Chapter 362

Luo De and the others searched for a long time in the Khaenri'ah lab.

Klinsoer, who had willingly fallen into the Abyss, had high clearance and could bring people into almost any lab without triggering any mechanisms.

This ensured that the data in every lab remained intact.

Luo De and the others went on, advancing until there was no way forward.

They gathered up all the precious data originating from Khaenri'ah.

Unfortunately.

When the Darkness Disaster of that year fully broke out and this exit fell completely, Khaenri'ah unilaterally sealed this place; going a few hundred meters underground, one could no longer advance.

However, even if this place were not sealed,

Luo De and the others would also be unlikely to continue forward.

The homeland of Khaenri'ah is certainly not a place to play around.

Leaving aside the terrifying residual Abyss power there, even just the forces left behind when Heavenly Principles overthrew Khaenri'ah back then are not something just anyone can enter.

Luo De and the others are either crippled or useless; relying on him alone to go in is practically the same as seeking death.

Luo De and the others are quite fortunate.

Perhaps because this exit was used by the Khaenri'ah Marshal Anfutas, who insisted on preserving the Aethers substance production line.

Here the laboratory actually had complete structural diagrams and all data for a fairly perfect Aethers substance production line.

Even if this trip didn't yield schematics for perpetual energy and perpetual devices, just this set of experimental data already counts as a richer harvest.

Moreover,

The Great Merciful Tree King actually found the schematics for the perpetual motion device in a corner.

"This thing"

"The date doesn't seem too far off."

As the Dendro Archon, the Great Merciful Tree King can truly be called a master of all six schools.

In archaeology, she naturally holds an authoritative position.

She merely stroked the found paper and judged that this experimental data was likely written three hundred years ago, not five hundred years ago when Khaenri'ah fell.

Looking deeper into the content,

it becomes even more obvious.

"Surely it was written by those traitors."

Upon seeing the two words "Spirit Light", Luo De knew who wrote this experimental report.

Initially, Fontaine scholars had proposed using the Khaenri'ah method of smelting Aethers substance to treat Spirit Light power, then letting it react with Abyss energy to neutralize it, thereby eliminating the uncontrollability of Abyss energy and truly achieving perpetual motion.

But they never got to carry out the experiment before being forced to return home.

And now this experimental report lies before Luo De and the others.

Its experimental steps and principles are written clearly.

It even contains some experimental data with concrete numbers.

This shows that someone hid here and truly conducted experiments neutralizing Spirit Light with Abyss energy, achieving certain results.

However, the Sweet Dew Flower Sea has already been sealed off by Zu'erwan.

Unless members of the Flower Spirit clan bring people in, outsiders cannot freely enter or exit.

Even if Klinsoer, such an Abyss Apostle, summoned a horde of demonic beasts to attack,

Zu'erwan still could not let them take even a drop of Sweet Dew Living Water.

So where did they obtain the Spirit Light for the experiment? It's easy to guess.

"Alas—"

The Great Merciful Tree King and Egeleya sighed in unison.

To resist the Abyss's corruption.

The Flower Spirits have sacrificed too much over these years.

To the point that they no longer know who died at the hands of the Abyss and who died at the hands of their own kind.

"I have awakened; if you need Sweet Dew, I can help you resolve it."

After reading this experimental report, Egeleya directly brought up this matter.

The Sweet Dew Living Water in the Sweet Dew Flower Sea is already scarce.

What remains must be kept to meet the needs of the Myriad Kind Mother Tree; it cannot be taken out for experiments.

However, with her, the embodiment of Sweet Dew Living Water present, there is little need for Sweet Dew Living Water.

"Huh?"

Just then, Luo De saw some hidden words on the back of this experimental report.

【Fontaine's Primeval Ore has properties similar to Spirit Light; this ore is safer and more controllable, but the energy it contains is too immense—if used improperly, it will trigger a violent explosion.】

"Primeval Ore?"

This isn't the first time Luo De has seen this term in a Khaenri'ah experimental report.

"This ore is only found near the Primordial Fetal Sea."

Egeleya thought Luo De didn't know what Primeval Ore was, so she specially explained it to him.

"Primeval Ore contains the two energies of Desolation and Brilliance."

"These two energies have existed in Fontaine's land, atmosphere, and living beings since records began; the Brilliance manifests as bright yellow, while the Desolation manifests as dark blue‑purple."

"The Fontaine people call these two energies Primeval Force."

