"Elements existed in every corner of the world. They were the foundation upon which the world was built."
Zhongli's gentle, deep voice rang out.
"I refined elemental power and obtained a new kind of power—one purer, with a greater degree of resonance with the world than elemental power."
"This power could be gentler, or more violent. It all depended on the user..."
As they listened to him explain the origins of a world's power system, everyone gained a preliminary understanding of Teyvat's Adeptal Power.
Zhongli raised his right index finger, and a dazzling golden power floated above its tip.
"What dense Dharma Power!" Sitting closest to Zhongli, Su Lin leaned in until his face was right before the manifested Adeptal Power, examining it closely.
Ye Fan seemed to be pondering something.
According to Zhongli, the spiritual energy in Teyvat was inert. Moreover, because elemental power was highly active, spiritual energy was often mixed together with the elements in a mottled, impure state.
Without refinement, it was extremely difficult to use.
Zhongli had discovered this power while seeking a more efficient way to use elemental power, then began researching purification techniques.
Later, over the long passage of time, the Adepti who mastered Adeptal Power began to emerge.
But—
That did not mean the Adepti were merely ordinary Immortal Cultivators.
With such a high starting point, followed by cultivation over countless years, they truly might have been Immortals in Ye Fan's world.
"Sorry I'm late."
A portal flickered open.
Shirou Emiya stepped out first, while his other hand remained beyond the portal, holding onto something.
"Don't be afraid. Just come over."
"I'm not afraid!" a crisp voice answered.
Led by Shirou Emiya, a little girl wearing a purple dress and a purple beret stepped out from the other side of the portal. Her peach-golden hair looked almost silver, and her eyes were red.
She was Illya, the daughter of Shirou Emiya's adoptive father.
Su Lin knew nothing about Shirou Emiya privately talking with Xiao Yan. Seeing this, he even forgot to set down his teacup.
"Quite the crime."
Of course, it was only a joke.
Illya looked around in realization, not expecting Shirou Emiya to have been telling the truth.
Whoosh—
A massive black figure appeared, blocking the little girl from view.
Violent Dou Qi surged wildly. The Berserker, as everyone saw him, was brimming with immense hostility toward them. The fighting spirit forged through countless battles could make the weak faint on the spot.
Fortunately—
There were not many truly weak people here.
Lu Mingfei, who had taken out his phone to snap pictures as a memento, had no comment.
His carefree appearance made it seem as though he had already decided that, if the sky fell, the tall ones would hold it up.
He was instead the most relaxed person present.
Though he had indeed been startled at first, Lu Mingfei hurriedly pulled out his phone to take pictures once he recovered.
This was an incredibly rare chance to see the real thing.
He had to take some photos to commemorate it. Who knew whether he would ever have another chance to meet the real Saber?
Fate/Zero had only recently premiered in their world and was fairly popular.
Lu Mingfei had originally intended to buy a few figurines during this trip to Akihabara.
Holding his stone axe-sword horizontally before his chest, Berserker watched the people surrounding the stone table with vigilance, maintaining a defensive stance.
"Berserker?" Illya asked in confusion.
Zhongli rose to his feet, somewhat surprised as he examined the hostile Warrior before him.
"A soul body, yet it seemed to possess a physical body."
Ignoring the other's hostility, he slowly walked toward the giant.
"Such chilling battle intent, such outstanding reactions... but why does it seem as though frenzy has been carved into your soul?"
"Interesting."
As he watched the man approach step by step—
The giant was about to lose his restraint.
"Wait, Berserker." Illya stopped him. "Who are you? And where is this place?"
"There is no rush. Let the young man who brought you here explain first."
Zhongli stopped ten meters away.
"Mm." After considering it, Zhongli asked, "May I first wake this Warrior from his frenzy?"
Illya turned to look at Shirou Emiya beside her.
None of this made any sense.
Everything was utterly baffling.
Shirou Emiya somehow knew about her condition. On one hand, he claimed he could take her to a place like an Immortal Paradise and cure her body.
If Shirou Emiya had not kept her company so happily and proposed that they live like family, she would never have believed such a lie.
Honestly, the portal-like magecraft had surprised her quite a bit.
Shirou Emiya had also said that, if she was worried, she could bring Berserker along. He could even use magecraft to control Shirou Emiya's life first.
Only after he had gone that far did she decide to come and see.
After arriving here, her connection to the Greater Grail had actually been cut off.
One had to know that, no matter where she was on Earth, it was impossible for her, as the Lesser Grail, to lose her connection to the Greater Grail.
Then there was this group of people before her.
They had actually made Berserker take up a defensive stance of his own accord.
"Don't worry, Illya. They aren't bad people."
Illya kicked Shirou Emiya's foot. "Don't treat me like a child!"
"Hiss—"
Illya nodded.
Berserker lowered his stance and silently stood where he was, allowing Zhongli to approach.
Golden talismans formed out of the Void, transforming into a streak of golden light that entered Berserker's body.
Gradually, the frenzy in the black giant's eyes vanished, and his mind, eroded by madness, slowly calmed.
"Berserker?"
Berserker nodded. "Which God's incarnation are you, Your Excellency?"
The divinity was extremely faint. If he himself had not been the Heracles of myth, possessing divinity of his own, he likely would have found it difficult to detect.
Yet that faint divinity matched the man before him perfectly. The only conclusion was that this man was the incarnation of some God.
"When I once served as one of the Seven Archons, I was called Morax. I imagine you do not know that name. Like everyone else, simply call me by my current name, Zhongli."
Zhongli observed Berserker's current condition, deeply interested in this solidification of a soul.
Remembering that everyone else was still waiting nearby, he temporarily suppressed his urge to study the phenomenon.
"One of King Solomon's seventy-two demon gods?" Heracles spoke with a trace of surprise. "I never expected that, in this age after the end of myth, your kind could still walk the world."
Zhongli paused slightly, realizing what Heracles had misunderstood.
"I am not the one you speak of," Zhongli added. "I was once the God who governed earth and wealth on the continent of Teyvat, as well as the God of Contracts. Not long ago, I stepped down from my position as the God of Geo."
"To you, I should count as a God from another world."
"Another world?!"
"Come over and sit first. Aren't you tired of standing there?" Su Lin beckoned to them.
"Indeed. Why not sit together first?" Zhongli returned to the others and thoughtfully used the power of the Geo element to create several stone chairs.
Illya and Heracles, both utterly confused, could only follow along and sit, analyzing the situation before them as they did so.
Once they were seated, the earlier discussion of Adeptal Power resumed.
(End of chapter)