Don't Look at Things You Shouldn't

Something's not right.

Miss Surtr shifted her gaze from the mask to other corners of the camp ruins. With a light step, a fairly complete Hilichurl mask landed in her hand. A certain... something unsettling emanated from the mask's patterns, causing her nerves to twitch slightly.

These Hilichurl... there's something wrong with them.

Unlike the wolves, slimes, or even the wind dragon Teyvat she encountered earlier, she sensed a different aura in the remnants of these Hilichurl, an aura distinct from that of many other monsters. The most direct manifestation of this aura was a stirring of hatred within her for these creatures, whom she had never strictly met before.

She wanted to kill them.

She wanted to kill them all.

It was as if a tiny voice was whispering in my ear, saying—

—They are enemies. If you don't kill them, they will come and kill you.

The voice was soft, yet very loud. It made her frown slightly, but the whisper vanished without a trace when she became serious.

"Strange..." Miss Surtr looked at the mask again carefully, but this time, no strange feeling came from the depths of her heart.

Is it just my imagination?

It doesn't look like it; it's not an illusion.

However, the specific circumstances still need to be considered.

"I'll ask the locals later. The feeling emanating from this mask... um... it's somewhat similar to those evil creatures in the Darkest Dungeon," Surtr said, puzzled.

She remembered the Darkest Dungeon, a world teeming with ancient gods, their kin, and corrupted creatures. She had suffered greatly fighting them. But in the end, she ventured alone into the depths of the dungeon, confronting the ancient Old Deities and burying them forever.

That was a truly... unpleasant memory.

However, a feeling similar in some ways to the one that troubled her most in her memory appeared here.

—I have a bad feeling...

She removed her mask and turned to examine the sword marks scattered across the ground, the wreckage, and the damaged decorations—marks of lightning, from a one-handed sword. She easily discovered several small, clearly young female footprints around the camp ruins. These undoubtedly became interconnected pieces of evidence, pointing to a single, identifiable individual.

—A young girl, very young, with pigtails, dressed in elegant yet simple, purplish clothes, always with a furrowed brow, a busy young woman.

—Keqing, the ruler of Liyue and one of the seven Yuheng, Keqing.

However, several questions arise. First, as the administrator of Liyue's affairs, it would be perfectly normal for Keqing to be slaying demons and monsters within Liyue's borders. But this is Mondstadt, a neighboring kingdom to Liyue, yet ultimately belonging to a different theocratic state. She has absolutely no reason to be here.

—Secondly, Keqing is indeed a strong-willed, meticulous woman who cannot tolerate any flaws. But...whether as a character in the game or in her duties as a manager, she should not, and will not, let too much of her personal emotion interfere with her 'work'.

--But...

Surtr carefully examined the ground, drawing conclusions from the extra, elongated sword marks that tore through the earth—regardless of whether Keqing was the one who Keqing, she had unleashed excessive power in destroying the camp. This could only happen under two conditions: first, the attacker couldn't control their power; second, the attacker wasted some power due to emotions.

There are quite a few suspicious points.

The Flame-haired maiden lowered her gaze, her mindset quickly shifting from the relaxed state of leisure to the seriousness of impending battle.

Genshin Impact, a lighthearted story. Teyvat, a peaceful continent.

These two premises misled her, causing her to skew her thinking and overlook many details—why was Venti wary of her? Why didn't she see the Abyss Mage while chasing Teyvat? Why was Mona near Dawn Winery instead of in Liyue? Why... why was this Dream Realm journey here, and why was Alina involved?

Previously, I didn't notice it, or rather, I noticed it but didn't pay attention. But now, things are different.

—This world must have changed in some way not long ago. Something unexpected that drastically shifted the overall direction of this 9+ worldview. And if my experience wasn't a coincidence...

—I must find Mona immediately.

She stood up, gripped her sword tightly, and breathed lightly. The flames around her were now blazing—her physique had become stronger, and her senses had become more acute. With each step, distances of tens or even hundreds of meters were compressed into just a few steps.

It only takes five minutes to return from the ruins of the camp to the habitat of the Frost Element.

They then returned to the vicinity of the village from where the Frost Element resided. The only change was from five to eight.

Eight minutes later, she was back near the village. The village, a hundred meters away, remained quiet and peaceful. There was no noise, no unnecessary killing or bloodshed. Everything was as calm as when she left.

Mona was no longer on that boulder—which was to be expected. Although Teyvat's nights were filled with glowing fireflies and crystal butterflies, that didn't mean the wilderness was a place where one could stay for long.

Mona is gone.

But Mona probably won't go very far.

Surtr's gaze swept over the boulder, noticing numerous water stains that hadn't yet evaporated beside it—her eyes followed the direction in which the water had spread. The more she looked, the more her brow furrowed.

She saw the grass blades crushed. She saw stumbling footprints. She saw the crooked water stains, as if the image of that person scrambling away was right before her eyes.

"Mona?" she called out instinctively, taking a step along the worn path. She hadn't gone far when she heard a rapid heartbeat and saw a clump of grass trembling in the darkness.

"Miss Astrologist?" she continued to ask, continuing to walk and approach.

The blades of grass trembled even more violently—she lit a torch, illuminating a small patch of space. Then—

She saw the astrologer, who had been arguing with her just half an hour earlier, now huddled behind a haystack, her hands tightly covering her head, trembling with fear.

As she took a few steps closer, she heard the girl's trembling, rapid, and weak moans.

"I didn't see anything, I didn't see anything, I didn't see anything, I didn't see anything, I didn't see anything—"

The wailing stopped abruptly when she carefully got close enough.

Surtr saw Mona raise her head and glance at him cautiously.

Then--

The young astrologer rolled her eyes and fainted on the grass without a sound.

Very good.

It seems this problem... is quite serious.

Ah... I didn't expect that even though I was so careful in writing Chapter 66, it still got reported.

Painful... I originally wanted to write two chapters today, but I just couldn't muster the energy... I could still write another chapter at this hour.

Chapter 95. Don't look at things you shouldn't see.

Memory...

Memories from not long ago flow through my thoughts like a gentle stream.