"Let's split up. You go from the west, I'll go from the east. We'll meet up at a pond to the north."
Victor Wang pointed at a blue flame that occasionally flickered in the air. "These will-o'-the-wisps aren't gonna mess with me, right?"
"Relax. As long as you haven't done anything you'd be ashamed to face them for, no one will bother you."
"'No one?' ...Okay then."
Ahead was a dense pine forest. Once inside, the two parted ways as planned.
Victor Wang had already completed Little Nine's "Little Book in the Forest" quest and Lord Chang the Ninth's "Longing for the Past" one. Though he knew the book couldn't be found here, he still wanted to try. From the edge of the forest heading north, past the entrance to the 'Boundary,' and then all the way to the pond by the "Domain of Recompense," there was indeed—nothing.
He waited by the pond briefly before Hu Tao arrived.
"Nothing on my end. What about you?"
He shook his head. "Maybe Little Nine remembered wrong. But if we're gonna help, we should go back and tell her, right?"
"No need. Looks like the book's not here."
"Still, we should go back and let her know. She might be waiting for us."
"That won't be necessary. She's right behind you~"
"!?"
Victor Wang spun around. But aside from the blue ghost fire and the dark gray pines, there was nothing.
"What? You can't see her?" Hu Tao smiled and waved at something behind Victor.
"Don't mess with me!"
"She's gone."
"..."
"To untie the knot, find the one who tied it." Hu Tao spoke calmly. "If you want to help Little Nine get that book back, you'll have to bring Lord Chang the Ninth here... We'll deal with that later. For now, I'll take you to the 'Boundary.'"
Under Hu Tao's guidance, they headed south. Upon reaching a shallow cave formed from piled stones, she reached out and pressed gently in the air, closing her eyes and chanting a long string of incantations at lightning speed. Wisps of mist poured from the cracks, making the cave seem bottomless.
"Before entering the 'Boundary,' I need to warn you—no matter what you see in there, do not panic, and do not let your imagination run wild."
"I won't panic." Just some looping maze tricks. Seen them before.
"You better not. Follow me."
Victor Wang stepped up to the mist-filled cave. As he reached out, he was blocked by an invisible barrier. He exchanged a look with Hu Tao. As soon as they both willed the thought of "entering" into their minds, all sensations vanished—and when they returned, they were inside the Boundary.
He slowly took in his surroundings. The gray fog was just like in Wuwang Hill. The stone flooring and walls were made of the same type of rock. Moss covered many of the stones, and small shrubs and vines struggled to grow from the cracks—but they were no match for the thick roots of some unseen giant tree.
It felt ancient and abandoned. But there was no musty scent of decay—no root or moss rot. Instead, glowing stone lanterns along the path and a few floating blue flames gave the place... a strange sort of vitality?
Anyway, it looked exactly like in the game. That reassured Victor Wang.
"Stay close."
Hu Tao led the way. Her Pyro power easily burned away the thorny brambles blocking the path. Not long after, the proper road ended—replaced by two stones engraved with Exorcism Seals.
According to legend, the Adepti of Liyue not only possessed the Five Divine Senses and control over the elements but also practiced three great secret arts: Alchemy, Talismans, and Constructed Realms.
Talismans let them imbue symbols with lingering power. Constructed Realms allowed them to forge dimensional domains from imagination. As for Alchemy... that one remained shrouded in mystery. Trying to consume those golden pills was certain death.
But the pills were literal—metal alloys infused with divine energy, giving weapons extraordinary strength.
Yet martial artists often deemed their path superior to that of the immortals, rarely seeking their aid. So those golden pills rarely found their way into human hands.
Anyway. Off track.
Victor Wang refocused, returning from lore thoughts to reality.
The Sigil of Permission and these Exorcism Seals clearly belonged to the talisman path. Honestly, Liyue ought to take a page from the Xianzhou Luofu of the Astral Express—use talismans to make mecha beasts and go full fantasy tech tree.
But in Teyvat... advanced tech didn't always bring good outcomes...
While Victor Wang was daydreaming again, Hu Tao had already positioned herself and activated the Exorcism Seal. A loud rumble—nearby stone walls cracked open, revealing a passage.
"Stay close."
Once the two passed through, the wall sealed shut again. Ahead, the room was overrun by Cryo Slimes. After defeating them, a mechanism door opened automatically.
