Chapter 81: Exploring

Crisis doesn't arrive the second it's mentioned. Even though these Ronin appeared tense, it didn't mean their so-called enemies would show up immediately.

—Even if a group of opponents were about to appear before him, Li Mo wasn't particularly afraid. Most Kairagi were at this level, and Li Mo believed he could handle quite a few of them.

And so, Li Mo established an alliance with these Ronin. As an ally, he could now learn what they had been obsessing over—the talismans that allowed their blades to be imbued with Pyro elemental power.

In the world of Teyvat, elemental power was something only those with Visions could control. In Li Mo's memory, in the game *Genshin Impact*, every character who wielded elemental power had a Vision. Even Barbatos, who was often mocked as the "shame of the gods" and begged to get his act together, had a Vision—though it might as well have been a glass bead.

Of course, that might just be a joke.

After a brief exchange, the Kairagi agreed to Li Mo's request.

But… the teaching process wasn't exactly smooth.

"It's like this, and then like that…"

Kairagi, or wandering samurai, were typically not highly educated. Knowing how to write their own names probably counted as being scholarly. Expecting someone like this to explain the principles behind creating talismans was about as likely as winning the lottery.

Li Mo hadn't expected to learn the principles behind the talismans from the Kairagi.

The man had a quick tongue and a sharp mind. He could explain how to create the talismans through words alone. Li Mo, however, didn't enjoy this kind of teaching. Instruction without practical examples felt hollow. So, upon learning that there were materials for creating talismans, Li Mo asked for a demonstration.

The lesson began.

And then…

Why? This question quickly dominated Li Mo's thoughts. Why did a simple drawing allow the connection to Pyro elemental power? What did these symbols represent?

Li Mo's mind raced. He thought of many things. This technique wasn't an isolated case; it must belong to a larger system. At the very least, the Electro Kairagi likely had their own version of this technology.

"This technique is called the Kamui Technique among us Kairagi. We found it in a domain. Honestly, when I first entered that domain, I got beaten up by paper dolls. It was super painful," the only Kairagi in the group rambled on.

He had entered the domain, endured its trials, and honed his skills there… though much of the "training" was just getting beaten up.

—For him, those memories were both satisfying and painful. Satisfying because he had learned something valuable, which was crucial for a wandering Ronin. It was hard to improve while living in the wild, as not everyone was willing to teach for free. Painful because, well, getting beaten up really hurt—especially by paper dolls. Being a full-grown human, getting pinned down and humiliated by tiny paper dolls the size of a palm was utterly humiliating. Thank goodness no one saw it.

Otherwise, it would've been beyond embarrassing.

As for telling Li Mo, the Kairagi figured that someone as strong as him wouldn't care about such things.

In truth, Li Mo didn't care. Throughout the Kairagi's explanation, his attention was entirely focused on the so-called Kamui Technique. Why, why, why?

Countless questions filled his mind, all ending with question marks. The world of Teyvat was full of mysteries to him.

Mysteries weren't scary; what was scary was having no one to explain them!

Even worse, Li Mo had no way to solve the puzzle. He could only use the talismans as a black box—copying without understanding. Honestly, as someone who grew up in the 21st century, the feeling of knowing *how* but not *why* was deeply frustrating.

Even with something as everyday as a smartphone, he knew a bit about chips, heat dissipation, and so on… but this? He couldn't make heads or tails of it.

"I need some raw materials," Li Mo said.

He decided to set aside the principles of the talismans for now. Since he was treating them as a black box, the priority was ensuring he could use them.

"Understood, sir. Please follow me."

"By the way, I don't think I know your name yet."

"Saimon Ichirou. You can call me Ichirou, sir."

"Ah."

The name Saimon sounded familiar to Li Mo. He must have encountered it in *Genshin Impact*, but in what quest? He couldn't remember. Unlike *Demon Slayer*, which existed in his original world, *Genshin Impact* hadn't been released yet, so he had no way to look it up.

Li Mo took the raw materials and prepared to find a quiet, secluded spot to experiment. He chose the central cliff of Renren Island. In the game, he often came here because Ronin would spawn here, and the handguards they dropped were materials needed for many characters.

The game's environment, when translated into reality, was quite different. In the game, there were many nearly vertical cliffs, but climbing them was easy—just check if your stamina bar was enough.

In reality, it wasn't so simple. A single misstep could send you tumbling down. Even with his "Force Dispersion" technique to cushion the fall, it would still hurt.

He climbed up anyway. The cliff wasn't particularly high. Moreover, the Ronin had also climbed this cliff—it was part of Ichirou's escape plan. If things got bad, they could hold their ground up there.

Li Mo could rely on his agility and sharp reflexes to climb up, but the Ronin couldn't. They had to use ropes to ascend and descend.

—Yes, ropes.

Apparently, Ichirou had climbed the cliff first and then dropped the ropes down. He had also nailed wooden planks to the lower half of the cliff as footholds. Even if only the tips of their toes could fit, it was enough to climb up.

All signs pointed to them planning to stay here long-term.

Li Mo pushed these thoughts aside. That was Ichirou's concern. He focused on the talisman Ichirou had drawn, memorizing it carefully. To systematically learn this, just one talisman wouldn't be enough.

He wasn't some prodigy who could unravel an entire system of knowledge from a single example.

Replicating the Kamui Technique to create a talisman was incredibly simple—almost like a foolproof operation. However, after creating it, he felt his energy draining rapidly…

"Why is this happening?"

Looking at the talisman in his hand, Li Mo confirmed it had worked. But many questions remained. Why did it have this effect?

He had to admit, the person who created this talisman was undoubtedly a genius. To allow ordinary people to wield elemental power—if such a person wasn't called a genius, then who could be?