Chapter 1060: Wolvendom 3.1 (106)

I suddenly recalled what Aglaea had said earlier…… Yinsang, you mean this Heichi wasn't artificially created, right? Like in *Turning Crisis into Opportunity*? For example, a very capable person created the Heichi virus, but due to an accidental leak during some incident, it infected not only people but even the Titans. That person then colluded with the Senate's forces in Aohema……

Thinking this through, Xinbaji, whose face had grown grim, unconsciously swallowed a mouthful of saliva.

"So just who could this incredibly capable person be?" Yinshi lay on the sofa, picking his nose, "…You're telling me not to apply manga plots, but instead to apply game plots, right? In Wolvendom, who has this kind of ability? Put another way, if this person is so powerful they can whip up Heichi by hand, who cares what the Senate's bunch is thinking? Who cares whether they'd enjoy being infected by Heichi one day?"

——

After Tian set off, Xing and the others immediately departed from the main road. Along the way they saw many Heichi monsters lying on the ground, each like a collapsed statue, with golden residual ash inside their bodies, which is the same as the golden blood commonly seen in Wolvendom.

Mimi also tried to probe these monsters' memories, but no matter how hard it tried, it couldn't see anything.

"Ugh, I did my best… why can't I see even a bit of memory?"

Xiadie guessed, saying, "Perhaps it's because… the lives devoured by Heichi have no soul left to speak of."

Everyone arrived before a large gate, about to push it open and move forward, but found the door bolted shut. Xing tried to force it open with her weapon, but Xiadie stopped her.

"No need to exert yourself, my lord. Janus's power… is far tougher than we imagined."

Mimi then suggested, "Since it's a creation of the Three Fates Titans, perhaps we could find a clue using the eyes of Oluonisi…"

"What a joke. It's just a door, and the first thing you think of is appealing to the gods…"

Just as they were discussing, a man's apparition appeared before the gate.

"Mi…?!"

"Before opening the lock on the door, shouldn't we first try to unlock the lock on our eyes?" The man crossed his arms arrogantly, seeming to coldly size up everyone, "My name is Anaxagoras, one of the Seven Sages of the Divine Tree Garden, founder of the Wisdom Seed School. Let me get the unpleasantries out of the way first: first, don't call me Nachxia."

"Ana… Nach… oh well, I'll just call you Nachxia. Now, can you answer…"

Mimi was about to continue speaking when Nachxia ruthlessly cut her off: "Second, don't interrupt me—silence is golden."

"At this moment, the one standing here conversing with you is not a remnant of memory, but the crystallization of my science—noble, pure, certain, undeniable truth." Nachxia's tone carried a hint of pride, "Through the path of Alchemy, I shattered souls, refined them into gold, and buried them here. I recorded these words so that those who come would know where to go."

——

Genshin Impact.

"Shatter souls? Albedo, can Alchemy do something like that?"

In Albedo's room, Qin sat at the desk beside the test bench, watching Albedo tidy up those unnamed, multicolored bottles and jars. This office was filled with various instruments she couldn't name, and the walls were hung with Alchemy charts densely marked with symbols and numbers. There's no doubt that if anyone could understand that Nachxia, it would be only Albedo in all of Mondstadt.

"Earth, water, fire, wind—hear my command. Recreate the four elements, reshape the five phases. 'Black Soil' is the initial state of matter, 'White Chalk' the beginning of change, 'Red Fulfilment' the emotional refinement, and 'Gold' the final stage of Alchemy. Although it's unclear how Wolvendom's Alchemy differs from that of Teyvat, if we both regard 'Gold' as the ultimate product of Alchemy…… then this Anaxagoras is undoubtedly a highly skilled alchemist."

"As for shattering souls……" Albedo paused, setting the bottle of blue liquid he held onto the cabinet behind him, "…This isn't uncommon in Teyvat; bio‑alchemy can create new life, and souls aren't difficult either. It's just… concerning the source of that Heichi……"

Qin's eyes narrowed: "Albedo, what do you think?"

"Heh… my thought is actually simple—I just recalled the catastrophe of Kanrui ya five hundred years ago. Back then, the cursed Kanrui ya people underwent an irreversible bodily mutation, just like these Heichi creatures lying on the ground."

Albedo stroked his chin, pondering: "Suppose the nature of Heichi is close to a plague—might it be more like a curse laid down by a deity? Anyone cursed would undergo irreversible organ fibrosis in their body, just like the Hilichurls. And that 'deity' hiding high above Wolvendom…… its stature might even surpass the twelve Titans."

——

"Can Alchemy still do something like that?" Mimi asked, not understanding.

"Anything is possible, but keep in mind that Alchemy is not an all‑powerful art. What you can hear depends on the amount of soul I expend; it's not created from nothing."

"How come you're echoing what others say… are you really just a memory's echo?" Mimi curiously stepped forward to size him up.

"Because my calculations are thorough and leave nothing out. I also know you've discovered that the Tree Garden suffered Heichi damage, and mistakenly thought the scholars had been wiped out entirely. You're dead wrong—the sages had already evacuated the vast majority of people before Heichi arrived; they're now on their way to the Holy City of Aohema."

"Only a few scholars remain with me to guard the Tree Garden. If nothing goes wrong, the spark of Sexisi should reach Aohema at about the same time……" Nachxia's face grew grave, "…but since you've received this message, that means an accident has occurred. Now, please press on—head to the Throne of Enlightenment to retrieve the spark and our remains."

"That's it—the work is finished, and I've said all there is to say."

After saying those final words, Nachxia's phantom faded away.

Xing relayed Nachxia's message to Xiadie, and after a brief digest, Xing had a few questions.

"What about the Wisdom Seed School and Alchemy…?"

Xiadie explained, "Teacher Nachxia believes all things are born from the same origin, and also share a common structure—that is the soul. He named it the 'Wisdom Seed'…… This theory is quite complex; if you're interested, you might have him explain it in person. The premise is… he's still alive."

"But Nachxia might not have survived."

Speaking of this, Xiaodie's face also couldn't help showing a hint of sorrow: "I... still don't want to consider this possibility. Perhaps they just couldn't transfer the fire seed, but managed to escape... right?"