Original God, But Chat Group

The three of them walked together toward where Andrius's soul energy was gathering. By the time they arrived, Andrius's soul had fully coalesced, reforming into that blue-white giant wolf.

Andrius opened his eyes and immediately let out a roar.

"Damn bastard!! How dare you—"

Mid-sentence, Andrius realized he was in a new place, standing on barren, gray-white ground. This left him deeply puzzled. He remembered being sucked up by that arrogant bald man using a small bowl. How had he ended up here? Could this be the inside of that bowl?

"Sir Wolf, hello."

A gentle greeting interrupted Andrius's thoughts. The massive wolf head turned and saw a familiar face.

"Greater—"

"Sir Wolf, my name is Aci. I'm a resident here."

"Aci? Resident?"

Andrius looked at Aci with some confusion, but quickly understood. There were two strangers behind Aci—she was hiding her identity. With Greater Lord Rukkhadevata present, he calmed down a little.

"What is this place?"

"This is Mr. Li Yue's Inner World."

Since it was a familiar acquaintance, Greater Lord Rukkhadevata helped explain. But she didn't know why Andrius had appeared in Li Yue's Inner World, so she looked at Li Yue.

"As for why Sir Wolf is here, that probably needs to be asked of Mr. Li Yue."

Li Yue smiled approvingly at Greater Lord Rukkhadevata. She'd taken the initiative to help him carry the conversation—how nice!

"Hey there, Brother Wolf. I'm Li Yue, from Liyue. I was on my way back from Sumeru to Mondstadt when I ran into a bald guy. We fought, and I smashed a golden bowl he had. When the bowl broke, a green light flew out and latched onto me. After the guy ran off, I found a safe spot and came into my Inner World to check things out, and there you were."

Li Yue kept a straight face as he spun a story right in front of Andrius. Andrius didn't believe it immediately and looked at Greater Lord Rukkhadevata instead.

"Sir Wolf, Mr. Li Yue is someone worthy of trust. He saved me and gave me tremendous help."

"Is that so? Human, I thank you."

Andrius lowered his massive head slightly. He knew well what Greater Lord Rukkhadevata's duty was. To have given her such great help was no less than a huge service to the Teyvat continent itself.

"Thank you for rescuing me from that monster's grasp. Please, trouble yourself to send me back to where I came from."

"I'm afraid that won't work."

Li Yue shook his head helplessly.

"Brother Wolf, I need to tell you something. That bald guy who caught you is an Abyss Envoy. I have a pretty good idea why they grabbed you—they wanted to corrupt your soul with Abyss power and turn you into their weapon."

"What? The Abyss!"

Andrius stared hard at Li Yue.

"Can you be certain?"

"I can. Not long ago, Abyss agents showed up in Mondstadt and took control of the East Wind Dragon, Dvalin, trying to turn him into their weapon. But I stopped them. Acting Grand Master Jean of the Knights of Favonius knows about it too—she was there at the scene. Probably because they failed to get the East Wind Dragon, they started scouring Mondstadt for other targets strong enough to serve as combat assets. Brother Wolf, with a build like yours, you obviously look formidable. Grabbing you to use as a weapon would be a no-brainer."

It wasn't that Li Yue was unfairly slandering Aether—after all, Aether really had thought about capturing Andrius.

"Hmph, that must be it! I know about Dvalin's situation. I could sense the commotion he caused back then. That's exactly the kind of thing those Abyss scum would do!"

"So no matter what, you can't go back now. If you do, they'll definitely come after you again. The Knights of Favonius in Mondstadt don't have enough troops to protect you right now."

"Hmph, they're just a bunch of Abyss insects. I was caught off guard before—next time, I won't lose to them!"

Andrius didn't take the Abyss seriously and still insisted on returning.

"You might not fear those Abyss Envoys, but what about your Wolf Pack? Brother Wolf, you look this strong, so there must be plenty of wolves following you. The Abyss won't care about methods when they're trying to catch you. If that happens, those wolves will be in trouble."

"Brother Wolf, you don't want anything to happen to your little wolves, do you?"

