Conan-ology

Even if he was not yet invincible, he could probably swagger through this world.

Unfortunately, Yin Kong also understood one thing very clearly: even the invincible would always encounter enemies from beyond the heavens.

King Deshret, a transcendent being who had effortlessly suppressed all of Teyvat, had still been elbowed into a half-crippled state by the returning Roney from beyond the heavens, becoming hopelessly addicted to zzz.

He had not forgotten those enormous black hands that had emerged from the vortex not long ago.

Although [Yatagarasu] had completely destroyed them, both Yin Kong and Zhongli knew perfectly well:

This had perhaps merely been a test by the Abyss. Given the Abyss's nature, it might have had its eyes on this world for a long time already.

According to Zhongli's judgment, those level 110 giant hands already possessed strength on the level of gods.

Of course, players all knew that levels were indeed important, but they did not represent everything.

A level 90 "character" would not necessarily lose to a level 100-plus "monster."

Before a fully constellated, fully refined Natlan money-printing machine, a mere level 110 god was no different from a speed bump.

But clearly, this was far from the Abyss's limit.

Level 110, level 120, even level 130 or level 140 enemies—Yin Kong had a chance of rolling straight over them with the system.

But what about even higher levels?

"So, though perhaps I am merely worrying unnecessarily, Traveler, even if only for the Abyss that may arrive at any time, please do not squander the potential within you."

At this point, Zhongli smiled faintly.

"Of course, before then, if battle is required, please leave it to us without worry."

Mr. Zhongli truly was incredibly reliable.

Listening to the promise in his mind, Yin Kong felt boundless reassurance once more.

"Today, we will first study spear techniques. As for the Art of Talismans, it will not be too late to begin after you have awakened Elemental Power..."

What concerned Yin Kong greatly was that the Geo Archon seemed to have already found a way to help him awaken Elemental Power.

However, for now, he chose to calm himself and focus on studying.

As the saying went, comparisons killed people, and goods had to be compared before they could be discarded.

Only after experiencing the Geo Archon's personal instruction did Yin Kong truly realize just how unprofessional Paimon's nearly farcical teaching had been.

More precisely, although little Paimon's breadth of knowledge was not lacking, she ultimately did not understand how to fight.

In her eyes, movements that looked exactly the same could actually differ by heaven and earth beneath the surface.

Though Zhongli was teaching spear techniques, after merely correcting several of Yin Kong's basic stances and his methods of exerting and dispersing force, the one-handed sword normal talent that had been stuck naturally broke through to LV.3.

Beyond that, Zhongli also taught him a proper cultivation method.

Though it was only the most basic breathing and meditation technique, it allowed him to come into contact with "qi" for the first time and learn how to leap over roofs and scale walls.

With all kinds of buffs, Yin Kong's physical condition had long surpassed that of an ordinary human, but when it came to fighting methods, he truly had little to show for it.

Put simply, he relied on brute force to work miracles and just hacked wildly like Nakoruru.

Only now, under Zhongli's guidance, did he truly begin to understand how one should fight.

When someone immersed themselves in study, time naturally passed swiftly.

Yin Kong felt as though he had merely blinked before he received another call from Fei Yingli.

"This is... Imperial Coins?"

When Fei Yingli saw the Imperial Coins Yin Kong had taken out, her expression became exceptionally surprised.

In her original imagination, so-called Imperial Coins should have been some kind of ancient copper coins.

Yet now, Yin Kong was holding two... gold coins?

In Fei Yingli's impression, while there had not been absolutely no records of gold coins being used in the histories of China and Japan, their numbers had clearly been extremely scarce.

And wasn't their color a little too new?

The surfaces of the Imperial Coins were smooth as mirrors, their patterns elegant and exquisite.

No matter how Fei Yingli looked at them, they did not resemble ancient objects at all. Instead, they seemed more like modern crafts freshly produced from a forge last week.

If Yin Kong could hear the doubts in the great lawyer's heart, he might have laughed and corrected her mistaken judgment.

In truth, Zhongli had just created these two Imperial Coins for him before he went out. Each one had consumed a full ninety-nine Mora, so calling them still warm would not have been an exaggeration.

"Lawyer Fei, you may not know this, but China has an old saying: sincerity makes miracles happen.

These Imperial Coins truly are not antiques, but the symbols of the Lord of Geo upon them are real. If the Lord of Geo's symbols are real, then naturally the god they represent is real as well. Lord of Geo will hear your prayers..."

Listening to Yin Kong's explanation, Fei Yingli naturally looked deeply skeptical.

After all, the explanation sounded far too unreliable.

Detective Conan Science

Although it differed greatly from her expectations, Fei Yingli still thanked him sincerely.

After all, this was someone else's kindness. If she kept picking faults, that would truly be ungrateful.

However, after accepting the two Imperial Coins, an astonished look once more appeared on the great lawyer's face.

To her surprise, she discovered that the Imperial Coins did not feel cold like metal, as she had imagined. Instead, they felt like fine jade—warm and smooth.

She carefully examined the two "gold coins" and found that she could not tell what material they had been made from at all.

Judging by their texture, they resembled gold, but if they were truly gold coins, they should not have been so light.

Moreover, the craftsmanship was unexpectedly good.

Fei Yingli naturally had a sharp eye and quickly saw that the two Imperial Coins were distinctively shaped and exquisitely crafted. Even if they were merely modern handicrafts, they were certainly not cheap, shoddy products.

