Chapter 122: The Shackles That Fell from the Sky

What disappointed Luo De was.

Even though he had proposed a rather troublesome apprenticeship condition, Fe Lushan did not, as he had expected, stay in the village to do research; instead, she returned with him.

Her reason was also quite simple.

"In A Ru Cun, I neither have the equipment materials I need nor the research funding I need—how am I supposed to research?"

Fe Lushan confidently repeated this reason once again.

"I understand, senior; you don't need to keep explaining this."

On the way, Luo De said, laughing and crying at the same time.

Because Na Feisi was still waiting for him to return, he set off back this morning.

He had originally planned to return together with Dixiya.

However, Kantisi, who had gone to receive the Tanite tribe, had not yet returned, so Dixiya did not come along.

On the contrary, Fe Lushan, seeing that he was about to leave, immediately packed her belongings and followed him.

Speaking of luggage,

Actually, she didn't have anything to bring at all; they were just some manuscripts she had drawn up overnight the previous night.

Luo De took a look.

It was a conceptual diagram for an automatic irrigation sprinkler system.

What was drawn and written on it were all ancient mechanical techniques and ancient runes.

Only Nadixa, who was fully versed in all knowledge of Xu mi, could understand this drawing; even Ka Wei, a genuine outstanding student of the Marvelous Theory School, could not make sense of it.

This made Fe Lushan quite disappointed: "These days, kids aren't even learning this essential knowledge?"

As for that,

Whether it was Ka Wei or Luo De, their reply to her was the same: "Senior, the past is the past, the present is the present; the material to be studied in mechanics is no longer what it used to be."

These words made Fe Lushan even more disappointed.

In other words, she had a good mindset; she adjusted quickly, and when setting out with Luo De, she could still maintain a cheerful smile.

After all, compared to being trapped in ruins for a hundred years, this was merely a trivial matter.

"Alright, senior, when I get to Zen Garden I need to wait there for my teacher; I estimate I'll have to stay a day or two before I can leave—so will you go on your own or stay with me at Zen Garden?"

Although Luo De truly did not want to travel with Fe Lushan,

but Fe Lushan had only just obtained the Vision and had no martial arts training; if she encountered danger on the road, given her abilities, she might well be in peril.

Luo De felt that such a reminder was still necessary to voice.

As it turned out, it was not beyond his expectation.

Fe Lushan indeed chose to stay with him at Zen Garden, having made up her mind to travel back to the Academy together with him.

"Alright."

Luo De sighed, and they continued on their way together.

Along the way,

Both of them went smoothly.

However, as they were approaching Zen Garden, they ran into a minor problem.

"Dead Zone."

Although it was the first time he had seen a Dead Zone, Luo De still recognized what this obstacle was.

The scale of this Dead Zone was enormous; it not only completely blocked the main route to Zen Garden, but also swept the surrounding forest into it.

Moreover, this Dead Zone was visibly expanding outward.

"Who would have thought that in this day and age, Dead Zones still exist?"

Staring at the gray-mist-shrouded dead zone ahead, Fe Lushan's brows furrowed tightly.

In her era, the Dead Zone was a disaster that continually plagued the rainforest region.

Moreover, the occurrence of Dead Zones followed no pattern; the scholars of the Life Theory School had racked their brains studying it, yet they could not discern any pattern, only able to propose various preventive and protective measures, which were delegated to the forest rangers of each region, who were to clear them out as soon as they appeared.

"Really troublesome."

"Let's wait here a moment and see if any forest rangers come by."

Luo De had no habit of voluntarily doing work for others, so he found a stone to rest on, waiting for the nearby forest rangers to clear this Dead Zone, and then proceed to Zen Garden.

"Oh, okay."

Seeing this, Fe Lushan glanced at Luo De's Vision at his waist, then found a spot to pull out her own manuscripts and began reading them.

Only those who could skillfully manipulate elemental energy could enter the Dead Zone to clear it, and she was aware of this.

However, merely possessing elemental energy was not enough; one also had to be able to eliminate the monsters within and destroy the core of the Dead Zone in order to do so.

This imposed high requirements on those who would enter.

As for Luo De, who possessed the Vision but was unwilling to take the initiative to clear the Dead Zone, Fe Lushan naturally assumed he was like her—having elemental energy but no martial arts—and that entering would mean certain death for him.

However,

Not long after, Luo De could no longer sit still.

Because he saw a dazed person stumbling out of the Dead Zone.

And this person—

was extremely familiar to him.

"Ti Nali!"

Recognizing the bloodied individual as Ti Nali, Luo De exclaimed and hurried forward, dragging him out of the Dead Zone.

He never expected to encounter Ti Nali in this way here.

Luo De didn't even stop to exchange pleasantries; he immediately pulled the semi-conscious Ti Nali out, then took out some wound medicine from his pack and applied it to him.