Li Yue's words made Andrius fall silent. He could act tough and say he wasn't afraid, but the Wolf Pack in Wolvendom couldn't.

"Besides, because of the special nature of the power I wield, after I snatched your soul from that Abyss Envoy, it's already merged into my Inner World—into my soul itself. Just like Aci. In this state, there's no way for you to separate from my soul anymore."

Andrius's eyes widened, and he looked at Greater Lord Rukkhadevata. She nodded again—Enma's Blade had already explained this to her.

"So, whether it's for the sake of your Wolf Pack or your current situation, you can't go back. Not only can you not return, but you also need to stay as far away from the Wolf Pack as possible. That way, the Abyss's attention will shift away from them, and the pack can avoid the Abyss Envoys."

Andrius lowered his head and closed his eyes.

"I understand. In that case, allow me to stay here for now."

"I didn't expect you to be fighting the Abyss as well, Mr. Li Yue."

Greater Lord Rukkhadevata finally had a chance to chime in. She looked at Li Yue seriously. Before, she only knew that Li Yue had taken in Nahida by chance and then healed the World Tree. She hadn't expected him to also have the ability to oppose the Abyss. No—it was precisely because he had that ability that he could heal the World Tree.

"After all, I live on the Teyvat continent, and the Abyss wants to overthrow it. So I have to stop them."

Li Yue spoke with righteous conviction.

"Honestly, I started out as an ordinary person, just wanting a peaceful life. Until one day, I unexpectedly awakened a power—I could absorb certain specific souls around me. Then Enma's Blade appeared in my Inner World and was willing to lend me its strength. With Enma's Blade's power, I was a bit lost for a time. Until someone told me one thing."

"With great power comes great... responsibility!"

Greater Lord Rukkhadevata and Andrius both looked at Li Yue in astonishment.

"That sentence made me understand that once you gain power, you should use it to do something. So I chose to use this power to protect the people I want to protect, to protect the Teyvat we all live in. I want to be a Partner of Justice!"

Li Yue had stacked quite a few buffs on himself. Andrius looked at him, and there was recognition in his eyes. Fighting the Abyss, protecting Teyvat—this guy wasn't bad.

"Borrowing someone else's power, huh? If it's an upright human like you, no problem! I'm the Wolf King who roams the wilds of Mondstadt. You can call me Boreas. Take my power and use it freely—use it to fight the Abyss and protect Teyvat!"

Like Greater Lord Rukkhadevata, Andrius chose to conceal his true name.

And with Andrius's acknowledgment, new power merged into Li Yue's soul, adding another color to the tips of his hair.

48. Teacher Chalk, I'm Your Fan

After devouring two Demon Gods in a single night, Li Yue's hair now bore three colors: white, cyan, and green. He declared himself full and decided to stop there for the day.

Of course, it wasn't that he couldn't eat more—it was that his Reiatsu was nearly spent.

The Reiatsu consumed while searching for the World Tree's space in Sumeru had been enormous. Opening a spatial gate directly to Inazuma was out of the question now. Even if he had enough Reiatsu to open a gate that far, he couldn't guarantee it would land in Inazuma. Given the immense distance between Mondstadt and Inazuma, even with sufficient Reiatsu, he could only manage a few gates. And based on the randomness of his previous gate-opening in Sumeru, he figured he'd more likely end up in Fontaine. Better to wait and take Beidou's ship to Inazuma, then unlock the coordinates for teleportation later.

There was no helping it—Inazuma's location on the Teyvat continent was too remote. It was entirely isolated overseas, an absurd distance from the mainland, truly cut off from the world. Surrounding it was nothing but sea, with no place to set foot.

Not planning to head to Inazuma for now, Li Yue took Aizen to rest briefly in Mondstadt. Since Aizen had been helping him absorb power, he ought to let Aizen get something out of it—like the Demon God-level life he'd been yearning for.

The grass dragon Apep was hard to find now, but Mondstadt had easier prey.

"The dragon Durin?"

"Exactly. Durin isn't a Demon God, but he possesses Demon God-level power. He's an artificial lifeform created by Gold Rhine—a man-made beast."

