Cuijue Slope.
Beneath the previous ice valley.
The duo had returned to this place.
After the last battle, Herloxia had consumed too much energy and needed replenishment.
As Herloxia restored her energy using the crystals on the ground,
Ji An also employed alchemy, attempting once again to extract ley line essence from the crystals.
After using her first mimicry form, Herloxia now had only 0.2 units of ley line essence left—insufficient to unleash another attack of the same magnitude as before. Under such circumstances, if they encountered a powerful enemy like Child again, they would be at a significant disadvantage.
In the end, however, Ji An managed to extract only about 0.6 units of ley line essence from the crystals.
After all, these crystals were not true branches of the ley lines. They were merely ordinary crystals in this area that had been contaminated when an unknown force shattered the ground, causing a ley line disturbance and releasing energy that seeped into them. But the ley lines quickly self-repaired, reclaiming their energy.
Though Ji An possessed ancient alchemical knowledge, his understanding of the ley lines was limited. This indicated that, even for the alchemists of ancient civilizations, the ley lines remained an extremely mysterious existence.
He only knew that the ley lines formed a special network spanning the entire continent of Teyvat. Within the ley lines, energy distinct from the existing seven elements was contained. The Ruin Guards' power was replenished from the energy of the ley lines, and Ji An himself could also draw power from the ley lines through "Arcane synthesize."
During the process, however, he could distinctly sense a corrupting, dark aura within the energy, which he had to purify before daring to use it to enhance his abilities. Recalling it now, that corrupting dark aura felt remarkably similar to the presence of the enemies he had encountered in the two previous attacks—the raven-masked strange man and the armored strange man.
Once Herloxia's energy was fully replenished, Ji An remembered that the simulation cooldown had ended and the system had upgraded with new functions.
He thought to himself, "System, can the special terrain scan function be used now?"
[Special Terrain Scan function initial uses: 1. Scan range: 100 kilometers radius. Cooldown time: 15 days.]
[Reminder: To increase accuracy, it is recommended to set scan conditions.]
Ji An pondered and asked, "If no conditions are set for the scanned special locations, will the results be indistinguishable?"
[Results will only mark locations with unique features.]
"Alright."
The system's meaning was clear: although the scan range was large, it would mark all locations within the area that could load unique terrain features. Without setting conditions, it might include high-level simulation sites like the Nine Pillars of Peace dungeon or some lower-level locations, causing interference. Although he could investigate each one, it would inevitably waste time and possibly even simulation attempts.
Ji An instructed again, "Then set the condition: scan for the special terrain most suitable for my current needs."
After issuing the command, a radar-like interface appeared in Ji An's mind. It rotated a few times and marked a red dot on the mini-map.
[Ding! Special terrain discovered: Liyue, Wuwang Hill.]
[Note: The unique feature of this terrain is estimated to last for three days. Please proceed within the time limit.]
Ji An was taken aback: "So the unique terrain features have time limits?"
This was the first time he had learned of this.
Wuwang Hill? The name sounds quite peculiar, he thought.
…
The next day.
Ji An piloted Herloxia and, following the mini-map in his mind, traversed mountains and rivers, finally arriving at Wuwang Hill.
"...This place feels eerie even in broad daylight."
Walking along the mountain path, he constantly felt gusts of chilly wind blowing past, sending shivers down his spine. Moreover, ever since arriving at Wuwang Hill, the weather seemed to have turned gloomy.
On the hillside, thick pine trees rustled and swayed as if moved by an unseen wind.
"This place… feels off."
Ji An suddenly sensed something amiss and instinctively moved closer to Herloxia.
Simulating a life in a place like this… wouldn't lead to any problems, would it?
He felt uneasy and asked inwardly, "System, you're not setting me up, are you?"
[…Lol]
Ji An: ???
Ji An: "System, did you just say something?"
[Ding. The unique feature of the current special terrain is the most suitable for the host's needs at the moment.]
"Oh, then I must have misheard."
Ji An nodded, reassured.
Just then, two figures appeared on the mountain path ahead, seemingly descending from higher up. Ji An's eyes lit up, and he quickly instructed Herloxia to hide, worried about startling passersby. He also removed his mask and put on a warm, friendly smile.
As the two drew closer, however, Ji An noticed with surprise that they were dressed in coarse short jackets and seemed to be stumbling down in a panic.
"Ahem, you two, are you…"
Puzzled, Ji An stepped forward to greet them.
But the two men, looking terrified, rushed past him as if he weren't there.
They shouted as they ran: "Hurry! There's a female ghost! A female ghost!!"
Ji An: "..."
Huh? A female ghost??
His smile froze.
Ji An said angrily, "System, and you still claim this place is fine??"
He had felt something was off about this place from the start!
[Ding. The unique feature of the current special terrain is the most suitable for the host's needs at the moment.]
[Note: The unique feature of this terrain is estimated to last for two more days. Please simulate within the time limit.]
The system repeated the message, adding a time reminder.
The implication was clear: Take it or leave it.
Ji An: "..."
Fine, you win!
…
Five minutes later.
Ji An arrived at the location marked on the mini-map.
It was situated on the mountainside. Surrounding the area were dilapidated, collapsed wooden houses and numerous graves. Perhaps because of this, many green will-o'-the-wisps floated in the air, making the environment even more eerie.
"...It's fine. These are just phosphorescent flames caused by the spontaneous combustion of phosphorus from bones after burial."
Ji An comforted himself.
"Chirp."
"Chirp chirp."
Just then, he heard Herloxia's sounds.
Ji An turned to look. Herloxia was staring at the empty space above a grave, her red eyes blinking, expressing a "I'm curious" demeanor.
'...Herloxia, who are you talking to?'
Ji An really wanted to ask.
But reason told him it was better not to delve deeper.
"Whatever, let's just finish the simulation and get out of here."
Ji An said to the system, "Begin simulation!"
[Attempting to obtain terrain simulation bonus... Successfully obtained. Received special boost: 'Butterfly's Final Blessing'.]
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A/n: Hey over on my patreon there are currently two for the time being exclusive books which are
Zenless Zone Zero: Loving Daily Life Starting in New Eridu
Honkai Impact 3rd, I Can Transform into a Valkyrie!
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