Truth be told, Zhongli had lived for over six thousand years.
Ningguang had traversed the entirety of Teyvat for her business, and Keqing, in her role overseeing Liyue's lands, was no stranger to extensive expeditions.
Logically, in a land as picturesque as Teyvat, nothing they encountered should have surprised them.
Yet, upon reaching the edge of the Grassland and witnessing the Snow Mountain, they were utterly stunned.
A great river stretched across the land, dividing the Grassland from the Snow Mountain.
One half of the river flowed normally, while the other side, as if abruptly split by a Barrier, had solidified into glaciers.
Snowflakes drifted down, scattering gracefully.
As far as the eye could see, the vast, boundless land was suddenly draped in a white wedding veil.
Even more mystifying was that, despite being a region of extreme cold, right next to the Snow Mountain lay a desert of scorching heat.
A few rabbits darted through the desert.
Cacti grew at the edge of the Snow Mountain.
Just like the Grassland, it appeared as though a Barrier had sliced the landscape in two.
None of them had ever witnessed such peculiar terrain.
Mondstadt had its snow-capped mountains, and Sumeru its deserts.
However, even in those regions, there was always a transitional zone between the snow-capped mountains and grasslands, or between deserts and rainforests.
Here, across the boundless landscape, there was no buffer zone whatsoever.
It was simply half desert, half Snow Mountain.
As if it were a joke by the Creator.
"Truly wondrous... a geological phenomenon that shouldn't exist."
Zhongli sighed softly, his voice a murmur:
"This journey has certainly expanded my horizons; the scenery of this world is truly unique."
The scenery was what captivated Zhongli and his companions.
Jiang Xuan, however, was more interested in what these two regions represented.
A Snow Mountain of this scale would undoubtedly host villages, and the desert, in all likelihood, held Desert Temples.
Crucially, these two distinct areas were bound to contain numerous mineshafts and abundant resources.
They would serve as an ideal second Base.
Unconsciously, Jiang Xuan began to strategize.
"First, we'll head to the Snow Mountain, find a village, herd the Villagers into one house, and claim the village as our second Base."
"Then, the Miners and Millelith can radiate out to cover the entire Snow Mountain and desert regions."
"After that, I'm thinking of building an underwater villa..."
The river before them was incredibly wide and deep enough.
It would indeed be perfect for constructing an underwater villa.
As for the reason...
Once the resource problem was solved, what else was there but to build houses everywhere?
If possible, Jiang Xuan even planned to hollow out a mountain and build a secluded mountain villa later.
"Hmm..."
Nahida turned her head, her big, innocent eyes looking up at Jiang Xuan.
"Jiang Xuan, how will we get our horses across? By building blocks?"
Her question served as a reminder to everyone.
They could cross by Boat, but the horses couldn't.
Everyone turned, curiosity etched on their faces, to look at Jiang Xuan.
He calmly dismounted, pulled out another pair of Diamond Boots, and swapped them on.
Ganyu had opened them from a Lucky Block just yesterday.
They possessed only one Enchantment effect: Frost Walker.
At the time, everyone had wondered what connection this effect had to frost.
But Jiang Xuan had remained mysterious, promising to demonstrate it to them when the opportunity arose.
"Ha! So you're finally going to tell us what those shoes are for?"
Hu Tao grinned at Jiang Xuan, who simply chuckled.
"Stay close to me."
With that, he dismounted and began walking towards the river.
By now, everyone had long passed the stage of worrying whenever Jiang Xuan undertook something dangerous.
Over this period, Jiang Xuan had proven, with his actions, that he was the person who understood this world best, and knew exactly how to survive in it.
Gradually, even Xiao and Zhongli had come to this same conclusion.
Whatever Jiang Xuan did, there had to be a reason behind it!
Everyone led their horses, following Jiang Xuan.
He paid no mind to the river's current, or rather, the rivers in the entire MC world were rarely turbulent.
Taking a step, Jiang Xuan stood firm on the river's surface, and beneath his feet, ice instantly formed.
Seeing this, Ningguang's pupils contracted slightly, a look of realization dawning on her face.
"Frost Walker... so that's what it means."
Jiang Xuan smiled and nodded, walking a few more steps forward.
The path he trod transformed into a solid sheet of glaciers.
Everyone knew the hardness of ice blocks; as long as they didn't deliberately try to break them, they wouldn't crack even if you bounced on them.
"The Frost Walker effect requires interacting with flowing water. Wearing these boots, as long as you step on water, it will immediately solidify into ice blocks."
"You could say it's a rare Elemental Power Enchantment."
"As long as the durability holds, I could walk all the way downriver from here, creating a huge glacier in minutes."
"Isn't that amazing?"
Jiang Xuan quickly circled the area, and visibly, the river had transformed into a vast expanse of ice blocks.
Its practicality was immense.
In a way, he could be called a glacier creator.
Keqing propped her chin, a flicker of thought in her beautiful eyes.
After a moment, she walked beside Jiang Xuan and spoke softly:
"This Enchantment seems very useful."
"Of course, not only can it turn water into ice blocks, but you also walk much faster on ice!"
Hearing Jiang Xuan's explanation, Keqing shook her head.
"What I mean is, it seems even more practical in Teyvat..."
Seeing everyone's gaze turn to her, Keqing didn't hold back.
"If ordinary Millelith wore the Frost Walker Enchantment, carried a bucket of water, and also wielded a sword with a Flame Enchantment, what do you think..."
Keqing's suggestion sparked a realization among them.
Before facing an enemy, they could throw water, then step on it to instantly freeze the area, and with a swing of a Flame Enchantment sword, melt it again.