At the foot of Dragonspine Mountain, Li Yue and Aizen, who had come from Wolvendom, began climbing the peak perpetually shrouded in snow and wind.

"Remember how I said the Seven Archons rule seven nations where most humans live? There's also a place where some humans dwell—a land without gods. That nation is called Khaenri'ah."

"Rhinedottir was Khaenri'ah's court alchemist, known as Gold Rhine. Khaenri'ah was an underground nation, so it had few species. And since it was a land without gods, its people had no Visions. But they possessed a special technology: alchemy—specifically, alchemy capable of creating life. Gold Rhine used alchemy to create homunculi. The most outstanding was Albedo, called the Child of Chalk. This homunculus now lives in Mondstadt and does long-term research on this mountain. Beyond that, she created many beasts, the strongest being Durin, with Demon God-level power."

"Alchemy that creates life? That interests me greatly."

Compared to Durin, Aizen's focus was more on the alchemy itself. As expected of a researcher—he cared more about the method than the catch.

"I don't know the specifics of the alchemy, but Albedo inherited Rhine's techniques. If you're interested, you could talk to him. He'd probably be happy to exchange ideas."

When Li Yue left Liyue, he'd mentioned wanting to find Albedo and Noelle—back then, just to joke and tease Zhongli. But now he genuinely had business with Albedo. Since they were on the mountain anyway, he could talk to him.

"Then after we descend the mountain, I'll ask Li Yue-kun to take me to Mondstadt. I'll be sure to have a thorough discussion with that Albedo."

Aizen adjusted his glasses and agreed.

"Let's get back to Durin. As the strongest man-made beast, Durin was innocent, but he was corrupted by the Abyssal darkness spilling from Khaenri'ah, turning into a mad dragon. He invaded Mondstadt. The Anemo Archon summoned Dvalin, the Wind Dragon, to fight him. With the Archon and Dvalin's efforts, Durin was bitten to death. His corpse fell onto this mountain and was buried by snow. But Durin didn't fully die. As an alchemical product, his life signs differ from ordinary creatures. Though his body has rotted completely, his heart still beats, providing a constant flow of life force."

Li Yue smiled at Aizen.

"I think that heart would make excellent research material."

"A heart that still beats despite a rotted body? That's fantastic research material."

On Dragonspine Mountain, the heart of Durin—the essence of Gold Rhine's alchemical masterpiece—was the prize. Giving it to Aizen for study would make him very happy. Just look at him now; he couldn't suppress the grin on his lips.

Besides, handing Durin's heart to Aizen for research was better than leaving it in Teyvat for the Fatui or the Abyss to exploit. Before they made a move, Li Yue would strike first and send the heart away! It was useless to him anyway.

"If we're lucky, we might run into Albedo doing research on the mountain. He's usually not in Mondstadt but here on Dragonspine."

"That would be ideal."

The two walked into the mountain. Dragonspine was perpetually blanketed in snow and wind; without preparation, anyone entering would freeze to death.

Andrius's power granted Li Yue mastery over the Anemo and Cryo elements, as well as the Power of the North Wind. The North Wind was a deadly gale that brought death—a freezing wind that could swiftly freeze the earth, rivers, and even life itself. It was far more terrifying than the blizzard on Dragonspine, a force that neither blankets nor campfires could withstand.

Ignoring the swirling snow, the two followed the path carved by adventurers, quickly ascending toward the mountainside. In Li Yue's memory, Albedo's temporary lab was halfway up, and just below it lay Durin's burial site—where his heart remained.

In the game, reaching Sleeping Dragon Valley might take only a few minutes, but in reality, the climb took much longer. Fortunately, Li Yue and Aizen weren't ordinary. Using Flash Step along the faintly visible road, they covered in less than ten minutes what would take ordinary people hours.

Sleeping Dragon Valley, Durin's burial ground. By following the snow-covered path up from the Adventurer's Guild camp without taking any detours, they reached it directly. In the distance, Durin's skeletal remains arched like a bridge. His heart lay in the cave beneath that massive, arching skeleton.

Li Yue found the cave for Aizen and let him handle the heart alone. The big boss from the Bleach world couldn't suppress his grin when he saw Durin's heart—not even an AK could hold it down.

