Chapter 19 First Trial

The two quickened their pace and finally arrived at Stone Gate before sunset.

"Thousand Rock stronghold, immovable, the two of you, this is the Thousand Rock military stronghold at Stone Gate, please undergo inspection!"

As a passage connecting Liyue and Mondstadt, Stone Gate naturally had the presence of the Liyue Qixing's military.

Approaching Stone Gate, the two quickly received inquiries from the Liyue Qixing's soldiers.

"Please state your names, places of origin, and reasons for being here!"

Familiar questions; Wang Daoyi remembered them well. When he left the Treasure Hoarders, he underwent similar inquiries.

"I am Xiangling, a chef from Wanmin Restaurant, and this is Wang Daoyi, the owner of the Liyue Harbor Teahouse. We came from Liyue Harbor and are preparing to embark on an adventure to Mondstadt!"

While Wang Daoyi was reminiscing about past experiences, Xiangling had already informed the soldiers of their information.

After a simple inspection, the guards nodded, indicating that the verification was complete.

"You may enter the camp now. There is a teahouse in the camp where you can rest assured."

The camp at Stone Gate was much larger than the one Wang Daoyi had visited at Lingju Pass. Upon entering the camp, they found that many people were already resting there.

In addition to the military checkpoints set up by the Liyue Qixing, there were also many merchants who had opened shops in the camp. Most of them were inns and teahouses, catering specifically to travelers passing through.

The bustling crowd added to the lively atmosphere.

The liveliest place was undoubtedly the notice board at Stone Gate. A large number of people gathered under the notice board, either discussing news or preparing to post messages.

The Stone Gate notice board served as a communication hub for travelers, allowing everyone to leave messages. Numerous notes were posted here.

At the top of the notice board were the announcements from the Liyue Qixing.

[Recently, due to the influence of the dragon's calamity in Mondstadt, a large number of hilichurls have appeared near Stone Gate. Travelers are advised to stay on the main road and avoid attacks by hilichurls!]

[In recent days, there has been increased activity of monsters in the vicinity of Stone Gate and Dihua Marsh. The Liyue Qixing has increased patrol shifts. Travelers are advised to be vigilant for their safety. If you notice any monster activity, please inform the Liyue Qixing immediately!]

Two messages regarding monsters were prominently displayed, informing everyone that Stone Gate was not currently peaceful.

Below were some advertisements from shops and information about merchant caravans.

Glancing casually at the two top messages, Wang Daoyi didn't pay much attention.

Walking out from the crowd, Wang Daoyi and Xiangling entered an inn.

The inn was not large, but it was clean. Both of them were satisfied with the environment here. After having some dinner, they each returned to their rooms to rest.

Perhaps it was due to the three days of travel, but as soon as Wang Daoyi lay down on the bed, he felt a wave of drowsiness and entered dreamland.

Outside Stone Gate, a group of hilichurls affected by the rage of the Anemo Dragon began to gather together under the influence of some mysterious force.

Hundreds of hilichurls gathered in a circle, and in the center of the circle, a hilichurl chieftain larger than the average one was undergoing some mysterious ritual.

Beside the hilichurl chieftain stood several mysterious creatures with rabbit ears, murmuring some evil incantations.

If Wang Daoyi were here, he would recognize them as Abyss Mages.

Behind the Abyss Mages were dozens of hilichurl shamans, waving their large shaman staffs together.

With the cooperation of the Abyss Mages and the hilichurl shamans, a mysterious ritual began to manifest under the hilichurl chieftain.

A large amount of elemental energy was extracted and crazily poured into the body of the hilichurl chieftain.

"Roar!!!"

The hilichurl chieftain let out a painful roar.

Its already larger-than-normal body began to rapidly expand.

The four elements of thunder, water, rock, and fire began to condense around it.

Perhaps due to its proximity to Liyue, the previously balanced four elements quickly clashed.

Representing the element of rock, the golden light of the earth element instantly prevailed, enveloping the Stonehide Lawachurl's entire body.

