On the third night in a row of his rendezvous with Ye Caizhen, Victor Wang checked his gear and set out for the southern docks.
Tonight would be his first time working with the members of the North Wing. Their mission was to destroy the Abyss Order's teleportation array core hidden at Guyun Stone Forest.
He didn't know how strong his teammates were.
He didn't know how strong their enemies would be either.
The only thing Victor Wang was sure of was his own strength. Just last night, he deliberately paused his spiritual training so he could fight at one hundred percent capacity today.
If they were to face the same lineup that once confronted Diluc outside Mondstadt—four Abyss Mages, four Mitachurls with axes, and four Mitachurls with shields—he wouldn't fear them. Even though he had only mastered a shallow version of the Geo Shield, the fight would just take more time, not be impossible.
Through the bustling night market and the still-crowded docks, at the same spot as the last two nights, Ye Caizhen's ship was moored. Around it, seven figures had already gathered—each bearing a Vision.
The moment Victor Wang arrived, a white-haired, black-eyed young man sneered, "Yo, what's this? Another guy wearing a mask?"
"There's no rule against wearing a mask, right? In fact, the whole purpose of codenames and anonymity is to protect personal privacy."
"Hmph! That might be true elsewhere, but not in Liyue. Everyone knows 'Bailing' Hall Master Ye and 'Death Star' Captain Beidou. If even the leaders show their faces, we ought to value trust all the more."
The white-haired youth spread his arms wide and glanced around theatrically, then criticized:
"Look at everyone here. Aside from you, who else isn't showing their real face? By hiding behind a mask, you're not only making yourself look like some lone oddball, you're insulting us and showing distrust."
Victor Wang swept his gaze around. The five men and two women present indeed weren't covering their faces—three young men, one fat man, one middle-aged uncle, a young girl, and a beautiful mature woman. None were familiar to him.
He answered calmly, "So what? Not wearing a mask is your freedom. Wearing one is mine. I mean no disrespect. If you insist on taking it that way, that's your problem."
"Hey! Kid, don't you understand rules? Everyone's always done it this way. At every previous gathering, it was the same. You dare make yourself the exception?"
"'Because it's always been this way, it must be right?' Is that what you're saying?"
The beautiful woman spoke with a soft, lilting accent, "I actually think this young man is right. Whether he wears a mask or not is his choice."
"That's right. Hey, you, don't lump me in with your nonsense. Whether he wears a mask or not doesn't matter to me," the fat man added, distancing himself from the white-haired youth.
The white-haired man's aura instantly faltered. "Looks like… since no one cares, then fine, let it be."
Victor Wang understood now. These were all locals of Liyue, who might have met at previous gatherings but weren't really close. The white-haired youth had just wanted to push around a newcomer outsider.
So there really are people like this…
Isn't this the kind of dumb antagonist nonsense that only happens in novels?
What benefit does this even bring him? Feeding his ego? Or maybe someone once pushed him around the same way and he's stuck with a shadow in his heart?
Utterly ridiculous.
"What happened?" Ye Caizhen had just walked up from the docks and hadn't seen the whole scene.
Victor Wang shrugged. "Someone thought he could throw his weight around because I'm new. Luckily, most of the people here are decent."
Getting accused and almost starting a fight just for wearing a mask—this felt like internal strife before the battle even began.
"I didn't! Don't slander me!" the white-haired youth protested, though his poor acting couldn't hide the flustered guilt written across his face.
"Yeah, Zhang San was just giving a friendly reminder. Even if you were stubborn, he didn't actually do anything to you," another youth spoke up, subtly turning the blame back toward Victor Wang. He seemed to be on close terms with the white-haired one.
After confirming with the mature woman what had really happened, Ye Caizhen locked her gaze on the white-haired youth. "…See that you don't. We'll all be fighting together soon. Unity is essential."
The young man nodded rapidly, "Together, together, of course!"
"There are only nine of us now… more should be coming. Let's board first, wait a few minutes, then set off."
Soon after, twin sisters and a young boy arrived, bringing the number to twelve Vision holders for this operation.
"Long time no see, Brocade Bird!"
"Sorry, sorry, my family was watching me too closely. Took a lot of effort to slip away."
"Hahaha, not late at all. We're just setting off."
As the ship drifted from the dock, the last arrival, "Brocade Bird," seemed popular—more than half the group greeted him warmly, and he returned each greeting with energy. But when he saw Victor Wang, his smile froze, and he hurried over.