Wait! Don't rush!!!

The Fanalushan beside him saw his action and immediately spoke up to stop him.

However, her voice ultimately arrived a little too late, and Luo De's hand had already pressed onto Tinari's wound.

A streak of blackish color followed Tinari's wound, directly invading Luo De's hand, and quickly climbed up his arm, leaving a series of ferocious patterns on his skin.

What is this?

Luo De reacted quickly, instantly pulling his hand back as if bitten by a snake.

But it was strange.

This strange power entered his body, only making his head feel a bit dizzy, with no other discomfort.

This is the power of the Dead Zone.

Quick, quickly use your elemental energy to drive it out.

As they spoke, the originally anxious Fanalushan found herself unable to speak.

Because she saw the black patterns on Luo De's arm rapidly fading at a visible speed, disappearing completely in the blink of an eye.

Fanalushan: "."

Luo De: "."

That is, the not-yet-conscious Tinari did not see this scene; otherwise, his expression would probably be exactly the same as Fanalushan's.

The power of the Dead Zone is extremely terrifying.

Any animals, plants, and even Vision-bearing humans that come into contact with it, if the infection reaches their bodies and is not cleared in time, will face mortal danger.

Tinari's current situation is exactly like that.

As a senior forest ranger.

Tinari has abundant experience in clearing the Dead Zone, and he himself is a senior Vision bearer, highly skilled in the use of elemental energy.

Even such a senior forest ranger, when failing to clear the Dead Zone, will be corroded by its power to the point of near death.

Yet Luo De recklessly came into contact with the Dead Zone's power and suffered no harm at all.

Fanalushan saw this very clearly.

Just now Luo De absolutely did not use elemental energy; it was direct skin contact with the Dead Zone's power.

Moreover, he initially did show clear symptoms of Dead Zone infection.

But he not only did not continue to show subsequent symptoms, but actually expelled the Dead Zone's power?

No.

This is not expulsion.

This should be called immunity? Or purification?

Fanalushan was a bit dazed; she had never seen anyone avoid the Dead Zone's harm in this way before.

Likewise.

Luo De is also dazed now.

He knew exactly what that power surging out of Tinari's body was.

That is the Dead Zone's power, namely the abyssal power that has plagued the entire Tiwatedalu for a long time.

How terrifying is this power?

Anyone living on Tiwatedalu who is invaded by this power will either go mad or die violently—there's no good outcome.

Tinari is now in this situation.

He has been invaded by the Dead Zone's power inside his body; if we don't help him expel it, he won't last long.

But now.

Yet Luo De surprisingly discovered that he could actually be immune to this power's corrosion.

No, it's not immunity.

Feeling the slight increase in elemental energy stored in his Vision, Luo De's mind had already shifted to a different explanation.

It is devouring.

First purify, then devour.

"Are you devouring the Dead Zone's power?"

At that moment, Nadixa's astonished voice sounded in Luo De's ear.

Unlike Fanalushan, she saw Luo De's bodily changes very clearly.

When Luo De was being corroded by the Dead Zone's power, she had just been preparing to act, but was shocked to discover that Luo De had actually devoured that abyssal power, transforming it into his own elemental energy, evenly dividing it into three parts and injecting them into his three Visions.

"This really is an unexpected joy!"

Luo De did not answer Nadixa, merely muttering to himself a sentence.

Immune to the Abyss.

If I'm not mistaken, it seems to be a trait of that yellow-haired Traveler?

Could I myself be a Descender?

Once this question arose, Luo De couldn't help but ponder it.

He had always thought he was not a Descender.

Because those who can be called Descenders are all outsiders capable of reshaping the entire Teyvat world.

And at most I am just an outsider who meets that condition; the other condition of being capable of reshaping the entire Teyvat world is still far lacking.

Even to say.

When he first descended into Teyvat, he was just an ordinary person.

Even before this, he was still an ordinary person, showing no traits related to a Descender.

Until just now.

Only then did Luo De's body suddenly exhibit the special quality that only the Traveler would have.

「Having the physique of a Descendant, yet lacking the power of a Descendant？」

Just as he was pondering, Luo De suddenly thought of something: 「If that's really the case, then my three Visions might be shackles sent down to bind me, right? 」

Immediately he shook his head again, looked up at that dead zone that even Tinari couldn't clear away.

「No, we still can't make a hasty judgment. 」

「I still need to keep testing to see if I truly have a Descendant's physique. 」

Thinking this, Luo De first, following the Felushan teaching's use of elemental energy, purged Tinari's body clean of dead zone power, then rose and came before the dead zone.

After informing Nadixa.

He then stepped forward resolutely amidst Felushan's panicked voice.

Without using elemental energy.

Thus, without any protection, he walked straight into the dead zone.

(End of chapter)