On the third floor of Angel's Share, two men sat facing each other on opposite sofas.
"I didn't come here because of the Abyss Mage."
Jiang Chen said.
"Oh?"
Diluc raised an eyebrow with interest.
"How about joining me for a trip to Stormbearer Mountains?"
Jiang Chen invited.
Diluc lowered the leg he had been crossing and leaned slightly forward, resting his elbows on his knees.
His gaze sharpened.
"Just the two of us?"
"Lumine, Barbara, and Noelle will probably come as well."
"You're bringing people again?"
Diluc frowned.
He had worked with Jiang Chen once before.
At that time Jiang Chen had brought along an investigator from the Adventurers' Guild—a girl named Fischl.
Listening to her talk had given him a headache.
"Yes."
Jiang Chen admitted.
Diluc's expression became strange.
"You should know this already."
"My strength is approaching the current limit of Teyvat."
"There's no need for me to deliberately improve further."
Because the major ley lines of Teyvat had been sealed by the gods, even Vision users eventually hit a ceiling.
Elemental power ultimately came from ley line energy.
With the main ley lines sealed, the smaller ones leaked only limited energy.
Which meant elemental power itself was thinner.
"If I'm just babysitting for you…"
"I have neither the interest nor the time."
Diluc paused suddenly.
Something didn't add up.
"Wait."
"If it's you, you should've expected that answer."
"Since you still came here, it means you're confident you can convince me…"
A thought struck him.
His eyes widened.
"You agreed!?"
His sudden excitement was rare.
If the people of Mondstadt saw this side of Diluc, they would be shocked.
Normally he was known for being calm, composed, and elegant.
What could make Mondstadt's noble gentleman lose his composure?
Jiang Chen nodded.
"Yes."
At the same time, a system notification appeared in Jiang Chen's mind.
[System Notification]
Host has accepted the quest: World Level Breakthrough
Objective:
Travel to the sealed Mondstadt ley line ruins discovered by the Adventurers' Guild.
Remove the divine seal and restore part of Teyvat's ley line energy.
Reward:
God-tier artifact
Note:
When the gods sealed the ley lines, they used a specific object as the sealing medium.
Breaking the seal may allow you to obtain it.
Restriction:
Adventurers from another world only
Because of the gods' restrictions, natives of Teyvat cannot enter the ruins.
Only the host and other world travelers may enter.
Jiang Chen glanced through the quest description.
This was actually a mission proposed six months ago by multiple forces:
senior leaders of the Adventurers' Guild
merchants led by Diluc
the Knights of Favonius faction led by Varka
But Jiang Chen had rejected it back then.
The reason was simple:
This didn't exist in the original game storyline.
A dungeon that only outsiders could enter wasn't part of the original plot.
Jiang Chen only had one life.
He didn't want to take reckless risks.
However—
If nobody challenged it, then everyone—including himself, the Adventurers' Guild, and Diluc—would always live under the shadow of the gods.
Their strength would never reach divine levels.
Jiang Chen couldn't accept that.
So he was going eventually.
But to be safe, he needed backup.
Either Aether or Lumine.
At present, Lumine was the traveler available.
"You shouldn't forget."
"Besides me, there's now another traveler from another world."
Jiang Chen smiled.
Diluc suddenly stood up and paced around the room.
"So that's it."
"The traveler's arrival is what changed your mind."
After a moment, he noticed his own loss of composure.
He cleared his throat and sat down again.
"In that case…"
"Your trip to Stormbearer Mountains is for her training, isn't it?"
Jiang Chen needed to strengthen Lumine first.
Only then would they enter the sealed ley line ruins.
Diluc couldn't refuse such a reason.
"I'll come with you."
He said calmly.
"Consider me a free bodyguard this time."
Jiang Chen had clearly predicted he would agree.
"Playing the role of a bodyguard should be a new experience for Master Diluc."
Jiang Chen teased.
He stood up and waved casually.
"Meet us outside Whispering Woods later."
Jiang Chen returned to Good Hunter.
Tonight the restaurant would not open for normal service—only takeout.
Noelle was already waiting in the hall with a large bag of adventure supplies.
Inside were:
tents
sleeping bags
dry rations
water
cooking utensils
flint
portable knives
Everything needed for an expedition.
Jiang Chen threw everything into his system inventory.
Noelle watched with envy.
A Vision's storage usually could only hold its associated weapon.
"I can store things too!"
Paimon said proudly.
"I'm afraid you'll secretly eat the food."
Jiang Chen replied.
He glanced around.
Everyone had gathered.
"Alright."
"Let's move."
"We're setting out."
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