“What the heck, why do only some of the Hilichurls have Geo elemental energy on them?”
Gu Sanqiu squinted as he focused, finally spotting a solidified cluster of Geo energy on a Hilichurl Berserker’s shoulder.
In simple terms, it looked like chunks of rock or earth.
“What is this? Did the Hilichurls invent some kind of new exoskeleton combat armor?”
Gu Sanqiu was puzzled, but the next second, his eyes nearly popped out of his head.
A Hilichurl Berserker wielding an axe leapt high into the air and, with a mighty swing, cleaved at a Geo Shield Hilichurl. A molten wave of energy surged from the strike, melting the Geo Shield’s defenses.
And before the shield-wielding Hilichurl could react, the Fire-Axe Hilichurl followed up, slamming its axe with immense force into the remaining fragments of the shield, sending its opponent flying several meters!
“This… this…”
Gu Sanqiu’s jaw dropped. “What kind of new ability is this? Molten Earth Slash?”
He knew about Fire-Axe Hilichurls, and their typical trick was to slap a Pyro Slime onto their axe, enhancing it before performing a massive jump attack.
But never had he seen a move like this in all his time in Teyvat, likely because any Hilichurl Berserker he encountered never had the chance to pull it off.
Since, well… he’d always “happily” sent them off before they could even complete the move.
Turns out, there’s definitely a need for better optimization on both startup and cooldown for such moves.
“So, that group of Hilichurls over there—are they really that different from the ones we just raided?”
Gu Sanqiu pondered, recalling whether he had ever encountered Hilichurls that could unleash energy waves like swordmasters.
No, definitely not. Otherwise, the game developers would’ve been cursed endlessly by new players.
Something’s off. It doesn’t seem like an enhanced magic ability… more like a virus implanted into their bodies.
Gu Sanqiu noticed other differences as well. The Hilichurls on the side he had ambushed fought with more coordination, displaying tactics that even impressed him, like the way the archers supported the berserkers.
On the other hand, the opposing Hilichurls seemed… erratic. The Berserker who just unleashed that Molten Earth Slash was quickly overpowered by a group of shield-bearing Hilichurls, unable to retaliate after the cooldown left it weak and sluggish.
“Madness? No, it’s more like some inexplicable excitement. Still, it doesn’t seem to be a huge deal. Sure, they’re strong, but they aren’t going to build ships or anything. They’d have to break through the surrounding sea first.”
Wait.
Gu Sanqiu’s eyes widened as he glanced toward the distant island shrouded in sea mist.
“Geomantic disturbances… how did I forget about that guy?”
“Is it your power, Gimel?”
As if on cue, another strange phenomenon occurred. The Hilichurls that previously showed no signs of Geo elemental energy suddenly began to tremble. From Gu Sanqiu’s perspective, fine crystals started forming across their bodies.
“Unusual Geo energy… It’s almost certain now. If there’s something strange about this place, it’s probably him.”
Gu Sanqiu rubbed his chin thoughtfully. “The Unshaped Geo… If I were to joke around with Zhongli and tell him, ‘Hey, you’ve got a son now,’ I’d probably die, right?”
No, that would definitely be a death sentence!
“Gimel… nah, it’s too risky to mess with him right now.”
The area where the Unshaped Geo resided was deep within Guyun Stone Forest. If he tried to go alone, it wouldn’t be easy.
At the very least, he’d need to drag a certain consultant along to help him map out the place.
“But it seems like the Abyss Mages aren’t affected by this. Protected by Ley Line energy, maybe?”
Gu Sanqiu observed the calm, composed Abyss Mages who were still orchestrating the battle. He could only imagine the chaos they were dealing with mentally.
It was like organizing two full raid groups for a dungeon, only for the members to start goofing off once inside. By this point, the raid leaders were likely thinking in expletives and nothing else.
But… there’s a problem.
Gu Sanqiu furrowed his brow. If he wasn’t mistaken, beings like the Unshaped Geo and the Oceanid shared similar personalities. As long as you didn’t provoke them, you could practically walk up and take photos with no issues.
Not to mention, as highly concentrated elemental entities, their outer “inert” cubes—though nicknamed Rubik’s Cubes—likely represented something akin to “dead elemental energy,” a more westernized concept.
They could be damaged in the game, but here?
Could he even break through the shield and deal real damage?
Would a hedgehog uncurl itself in front of a predator?
He seriously doubted that Gimel would politely stand by and let him destroy its pillars, much less give him time to safely slash at the core.
“I’ll deal with you when the time is right. Let’s see if I can bring this dirt cube home with me.”
Gu Sanqiu entertained the thought for a moment, picturing himself in a smoke-filled room, wearing a mask, propping his face up with one hand while colorful cubes slowly rotated in his other, as if they were trapped in his palm.
Yeah, the thought gave him plenty of motivation!
On the small island, Chongyun and Xingqiu sat in the boat, chewing on cold food while chatting to pass the time.
“Hey, Xingqiu, I’ve been meaning to ask—how did you guys first meet Gu Sanqiu?”
“Why do you suddenly want to know that?”
“Well, at first, I thought Gu was just another one of your targets for pranks. I was even considering forming a ‘Victims’ Alliance’ with him. But then I noticed you two mostly just trade verbal jabs, and you can’t even win.”
Ignoring Xingqiu’s increasingly dark expression, Chongyun continued, “But now I’m curious. You’ve never mentioned this friend of yours in Liyue Harbor before.”
“Honestly, it’s normal that I didn’t bring it up. We’ve spent most of our time wandering around outside. Plus, I didn’t want to tell everyone I had a friend from one of Liyue’s most prestigious families—even if, technically, that family only has one member left.”
“Just mentioning the surname ‘Gu’ makes everyone’s ears perk up. And if they catch even the smallest detail, they’d know right away that I was talking about that guy, Sanqiu.”
Xingqiu shook his head. “What I say doesn’t matter, but people can twist things around. I don’t know what that guy’s busy with most of the time, but dragging a friend into trouble for no reason doesn’t align with my sense of justice.”
“Oh, right. You’ve got that whole honor code thing.”
Chongyun nodded in understanding. “But you said Gu Sanqiu’s a busy guy. Do you think us hanging out will affect his work?”
“It won’t.”
Both of them whipped their heads toward the door as Gu Sanqiu appeared at the entrance.
“While my work has some semi-official capacity, Liyue’s regulations don’t bind me. I’ve been following the rules out of my own will.”
“And besides, work… I have my own way of doing things. This little trip? It counts as work too.”
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