Genshin Impact: Dionysus reigns supreme, all demons retreat!

Chapter 448 The Lightning Sorcerer's Brother

"I admit that the Liyue leadership was narrow-minded in the matter of the Laminariat, but it would be difficult for us to accept an apology from you emotionally. However, I can at least offer you some assistance within my capabilities."

Xu Ning still greatly admires the Fools of the Laminaria, who, having received no news from the outside world, still remember their cooperation with Liyue and prioritize their mission until their deaths.

Liyue's handling of the problems in the Laminar Abyss clearly showed their intention to trap and kill the Fatui there. While their actions might be somewhat understandable from an emotional standpoint, their methods were undeniably underhanded.

So Xu Ning said something that sounded like an apology to the lightning mage, and then waited quietly for her to make a request.

"Hmph, that's how war is. The lines between friend and foe can shift in an instant. This is the environment in which the Fools live in Teyvat. But I have no interest in what's going on up there now. If you have nothing else to do, leave. Let me have some peace and quiet here."

After speaking, the Thunderfire Sorcerer didn't look at the three of them again, but instead focused his gaze on the serious-looking Shadow Wolf Maru who was squatting to the side.

"Hmm, I've always wanted a dog of my own, a big, fluffy dog ​​like Kolya's head. Let me see what I have for you to eat... Milk, ugh, it's gone sour, I guess I'll just throw it away. I only have some hard biscuits and sour jam left, you don't like that? Then I'll only have kerosene left..."

Seeing that she had been rummaging through her shriveled little bag for a long time without finding anything decent to eat, Xu Ning reached out and stopped her, saying, "Don't bother. It's recently become obsessed with Mondstadt-style honey-glazed carrot and pork without carrots. It won't eat your little bit of food."

The Thunderfire Sorcerer clicked his tongue with some regret at not being able to raise the dog to be a strong and healthy one.

“Your captain has already sacrificed himself, and the remaining few have been taken to higher levels. Why don’t you come with us now and be sent back to China with them? This will save the Qianyan Army from sending people back again and again.”

The Thunderfire Sorcerer closed the bag in his hand, casually tossed it onto the thin layer of hay, and then sat down again.

"You can leave if you want. I have other things to do. I'll leave when I want to."

Xu Ning and Zhiqiong felt embarrassed after she repeatedly told them to leave.

Zhiqiong didn't even bother to say goodbye to this fool, and walked over with a stiff face and her small chest puffed out.

Xu Ning and the others had no choice but to hurry up and follow.

As they approached the exit, Shen He, who had been walking at the back, suddenly spoke up: "She has already decided to die. I'm afraid..."

Upon hearing this, Zhiqiong suddenly turned around and asked Shen He, "How do you know she wants to...?"

Shen He said calmly, "It's a feeling."

Xu Ning knew that although Shen He usually seemed indifferent, he cared a lot about the people around him. Perhaps it was because he saw her all alone in the cave, or perhaps he saw the same fading spirit in that girl's eyes.

Although he had only met this lightning sorcerer once, since she had managed to get Shen He to take notice of her, he couldn't just leave that girl here to die.

After exchanging a few words with the two men and receiving their unanimous agreement, including that of Shadow Wolf Maru, Xu Ning turned back immediately.

The lightning sorcerer was leaning against the stone wall, taking a nap with his eyes closed, when he suddenly heard Xu Ning and the others' footsteps. His hand involuntarily covered the purple firefly beside him.

"Don't be nervous. We've thought about it, and it's getting dark now. Instead of going out to find a safe place to camp, why don't we just rest here for the night? After all, if you can rest here by yourself, there shouldn't be any problem with us since there are more of us."

The lightning mage was stunned. He hadn't expected these people to be so troublesome. Despite being ignored by him, they still managed to come back to him.

"Hmph, whatever, it's none of my business."

Xu Ning smiled, put the Dust Concealment Gourd in his hand, and then Shen He reached out and placed his hand on the back of Zhiqiong's neck.