Egeleya finished supplementing the concept of Primeval Ore.

Luo De immediately understood why the people of Fontaine and Khaenri'ah all said that the effect of the primordial ore was close to that of ambrosial living water.

This is something he had never noticed before.

Primordial ore is a mineral that formed due to the influence of the primordial fetal sea.

And Ege li ya is precisely the heart of the primordial fetal sea.

Then it's understandable that they share similarities.

"I recall that Fontaine has an annihilation technology that can substitute energy through an annihilation reaction of desolate energy."

Luo De reminisced about the bragging of those Fontaine merchants in the tavern earlier.

Indeed, there were such remarks.

Fontaine's technology surpasses all of Teyvat, and this unique desolate energy of Fontaine played a huge role in it.

"I, I'm not quite clear about it."

Ege li ya lowered her head with a slight blush.

This isn't her fault.

The time since Fontaine began large‑scale mining of primordial ore hasn't been long.

At that time her consciousness had already been annihilated, so naturally she couldn't possibly know these things.

But that's not what Luo De wanted to say.

Upon thinking of the desolate‑energy annihilation reaction, he arbitrarily associated it with the annihilation reaction of spiritual light and Abyssal energy, and then with the annihilation reaction of the Lumine Stone born beneath the Stony Halls Abyss under the influence of the Frostsky Nail and Abyssal energy.

As he pondered, he involuntarily twitched the corner of his mouth and said, "Does your primordial fetal sea perhaps contain a Frostsky Nail?"

"."

As soon as those words were spoken,

The Great Merciful Tree King and Ege li ya both turned their gazes onto Luo De.

Afterward, the two of them glanced at each other.

Immediately thereafter, Ege li ya spoke up: "How did you know?"

"Just a guess."

Luo De said it with full confidence.

And this reason left Ege li ya silent once again.

After a long while.

She then sighed: "You guessed correctly—there really is a Frostsky Nail in the primordial fetal sea, and the primordial force as well as the purifying quality I possess against the Abyss both come from it."

"As expected."

Luo De was not at all surprised.

From that chain of associations just now, he had already roughly guessed it.

The Frostsky Nail in the primordial fetal sea was likely used to pin down the first Hydro Dragon King; after the primordial fetal sea erupted, the Authority of Life under the Heavenly Principle then fashioned Ege li ya as a new heart for the primordial fetal sea.

This is also why Ege li ya possesses the power to catalyze spiritual light and annihilate the Abyss.

"So if we use primordial ore to substitute for spiritual light, could we also produce a stable energy source?"

Luo De then began pondering a new problem. If it were placed before the Sweet Dew Flower Sea…

Even if this experimental manuscript were handed to him, he probably wouldn't think of targeting primordial ore.

Nothing else.

That thing, Fontaine simply doesn't sell it.

Moreover, even if it were sold,

the price of that thing would surely skyrocket.

After all, primordial ore is not a resource in Fontaine that can be mined without limit.

Since the ore exists only near the mouth of the primordial fetal sea, neither mining difficulty nor output is sufficient to support large‑scale exports from Fontaine.

But now Ege li ya is present.

As long as she is willing to step forward, one can obtain as much of this as desired.

However, after Luo De said those words, the person who interrupted him was none other than Ege li ya herself.

"Primordial ore is too dangerous."

Ege li ya flatly rejected: "Since you know the energy in that ore comes from the Frostsky Nail, you should all the more know how terrifying the reaction would be if the Frostsky Nail's power met Abyssal energy."

"Um"

Frankly, Luo De really can't picture that scene.

Because he has seen the Frostsky Nail's annihilation of Abyssal power.

In the Stony Halls Abyss, it is an extremely overbearing ability akin to forcibly stripping away Abyssal power.

Over at the Sweet Dew Flower Sea, it's even simpler.

Spiritual light directly purifies pollution, leaving no residue, and there has been no sight of an explosion occurring wherever spiritual light contacts the black abyss.

After a brief speculation.

Luo De tentatively asked, "Is the energy inside primordial ore unstable?"

"It's the structure that's unstable."

Ege li ya replied: "Primordial ore is merely a derivative mineral of the primordial fetal sea; its internal structure is similar to the explosives humans have developed, so a little carelessness will cause it to explode. Moreover, the annihilation reaction of primordial ore is extremely violent. If you want to research a controllable perpetual‑motion device, you'd be better off using the Sweet Dew Living Water I provide—this is the most stable and safe reaction method."

