Chapter 47: Crossovers Are a Feature

Once again, Xin Yu saw Mobius off. When he was finally alone, the smile that had been on his face vanished instantly, and his brows furrowed slightly.

"Herrscher of Finality..."

After briefly sparring with the future Mobius, her assessment was that with his current strength, he couldn't even defeat the strongest warrior of the Fire Moths, a man named Kevin Kaslana.

Although his abilities were strange, the difference in raw power (stats) was simply too vast.

He was currently a "mechanism monster" – strong due to his unique abilities, but if the opponent's stats surpassed his mechanics, he had no way to win.

"Looks like I need to use space-time travel to find a world with a slower time flow, one abundant in Honkai energy or that so-called Nihility energy, to speed up my cultivation."

Xin Yu still referred to the power within his body as 'mana' (法力 - fǎlì). His naming skills weren't particularly strong, and this energy was already distinct from both Honkai energy and Nihility energy.

Xin Yu began using the mana within him to commune with the ever-present fabric of space-time. That familiar sensation emerged again, a feeling like being swallowed by waves washing over his entire body. This was the first time Xin Yu had used his internal mana and his own being to fully perceive the surrounding space-time.

Then, as the feeling of submersion faded, Xin Yu slowly opened his eyes, finding himself in a different world.

Warm sunlight, a gentle breeze, swaying green grass, a giant tree providing shade.

Xin Yu stood beneath a massive tree, noticing a strange statue before it. It depicted a winged person holding up a sphere with both hands.

Xin Yu could sense a certain power contained within this statue. However, after a moment's thought, he decided against touching it. He felt that if he touched the statue and caused its internal energy to interact with his own, something unfortunate might happen.

Xin Yu walked behind the statue to the base of the giant tree and sat down cross-legged. He felt the breeze brush past, inhaling the scent of fresh grass carried on the wind.

The sense of urgency and tension that had arisen from suddenly having a powerful new enemy slowly eased. Xin Yu gradually entered a state of cultivation.

Xin Yu circulated the cultivation method only he could understand and practice. He could sense many different elemental energies floating in the air of this world, seemingly disparate but possibly from the same source. If these energies fused and returned to their original state, Xin Yu could potentially absorb them directly and achieve rapid cultivation progress.

But under the current circumstances, and given the amount of ambient energy, it likely wasn't enough to sustain his cultivation.

Xin Yu abandoned the idea of absorbing the surrounding energy. He continued to silently draw in the Honkai energy and Nihility power that came from an unknown source – not abundant, but still flowing continuously.

He hadn't understood before, but now that Xin Yu knew what Honkai energy was, he felt puzzled. Why had he been able to absorb so much Honkai energy while cultivating back in Nagazora City? The ambient Honkai energy there hadn't been particularly dense; it could even be called sparse. The Third Honkai Eruption hadn't occurred yet, and the Herrscher of Thunder wasn't nearby. So where had he absorbed that Honkai energy from?

Xin Yu couldn't figure it out. Even now, as he began to cultivate seriously again, he found he wasn't just absorbing Honkai energy; the power of Nihility was also appearing from somewhere unknown, entering his body alongside the Honkai energy.

When the two first entered, it was like water hitting boiling oil – fierce and chaotic. But once his mana, acting as a neutralizer, appeared, the two energies were rapidly fused, ultimately becoming part of his mana pool.

Xin Yu gradually relaxed from his cross-legged posture, his initially straight spine slowly curving until he was leaning sideways against the tree.

If an outsider saw him like this, they might think he had completely fallen asleep.

"Hm?"

This tranquility lasted for an unknown amount of time, long enough for the sun to begin its descent, casting the twilight glow of sunset across the land. Then, someone arrived beneath the giant tree and saw Xin Yu, who appeared either unconscious or fast asleep.

The newcomer saw this scene and quickly walked closer. When they were less than five meters from Xin Yu, his cultivation stopped. He opened his eyes and looked towards the approaching figure.

It was a young man who gave off the distinct impression of being a bard.

"Hello."

Xin Yu greeted him. He could sense the hidden energy within the other person – a very pure portion of energy, extremely pure and abundant.

Moreover, the other person wasn't a real being of flesh and blood, but rather seemed like a creature aggregated from energy.

If I were to devour such a creature whose quantitative change led to qualitative change, my cultivation progress would surely leap forward significantly.

But I'm not Old Devil Fang; no need to improve myself by eating people.

"Hello there! Traveler from afar, have you run into some trouble here?"

The young man wore a sunny smile, looking like a cheerful boy who could get along well with many people.

"It's nothing. I was just enjoying the breeze here, soaking up some sun."

"While feeling the wind's caress is a very romantic thing, feeling too much of it can give you a cold! The sun is about to set, and the cool night breeze won't be as gentle as the daytime wind. Do you need a place to stay? Although I don't have much money to help you with lodging, I can still take you to Mondstadt."

"Once there, find the members of the Knights of Favonius. They'll enthusiastically help travelers from afar."

Xin Yu nodded. He was planning to observe the customs of this world anyway. He would be cultivating here for a while. As for Mobius, there was no need to worry. No matter how long he stayed in this world, he definitely wouldn't miss her getting out of school when he returned.

Because only when he returned to that world would the history he had changed move forward. Otherwise, that history would merely exist on the boundary between existence and non-existence.

"Hello, my name is Venti. I'm Teyvat's best bard."

"Hello, I'm Xin Yu. I'm... a traveler currently on a journey."

"A traveler? What a coincidence! Another traveler also arrived in Mondstadt recently. You two should definitely get to know each other. He's also a visitor from beyond the stars!"

Xin Yu smiled and nodded, acknowledging the other's enthusiasm.

On the way back, the bard named Venti introduced Xin Yu to the situation in Teyvat and showed him the basic currency, called Mora.

Xin Yu tried to create Mora but found it wasn't just currency; some kind of energy seemed to flow within it. Although very faint, trying to replicate it would be somewhat troublesome.

He could replicate it, but the circulating energy would be his own mana.

And given the unique nature of his mana... forget it, too dangerous. Better not to do that.

When the sky finally darkened completely, the two finally arrived at the city Venti had mentioned: Mondstadt.

It looked like a decent city. While naturally falling far short of modern society's reinforced concrete, it possessed its own unique historical charm, a sense of weight that skyscrapers couldn't compare to.

Finally, with the help of the Knights of Favonius members guarding the gate, Xin Yu was given a sum of Mora to solve his lodging and dining issues.

Xin Yu looked at these knights, then towards Venti, who had wandered off into the distance at some point.

"So, in Teyvat, is 'bard' a combat profession?"

Xin Yu scratched his head.