Xu Ning clearly saw that Shen He was about to scratch his head, but probably realized it was inappropriate, so he moved back a little.

"Don't resist my involvement..." Shen He said calmly to Zhi Qiong.

"What do you mean, 'lead'... um?" Before Zhiqiong could finish speaking, Shenhe took her to Chenyin Cave to rest.

The Thunderfire sorcerer, who caught a glimpse of this scene, was startled. He took a closer look at the gourd of wine that was placed in mid-air and the strange Eye of God embedded in it.

"Although I don't recognize this treasure in your hand, nor do I know who you are, it's really ridiculous to talk about finding a safe place to rest when you have something like this."

Xu Ning smiled. He had never intended to hide anything from this lightning mage or do anything underhanded; it was better to be straightforward.

Moreover, judging from the reaction of the lightning mage just now, she has indeed not received any news since she was sent here.

She might have just come out of basic training and been assigned here, otherwise she wouldn't not even recognize her own iconic wine gourd.

"My name is Xu Ning, and this dog next to me is called Yinglangmaru. I don't know your name. Names shouldn't be a secret of the Fatui, right?"

The Lightning Sorcerer spoke coldly, "Names are the cheapest secrets among the Fatui. I might as well tell you. My name is Katarina, Katarina Schneitzfna."

Xu Ning did indeed know something about the secret she mentioned about names being the least valuable.

It seems there is a charity in winter that takes in many homeless orphans or those who lost their parents in the war, and they receive military-like training there.

They all shared the same surname, and the girls all shared the surname "Schenetsfna".

"When I first met you, you were holding a badge stained with blood. Did it belong to one of your colleagues?"

Xu Ning took the wine gourd down from mid-air, took a sip, and casually asked.

Katarina's hand holding the wine jug trembled, seemingly surprised that Xu Ning had observed so closely.

"Yes, it belongs to my younger brother."

Xu Ning was stunned. "Your younger brother?"

Katarina tilted her head back and said, "Yes, my brother. Not one of those brothers from the House of Hearths, but my Kolya, my own brother."

Xu Ning seemed to understand Katarina's current state somewhat.

"Your younger brother was also in the Ninth Company. Did he die here?"

Although Xu Ning knew that these words were cruel, reality was crueler than anything else, so after thinking about it, he still asked the question.

Katarina nodded.

“From the first day I entered this place, terrible things happened. Those black shells seem to have been provoked by something and started hunting us everywhere. Even casually disposing of some useless Hilichurls could anger a large group of black shells, and our group was scattered.”

“From that day on, I was constantly looking for my Kolya.”

Katarina shook her head slightly. "I couldn't find it until yesterday."

Xu Ning listened quietly to her story without interrupting.

“Until yesterday, I found his journal and the blood-stained badge in a room with iron bars.”

Katarina's voice choked with emotion, "They also encountered those black shells and couldn't escape. To save the others, he deliberately stayed behind the group, lured the monsters away, and then died there."

From this, Xu Ning roughly understood what had happened to the Ninth Company.

Those black empty shells, needless to say, belong to the Dark Knights under Hafdan's command, formerly the Black Serpent Knights.

Although I don't know why they appeared near this ancient city in the Layered Rock Abyss, I know from my last meeting with Hafdan that these guys are clearly protecting this place as they once did, just like they did with Kanria.

They even treated the Hilichurls here as citizens of Kanria, protecting them with utmost loyalty and responsibility.

The Fatui members of the Ninth Company, when carrying out missions, never hesitate to eliminate any obstacles that might arise, even those on the ground, let alone the ordinary Hilichurls that are ubiquitous on this continent.

It is highly likely that when they were eliminating the Hilichurls, they happened to be encountered by the Black Serpent Knights on duty. The Black Serpent Knights mistook them for the murderers who had harmed the people and began a relentless pursuit.

Xu Ning sighed and took a sip of wine, momentarily unsure which side to pity.

