Genshin Impact's Incense Burner Of Liyue [131]
Pulling a length of rope from his waist, Gu Sanqiu secured the token and held it by the other end like a leash.
Naturally, he wasn't about to stow this thing in his pack or hold it directly. Unlike the bone club, he couldn't just toss it aside either—so here we were.
"Oh, look what I found! A couple of wild Lion's Fang chains!"
In a dusty corner, he discovered two rusty, oddly-smelling chains. "Eh, better than nothing."
With two new "buddies" for his Anemo token, Gu Sanqiu glanced at his timer, realizing the hour was nearly up. He packed up and began the trek back to the base.
Thankfully, the terrain hadn't shifted, likely due to his warning not to meddle with mechanisms. Sure, he'd meant it to keep Bennett and Klee out of trouble, but it'd also helped avoid setting off some complex, interconnected trap system.
"Well, well, you're the last one back this time?"
From his spot at the camp, Tartaglia gave him a casual salute, tossing a token in his hand.
"Relax, no rush. Besides, a couple of the guys took minor injuries and need healing."
Looking over, Gu Sanqiu saw it was, predictably, Bennett's group, with Kaeya tending to his friend.
"Oh, so you found a token, too?"
Tartaglia tossed his over. "Mind giving it a look, using that noble family knowledge of yours?"
"This… you've got Sweet Flowers and Sunsettias? What happened?"
"Well, I hit a dead end and ran into two massive Sweet Flowers and Sunsettias—one filled the area with a sweet mist hiding wind blades, while the other exploded into smaller Sunsettias. I finally cut through the haze and took them out, and that dropped from them."
"Ah, a coordinated attack, got it."
Seeing Tartaglia toying with the token reassured Gu Sanqiu it was safe to handle, so he took it and examined it, handing his updated map to Albedo.
With Albedo—the human calculator—on their side, even minor scale errors were nothing. Albedo would account for everything down to a person's gait to provide the most accurate map possible.
"My token had a boar on it, and some armored Anemo 'boar knight' even came at me near the end."
"Don't expect me to get anything out of this thing. Sure, when we analyze historical relics, we can look at carving techniques, symbols, period marks, and so on. But a boar, Sweet Flower, and Sunsettia? Are you expecting some long-lost recipe for Sunsettia-boar stew?"
"But since they all seem to use Anemo attacks, we might get a lead there." Gu Sanqiu turned to Jean. "Captain Jean, did any other teams encounter anything similar?"
"Yes. We have our own collection of tokens here. Given Tartaglia's status as a foreign ally, we didn't take his token."
"That's something I like about Mondstadt—the fair play."
"Did you try infusing them with Anemo?"
"Albedo attempted it, but nothing happened. It seems only the domain's concentrated Anemo can activate them."
Gu Sanqiu examined the tokens carefully. Some depicted Calla Lilies, others had smudges of bird blood—probably from Bennett's group—along with depictions of Wind Slimes, hilichurls, and other beasts.
"Albedo, have you compiled the maps?"
"Almost. But there's one thing you all should know."
Pulling out a fresh sheet, Albedo sketched the completed routes. "The routes we charted don't connect at all."
This announcement dampened everyone's spirits, and Bennett's face fell in particular.
"We'd assumed that this domain was like a tree, with each path as a root eventually leading to the same place," Albedo explained. "But based on our findings, many paths are essentially 'false roots' meant to deceive us—different from any domains we've encountered before."
Diluc, frowning, began inspecting the tokens to see if any pattern emerged.
"Plants, beasts, monsters… no real thread."
Different types, plus the varying Anemo density...
After hearing Diluc's comment, Gu Sanqiu's brain clicked into action. He cast an incredulous glance at Diluc, suspecting the man was offering a subtle hint. Just because he's been at base doesn't mean he hasn't pieced things together.
Was my neck full of holes all along?
"Albedo, confirm each team's encounters, then mark routes in different colors—animals, monsters, plants."
"Color-coded routes…" Albedo didn't question it, asking each group to report their findings. Sucrose jumped in, fetching paints to assist her teacher in marking the map.
"Then, compare each color-coded route to see if there's a pattern—a progression in the Anemo density along each route."
"Understood."
Albedo and Sucrose colored the map based on creature type, noting whether the Anemo density increased as they went further in.
Kaeya exhaled. "I assumed it was typical for domains, so I didn't consider it. Honestly, I didn't even think to check other routes, assuming they were all the same."
"Luckily, Gu Sanqiu noticed," he continued, grinning. "Or else we'd be here forever."
"Heh, if you're grateful, thank this dependable nobleman here," Gu Sanqiu replied with a wry smile. "Without his hint, I wouldn't have pieced it together."
Kaeya looked at Diluc, his smile sharpening. "Since when do you have such insight, Master Diluc? I suppose I underestimated you."
"Then you'll learn not to."
…
Both Jean and Gu Sanqiu sighed, pinching the bridges of their noses.
These two had no off switch.
"It's ready."
Albedo's voice thankfully cut through the banter before it could escalate further. He turned, holding up a newly annotated map.
"Each route's Anemo density corresponds with the creature types, and by comparing and adjusting based on the Anemo density, I've charted a safe, continuous path forward."
"If nothing changes," he concluded, "I believe we've found the correct route!"
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