Suddenly, a Storm Came in the Night

Then, the gel that remained after the elemental reaction became Miss Surtr's trophies and credentials in her backpack.

This is not difficult.

While Miss Surtr is a stubborn player who disregards the game developers' emphasis on elemental reactions and insists on having one character stand still from start to finish without dying or switching characters, in the materialized world, her mastery of fire and wielding of a two-handed sword naturally makes her a must-have character for clearing stages and progressing through levels. Once her sword is ablaze, slicing through Frost Slime, whose elemental weakness is countered, is effortless – one strike kills them without a scratch.

—If I were a character card, when I leveled up, I'd probably get all three attributes—critical hit, critical damage, and fire damage—added together. And all of them would have maximum growth.

Surtr thought casually. Based on her experience, if her stay in this world wasn't excessively short, she would eventually rise to the top of the local power structure—she had experience with both the streets and the surface.

So she continued walking, slowing her pace slightly. Once her breath and heartbeat blended into the night, she extinguished the torch and put it back in her bag, letting the darkness envelop her.

There's one target left to eliminate. The Hilichurl that needs to be dealt with isn't far from here.

She decided to sneak over there.

According to her knowledge of the game's lore and information gathered within the villages, while Hilichurl exist in tribal forms, appearing as a savage and alien race and never forming large groups, Hilichurl level of civilization actually surpasses that of humans on the current Teyvat continent— Hilichurl can use crossbows, while humans only know how to make bows. Hilichurl can gain control over the elements through direct nature worship. In contrast, only a few scholars, martial artists, and those with Visions among humans can manipulate the elements in the atmosphere.

If the Hilichurl had kings ruling vast territories, while the people of Teyvat lacked divine protection, then even now, the Hilichurl in the wild could muster a massive army capable of disrupting the existing order. Based on the vague information gathered in my previous life, it's reasonable to infer that the Hilichurl once possessed a flourishing civilization and a vast kingdom.

Strictly speaking, I'm quite reluctant to confront such an intelligent, civilized, and rationally thinking group. Killing them is not much different from killing ordinary people... If they attack first, that's one thing. But if they choose to tolerate or beg for mercy, I'm afraid I really might not be able to bring myself to do it.

—Fine, let's use gentler methods to drive them away, not kill them. As for the masks, we can sneak one off, or abandon this part of the mission—it doesn't matter. After all...

She stopped in her tracks.

She saw the Hilichurl.

Or to be more precise... the ruins of the camp. The Hilichurl's corpses had long since vanished without a trace in the elemental reaction. And all around the remains, there were traces of lightning everywhere.

Someone beat her to it.

She walked into the ruins of the camp and easily found remnants of a mask on the ground.

—They weren't someone who intentionally placed a bounty. They were just passing through the area and conveniently cleared out the camp.

She picked up the mask and identified the cut of the sword on the broken wooden stake next to it.

—It's a one-handed sword.

Surtr sensed the chilling sword intent emanating from the cut. And...

... Human beings feel a chilling hatred for non-humans.

Chapter 94 Suddenly, Like a Storm in the Night

"This group of islands at sea is called Guyun Stone Forest by the locals."

The Dragon Girl maiden, leaning on her blood-stained sword, stood before a colossal monument, struggling to adjust her posture and breathing. Behind her, mountains of alien corpses and puppet guards were methodically returning to the earth under the influence of elemental reactions. Meanwhile, Persephone's projection drifted around her, casually surveying the various details of the surrounding landscape.

"This place belongs to a land called Liyue, and it is an abandoned and wild land. It seems that a great war took place here a long time ago, and the hatred and resentment of the dead still linger on these islands."

The phantom figure stroked the ancient stone tablet on the island, gazing at the tattered inscriptions. Nearby, the ruins of a chaotic adventurer's camp lay scattered—diaries and records were found within, but the adventurers themselves had long since vanished, their fate seemingly sealed.

"You're very lucky, Talulah. When you arrived on this island, it was undergoing a change that was unimaginable to the local natives—based on the various records left behind by the fourteen adventurers along the way, it's easy to conclude that the Hilichurl here were not as brutal, chaotic, and corrosive as they are now, at least a month ago—ah, that reminds me of some old friends."