"These slimes were deliberately placed here? If you can't defeat them, you can't go on?" Victor took the opportunity to ask.
"The 'Boundary' is called that for a reason. You're not supposed to cross it easily. Sometimes, people wander in by mistake. If they want to go deeper, they have to judge their own strength."
"So, the Boundary was built by Wangsheng Funeral Parlor, not a natural formation?"
"The essence of the 'Boundary' is a zone of chaotic ley lines. Wangsheng Parlor couldn't have built something this massive. What we and the Adepti created is just the shell around it. Don't worry—just follow me."
Ahead were more Hilichurl guards and a Cryo Abyss Mage. Hu Tao dispatched them easily, then activated a Pyro monument to open a wind current. After flying up, she burned through another bramble patch and collected a special seelie.
Along the way: brambles, Cryo Slimes, Cryo Mage, Pyro monument—all clearly intentional designs.
For the Parlor staff, a torch or fire starter was enough to handle everything. For clueless wanderers? No way forward unless you're strong. Clearly, this place wasn't casually constructed.
"Can I try the Exorcism Seal?"
"You actually know how it works?"
"Just a bit." Victor Wang adjusted his stance. When the seal pattern aligned in his mind, a light burst forth, and the stone wall rumbled open. "So, this is what solving one yourself feels like. Not bad."
"Makes sense. You're an adventurer."
Victor Wang had shown his Adventurer's Certificate when signing the contract. Dainsleif, being Khaenri'ahn, wasn't required to provide ID.
Wangsheng Funeral Parlor had authority to handle unidentified bodies—but with strict annual limits.
"How about you take the lead from here? Just place the right objects in the right places."
"Sure." Victor Wang mimicked Hu Tao's constant instructions since they entered the domain: "Follow me."
Hu Tao spread her hands, a subtle smirk playing at the corners of her mouth.
Then she trailed behind Victor Wang as he smoothly located the second seelie. Placing both into the mechanism opened the next chamber.
"Hmm, no wonder you're an adventurer—your intuition is spot-on!" A little flattery now... She couldn't wait to watch him mess up later. Hehe~
After clearing more Hilichurls, Victor confidently led Hu Tao toward a newly opened path.
It looked like a dead end—but as someone approached, the wall opened automatically. Hu Tao raised an eyebrow. "You figured that out?"
"Adventurer's instinct. Why would such a sealed area lead to a dead end? Plus, earlier walls opened by proximity. Worth checking."
"Fair enough. Nice work!" Hmph! So, you solved that with logic and luck. But the next one? Instinct won't be enough!
Hu Tao was still hoping for some entertainment.
Next came a large hall. In its center was one special will-o'-the-wisp. Across from it were two mechanisms that each needed a flame.
What will you do?
You'd think he'd place one, then go searching, right?
Hu Tao folded her arms and waited behind him. Let's see you run in circles first...
But Victor Wang, picking up the ghost fire, muttered: "Same type of mechanism as before, but the numbers don't match... Let's find the second one first."
His rush toward the auto-door earlier had been too blatant. This time he added some lines to sell the act.
He slashed away the spiders at the alternate exit, followed a hallway, swam a bit, walked more... and ended up somewhere oddly familiar.
"Huh? Weren't we just here?" He pretended to hesitate, then pretended to turn back—before ultimately continuing forward.
"Could be a maze. Let's check ahead first... Wow! Another ghost fire! Now we have two, so the door can be opened~"
From behind, Hu Tao muttered in disbelief: "That's it?"
"Maybe it's just habit. I like to collect all puzzle items before using any. Lucky break, lucky break." Victor Wang gave a phony explanation as he walked forward.
Just past this door was a cliff—or so he thought.
"Hm?" He stepped through—and found the terrain didn't drop off, but instead sloped downward into stairs that vanished into darkness.
He turned to ask Hu Tao where this unfamiliar layout came from—
But there was no one behind him.
"Hu Tao?"
"Master Hu?"
"Don't scare me—I'm timid!"
Three calls. Only a massive echo answered him. No Hu Tao.
Victor Wang recalled the classic horror movie mistake: getting separated and stubbornly pushing forward—only to die one by one.
"I'm no fool."
He turned back.
Only to discover a reverse looping maze—no matter how many times he walked, he always returned to the same chamber with a single ghost fire.
It was meant to block progress.
Now it stopped his retreat.
Two choices remained: quit the domain—or move forward.