"Sada!! (Hilichurlian, solid, hard, strong.)" A joyful roar resounded, and the elemental light dissipated, revealing a 5-meter-tall giant Stonehide Lawachurl in the center of the ritual.

Seeing the powerful Stonehide Lawachurl successfully created, the leading Abyss Mage let out a hoarse laugh. "Hehehe, go forth, Rockshield Hilichurl, and let the foolish humans witness your power."

"kundala! (Hilichurlian, defeat, attack, strike.)" Hearing the words of the Abyss Mage, the Stonehide Lawachurl  roared, and the next moment, hundreds of hilichurls around it shouted together.

"Yaya ika kundala!! (Hilichurlian, defeat bad guys, attack, strike!)"

Led by the Stonehide Lawachurl , a group of hilichurls advanced towards Stone Gate, ready to demonstrate their power to the humans.

In the dead of night, Wang Daoyi was awakened from his sleep by what seemed like an alarm.

In the room, Wang Daoyi put on his clothes. Just as he was about to open the door to see what was happening, he saw Xiangling rush in from outside.

"Big Brother Daoyi." Xiangling's face was anxious, and she held a long spear in her hand. "There are monsters attacking Stone Gate. The main force of the Liyue Qixing is out patrolling. We need to help!"

Wang Daoyi nodded, and with a wave of his hand, a magical weapon flew out of his bag, hovering in front of him.

It was a jadeite magic sphere, a gift from Xingqiu. This type of magical weapon had a good amplification effect on the user's elemental mastery, which was perfect for Wang Daoyi to use now.

Rushing to the gate of the camp with Xiangling, they found that many non-Qixing soldiers had joined the battle, significantly improving the situation. Seeing this, Xiangling immediately joined the fray.

Gathering fiery elemental energy at the tip of her spear, Xiangling swung her spear, sending a hilichurl flying, its body ignited by the flames. But in the next moment, a giant axe-wielding hilichurl chieftain raised its axe and struck at her.

"Am I invisible to you? Edict - Endurance."

Seeing the giant hilichurl chieftain about to attack Xiangling, Wang Daoyi snorted coldly, and the jadeite magic sphere beside him began to spin rapidly.

A bright yellow shield appeared around Xiangling, blocking the hilichurl chieftain's axe.

"Thanks, Big Brother Daoyi!" Not at all deterred by the hilichurl chieftain's attack, Xiangling lunged forward with her spear, plunging it into the hilichurl chieftain's body, while also thanking Wang Daoyi and then continuing to fight.

Without paying attention to Xiangling's thanks, Wang Daoyi gave her a shield and then turned his gaze to the giant hilichurl rampaging in the field.

[This is the Stonehide Lawachurl !]

With its massive body, it resembled the Tank from his previous life, every step causing the earth to tremble. Arrows flew towards it, but it showed no signs of injury, its defenses impenetrable.

The Stonehide Lawachurl  raised its head and let out a furious roar, its deafening sound echoing. Then, it slammed its hand down, causing countless spikes to erupt from the ground like flowers blooming around it. Several Qixing soldiers were sent flying, falling to the ground.

Wang Daoyi focused his mind, and a rock spear shot out, hitting the Stonehide Lawachurl and restraining its movements.

"Leave this to me, you go deal with the other hilichurls!"

It was evident that the elite Qixing soldiers blocking the Stonehide Lawachurl  were the most skilled in the camp. Even when their companions were knocked away, they showed no signs of retreat.

The Qixing captain, wielding a halberd, glanced at Wang Daoyi and recognized the Vision at his waist.

"Fall back and make way for this young brother." He signaled the other Qixing soldiers to step back. "Young brother, we've sent out a signal. As long as we hold out, reinforcements will arrive soon."

Wang Daoyi nodded. With a wave of his hand, several more rock spears shot out, restraining the Stonehide Lawachurl.

(End of Chapter)