"What old friend?" The Dragon Girl exhaled softly, pulling her sword from the stone beneath her feet. The brief rest had restored her energy. And following Persephone's instructions, she had also obtained some harmless food to stave off hunger.

"The kind of old friend you wouldn't want to know." The phantom rested her chin on her hand, leaning against the stone tablet. She seemed much more lively and talkative than before. "Knowing their names won't do you any good. After all, it would be a little difficult for them to drive me crazy, but you wouldn't last a round—and now I don't even remember their names."

The Dragon Girl remained silent for a few seconds... Compared to the much more lively Persephone, her change seemed to lean more towards dullness.

"I remember you told me just a few hours ago that you were just a video."

"I'm not lying to you about that. A few hours ago, I was indeed just recording. But now..." The illusory figure lightly leaped onto a branch of a large tree and sat down gracefully. Pale yellow elemental crystal butterflies danced on her fingertips, while the girl's delicate feet swayed back and forth in mid-air.

"Strictly speaking, I am you now." She tilted her head playfully.

"What do you mean?" The Dragon Girl frowned.

"The literal meaning," the phantom replied casually. "The only things that can be brought into the dream world are those belonging to the infiltrator. I can't smuggle a part of my own spirit into you—I can't do it, and I don't have that much spare spirit to divide, since there are just too many individuals who need insurance. So, the Originium Arts I left on you are made from your own spirit."

"My spirit...?"

"Relax, relax, there won't be any damage. It's just the amount of a seed. The mental strain you expend staying up all night is greater than the damage this spell causes." The slightly more lively Persephone waved his hand. "I used that bit of mental energy as a vessel to weave in some of my memories and thought patterns. Before the seed sprouts, it is indeed just a recording and disposable protective tool. But the longer you are active on this land, the more you kill, the faster and more significant the seed's growth will be."

"...You remind me of a Black Serpent. A parasite." The Dragon Girl gently bit her lower lip. Her hand, which had been resting on the sword hilt, unconsciously tightened its grip. "Perhaps you are of the same kind."

A feeling of disgust welled up inside her. It was an instinctive hostility toward an enemy who had almost taken her body in a similar way, and toward their kind.

However, the next moment, the premonition of death came like a tidal wave!

The fingers gripping the sword froze.

"Your mind is not quite stable, Talulah. Perhaps the excessive killing has caused you some confusion."

With a flicker of light, the phantom of the Maiden Doctor appeared before the Dragon Girl. Despite being significantly shorter, she was able to cast a condescending gaze upon the Dragon Girl.

Their momentum was easily suppressed.

The Dragon Girl instinctively took a step back, but the Doctor's phantom continued to press forward. Long, slender fingers gently reached out, lifting the Dragon Girl's chin—though there was no physical contact, the Dragon Girl instinctively and obediently raised her face. Then, the fingertips slid down.

It goes over the neck, over the collarbone, and pauses briefly at the heart.

"You are doing something bold, something dangerous, something you will regret—you are trying to offend me, trying to be my enemy. But you have misjudged one thing, and that is that I have no kin in Terra. And nothing but Surtr can make me patient, can make me weak."

"I..." The Dragon Girl opened her mouth, wanting to say something. Perhaps a rebuttal, perhaps a defense. But before she could utter a single word, a sharp pain suddenly shot through her heart.

Something, something that had been lingering around my heart, was forcibly pulled out.

She didn't know what it was, but she felt her whole body singing joyfully. It was as if a heavy burden had been lifted from her shoulders, and this eased her mind.

She wanted to say something. But the Doctor's phantom image drifted away silently, fading into the air.

"Let's leave it at that this time. After all, there are reasons for this—I need to deal with some trivial matters, so my communication with you will be reduced. Besides, I think you should have already obtained sufficient intelligence support, so at least for now, you don't need me to offer any additional advice."

She paused for a moment.

"And as a final bonus, take a look at the seaside. The aroma of cooking wafts in on the breeze. Perhaps you'll soon find a boat to take you on."

Persephone's form has vanished.

Only when the horizon began to ripple and a row of tiny black dots carried by the ocean currents came into view did the Dragon Girl gently press her hand to her chest and take a long, deep breath.

"What... exactly happened just now?"