not much going on at the front, and almost no casualties," said Jean, who had already removed her armor, cleaned herself up, and changed. "The Abyss Order has been contained to a very small area. If we're willing to pay any price, we could potentially break into their stronghold and rescue Dvalin in a short time, but..."

“We have found the traveler and completed the reversal array,” Yunxiu hurriedly said.

“That’s not the issue.” Jean glanced at Diluc before solemnly saying, “The Fatui have dispatched even more troops. Besides the lady who has already arrived in Mondstadt, it is said that two executive officers, the Rich Man and the Young Master, are about to arrive. It seems that the Fatui are planning a major incident in Mondstadt or Liyue.”

"The lady has just left Dandelion Harbor and is now heading to Mondstadt. It is said that she will be appointed as a diplomat for the Winterlands." Diluc said with his arms crossed. "The rich man and the young master will travel to Mondstadt through the Liyue Pass. Judging from the current time, the three executives will meet in five days and will likely put pressure on us."

The air fell silent for a moment. Wendy had told everyone a few days ago that every executive officer had been granted authority by the Queen and possessed power beyond that of ordinary people.

Based on Yunxiu's understanding of Teyvat's power levels, this probably means that the Executors are at least at the 7th Ring level.

Of course, those at the bottom are likely just humans who haven't mastered seventh-ring spells and skills, but only possess "rank," which is the world correction coefficient at the seventh-ring level. Their actual strength is lower than a proper seventh-ring, but higher than most sixth-rings. And if an executor has already broken through the limits of mortals and gods, they could very well reach "pseudo-eighth-ring" combat power...

“Right now, you’re not exactly a diplomat for Winter’s End yet, just a member of the Fools without a proper identity, right?” Yunxiu suddenly said.

“Yes…” Jean pursed her lips: “The Fools’ Executive Officer is not a diplomatic position, but I’m sure her appointment document will be issued soon.”

"Then let's intercept her before the documents arrive! At the very least, we'll send her back to Zhidong!"

Chapter 33 Blessing and Deciphering

"Then let's intercept her before the documents arrive! At the very least, we'll send her back to Zhidong!"

The moment those words were spoken, everyone in the hall was shocked and stopped what they were doing to look at Yunxiu.

Yunxiu glanced at the surrounding gazes and chuckled softly: "I learned from Miss Adeline that Diluc was also besieged by the Fatui. At that time, Diluc had not completely broken away from the Knights of Fatalis. In other words, as long as no one openly declares war or attacks diplomats, it's simply a matter of who has the bigger fist."

He then walked up to Jean and pointed at the map: "Until we obtain diplomatic immunity, she's nothing more than a group of Fools carrying out combat missions on Mondstadt, albeit a bit stronger. Before they launch any more outrageous military actions against Mondstadt, we have every reason to intercept or even capture her, using her as a diplomatic bargaining chip to pressure Winter!"

"Besides..." Yunxiu glanced at Wendy, the drunkard still sipping the finest dandelion wine and humming strange tunes. Yunxiu couldn't help but laugh and said, "Even if our operation fails this time, it will still be a huge deterrent to Zhidong, and even in the worst-case scenario, we have a safety net, don't we!"

“An ambush…” Diluc nodded. “Very bold, but perhaps it will be useful.”

“Killing the lady might be difficult,” Jean thought for a moment. “But even if we just drive her away, without the Fatui’s forces, the pressure will definitely be reduced a lot.”

Jean glanced around, Abedo nodded, Kaiya chuckled and nodded as well, and Yunxiu, being the one who proposed it, naturally wouldn't object. At this moment, everyone's attention focused on Wendy.

Wendy, who always presented himself as a playboy, seemed to become serious at this moment. He stroked his chin, thought for a long time, and showed a troubled expression before saying, "Five hundred years ago, she was the lover of the vice-commander of the Knights of Favonius. Although most of the calamities had been prevented at that time, her lover, Rustan, the vice-commander of the Knights at the time, still perished in the battle against the abyssal monsters. That's why she is the way she is now. I don't want to take action myself, but I can pretend I don't know about this."

After saying that, Wendy left with a new bottle of dandelion liqueur.

Yunxiu was not surprised by Wendy's choice. Even though the Knights of Favonius did not encounter any major disasters five hundred years ago and most of the calamities were contained, the position of the leader of the Knights of Favonius could not possibly be in the rear.

As a ruling deity, it's perfectly normal for Venti to feel guilty towards his people. Even though the lady later betrayed Mondstadt and joined Winterbreak, Venti still felt a pang of pity for her.

But when the people of Mondstadt need to defeat or even kill the lady to secure their current interests, Wendy cannot stop them. At most, he will remain neutral or even help the current Mondstadt people, because they are his current subjects.

“Now everyone should have no objections.” Yunxiu looked around, and everyone nodded. Even Ying, who had just “joined the group,” was eager to try. Although she didn’t like killing as a warrior, she was equally eager to challenge powerful enemies.

Yunxiu was not at all surprised that Ying was qualified to participate. After learning that Ying was indeed capable of purifying the abyss, Qin did not hesitate to bestow the title of Honorary Knight upon her.

This is truly a massive wholesale distribution of honorary knights...

After silently complaining to herself, Yunxiu looked at Diluc and Jean before saying, "If we really want to hunt down this 'lady,' then we first need to know her information to ensure the success of the hunt. The only information I have is that this 'lady' has received the blessing of the gods and can switch between ice and fire elements, making her a very powerful character."