Meanwhile, Li Yue headed upward from Sleeping Dragon Valley to find Albedo's lab. It was above the valley, where Albedo often stayed, especially at night to rest. When Dvalin attacked Mondstadt City, Albedo wasn't there, meaning he'd been on the mountain recently. On the mountain, the lab was the most likely place to find him. And sure enough, Li Yue sensed a Reiatsu in the lab's direction.

When Li Yue reached Albedo's temporary camp, he found him resting in a chair, with a pot of soup simmering in front of him.

"Whoa~~ Finally found you!"

Li Yue announced himself directly, striding toward Albedo with an invincible look. Albedo, startled by his sudden appearance, frowned slightly at the expression on Li Yue's face. This didn't bode well!

Despite his wariness, Albedo spoke politely.

"May I ask who you are?"

Li Yue stepped forward, grabbing Albedo's right hand with both of his, his face full of excitement.

"Teacher Chalk, I'm your fan!"

"Huh?"

Albedo let out a puzzled sound.

49. I'm Going to Become a Light Novel Master!

"You want me to draw illustrations for you?"

"Exactly! I'm planning to write a light novel, but I'm short an illustrator. So I hope Teacher Chalk can draw a few illustrations for me!"

Albedo looked at Li Yue, pinching his chin in thought. He'd initially thought this was an enemy, but instead, the guy was here to commission him. That caught him off guard. Especially since Li Yue knew his pen name, Chalk. As far as he remembered, though he was a contracted artist for Yae Publishing House, he'd never met anyone in person. In theory, no one should know he was Chalk.

But that wasn't the point now. The point was—

"If I remember correctly, the Yae Publishing House shouldn't be accepting manuscripts right now. Inazuma has closed its borders, and I haven't received any letters from them in a long time. If you're writing a novel now, can it even be published?"

Although Albedo was in Mondstadt, he was well aware of Inazuma's situation. The nation was currently in a state of isolation, with the Raiden Shogun enveloping the entire region in a thunderstorm that made normal commercial activity impossible. The only ones capable—and daring enough—to brave the storm were probably Beidou's South Sea Fleet from Liyue.

Thus, Albedo felt a bit concerned for this fan with the unusually colorful hair. Writing a novel at a time like this—your manuscript probably wouldn't even make it to the Yae Publishing House.

"There's no need to worry about that, Teacher Chalk. I don't plan to publish through the Yae Publishing House."

"Oh? Not through the Yae Publishing House? Are you thinking of sending it to Fontaine instead?"

Aside from the Yae Publishing House, there were publishers in Fontaine too, though they seemed less inclined to accept light novels and preferred traditional literature.

"No, that's not it either. I plan to publish in another world."

"Another... another world?"

For a moment, Albedo thought he had misheard.

"That's right, another world."

Li Yue made no attempt to hide it.

"Let me introduce myself. My name is Li Yue—simple as that. I'm a person from another world, currently living at the Wangsheng Funeral Parlor in Liyue. I recently awakened the ability to travel to other worlds, and I plan to become a light novel author there."

As he spoke, he extended his right hand toward Albedo.

Albedo was a bit taken aback by this introduction. It wasn't that he had never met someone from another world, nor had he never seen someone travel to one. But to have the ability to go to another world and only want to be a light novel author there... that kind of thinking was probably something only his adoptive mother, Alice, could understand—after all, she was the type to go out of her way to visit another world just to see an idol.

"Albedo, currently residing in Mondstadt, serving as the Knights of Favonius' Chief Alchemist and Investigation Team Captain. My hobbies include sketching, and I occasionally draw illustrations for the Yae Publishing House under the pen name Chalk."

Albedo took Li Yue's right hand as he introduced himself.

"Just call me Albedo. Please, have a seat and we can talk."

After the handshake, Albedo gestured for Li Yue to sit. Li Yue didn't stand on ceremony and took a chair directly. As for why there was a chair on the snowy mountain—probably Albedo had brought it up?

"May I ask, what kind of novel do you plan to write?"

"Oh, I'm not planning to write just one novel. I intend to write several."