Hu Tao Is Monetizing My Existence. [42]

Zhongli had no idea what was running through Jiang Bai's mind—nor what kind of wild theories he was coming up with. If he did, he might've been tempted to give Jiang Bai a good knock on the head. Just what kind of nonsense is this guy imagining?

After a brief pause, Zhongli continued:

"I don't know if you'll stay here forever, nor if you'll ever recover your memories. But while you're here, you might as well explore and see more of the world—it's a good way to broaden your horizons."

Jiang Bai nodded in agreement.

This world was vast, full of wonders and new experiences—of course, he wanted to see everything he could.

"We're heading to Huaguang Stone Forest tomorrow. Will you be joining us, Mister Zhongli?"

"No need, you two go on ahead," Zhongli declined.

Tomorrow, Yun Jin had a new opera performance, and he planned to attend.

"Oh, alright." Jiang Bai was a little disappointed, but he couldn't exactly force Zhongli to tag along.

...

After a good night's rest, Jiang Bai and Hu Tao set out at dawn, full of energy for their journey to Huaguang Stone Forest.

Leaving Liyue Harbor behind, Hu Tao pointed at the road ahead, laying out their travel route.

"We'll take the path through Guili Plains. There's a main road leading directly to Jueyun Karst. If we set off now, we should reach Wangshu Inn around two in the afternoon. We can grab a meal there, then glide from the inn's rooftop across Bishui River—that'll take us straight to Qingce Village."

"Oh." Jiang Bai had no idea where any of those places were, so he just nodded along. Whatever she says goes.

He followed Hu Tao's lead along the main road while she chattered away, filling him in on the local geography.

"There's a Statue of The Seven in Guili Plains. Since it's right by the roadside, a lot of travelers stop by to pay their respects, offering prayers to the Geo Archon for safety."

"People leave plenty of offerings there. If you ever get hungry, you can sneak a bit—just don't get caught."

"…Isn't that bad?"

"What's bad about it? Food is meant to be eaten! The Geo Archon doesn't need it. Wouldn't it be better to fill a rumbling stomach than let it rot?"

Her voice dropped into a playful whisper. "Just make sure no one sees you, or you might get smacked~"

Jiang Bai didn't think he'd ever need to steal from an offering table. If he were really starving, he could just pick some Sweet Flowers from the wild—wasn't that better?

Hu Tao, on the other hand, seemed awfully experienced in the art of sneaky snacking.

"I see a lot of guards posted along the road…"

The soldiers wore standard-issue armor, long spears in hand, standing tall and imposing.

"This is one of the main trade routes to Mondstadt, so the Millelith are stationed along the way for protection. If you ever run into trouble while traveling, just find the Millelith," Hu Tao explained, swaying her head from side to side, catching the curious gazes of a few passing soldiers.

"As for what the Millelith are, the name says it all—they're Liyue's military force, under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Civil Affairs."

Jiang Bai had seen them patrolling Liyue Harbor before, so this wasn't entirely new information to him.

"Don't we have any transportation? Are we really walking the whole way?"

"There's always carriages," Hu Tao said, folding her arms behind her head and biting down on a blade of grass. The small strand wobbled as she walked.

"But I don't like riding them. With my speed, I can get places even faster on foot. If I really start running, even a carriage can't keep up with me!"

To prove her point, she suddenly started walking backward and—before Jiang Bai's eyes—vanished in a flash.

"Director Hu, what exactly is that ability of yours?"

Jiang Bai had seen her use this move countless times, but his curiosity finally got the better of him.

It looked almost like she was phasing through space itself, even dodging attacks with it.

"I'm the 77th Director of Wangsheng Funeral Parlor, responsible for maintaining the balance between life and death! Obviously, I'm traveling to the realm of the dead~"

A tiny wisp of a spirit peeked out from within her, wiggling its stubby little hands. It opened its mouth and stuck out its tongue at Jiang Bai, attempting a menacing ghostly expression.

Jiang Bai barely held back a laugh. There was no way he could pretend to be scared.

This little thing was way too cute—who would actually be frightened by it?

"…Is there really a world of the dead?"

It sounded like some story Hu Tao made up to brag. But if such a realm truly existed, what would it be like?

Would spirits float around everywhere? Would it resemble the eighteen levels of the underworld? Or would it be nothing but an empty void?

"Of course there is! But it's not something you can access right now. Even within Wangsheng Funeral Parlor, only a select few know about it."

"…Alright then."

Since Hu Tao said so, Jiang Bai didn't press further. If he kept asking, she probably wouldn't explain anyway—worse, she'd just find him annoying and bop him on the head.

...

As they walked, Jiang Bai noticed a strange device resting atop a large stone by the roadside.

It hovered just above the stone steps, resembling a spindle used for weaving, except its center was hollow.

Golden patterns decorated its surface, and blue crystal-like formations encased both ends.

Jiang Bai had never seen anything like it before. Curious, he walked over.

"What's this?"

"No idea. It's been here for as long as I can remember. People say it's some ancient relic, but no one knows what it does."

"An ancient relic? And it's lasted this long?"

Jiang Bai leaned in and reached out, lightly touching the object.

At first, it was just simple curiosity. But to his surprise, he felt something.

It was a sensation similar to the first time he had touched one of Zhongli's elemental constructs.

He closed his eyes, letting his awareness sink deeper—and suddenly, he sensed something.

It was as if an intricate network of pathways stretched beneath the earth, like veins in a living body.

These pathways formed an interconnected web, enveloping the entire land, the entire world.

"There are two of these ley line anchors in Liyue Harbor too," Hu Tao said. "They tried removing them when constructing buildings, but they just wouldn't budge. In the end, they gave up and left them as decorations. It's not just Liyue Harbor—these things are scattered all over the land."

Hu Tao had no idea what Jiang Bai was experiencing. Even as Wangsheng Funeral Parlor's director, her knowledge about these objects was limited.

Jiang Bai opened his eyes. "Director Hu, this thing is weird."

"Weird how?"

"When I touched it, I could feel something—like veins running through the land, forming a massive web."

He tried his best to describe the sensation.

"You're probably sensing the ley lines. But why can you feel them?" Hu Tao tilted her head, puzzled.

She reached out and touched the device herself.

…Nothing.

It felt the same as always—just a solid, unresponsive object.

"Ley lines? What are ley lines? The pulse of the earth?"

Hu Tao rested her chin in her hand, thinking back to a conversation she had with Zhongli long ago.

As a child, she had been curious about ley lines too.

She had asked everyone she could think of—but only Mister Zhongli had given her an answer.