More importantly, perhaps due to her own psychological effect, after placing the Imperial Coins in her palm, the great lawyer found that she truly did not seem as afraid when thinking of those demons and monsters?

"Mr. Yin Kong, may I ask which god this Lord of Geo you mentioned actually is?"

Yin Kong explained, "Naturally, he is the Geo Archon. Legend says he is not only a god who governs commerce and contracts, but also a martial god who can sweep through thousands of troops."

Fei Yingli nodded gently and silently committed those introductions to memory.

After seeing the great lawyer off, Yin Kong returned to the meditation room and threw himself back into studying.

Nothing new happened that night, and it passed peacefully.

"Brr, why is it so cold?"

The next morning, Yin Kong was awakened by the cold.

The thin blanket over him could not block the biting chill at all. Only his chest felt somewhat warm.

Yin Kong lifted the thin blanket and, sure enough, saw Paimon sprawled across his chest, deeply asleep and completely unaware.

Perhaps sensing Yin Kong's movement, the little fellow drowsily opened her eyes.

"Morning, Traveler. You're awake—whoa, it's so cold!"

Having lost Yin Kong, her human-shaped heater, Paimon finally felt the chill as well.

Yin Kong pulled back the curtains and was surprised to discover that overnight, the world outside had turned entirely silver-white.

A thick layer of snow had already settled along the streets and atop the roofs of the high-rise buildings.

"It actually snowed? Traveler, this is our first time seeing snow outside Dragonspine, isn't it?"

Looking at the scenery outside, Paimon excitedly rubbed her hands together and suggested, "What a perfect chance! Why don't we go have a snowball fight?

It's a shame Amber and Eula aren't here. If we could go soak in hot springs together, it would definitely be wonderful..."

However, Yin Kong was clearly not as excited as Paimon. He frowned instead.

"Paimon, haven't you noticed that something is wrong?"

"What's wrong?" Paimon froze for a moment before finally reacting. "Right! I remember summer only ended not long ago. It should be autumn now, so how could it suddenly snow?"

It could not be that King Deshret had heard Yin Kong's complaints from yesterday and dropped one of his giant nails overnight, could it?

Of course, Yin Kong knew that was obviously impossible.

If King Deshret's giant nail had really struck, then forget Tokyo—the entire island nation would probably have been leveled by now.

Besides, he already vaguely had an answer in his heart.

He directly summoned the system and opened the Wish screen.

Sure enough, Zhongli's banner, which should have still had several days remaining, had actually ended early.

Replacing it was a dual banner featuring Hu Tao and Neuvillette.

At the same time, the remaining time displayed in the lower-right corner of the banner was twelve days.

This meant today was not the first day of the banner either.

With that, the answer became obvious.

"Come on. Let's check on Miss Yoko."

Having already figured it out, Yin Kong immediately brought Paimon to the living room, where they saw Ono Yoko busy in the kitchen.

"Whoa, it smells so good!"

The moment she caught the scent of food, Paimon instantly threw her earlier doubts to the back of her mind.

"Miss Yoko, are you making breakfast for us? Pacific saury, grilled eel, bacon and fried eggs... They're all things I love! Miss Yoko, you're so considerate!"

"Please wait a moment, you two. It'll be ready soon."

Before long, Ono Yoko brought out the steaming breakfast.

The idol had tied up her long hair and was wearing fitted loungewear. Her gentle tone made her look every bit like a virtuous wife and mother.

"I hope you won't dislike it if it isn't good."

That was naturally only modesty. She had clearly put considerable thought into this breakfast.

From the anticipation in her eyes, it was clear that the idol was quite confident in her cooking.

She was actually in charge of a morning food program. Though she was only the host, she had still picked up quite a few practical skills.

"How could we?" Yin Kong smiled and shook his head. "These breakfasts already smell delicious. Look at Paimon—she can't wait to dig in."

Seeing Paimon already eating with great gusto, Ono Yoko naturally felt greatly encouraged.

After all, that was the finest praise for a cook.

However, the idol clearly cared even more about Yin Kong's reaction.

Noticing her gaze, Yin Kong naturally gave her a thumbs-up.

"It's delicious."

Upon receiving his answer, the idol immediately felt completely satisfied, and an incomparably radiant smile appeared on her face.

Then little Paimon displayed her astonishing appetite, clearing away all the food except that in front of Yin Kong and Ono Yoko under the idol's astonished gaze.

"So satisfying. It would be wonderful if I could eat such a lavish breakfast every day."

"Of course." Hearing this, Ono Yoko smilingly untied her apron. "I'll come make breakfast for little Paimon every day from now on, okay?"

"Huh?" Paimon could not help freezing before subconsciously saying, "Wouldn't that be too much trouble for Miss Yoko?"

Slow as she was, she had finally sensed that something was not quite right.

Ono Yoko smiled sweetly.

"Of course not. After all, we're neighbors now."

Paimon hesitated for a moment, but ultimately waved her little hands and refused.

"Forget it. I shouldn't trouble Miss Yoko anymore. You're already so busy normally... Um, it's absolutely not because I dislike Miss Yoko's cooking."

Ono Yoko had not expected her food offensive to suffer such an unexpected Waterloo.

Though Paimon denied it with all her might, how could she fail to see that the little fellow was merely protesting too much?