"Eh… tsk! You're also a member of the North Wing?"
Victor Wang grinned and nodded. He had already guessed that "Brocade Bird" was Xingqiu, though Xingqiu hadn't known Victor was part of the North Wing.
"What's your codename?"
"Kunpeng."
"So, you're that new Mondstadt member! Never thought… we'd already fought side by side before you even came to Liyue."
"Do you all have gatherings often?"
"I've only joined three or four. But this is your first group action with the organization, isn't it?"
"That's right. Though some people aren't too welcoming to outsiders."
"Not welcoming? Who?"
"That white-haired guy. Zhang San."
"Zhang San?" Xingqiu frowned, glanced around, and spotted the white-haired man. "Oh… him. Yeah, that guy has a few screws loose. Don't take it seriously."
The medium-sized merchant ship had been modified for speed, so it didn't take long before the moonlit silhouette of Guyun Stone Forest came into view.
"Now the enemy is alert while we approach in secret. The ship can't advance any closer. Let's go over the plan one last time.
According to the Array Master, this teleportation formation must have a core.
Using the power of the Overlord of the Vortex, they sank Noctilucous Jade into the seabed near Guyun Stone Forest and disguised a salvage ship to deposit more in the eastern waters. This was the Abyss Order's attempt to avoid Liyue's notice.
Even real salvage boats sometimes wander Guyun during the day. So, the Abyss Order's stationed troops here won't be many—but the scale of this array means only elites will be guarding it. And given its importance, they may have other teleportation gates ready to send reinforcements.
So don't linger in battle. The core is the priority. Find it, destroy it, and the mission is complete.
Any objections?"
Everyone agreed. Ye Caizhen nodded. "Then the operation begins!"
Standing at the ship's edge, she raised her longsword toward the sea. A path of ice spread out across the water, wide enough for three to run abreast.
"Follow me."
The twelve set out across the frozen path toward Guyun. But once on the island, everything was quiet—unnervingly quiet.
"Hall Master Ye, with so many islets in Guyun Stone Forest, could we be on the wrong one?"
"The array must be at the convergence of the three cornerstones… it's this island, and at its peak."
Without hesitation, Ye Caizhen led the group toward the highest mountain in the stone forest.
It towered above the rest. Legend said these peaks were spears of stone cast down by the Geo Archon. If so, this was the largest of them all.
Victor Wang remembered it. Zhongli had once fed the relics of the God of Salt here to the Overlord of the Vortex. Back then, the climb had been blocked by three Abyss Mages of fire, water, and ice—an unforgettable experience for a rookie.
Sure enough, the mountain's seeming calm began to unravel as they ascended.
Halfway up, hordes of Slimes blocked the path, followed by Whopperflowers higher still. Though not the Abyss Order's doing, their abnormal elemental energy was obvious.
Past a certain boundary, Hilichurls appeared. They gave shrill, rasping cries, and the mountain path suddenly blazed with fire. Hilichurls hidden motionless in the grass sprang up like corpses, torches blazing, sending their warning up the mountain.
"Faster!"
No one wasted time fighting these pawns. They sprinted upward.
Victor Wang soared upward with Xingqiu, while Ye Caizhen conjured a staircase of ice in the air, her pace nearly as fast.
At the summit, the sight was startling—over twenty Abyss Mages surrounded an iron-brown pillar etched with runes. Clearly, this was the array's core.
"Hmph!"
Ye Caizhen swung her sword, sending a wave of frost three meters wide at the pillar. But an ice-element Abyss Mage stepped forward, blocking it. The faint word 'Immune' shimmered and vanished—the strike had done nothing.
Abyss Mages were fragile once their shields broke, but until then, their defenses surpassed even Mitachurls with shields. With them guarding the core, long-range attacks were pointless.
But the North Wing's twelve brought nearly every element but Dendro. As long as they matched counters correctly, these mages wouldn't last.
"Gaa-kaa, gaa-kaa-kaa!"
The Abyss Mages muttered in an incomprehensible tongue. One at the back raised its staff, sending a message screaming through the air—a summons.
Three vertical rifts tore open, stretching wide. Stars and void shimmered within as three tall figures stepped through.
A Hydro Abyss Herald.
A Cryo Abyss Herald.
A Pyro Abyss Lector.
The Abyss Order's strength had grown.