Inside the Artisanship Commission.
Massive roots pierced through every corner of the area like coiling dragons. Although Guinaifen had never been here before, she knew this wasn't how the district was supposed to look.
New monsters wandered across the map. All of them were Entranced Ingenia. For instance, there was a toad perched atop a bell-like machine known as an Abundance Sprite: Golden Cloud Toad. Beside it was a creature that resembled a goldfish, the Abundance Sprite: Illumination Dragonfish.
Guinaifen couldn't help but complain, "These monsters are way too weak! They all die before my Lightning-Lord even has a chance to strike. Their names are so hard to remember... let's just call them the Toad and the Goldfish."
Soon, she encountered a middle-aged man dressed in the uniform of the Artisanship Commission on a bridge. Standing before him were a Toad and a Goldfish, appearing as though they were protecting him.
"The Artisanship Commission is a restricted area! Begone, villains! Begone at once! Ya-ya-ya-ya!"
"Stay back! Take one more step, and don't blame this old man for being impolite!"
Hearing the master's voice, Guinaifen burst into laughter. "Master, are you serious? Are you practicing your opera vocals right now?"
[Battle Start]
March 7th: "Hey, hey, just listen to our explanation! We aren't the bad"
"What is there to explain?! It's nothing but 'just passing through,' 'by mistake,' or 'the door was open'those flimsy excuses won't work on me! Disaster struck the Commission today, and I knew someone was behind it! My suspicions were correct!"
"The security guards are useless, so let me show you the power of my Ingenia!"
Guinaifen immediately activated Jing Yuan's Ultimate.
"Light of My Presence!"
Most of these monsters had a Lightning Weakness. As the blade descended, only one toad remained on the field with a sliver of health.
"My Golden Cloud Toad! My Illumination Dragonfish! ...What's happened to you! Get up, quickly! I raised you like my own children..."
"If you're going to fight, just fight! Why did you have to smash my precious little trinkets into pieces? Pay me back!"
The old master's wails filled the air.
[You must be Master Gongshu, right?]
"You little brat actually knows my name?"
"Is my reputation as Master Gongshu, 'The First Tactile Hand of Smelting and Casting,' already that famous?"
After a brief explanation, Master Gongshu realized the Astral Express crew was there to help.
"Oh? You were sent by the General? A misunderstanding, thenall a misunderstanding! Fine, those trinkets are gone, so be it!"
"But I really can't help much. This Artisanship Commission has been occupied by Abominations of Abundance! Even our most precious treasure, the Creation Furnace, has been stolen by that wood-spirit demon."
"That monster is terrifying! It can make the mechanical objects of the Commission circle around it as if they have their own will. Anyone who approaches is just throwing their life away!"
"But I've thought it over, and I can't just leave. After all, what's sealed inside that furnace is..."
[Let's just save some time. Where do we go, and who do we hit?]
Guinaifen decisively chose that option. Her hands were still itching for a fight. It was better if the enemies weren't the kind that shattered in a single hit. She craved a worthy opponent!
Using a Shifting Screen, they reached the location of the Creation Furnace. She then used the Radiance Chest to simultaneously destroy all the surrounding Ambrosial Arbor tangles.
Having finished all this, they finally stood before the Creation Furnace.
"Little brat, help me! Let's work together to chop it down! Don't let it pierce the furnace!"
Just as they were about to step forward, Mr. Yang warned, "Careful! That thing is changing..."
A bud at the root slowly unfurled. From within... a deer actually emerged! Its body shimmered with radiant colors, covered in golden pollen. The deer shook its frame, and a powerful aura surged outward!
"What... what kind of monster is this?" Master Gongshu asked in shock.
However, Tingyun spoke in a tone of admiration, "As expected of a divine miracle, creating life with a mere thought. This power is truly extraordinary..."
...
"Tingyun's tone sounds weird!"
"Your thoughts are dangerous, Miss Tingyun!"
"Don't say that! I actually think this monster looks pretty cool. Those golden leaves are so sparkly and pretty!"
"Fire, Ice, and Quantum Weaknesses? Was this monster made for Seele?"
Guinaifen exclaimed, "Finally, someone who can actually fight!"
...
Five minutes later, Guinaifen scratched her head and complained, "This Abundant Ebon Deer is so hard to kill! It keeps summoning roots!"
"It keeps locking down my Jing Yuan! My Lightning-Lord can't even strike, it's so frustrating!"
Watching the Lightning-Lord have to reset its action bar every time, her face turned red with anxiety. She paused the game and opened the monster's details.
"Wind RES and... Lightning RES?!"
"No wonder it's so hard. This guy has a built-in 40% Lightning Resistance!"
"Family, it seems like trying to use one main carry to ignore elemental types isn't realistic. Yuling has balanced the game's numbers perfectly."
"But the good news is, we have another Erudition carryMiss Himeko, it's your time to shine!"
This time, the battle went much more smoothly. After the Abundant Ebon Deer revived twice, March 7th gasped, "It can heal regardless of the wound... this is absurd!"
"We have to retreat for now. Follow me!"
After escaping to a temporarily safe spot, March continued to vent, "Oh my gosh, no wonder the Xianzhou is so terrified of Abominations of Abundance. This recovery ability makes no sense!"
"Miss Tingyun, are all the long-life species of the Xianzhou like this?"
"This deer is likely a spirit-creature birthed by the Ambrosial Arbor to protect it. It's closely linked to the roots. Most Xianzhou residents don't possess such ridiculous powers..." Tingyun explained.
"The deer seems to heal instantly, but the truth might be different. It might be drawing nourishment from somewhere else."
Following Mr. Yang's logic, the next task was to use Master Gongshu's Radiance Chest to destroy the Arbor tangles everywhere.
Guinaifen was actually having fun. She commented that this mini-game of eliminating pollutants all at once was quite satisfying.
...
Meanwhile, on the other side.
A large group was grandly making its way toward the delve where the Ambrosial Arbor was located.
Look!
Approaching from the front were the local forces of the Xianzhou Luofu, led by General Jing Yuan! Accompanying him was the Cloud Knight Lieutenant and the General's personal discipleYanqing! They were full of spirit and held their heads high.
Next to enter were the members of the Astral Express. Welt, Dan Heng, March 7th, and Stelle. They marched with synchronized and powerful steps!
Following closely behind were the Stellaron HuntersBlade, Kafka, and Silver Wolf.
Finally, there were Jingliu and Luocha. Although they remained silent and expressionless, they followed the main group without falling behind even a single step!
In the crowd, Silver Wolf suddenly let out a small laugh. "A group this large moving together... it feels so eerie."
She gently pulled down the goggles on her forehead. A small satellite flew out from her wrist, its lens aimed at the group.
"I'm going to record this scene in advance and post it on the Star Rail forum!"
Silver Wolf's small movements didn't escape the group's eyes, but most didn't care about such details. They continued forward silently, like a funeral procession mixed with a few living people.
However, March 7th suddenly sensed a major crisis! She whispered to Stelle, "This is bad! Silver Wolf noticed it too! She's started recording video! She's going to be a leaker and spoil everything!"
"No!"
"Absolutely not!"
"We have to beat her to it! We have to leak it first!"
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