Chapter 401: A Concept

The Gnosis, one of only seven in the entire world of Teyvat, belongs to the seven Archons who govern the nations.

In other words, only gods possess such a thing.

Li Mo knew that for Raiden Ei, the Gnosis wasn't important. In fact, based on the existing lore, it was clear that for older Archons like Venti, Zhongli, and Ei, the Gnosis held little significance.

They were all warriors who had fought their way through the Archon War. In those ancient times, the battles between gods were fought with their own innate power, not with a Gnosis.

"This thing... it contains a significant amount of power."

Holding the Gnosis, Li Mo could feel the energy within it.

It was the power of a god, a level above his own. Despite having grown five tails and possessing an astonishing amount of vitality, his strength was still only on par with that of a relatively strong god, not on par with the true archons, winners of the archon war that butchered all the God Race in Teyvat.

"Of course, this is a Gnosis, the symbol of a god. Although Ei doesn't care much about it, it's still quite valuable. So, with the Gnosis, do you feel more confident about facing Ei?"

"If I could devour Orobashi's corpse, I'd dare to challenge the Shogun head-on," Li Mo quipped.

His fifth tail had been born from the Tatarigami within the Mikage Furnace on Tatarasuna, which was essentially a fragment of Orobashi's remains. Recently, after absorbing the Tatarigami energy around Kujou Village, it had all been converted into spiritual mass.

His spiritual foundation was steadily growing in "weight."

"Then go ahead and devour it."

"Nah, it's a waste of time. It would only increase my quantity, not my quality. At best, I'd just become a tougher punching bag," Li Mo said.

Quantity doesn't lead to quality. Devouring Orobashi's remains wouldn't significantly enhance him. The residual power within the corpse paled in comparison to the "All the World's Evil" he had absorbed before. Moreover, he had already gained the "mystery" from the bones.

The Tatarigami, the remnants of a god, were also tied to Orobashi, who was loosely connected to the concept of "snakes and dragons."

"If I really want to get stronger, I'd be better off hunting the Bathysmal Vishaps in Enkanomiya," Li Mo said, glancing at Yae Miko.

He hadn't forgotten that in the game, Yae Miko's ascension materials required drops from the Bathysmal Vishaps.

"Is that so? I can't make sense of your cultivation methods. Is it a system from another world?"

"Yes."

Unlike the limitations of mana, Li Mo valued the accumulation of "mystery." The pseudo-immortality granted by his abilities ensured he wouldn't die in most situations.

The path he walked was a fusion of multiple worldviews, which was why Yae Miko couldn't fully understand it.

Yae Miko happily ate her hotpot and casually asked, "So, does the Gnosis help you?"

"It should... yes." Li Mo set the Gnosis aside and fought with Yae Miko over the last few pieces of beef. "I can't devour the Gnosis, but I can analyze the power within it. Hmm..."

The Gnosis represented the Raiden Shogun.

Studying the Gnosis could allow him to gain power similar to the Raiden Shogun's.

The Musoujin Gorge contained data and energy from the Raiden Shogun's Musou no Hitotachi.

The Statue of the Omnipresent God, which had confiscated the Visions of Inazuma's people, could be seen as a symbol of the entire nation in a mystical sense.

So...

Thoughts raced through his mind. Several key concepts emerged: "Raiden Shogun," "Musou no Hitotachi," "the people of Inazuma..."

Suddenly, Li Mo had an idea. He grew excited, quickly swallowing the beef, and said, "Yae, what do you think would happen if I used the 'Musou no Hitotachi' in front of the Raiden Shogun?"

"Your martial skills have reached that level? But didn't you say you've switched roles recently?"

Yae Miko raised an eyebrow.

She had been helping him with his anti-Raiden Shogun training these past few days and knew he had transitioned from a warrior to a tank-mage hybrid, a so-called "mage-tank."

The Musou no Hitotachi was the pinnacle of Ei's martial prowess, a killing technique enhanced by her divine power. Many gods had fallen to this strike.

Li Mo grinned. "I can't do it, but the Raiden Shogun can."

The essence of magic is imitation.

Using sympathetic magic, he could borrow the power of the Gnosis to temporarily become akin to the Raiden Shogun. Then, using the Statue of the Omnipresent God as a conduit, he could draw upon the martial skills of all Inazuma's warriors to unleash the "Musou no Hitotachi."

The power and technique would both be there.

Using the Raiden Shogun's power to execute Inazuma's "Musou no Hitotachi."

After hearing Li Mo's explanation, Yae Miko said, "You can really do that?"

"Of course. I've already got all the conditions lined up. I just need to figure out the details. The only problem is, I don't dare to absorb the Gnosis."

The Raiden Shogun and Yae Miko didn't care about the Gnosis and could give it away freely. But if Li Mo absorbed it, it would effectively disappear from Teyvat. What if that attracted the attention of the Heavenly Principles?

He didn't dare to devour it, but borrowing its power was fine.

Li Mo tossed the Gnosis in his hand and said, "How about I borrow this until I come out of Tenshukaku?"

"Sure. But you can't take the last piece of beef."

"Fine, fine, I won't take it."

The importance of the Gnosis couldn't compare to the last piece of beef in the pot.

Li Mo ate to his heart's content, then set down his chopsticks and said, "By the way, Yae, you still haven't explained the Fatui situation to me."

"Explain? Oh, little guy, your choice of words isn't very accurate."

The two bantered back and forth, teasing each other for a while before finally settling down.

They sat on the porch next to the kitchen, their feet resting on the solid ground.

Yae Miko slowly began, "There's a Fatui factory on Yashiori Island that uses Crystal Marrow to produce something called Delusions. These Delusions allow the user to exchange their life force for power."

"A budget version of a Vision, right? I've made something similar in another world. But I'm guessing these Delusions can only drain life force and can't draw on external elemental energy, correct?" Li Mo said.

The pseudo-Vision he had created for Matou Shinji was based on Mystic Eyes. In the world of the Nasuverse, Mystic Eyes were essentially independent magical organs that could be modified to function as Magic Circuits.

Yae Miko: "How do you know so much? Tell me, do you have some secret information channel behind my back?"

"?"

The conversation took a playful turn as the two drifted into idle chatter.

Both of them knew what needed to be done next.

Unknowingly, they had developed a tacit understanding.

In the following time, Li Mo's energy was no longer invested in the special training of anti-thunder general, but in the research of God's Heart(Gnosis).

Until a certain Fatui executive came.