"Do you know about the Ruin Guards? They've been scattered across Teyvat since the fall of Khaenri'ah five hundred years ago, and they're still functioning to this day, relying on their so-called 'Chaos Cores' that never extinguish. When they enter combat mode, their instantaneous energy consumption is also enormous. I think we can draw inspiration from the Chaos Core."
This was Albedo's suggestion.
Of course, Shen Qin knew about the Ruin Guards and the existence of Chaos Cores. In the world of Teyvat, Ruin Guards were considered powerful elite enemies, comparable to Abyss Mages in combat strength. Ordinary adventurers were no match for them, and Chaos Cores weren't easy to obtain.
Albedo continued, "However, my previous research has mostly focused on alchemy related to 'life,' so I don't have any Chaos Cores on hand. We'll have to go outside Mondstadt to find one. Coincidentally, I know an area where Ruin Guards are active. Why don't we head out now?"
"Huh? You want Shen Qin to leave the city? What if the Abyss Order tries to target him again..." Sucrose expressed her concern.
"Don't worry. I'll be there this time, and I'll protect him," Albedo said calmly, his tone full of confidence.
He certainly had the strength to back it up. In fact, he might even be Mondstadt's strongest combatant at the moment.
"Klee will also protect Brother Shen this time!" Klee declared earnestly.
Sucrose, Albedo, and Shen Qin were all people she really liked. If she could go on an outing with them, she'd be so happy!
Shen Qin reassured Sucrose, "Sucrose, it'll be fine. Last time, something happened because we were all caught off guard and let our guard down. Besides, I need to test the defense bracelet's effectiveness in real combat as an ordinary person."
"Alright! But once you leave Mondstadt, you have to keep the bracelet's defense function on at all times!"
Sucrose finally relented, but they couldn't leave immediately. Given what had happened before, Shen Qin needed to report his departure to the Knights of Favonius.
"You're going to Brightcrown Canyon? What a coincidence, we're heading in the same direction. Some knights have discovered traces of the Abyss Order there, and we were just about to set out to investigate," Jean said with surprise. "Since that's the case, let's go together. We can look out for each other on the way."
Everyone was happy to travel together, except for Klee, who was sulking. Since Jean was coming along, it meant she couldn't play around as freely as she wanted!
"This time, I'm determined to eliminate the Abyss Order's influence in Mondstadt and thwart their schemes. I'll likely need your help afterward," Jean said to Albedo.
"Of course. Once I help Shen complete the 'Force' bracelet, I'll come to the Knights' headquarters to assist you."
"The 'Force' bracelet? Is that his next invention? Can you tell me more about it?" Jean asked with interest.
"Whether it'll be successful depends on what we find this time..."
While the two of them chatted, Shen Qin observed the investigation team. He noticed that there were six scholars in the group, likely the main investigators, while the twenty knights accompanying them were there for protection.
The fact that Jean herself was leading the team suggested that they had made some significant discoveries.
"You're Mr.Shen, the one who invented the flying hoverboard, right? That thing is really well-made!" An older scholar struck up a conversation with Shen Qin. "In the past, it would take us three or four days to travel to and from Brightcrown Canyon. With the hoverboard, we can basically go and return in a single day. It's so convenient!"
"Exactly! And it helps us avoid many dangers in the wild. The only thing we have to worry about is flying too fast and crashing into cute little sparrows!" another scholar joked.
The long journey passed quickly with laughter and conversation. Soon, they reached a fork in the road. Albedo led Shen Qin and the others away from the investigation team to hunt for a Ruin Guard, agreeing with Jean to meet back in Mondstadt later.
They arrived at a deep canyon. Looking down from the top, all they could see was a blurry darkness.
Albedo turned to the group. "There's an entire ruin at the bottom of the canyon, with about two or three Ruin Guards. Fortunately, they're spaced far apart, so fighting one won't attract the others."
"Our target is the Ruin Guard on the eastern side. There's a safe platform above it. You all can stay there while I take care of it."
Sucrose looked surprised. "Huh? You don't need our help? Isn't it too risky for you to go alone?"
"I'll be fine on my own. You and Klee's job is to protect Shen Qin. Let's go, we'll make this quick."
They followed him down into the canyon, where they found a platform amidst the ruins. However, there was a hilichurl camp stationed there.
Albedo raised an eyebrow and looked at Shen Qin. "Perfect. Why don't you test the Force in real combat here? We'll back you up."
"Alright." Shen Qin had complete confidence in his invention and immediately charged into the camp.
"Be careful!" Sucrose watched nervously, with a faint breeze of Anemo energy swirling around her.
Klee also pulled out two bombs from her backpack, ready to throw them.
"Yo dala? (Who are you?)" The nearest hilichurl was startled by Shen Qin's sudden appearance and tilted its head to look at him.
"Kundala! (Enemy!)" A hilichurl archer shouted and shot an arrow at him, but the arrow lost momentum upon hitting the shield and fell to the ground.
The hilichurl closest to him finally reacted, charging at him with its fists, only to crash into the invisible shield. Its skin and flesh were slightly worn away by the shield, causing it to howl in pain.
Fire Slimes were thrown at him as bombs, and hilichurls with torches charged at him, but none of it affected Shen Qin inside the shield.
"The shield seems pretty stable," Shen Qin nodded in satisfaction as he watched the hilichurls scratching their heads, unable to do anything to him.
Suddenly, Sucrose shouted, "Watch out behind you!"
He quickly turned around and saw a massive shadow looming over him.
With a soft thud, a giant axe struck the shield, creating only a few ripples before sliding off along with its owner.
It was a Mitachurl!
Its body had been slightly worn away by the shield, but it didn't care. It used a Fire Slime to imbue its axe with Pyro energy and swung at the shield again.
Shen Qin took half a step back in fear but ultimately stood his ground. He believed in his energy shield bracelet.
This shield could withstand a full-power attack from an elite monster, and Mitachurls were among the weaker elite monsters. There was absolutely no pressure in defending against its attacks!
The axe struck the shield, losing momentum and falling. The Mitachurl stumbled forward, then furiously launched a series of attacks at the shield, not realizing that its axe had been worn down to a blunt edge.
From above, Albedo spoke up. "Alright, it seems the bracelet's basic performance is fully up to standard. Klee, Sucrose, unleash your attacks on the platform below and clear out the enemies."
Poor Shen Qin, unable to hear the commotion above due to the hilichurls' roars, looked up and was startled to see Sucrose's Anemo magic and Klee's bombs raining down simultaneously. His legs trembled in fear.
He crouched down, covering his ears, and watched in horror as a violent explosion erupted outside the shield. The wind swept the flames into a scorching dragon, clearing the platform of monsters.
The once-arrogant Mitachurl was torn apart like paper in the face of the fiery dragon.
Hey hey! These two girls are way too violent!
As the flames dissipated and the wind settled, the three of them landed on the platform and saw Shen Qin, looking disheveled inside the shield.