Not only did it not count…
Because of the excessively high level of the World Seed itself, Lynn, as its vessel in the present world, was instinctively rejected by the will of the universe.
An ordinary outsider's scale and level were insignificant, naturally harmless.
But Lynn carried a World Seed. To the universe, it was like a foreign object entering a body—inevitably triggering a rejection response within the system.
This rejection manifested as the "unlucky constitution" Lynn had mentioned earlier in his story, something the captain had dismissed as absurd.
Fortunately, unlike Bennett's kind of relentless, almost fatal bad luck, the World Seed's level ensured that even before sprouting, it possessed a certain capacity to respond.
The universe's rejection was ultimately an unconscious, macro-level reaction. This gave Lynn the opportunity to use a small force to redirect a larger one. While misfortune was unavoidable, he could at least ensure the final outcome wasn't too disastrous.
This was why, despite repeatedly encountering the Wild Hunt in Nod-Krai, he had always managed to survive.
However, the rejection never ceased. It constantly occupied most of the World Seed's power.
As a result, the power Lynn could actually use was reduced to a negligible trace—barely enough to enhance his perception. It also meant the seed could no longer absorb energy on its own and required Lynn to gather it manually.
Fortunately, Teyvat contained a form of "nutrient energy" that met the World Seed's requirements. The exact principles were too complex to explain, though Lynn understood them.
In short, ordinary elemental energy, ley line energy, and even Abyssal power were all unsuitable.
Only Light Realm energy worked.
And the required quantity… wasn't as massive as he had expected for the birth of a world.
At least, far less than he had imagined.
So, he had quietly gathered lunar force in Nod-Krai, then moved to Natlan and secretly collected a year's worth of phlogiston. At last, he had accumulated enough in total.
But as if following the principle of "three gives rise to all things," the total amount was sufficient, yet it still lacked one final type.
That was one of the reasons he had left Natlan.
His target was the Primordial Seawater—the only other power, aside from lunar force and phlogiston, that was clearly identified as Light Realm energy in the fragments of knowledge he possessed.
However, the current situation was completely unexpected.
Lynn hadn't anticipated running into an entire shipment of Les, nor that the ship's owner would unknowingly allow him to guide the World Seed into extracting the Primordial Seawater component within it.
'A kind soul.'
Lynn sighed inwardly.
With this, his entire original plan had to be scrapped and rewritten.
Yet he didn't mind in the slightest.
On the contrary, he was delighted.
Most of the steps he had originally planned existed only because he lacked sufficient strength—or rather, because his ability hadn't been powerful enough yet.
But now…
Lynn gathered his thoughts and focused on the seed, which had absorbed the Primordial Seawater and completed the final missing piece required for its sprouting.
A faint ripple suddenly spread within his sea of consciousness, expanding through every corner of his soul. Then, it shifted from the intangible to the tangible, washing over his entire being.
An indescribable comfort filled him, followed by a deep sense of emotion—like witnessing his own birth.
'No… not myself… no, it is myself. More precisely—my incarnation—'
'A world.'
The moment this thought arose, the previously vague connection solidified completely, binding him to the newly sprouting world.
And then, Lynn witnessed the grand spectacle of that world's birth.
When he emerged from the overwhelming emotion of "birth" and opened his eyes again, the first thing he saw was Aveline's worried face.
"Lynn, are you okay?"
Her voice carried a trace of concern.
"I'm fine."
"Or rather… this is a good thing."
Lynn stood up and replied gently.
He wiped his face casually. Having been immersed in the birth of the world, the emotional impact had naturally brought tears—it was a normal physiological response.
But from Aveline's perspective, he had simply been sitting there before suddenly starting to cry. Of course she would be worried.
He needed to reassure her properly.
But before that…
"Let's go. We're getting out of here first."
Lynn extended his perception, quickly assessing the ship's condition beneath them, then decisively called for retreat.
"Hm? Okay."
Aveline paused for a moment, then immediately reached out to grab Lynn's hand, intending to pull him along.
It was a bit embarrassing to admit, but although Lynn held the lead in their relationship, in terms of raw strength, he was actually the weaker one.
There was no helping it. He had only transmigrated a little over a year ago, and his ability had been half-disabled. How could he compare to native powerhouses of Teyvat?
Before obtaining her Vision, Aveline had already ventured alone into Dragonspine and returned safely. Now, with her Vision, although this journey was said to be Lynn escorting her back to Fontaine, in reality, she had been the main combat force.
So in emergencies, her instinct was always to grab Lynn and run—her speed and agility far exceeded his.
But now, things were different.
Lynn didn't refuse her outstretched hand. Instead, as he grasped it, he applied a subtle force and pulled her toward him.
With the birth of his world incarnation, although he hadn't ascended to the heavens in a single step, both inside and out, he had undergone a complete transformation.
As for the results…
"Ah!"
Aveline let out a startled cry. Her first instinct was to suppress her body's reflexive resistance, but she quickly realized it was futile. The force she exerted felt like a stone sinking into the sea when applied to Lynn.
Before she knew it, she had been lifted into his arms in a princess carry.
"Let's go!"
What just happened?
What exactly had changed about Lynn?
Her mind filled with questions, but as he spoke, all of them melted away.
It didn't matter.
It was clearly a good thing. If it were something he could share, he wouldn't hide it from her.
For now… she could simply enjoy being held in his arms.
'Come to think of it… I should be the first person he's carried like this, right?'
A fleeting thought surfaced, only to be quickly pushed aside. This wasn't the time.
"By the way, Lynn… those Les—"
"Don't worry. I left a bomb behind."
Lynn glanced back.
Following his gaze, a gemstone lay quietly on the ground where he had just been standing, emitting a faint dark-red glow in the dim light.
A solid phlogiston bomb, crafted by Xilonen. Its power was guaranteed.
He carried quite a few similar items, most of them gifts from his friends in Natlan.
In truth, after he had extracted the Primordial Seawater component, the Les no longer retained its addictive properties.
But it could still be toxic.
To prevent it from drifting elsewhere after the ship sank—only to be salvaged and mistaken for a drink—Lynn chose to play it safe.
'Les…'
'Vacher… Marcel.'
With that thought passing through his mind, Lynn took his first step forward.