After hearing her, Luo De glanced at the shrunken Ege li ya now resembling a flower spirit, shook his head, and said nothing more.

After all, Sweet Dew Living Water is equivalent to cutting flesh from Ege li ya's body.

In any case, it's not a long‑term solution.

"Or I should still first get some Lumine Stone from Liyue—although it's merely the surface coated with the Frostsky Nail's power, it should still be useful."

Actually, Lumine Stone isn't really a good choice.

Luo De had stayed beneath the Chasm before, knowing that this ore capable of dispelling abyssal power was actually ordinary ore contaminated with the power of the Frost Celestial Nail; once it strays too far from the Frost Celestial Nail, it quickly loses energy until it turns back into an ordinary stone.

So if you want to transport luminite ore...

Not only does it need proper storage, but it also needs to be fast—very fast—to be usable.

Moreover, Sumeru couldn't just openly go to the Chasm to gather materials, conducting such a blatant perpetual motion experiment under the noses of the Liyue people.

"Let's set up a brand-new secret laboratory in the Transformed City Wall."

"I recall there is an entrance there that connects to the Chasm."

"We can directly transport the ore through it."

Luo De's proposal.

The Great Merciful Tree King had no objection at first, but later she couldn't help but keep pursing her lips.

What Luo De said was correct.

Indeed, beneath Xiangzuipo is truly connected to the Chasm; the two places are fully linked.

However.

That place is Sumeru's territory, yet it was dug through by the Liyue people.

Back then, because of this matter,

She has had plenty of disputes with Molakesi.

However, Molakesi never unreasonably interfered in this matter, and moreover voluntarily admitted that the Liyue people's practice of mining across the border was indeed somewhat excessive.

So he straightforwardly paid a large sum of Mora to buy that section of the mine.

Although using Mora to measure the value of a mine with extremely high mining worth seems somewhat unfair.

But who asked that Sumeru had just finished the Archon War at that time?

The already chaotic domestic situation became even more of a mess, with everywhere urgently needing Mora to solve problems.

Thus the Great Merciful Tree King decided to sell that mining area to Liyue.

To this day.

There, the surface still belongs to Sumeru, while the underground belongs to Liyue.

Moreover, over a thousand years have passed, and the ore stored inside has still not been fully mined.

Thinking of this,

The Great Merciful Tree King shook her head, no longer wanting to think about it.

In the long run,

This deal truly counts as a loss-making purchase.

But judging from the circumstances at the time, this was a very reasonable choice.

So there's really nothing to regret.

"I think this method is feasible; let's give it a try."

"Anyway, we have the principle, the schematics, and the experimental apparatus."

"Choosing some stable ore to test first is also no problem."

The Great Merciful Tree King agreed with Luo De's opinion.

Two against one.

Ege Liya's proposal was invalid.

She let out a light sigh, giving up the idea of continuing to persuade Luo De.

The Túní Black Abyss has been fully explored.

Luo De directly returned the same way, carrying a large amount of experimental data.

As for Kelin Suoer,

he no longer has any use value.

As for this traitor,

Luo De also showed no mercy.

The only mercy,

Probably just letting him be buried in the Túní Black Abyss, which can also be considered an alternative return to his homeland.

"Still, the outside air is nice."

After going out, Luo De, seeing the blue sky and white clouds, sighed with emotion.

Although under the effect of the Myriad Kind Mother Tree, the impurity inside the Túní Black Abyss has been cleared away.

But inside it is still filled with deathly silence and darkness.

Especially, traces of that great battle from long ago still linger everywhere here; five hundred years have passed, yet when walking, one can still seemingly smell that strong scent of blood plasma.

With such a stark contrast,

Even if one is now amidst the vast desert of endless yellow sand, it can make people's mood even more pleasant.

On the way back to the Sweet Dew Flower Sea,

Luo De and company first went to retrieve Ying and Paimon.

With Ege Liya's marker, their location was still easy to find.

By the way,

They also brought back the flower spirits that Ying and Paimon hadn't had time to look for.

After the personnel had all gathered,

After a round of voting,

Zu'er Wan volunteered to stay behind at the Sweet Dew Flower Sea, and the other elderly flower spirits also chose to stay here to accompany her.

And those young flower spirits.

Under Si Lusha's leadership, they chose to go with Luo De to Xu Mi Cheng to celebrate the flower deity's birthday festival of the new generation of the Plant King.

(End of chapter)