Above the staff, the light of ice and snow condensed.
The Abyss Mage laughed wildly and joyfully, with a sense of triumph at seeing through the Knights of Favonius' actions.
On the dark blue hawk-beak mask, blue glowing eyes radiated a terrifying and sinister aura, like a demon.
His wide-sleeved coat and spreading skirt were adorned with snowflake patterns.
With his exposed arms and legs flailing, he lay in a half-reclining, mocking posture within the Ice Element shield, looking down at Ryan from above.
His furry appearance was hunched and frail; without the shield, he would be at anyone's mercy, like Fish.
But at this moment, he was Ryan's insurmountable foe.
Cold sweat dripped from his forehead as Ryan listened to his gibberish, revealing an awkward expression.
"What are you saying? I don't understand!"
"…" The Abyss Mage suddenly felt bored; it turned out everything he had just said was for naught.
In this world, there was actually an idiot who didn't understand the common language of Teyvat.
Were the Knights of Favonius trying to conceal information by exploiting this idiot's language barrier?
However, how could the learned Abyss Mage allow their scheme to succeed?
As the Abyss Order's low-level enforcers active throughout the world, they were proficient in Hilichurlian, Ancient Lost Tongue, Teyvat Common Tongue, Mondstadtian, Liyuean… and even the languages of all Seven Nations, to carry out their destructive missions!
Hearing Ryan's pronunciation,
the Abyss Mage sneered, "Heheheh—!"
"Don't play dumb! Even if you speak a Liyue dialect, I can still tell what you're thinking!"
Ryan barely understood this sentence!
It was similar to his mother tongue before his Transmigration.
Hearing his hometown accent in another world should have made him happy, but why was his smile uglier than crying?
He exerted force in his limbs, wanting to escape, but how could he compare to an Abyss Mage who could fly and teleport?
If he wanted to attack, what good was a physical wu feng sword for scratching?
Ryan's mind raced as he covered his mouth and coughed lightly.
"Cough, cough!"
Seeing that the Abyss Mage did not attack, he straightened the grass on his body, stood up, and made himself appear elegant.
"First, let me clarify, I am not a member of the Knights of Favonius! However, I can provide you with intelligence about Mondstadt City!"
"For example…"
"Do you know who the strongest combatant in Mondstadt is, the one who poses the greatest threat to you?"
"Do you know where the most powerful Treasure Trove in Mondstadt City is located?"
These two questions instantly stumped the Abyss Mage.
Ryan smiled inwardly; if he could communicate, then it would be easy! It was time to showcase human wisdom again.
Only Klee…
I'm sorry! Let me borrow your bomb. In the future, I'll compensate you with a sugar-coated Big Ivan.
"Heheheh, I like smart people!"
"If you can prove your intelligence is correct, I will spare you!"
The Abyss Mage straightened up, intrigued.
Looking at this weakling, who used the simple crossbows they bestowed upon the Hilichurls as weapons and had no Vision, he felt victory was assured.
He listened patiently as Ryan continued.
"But, you just betrayed Mondstadt like that?" The Abyss Mage suddenly became wary.
Hearing this, Ryan raised an eyebrow, noting the Abyss Mage's distrustful expression.
Had he surrendered too quickly, causing the other party to be suspicious?
It seemed he needed to act a bit more!
"I haven't betrayed anyone! I am a foreigner living in Mondstadt, often subjected to ostracism!"
"Do you see my feet? In Mondstadt, I can't even afford shoes; I live by scavenging every day."
He subtly raised his foot for the Hilichurl to see, using his body to shield the Treasure Trove.
He casually dropped the crossbow bolt in his hand, indicating he was harmless.
"The person I envy most in this life is the Vision wielder, and what I hate most is the dazzling Sky."
"I have always held great admiration for beings like you, who possess noble ideals and can wield elemental power."
"I specifically collected your items to use as combat companions!"
He had intended to say he hated the Heavenly Principles to curry favor, but a thought flashed through his mind before he spoke, and he quickly changed his words, though his expression hinted at his true meaning.
The Abyss Mage, highly sensitive to the word "Sky," immediately began to imagine things and found this person much more agreeable.
"Poor, pathetic human, tell me your intelligence! Let me judge its value, and whether I can spare your life!"
Ryan took a deep breath; the crucial point had arrived.
He mysteriously beckoned and said to the Abyss Mage, "Come closer, don't let anyone else hear!"
Seeing his cautiousness, the Abyss Mage felt less suspicious.
Leaning against the cold elemental shield, Ryan's hand slowly applied more pressure, squeezing hard.
The wu feng sword could be drawn at any moment.
"…"
Their eyes met!
"Forget it, I can't squeeze through!"
His palm left the thick shield, which was harder than bulletproof glass and colder than a freezer.
Ryan abandoned his plan to break the elemental shield and launch a sneak attack, instead honestly telling the other party the secret.
"Mondstadt's strongest combatant has a distinctive red…"
"The most powerful Treasure Trove in Mondstadt City is in the Whispering Woods…"
After Ryan finished stating the location, the Abyss Mage appeared a short distance away with a flash.
Just now, for some reason, he felt a shiver down his spine when this human got close.
He shook his head, dispelling the illusion.
The Abyss Mage flew high, his face full of appreciation.
"In the future, if you are willing to become a Mondstadt spy for the Abyss Order and gather more intelligence! I will definitely ask Your Highness to commend you!"
Ryan breathed a sigh of relief; this Abyss Mage didn't seem very smart! So easy to trick!
However, Your Highness.
Was it Aether, one of the siblings, who first came to Teyvat?
"Now, I'm going to verify your intelligence! Don't you dare run off!" The Abyss Mage let out a Hilichurlian cry, and the Hilichurls, who had long been startled awake, turned their gaze toward them.
Ryan's expression turned ugly. In a blink of an eye, four Hilichurls ran over, surrounding him and menacingly waving their wooden clubs.
With the Abyss Mage gone, his situation had not improved at all.
The crossbow bolt aimed at his head radiated a needle-like killing intent.
His eyes gazed toward the distance, where he could vaguely see the brightly lit, massive Mondstadt City.
It was like being in a remote suburb, looking out at a corner of a distant metropolis.
In between them lay the vast, strait-like waters of Cider Lake.
Even if they could spot him, it would be too late for them to arrive.
His spirits sank to rock bottom, and he cursed the Abyss Mage to be blown to ashes by a bomb!
Ryan calculated the Abyss Mage's demonstrated teleportation distance, cautiously multiplying it by ten, and adding his flight speed.
The time it would take to go to Klee's Treasure Trove and return, his own foot speed, and his continuous running towards Mondstadt.
He drew a horizontal line, marked numbers, and a simple math problem appeared.
"As long as he doesn't come back halfway, I'll make it!" Ryan, under the watchful eyes of the Hilichurls, hoisted the Treasure Trove onto his back.
He was betting that the Abyss Mage wouldn't let the Hilichurls kill him, and the Hilichurls wouldn't dare disobey the Abyss Mage's orders.
He held the wu feng sword in one hand and the crossbow in the other.
A grayish light appeared on his body, the power of the artifact Bloom.
The blade of the wu feng sword flashed with a flowing light.