The Hilichurls here are not all descendants of the original Kanria, but the Black Serpent Knights have long been corrupted by the Abyss and lost their minds. For the sake of these Hilichurls, their unwavering commitment to duty over the past five hundred years led them to kill another group of dutiful Fools.

"So, what are your plans now?"

Katarina hadn't expected Xu Ning to ask that question, but she still answered honestly.

“My brother cannot have died in vain; those empty black shells must pay the price.”

Xu Ning frowned. "Can your strength compare to that of the entire company? Even they were decimated. What can you do alone? You're clearly courting death."

Katarina sneered, "That's none of your business."

"It still concerns me to some extent. Didn't you mention those golden lights? I created them."

Xu Ning pointed upwards, "Now it's hard to find a single active dark shell there anymore; they've all dissolved under the influence of the golden light. So stop thinking about revenge and suicide. Come with me, return to your hometown, go back to Zhidong."

Katarina shook her head. "That golden light can only wreak havoc on the surface; it has no effect on those below the abyss."

"If you don't believe me, I'll show you tomorrow and you'll see."

Even though he knew that what Katarina meant by "below the abyss" should actually be "below the giant abyss," Xu Ning still felt a chill run down his spine.

Xu Ning also discovered that as he experienced more and more things, the secrets of this world were gradually being revealed to him.

Just as Ying said, "As we get closer to the end of the journey, the world will slowly unfold before us..."

However, Xu Ning also knew one thing: the more secrets he knew, the more dangerous the world would become. If he wasn't careful, he might end up like Orobas.

"If I don't do some things, does that mean no one else will? With 'Kong' as a catalyst, plus that Ice God who's determined to defy the heavens, the world will inevitably fall into a major crisis sooner or later. Rather than passively waiting for disaster to strike, it's better to know everything in advance so that Liyue can be fully prepared."

With that in mind, Xu Ning no longer had any doubts about what Katarina was about to take him to see.

"Okay, I'll go with you tomorrow to see what secrets are hidden beneath the abyss."

Xu Ning gave Katarina a definite answer, and then extended a very tempting invitation to her.

"Oh, by the way, they've already started eating in my cave. You probably haven't eaten yet, right? What kind of food do you like? I'll have the chef at home make you a few dishes that suit your taste."

Katarina was furious at Xu Ning's words. "I only have a few hard biscuits left to fill my stomach. So you think you can order food over there?"

"As long as what you pull out of there isn't Kagerou-maru, there's nothing I can't eat!"

Before Katarina could finish speaking, Xu Ning suddenly pulled a long table out of the gourd.

As for how this huge thing, big enough for her to curl up and sleep on, was pulled out of that small gourd, Katarina hadn't had time to investigate when she heard the guy opposite her turn around and ask, "What did you say you wanted to eat just now?"

Katarina said expressionlessly, "I can eat any kind of food, thank you!"

Xu Ning smiled and took out a Mondstadt-style Anemo Stew, a Liyue-style Matsutake Stuffed Meat Roll, and a Sweet Shrimp Sushi that Qingyi learned from Inazuma.

Xu Ning pushed the mixed vegetable dish garnished with a Cecilia flower toward Katarina, saying, "You've probably been hungry for a long time. Don't eat any meat first; let your stomach adjust with these vegetables."

He took out two ceramic bowls, placed one in front of Katarina, and then poured a full bowl of Thousand Winds into it.

Katarina picked up the spoon that Xu Ning had specially prepared for her, scooped a spoonful of potato from the mixed vegetables, and chewed it slowly.

"This dish looks simple, but the taste is indescribably good..."

Hearing Katarina's heartfelt praise, Xu Ning laughed and said, "This dish is also a dish that has been passed down for thousands of years. Don't be fooled by the simple ingredients like carrots, potatoes and onions. This dish has been blessed by the Wind God. Can you taste the 'Wind of Hope' in it?"

Katarina glanced at Xu Ning, puzzled. "What are you talking about? You can taste the wind? Hmm? What's in this bowl?"