“Her original strength should have been slightly weaker than mine.” Diluc said with his arms crossed, “I have fought against several Fatui executives. The difference between the fifth seat and the ninth seat is not that big. The fourth seat is much stronger than me, but I can still barely put up a fight.”

Diluc is at the seventh ring level, so the lady should also be at the seventh ring level. Diluc was able to fight the fourth seat with his divine weapon, which means the fourth seat must be much stronger, possibly close to the ninth ring level.

No! How could Arecino, as the last surviving member of the Crimson Moon Dynasty, not have a divine artifact? Judging from this, she should be an eighth-ring level warrior, and with the blessing, she should be able to approach the ninth-ring level.

However, a crucial reason why Diluc can be countered is that his armor has a fire resistance of up to 30 points, which means that characters who specialize in fire elemental magic will definitely be hampered when facing him...

"And what about the blessing?" Thinking of this, Yunxiu couldn't help but ask, "How much will the Empress's blessing increase our strength?"

“A blessing only raises your strength by half a level, so you’re basically still at the same level,” Jean said. “The Lion Fang Knight’s legacy can obtain Vanessa’s blessing, although it should not be as good as the Winter Queen’s blessing. However, Vanessa’s blessing only applies to one person, while the Fool’s Enforcers have at least eleven. So one person can’t get many blessings.”

So, it seems that if the lady is a seventh-ring level being, then this blessing will most likely raise her "modification coefficient" or, more appropriately, her "world level" by one level. However, since she has not actually advanced to the eighth-ring level and does not possess eighth-ring spells or bonuses, the actual increase in combat power is still within the expected range.

“The lady should have a high level of immunity to control.” Diluc suddenly seemed to think of something, and pointed to the map, saying, “I have fought against the Executives before, and each of them is difficult for me to intimidate and control, but obviously there is a limit to the number of times I can do so.”

"Immunity? How many times?"

"I had no choice but to use the Legnford family's secret techniques three times, and finally achieved good results on the fourth time."

Three times? It seems the Lady's blessing is quite significant; the Empress has raised his world's correction factor to the eighth level.

She herself should still be a seventh-ring level sorcerer, but her strong basic strength gives her a certain advantage when facing Jean or Diluc alone, but not enough to completely overwhelm them.

The three-times immunity to control should be the legendary resistance granted by the Queen three times a day, directly exempting them from control. Considering the Queen's blessing and fixed resistance, as well as the fact that Mondstadt itself does not have enough powerful ice or lightning element warriors, it will be difficult for them to exert pressure when facing the Lady in this battle.

Although Kaeya and Lisa both cultivate these two elements, Kaeya's identity makes him quite constrained in such matters, and his strength is also much inferior to Jean and Diluc, mainly because his power is restricted.

Lisa, on the other hand, is a research-oriented mage. Although she possesses considerable combat abilities, in such intense battles, combat skills and the application of spells themselves play a significant role...

Of course, there are advantages as well; the fire elemental lady will also have a hard time dealing enough damage to Diluc...

Therefore, one or two people are definitely not enough.

“In that case, we need at least four people,” Yunxiu said: “Jin, Diluc, Ying, and me.”

He then took out his tactics board and began to discuss the tactics he had already devised: "The acting captain possesses extremely strong defensive and healing abilities, and is probably the most powerful knight in Mondstadt right now. Even if the lady's attack power is strong, she should have a hard time breaking through the captain's defense. Luminous has a strong resistance to elemental skills. When the lady unleashes her full power, there will be a terrifying amount of elemental energy overflowing, and some of the overflowing power is directly a weapon that destroys herself. Only Luminous can control this power the fastest."

"Diluc's burst damage is in no way inferior to that of the Lady. Even if the Lady has enough fire resistance, as long as he has a chance, it is entirely possible for him to defeat or even kill the Lady with a close-range burst."

“I have enough spells to wear down her legendary resistance first, and then forcibly control her once or twice. I only have one or two chances.”

After speaking, Yunxiu considered the tactical situation again and believed that there should be no problem. Now it was up to Jean and Diluc to see if they had any doubts about the plan.

He put down the tactics board, sat down in a chair, and said to Jean, "I have nothing more to add. As for my understanding of Mondstadt and Winterbreak, apart from Luminous, I probably don't know as much as most people here. The hunting locations and specific plans can only be determined by you, Commander."

Jean was slightly taken aback, but quickly realized that she was indeed the most suitable person for this. Right now, the person who understood Mondstadt and Winter Solstice the most was either herself or Diluc, and Diluc was not a high-ranking member of the Knights of Favonius.

“If that’s the case…” Jean pondered. As the Lion Fang Knight of this generation, she was naturally very confident in her strength, but this kind of hunting mission was indeed a first for her. After thinking for a long time, she turned to Yunxiu and asked, “Mage Yunxiu, I heard Diluc say that you have the ability to fly. Can this ability be used by others? How fast can you fly?”

“It can be used by others, but it can only be used for a maximum of 10 minutes at a time. If we plan for 4 people, my current spell energy can only support each person to use it two or three times.” Yunxiu thought for a moment and then said, “As for the flight speed, two flight spells should be able to cross the river at the gate of Mondstadt, but I need to rest for at least five or six hours to recover my energy after using it, otherwise I will be useless in the later battles.”