While Lisa was busy being intrigued by APTX4869, Jean had also picked out her manga.
She chose Journey to the West.
Jean read attentively, and the further she went, the more waves of shock rippled in her heart.
"This is actually a world filled with gods and immortals?!"
She instantly grasped the key point.
The power system in this manga was on a completely different level from the others she'd seen!
Over the past few days, she and Lisa had even discussed and loosely categorized the manga by tiers.
Something like Love, Chunibyo & Other Delusions — just ordinary, everyday stories.
Then there were ones like One Piece: East Blue Arc or Cardcaptor Sakura, which had some unique powers.
But this Journey to the West in her hands was completely different.
Its power system absolutely eclipsed the others.
It might even surpass Teyvat itself!
Because this manga mentioned gods!
And not just one god.
An entire pantheon of immortals gathered under a force called the Heavenly Court!
That was downright terrifying.
After all, Teyvat only had seven Archons at present.
Even during the Archon War of ages past, there hadn't been so many gods gathered together.
"I wonder what kind of reward I'll draw from this…"
Jean's thoughts began to stir.
The grander the world system, the greater the chance of receiving something extraordinary.
If she could obtain even a fraction of that power, she could protect Mondstadt far better.
Meanwhile, as Jean and Lisa became engrossed in their reading, Han Feng was frowning slightly.
"Those two are here… so where are Noelle and Mona? Did they not run into each other?"
Knowing Jean's sense of duty, if she had met Mona, she never would've left her behind.
Which meant, at least for now, the two of them must've gone elsewhere.
At that moment, Noelle was escorting Mona outside Mondstadt.
Originally, she had wanted to bring Mona to the Knights to find Acting Grand Master Jean.
But upon learning both Jean and Lisa were away on business, with no clue as to their whereabouts, she had no choice but to ask Kaeya instead.
Unfortunately, he too was absent—leading a squad of knights beyond the city walls to deal with a Hilichurl encampment.
So, Noelle accompanied Mona outside the gates.
"Miss Noelle, I really feel bad troubling you like this."
Mona lowered her head slightly, guilt showing in her expression.
It was her problem, yet she was dragging someone else away from their real duties.
Would Boss Han be upset if he knew?
Noelle just smiled warmly.
"Don't worry. If you have a problem, I'll do everything I can to help."
Mona couldn't help but sigh.
"Noelle is truly a good person."
Now she understood why Han Feng had accepted this maid into his fold.
With such a helpful, dependable personality, she was the very definition of diligence and responsibility.
Just then, Noelle suddenly exclaimed, her eyes bright.
"Found him! Kaeya's over there!"
Mona followed her gaze—only to freeze.
What she saw was Kaeya standing before a Hilichurl… negotiating?
"Brother, could you give me some face and move away from Mondstadt's borders?"
Mona blinked, her expression turning odd.
So this was Mondstadt's approach to dealing with Hilichurls?
Asking for face?
Sure enough, the Hilichurl showed zero reaction. In fact, it looked like it was about to attack.
Kaeya sighed.
"As I thought, the powers of my Face-Fruit are useless against creatures with no intelligence."
He had come here intending to wipe out the Hilichurls.
But with his newly acquired Devil Fruit, he'd gotten curious and wanted to try it out.
The result? A complete flop.
Hilichurl logic: As long as I have no IQ, you can't make me give you face.
At that moment, Noelle's expression grew tense. She cried out in alarm:
"Careful! Danger ahead, Kaeya—get back!"
Kaeya: (⊙_⊙)
Danger? From where?!
Was it the Abyss Order? He didn't see any.
Could it be… this one Hilichurl?
No way. Surely no one actually sees an ordinary Hilichurl as dangerous, right?
When he spotted Noelle rushing over, Kaeya finally chuckled.
"Relax, Noelle. It's just a single Hilichurl."
Mona nodded as well.
If it were a higher-tier Hilichurl, that'd be another matter,
but an ordinary one? And only one?
Surely their Cavalry Captain could handle it.
But before either of them could say more, an overwhelming aura surged out of Noelle.
"Eh?" Mona's jaw dropped.
Noelle raised her greatsword high.
"Take this—Sweeping Time!"
A blinding arc of energy slashed down.
BOOM!
The poor Hilichurl hadn't even reacted before being obliterated.
The earth split apart with a thunderous crack.
Hilichurl: Can you not play fair?!
Kaeya: (⊙⊙)
Mona: (⊙⊙)
"Noelle, wasn't that… overkill?"
Kaeya's mouth twitched.
That was her strongest strike.
Against a Hilichurl?!
But Noelle's eyes lit up.
Because at that moment, a system prompt appeared in her mind:
[Seiya Ryuuguuin Simulation Progress: 0.5%]
As she suspected—it worked!
But that wasn't enough.
"It's not over yet! This Hilichurl might still be alive!"
To be safe, she summoned her Breastplate of Protection, guarding against any counterattack.
Then she swung down again.
"Sweeping Time!"
"Sweeping Time!"
BOOM! BOOM!
The Hilichurl's remains were long gone.
The cracks in the earth were swallowed up into a yawning crater.
[Simulation Progress: 1%]
Noelle beamed. She could feel something new forming in her mind.
Meanwhile, Kaeya and Mona stood frozen.
What the heck did we just watch?
One Hilichurl… honored with such a relentless barrage?
Its spirit must've ascended three times over already.
Kaeya forced a smile.
"Well, now that the body's gone, I suppose we can safely say it's dead, right?"
"This was too much, Miss Noelle. I even divined its fate just now—it's definitely gone. No need to be so… cautious."
Mona added weakly.
But Noelle shook her head firmly.
"No. It's still not enough. What if it evolves and gains some unimaginable ability?"
Mona's lips trembled.
"And… so what are you going to do?"
Noelle slowly raised her left hand, palm aimed toward the crater.
"Hellfire!"
A ball of flame formed in her palm before shooting downward.
BOOM!
The explosion sent a roaring pillar of fire into the sky.
The shockwave blasted outward in all directions.
Kaeya and Mona were struck speechless.
Who am I? Where am I? What am I doing here?
The eternal three questions of existence.
That poor Hilichurl…
How did it deserve all this?
As Kaeya finally opened his mouth to ask, another crisp shout rang out:
"Sweeping Time!"
BOOM!
"Hellfire!"
BOOM!
Kaeya: "..."
~~--------------------------------------
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