This would not only grant ordinary people Elemental Power but allow them to trigger elemental reactions themselves.
For Archons, especially Hydro Archons, it seemed even more remarkably effective.
Ningguang pondered for a moment, then spoke softly:
"Indeed, Yelan would surely appreciate it."
The Frost Walker Enchantment was indeed an excellent Enchantment; or rather, any Elemental Power Enchantment held extraordinary significance for Teyvat.
Everyone had witnessed the Channeling effect of Xiao's Primordial Jade Winged-Spear firsthand; one could say that on a rainy day, Xiao could almost be called a minor Thunder God.
Even if Frost Walker wasn't used on water, applied to Teyvat, it would likely be imbued with intense Cryo Elemental Power.
This was essentially a natural element.
"Later, when we return to the Manor Villa, you can check if the librarian at the Villager Trading Center has the Frost Walker Enchantment."
Jiang Xuan smiled and nodded.
"Anyway, we have plenty of Emeralds now, so it would be good for you to go on a shopping spree when we get back."
This morning, Ganyu had opened many more Lucky Blocks.
Resources like Diamonds, Gold, and Emeralds had more than doubled.
However, a Totem of Undying had yet to appear.
Perhaps it was because he'd had some coconut milk before waking up this morning, or perhaps Ganyu had offered her services to Jiang Xuan.
Jiang Xuan's luck today was quite good.
He opened three Lucky Blocks, and all yielded very useful resources.
Ender Pearls, Redstone Components, and ore.
At least it wasn't like yesterday, where he got either Zombies or traps.
It seemed Ganyu's luck was contagious, but considering the method of contagion, Jiang Xuan intended to be the only one to ever enjoy Ganyu's lucky blessing.
Chatting, Jiang Xuan led the way with Frost Walker, while everyone else followed behind him, walking...
Along the way, a few Drowned Zombies attacked from the water below, but before they could surface, Jiang Xuan's Frost Walker froze them beneath his feet.
They could only stare, bewildered, through the ice at Jiang Xuan and his companions.
No one paid any attention to the Drowned Zombies.
After all, they weren't carrying Tridents.
If they were truly carrying Tridents, setting others aside, Xiao would definitely ask Ganyu to use a sword with a Looting Enchantment to finish off the Drowned Zombies.
He needed Tridents.
This item was useful in the MC world, and its power was even greater in Teyvat.
Since it had a durability effect, Xiao wouldn't mind stocking up on a few more.
Before long, everyone reached the Snow Mountain region.
They didn't feel particularly cold, perhaps due to their physiques.
After all, Steve was a mighty Block Person who could descend into glaciers wearing only a T-shirt.
Compared to the Grassland, the Snow Mountain region offered more varied scenery.
At least there were plenty of trees everywhere.
From time to time, they could also spot animals.
In the distance, a polar bear ambled leisurely.
"Wow! It's snow! Real snow!"
Hu Tao's plum blossom-shaped eyes shimmered with stars; she looked as though she wanted to immediately flop down and roll around in the snow.
"Hu Tao, have you really never seen snow?"
Jiang Xuan was a little speechless.
Logically, with Hu Tao's restless nature, she should have at least visited Mondstadt's Snow Mountain, as selling coffins there was quite convenient.
Innumerable adventurers perished on that Snow Mountain every year.
But Hu Tao, hands on her hips, pouted indignantly.
"Why would I lie! I really haven't seen it!"
"It never snows in Liyue, and I, the Director, did want to go to Mondstadt's Snow Mountain to sell coff— cough, cough —to take a look!"
"But then Sister Raimei told me that Mondstadters don't pursue physical burial, but rather the freedom of the Soul."
"Even if they fall on the Snow Mountain, they wouldn't let anyone bring them back."
"They say the Wind will carry their Souls back to Barbatos... sigh... it's really impossible to develop business in Mondstadt!"
Everyone chuckled softly, but they weren't particularly surprised.
Each nation had its unique characteristics.
Liyue emphasized contracts, Mondstadt prioritized Freedom.
Mutual respect and understanding were enough.
If all of Teyvat were the same, how dull that would be.
Suddenly, Jiang Xuan's eyes twitched. He swept aside the accumulated snow on the ground, picked up a Snowball.
With a casual toss, it landed squarely on Hu Tao's head.
"???"
Hu Tao stared blankly at Jiang Xuan.
"Since we're here, let's enjoy the Snow Mountain's specialty!"
Jiang Xuan shrugged innocently, then picked up another Snowball and launched it at Zhongli's face.
This instantly ignited a full-blown battle.
Everyone had seen Jiang Xuan's method of making Snowballs clearly, and they immediately sprang into action.
The long-tranquil snowfield suddenly gained a boisterous group.
Snowballs flew thick and fast, pelting everything in a furious flurry.
During the melee, several passing animals suffered collateral damage, swiftly cut down by a sword.
Playing and laughing, the group soon moved away from the river, running towards the Snow Mountain.
After an unknown distance, Jiang Xuan suddenly stopped atop a high vantage point.
"Gotcha!"
Hu Tao, close behind, leapt up and plastered Jiang Xuan with a flurry of snowballs.
But Jiang Xuan, in a swift motion, pulled her into his embrace.
Hu Tao's heart fluttered. A rich, masculine scent enveloped her, making her legs weak.
"What are you doing! I, the Director, won't surrender! I'll call Ganyu, you know!"
Hu Tao waved her tiny fists in a show of defiance.
Jiang Xuan chuckled, wiping the traces of snow from her face, and pointed towards the smoke from a campfire gently rising in the distance.
"No more games. We've got work."
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