From the current situation, it seemed this incident truly had nothing to do with the people standing before him.
Jiang Yan frowned deeply.
Something about this case felt wrong.
Just as he was about to withdraw the Soul Stone's power—
Suddenly, wisps of black mist began rising from several people.
"Hm?"
His eyes narrowed.
With a slight motion of his hand, the drifting black fog seemed to be seized by an invisible force and pulled directly in front of him.
"This is…"
A familiar feeling emanated from the mist.
Then, as though remembering something, Jiang Yan's expression darkened.
He raised a hand.
The Horse Talisman lit up in his mind, and soft white light gathered in his palm.
As expected—
The instant the white radiance touched the black mist, it reacted like water splashing into boiling oil.
The darkness violently churned.
A sharp sizzling sound echoed.
White vapor burst from the black mist.
"Heh…"
"So you had a hand in this too?"
Coldness flashed through Jiang Yan's eyes.
"The Abyss…"
That was right.
This strange black aura—
Was a product of the Abyss.
"I didn't expect this incident to have traces of the Abyss behind it."
He muttered quietly.
Ever since the Khaenri'ah War five hundred years ago, Jiang Yan had never directly encountered the Abyss again.
However, according to Millelith intelligence reports, while Abyss Mages had never appeared within Liyue's borders—
Other nations had gradually begun discovering signs of Abyss activity.
The reports made one thing clear:
The Abyss had never stopped attempting to erode the surface world of Teyvat.
It had merely become more cautious.
To avoid detection by Jiang Yan or the Heavenly Principles, the Abyss Sovereign had been acting carefully.
Just like this incident at Blackrock Quarry.
If Jiang Yan hadn't interrogated these people personally—
The Abyss might have successfully infiltrated Liyue unnoticed.
But…
Why would the Abyss want a pile of ore?
Jiang Yan frowned.
Then suddenly—
His pupils contracted.
Wait.
Hadn't Havria gone to Blackrock Quarry?
These people came from the quarry.
And traces of Abyss corruption had been found inside them.
If Havria had gone there—
Wouldn't she be in danger?
Without hesitation, Jiang Yan snapped his fingers.
A portal appeared before him.
He stepped through immediately.
The instant he vanished—
Soft golden light scattered like stardust onto those whose memories he had inspected.
Their damaged souls healed instantly.
Blackrock Quarry Entrance.
A portal opened.
Jiang Yan stepped out slowly.
Because of the incident, the quarry had already been shut down.
Operations would remain suspended until the truth was uncovered.
Yellow sealing strips had been placed around the area.
The tunnels leading underground sat in complete silence.
Not just the tunnels.
The entire region felt unnaturally quiet.
Too quiet.
As though no one had ever been there.
Jiang Yan surveyed the surroundings.
After confirming Havria was nowhere in sight, he walked deeper into the quarry.
Along the way, his gaze swept across everything.
"Caw… caw… caw…"
Several birds flew overhead, their hoarse cries echoing through the empty quarry.
Soon, he arrived at the tunnel entrance.
According to the merchants, the ore transfer point had been near the mine entrance.
If nothing unexpected happened, Havria should have come this way.
And yet—
Something felt wrong.
Even if Havria had entered immediately—
There shouldn't be absolutely no trace of activity.
After a brief pause, Jiang Yan stepped into the mine.
The instant he entered—
A deeply unpleasant aura rushed toward him.
Pitch darkness stretched ahead.
Normally, the entrance to a mine shouldn't be like this.
He raised a hand.
Soft light bloomed from his palm.
But the light seemed swallowed by the surrounding darkness.
It existed—
Yet illuminated nothing.
Jiang Yan smiled.
Coldly.
"What a nostalgic feeling…"
He had only encountered something like this in one place before.
The Abyss beneath the earth.
"So it really is you."
"Tch. What were you thinking…"
"Coming to provoke me?"
As his voice fell—
Jiang Yan slowly closed his eyes.
White Hole Link.
Twin-Star State activated.
Not bright enough?
Then he'd illuminate everything.
BOOM!
In an instant—
Seven-colored streams of light erupted around him.
This time—
The darkness could no longer consume his radiance.
He opened his eyes.
Blinding brilliance exploded from within them.
The surrounding darkness recoiled violently.
Driven backward.
His light illuminated the cavern.
"I don't care when you stir trouble in the other six nations."
"I'm too lazy to interfere."
"But this time…"
"You reached into Liyue."
"Abyss…"
"It seems I didn't beat you into submission hard enough."
He raised one hand into a fist.
The other into an open palm.
Then—
He slammed them together.
The seven-colored aura surrounding him surged violently.
An overwhelming pressure instantly flooded the entire cavern.
Conqueror's Haki.
As the field spread outward—
Cracks appeared along the quarry walls.
The mountains themselves trembled.
As though struck by an invisible force.
At once—
Several screams rang out from within the darkness.
Jiang Yan walked forward slowly.
Step by step.
Each step increased the pressure.
As though he were deliberately torturing whatever hid ahead.
Then—
A vast, abyss-like aura rose from the darkness.
A piercing howl echoed through the cavern.
A familiar presence emerged.
Jiang Yan smiled.
Looks like after beating the small ones—
The big one finally came out.
To read 30+ future chapters, head over to patreon:
patreon.com/ToastWizard