It was getting late, and even after following the footprints, Jiang Bai and Abedo still couldn't find anyone.
In the snow-capped mountains where it can snow at any time, it is too easy for footprints to be covered by snow.
"Let's find a place to spend the night first. The temperature will be lower at night. I'm fine, but you might catch a cold."
"Um."
Jiang Bai nodded, and the two found a nearby cave to make a fire and rest.
"Speaking of which, I originally wanted to talk to you about something this time."
Hearing Jiang Bai speak, Abedo showed a real expression.
"To use an old saying from Liyue, you are going to the Three Treasures Palace for whatever reason."
"Look at what you said, am I that kind of person?"
Can Jiang Bai admit it? Of course I can’t admit it!
"Didn't I come over to see you as soon as I came back from Inazuma? I even brought you a gift."
He took out the corals and pearls dug by Hutao on Haiqi Island. In addition to these, there were also some dolls and small toys that children would like.
"These are gifts for you and Kelly."
"Then I'll keep it. If I have a chance, I'll take Keli to Daozi to see it." Abedo put away all these things.
"The scenery of Dao Wife is pretty good, very different from Mondstadt and Liyue."
"Tell me, what do you want to see me for this time?"
"It's like this. I found a ruins on an island near the border. There are some murals in the ruins. There are things similar to the Nails of Cold Sky on the murals..."
Jiang Bai took out the photos he took.
"According to my investigation, three nails should have indeed fallen from the sky. Unfortunately, I didn't find them in the ground. They should have returned to the sky."
According to the way the Snow Mountain Nail is floating in the air, this Nail should not be a disposable item.
The nails he didn't find were probably recycled into the sky.
Jiang Bai also talked about the king beast they encountered.
Abedo fell into thinking.
"To be honest, when we were studying with Master, we encountered many ruins buried deep underground, and these ruins have a very obvious periodicity.
"Civilizations continue to prosper, die, and be reborn. The prosperity of the past can never be seen again, leaving only relics in the world.
"The ruins you found in Heguan should also belong to these disappeared previous civilizations."
Jiang Bai was not surprised.
There is no eternal civilization and no eternal world.
The world he was born into experienced extreme prosperity and then took a sharp turn.
Finally, it leads directly to destruction in the turmoil.
However, even so, it flourished for almost 500 years.
"You said you have encountered many? Isn't this civilization changing a little too frequently?"
Changes in civilization are normal.
But too frequent changes are abnormal.
"I don't know. I'm not a professional scholar. I can't study the age of those ruins and how long they have been there."
"Can you translate these words?"
Abedo gave him a helpless look, "I'm just an alchemist, not an archaeologist part-time."
Why does this guy have the illusion that he knows everything?
If Jiang Bai knew his doubts, he would probably answer like this:
Because Abedo is so reliable.
This illusion was formed for him unconsciously.
"Judging from the content on the mural, these words should also describe content related to the mural."
"I also think it should be. Alas, it seems that I can only go to Xumi to find scholars who study ancient characters to try to decipher it."
Jiang Bai didn't worry too much about this matter. If he didn't know, he just didn't know. It wasn't that important.
"Speaking of which, have you ever been to the border?"
Abedo nodded, "Been there. My master has a deep understanding of borders. Aunt Alice is also doing border maintenance work."
"I heard my old man say this. He said that Teyvat's barrier is getting thinner. Does this herald another crisis?"
"The border is a very important thing. It protects the people and various creatures in Teyvat. Once the barrier disappears, Teyvat will be directly annihilated in the torrent of the universe."
Both his master Jin Jin and Alice know many secrets.
It's a pity that no one told him much.
Some things seem to be conventional and cannot be described to the ignorant.
If they want to explore these secrets, they can only rely on themselves.
"I feel like Teyvat is becoming more and more unusual..." Jiang Bai sighed.
At first, he thought Teyvat was just an ordinary planet.
But the more he knew, the more abnormal he felt.
Why is the sky false?
Why can I see Sky Island no matter where I look up on the ground?
Is Teyvat really a planet?
If so, why can people on the opposite side of the planet also see the Sky Island on the front side?
Or is Sky Island a satellite of Teyvat?
But that doesn’t make sense either.
If it were a satellite, Sky Island would definitely not be visible during a certain period of the day or night.
It can only be said that everything in Teyvat has exceeded the common sense and understanding established in his previous life.
"Forget it, let's not talk about this anymore, let me show you my Gudong."
Jiang Bai took out Gudong who was sleeping.
Abedo knew that Jiang Bai had such a pet and had seen it before.
But it's a little different now than before.
It's not the difference in appearance, it's the difference in the quality of the elements.
If Gudong was just an ordinary water elemental slime before, now it is a pure water elemental slime.
The water element in its body seems to have undergone some kind of purification, making it more pure and restrained.
Suddenly coming into a strange environment, Gudong quickly woke up from the cold.
Ice is a variation of water, but it is also a being that restrains water.
Although it is an elemental life form, it will be frozen into an ice sculpture if it stays in a cold place for a long time.
In the same way, if you stay in a place that is too hot for a long time, it will evaporate and disappear.
Gudong made a very human gesture and jumped closer to the fire.
As the warmth approached, it felt a lot more comfortable.
It looked at the white snow outside the cave with some curiosity. This was its first time in the snow-capped mountains.
"Want to go out and have a look?"
Gudong nodded.
"Then just walk around the entrance of the cave. If you feel like you're going to freeze, come back quickly."
Jiang Bai reminded him, and then let him go out and play on his own.
Looking at the little guy who was a little curious about the snow-capped mountains, Abedo took out his picture album.
"What a funny little guy, worth documenting."
Seeing that he wouldn't sleep for a while, Jiang Bai yawned and climbed into the coffin to sleep.
"I'm going to bed first. When you go to bed, ask Gudong to come back and keep watch. He will understand."
"Well, go to sleep, good night."
Abedo set up his easel, took out the paints, sat in front of the flames and started sketching.
(End of chapter)
