The Weapon Master Shall Never Die Bare-Handed in Genshin Impact [405]

There was no way Aether could be as much of a menace as Lumine.

If he had the same personality as her, how did the two of them even manage to travel across countless star systems together? Jia Changjiang simply couldn’t imagine it.

If both of them were like this…

He could already picture Aether and Lumine wandering the cosmos, weapons in hand, scamming and swindling their way through entire civilizations.

Just like him and Lumine—

…Wait?

Jia Changjiang fell into deep thought.

No, that wasn’t right. He wasn’t a scammer. Which meant this whole idea was obviously flawed…

As Jia Changjiang and the others waited, the so-called Grand Treasure Thief from Fontaine arrived at the appointed place right on time.

Even before approaching, the thief spotted Jia Changjiang’s group standing beneath a tree.

"…Huh?!"

His expression immediately turned serious.

Golden hair swayed in the wind. The blonde girl clad in black armor had only part of her strikingly beautiful face visible beneath the plating. Yet the arrogance in her gaze seemed inherent—almost noble.

She stood tall, her longsword in hand, the straightness of her posture exuding an air of dominance.

And that armor…

From a seasoned thief’s perspective, it was undoubtedly crafted from unimaginably rare materials. To even assign a monetary value to it would be an insult to its worth.

But the most concerning thing wasn’t her.

It was the knight standing behind her.

A towering figure, clad head to toe in thick armor, so much so that one might question if even his teeth were armored.

A massive shield strapped to his back. A formidable knight’s lance in hand.

He stood behind the princess-like girl without the slightest movement—yet an oppressive, lethal aura radiated from him.

"Gulp."

The Grand Treasure Thief swallowed hard.

Even that strange, floating creature accompanying them was wearing armor made of the same precious material.

Did these people… really need to work with the Treasure Hoarders?

Who were they?!

Despite his apprehension, the Grand Treasure Thief composed himself and stepped forward to the meeting spot.

"You’re here," Lumine said coolly.

She spared him only a brief glance before looking away.

"One minute and twelve seconds late."

Her voice was crisp, indifferent—devoid of warmth.

And precisely because of that, a cold sweat formed on the Grand Treasure Thief’s back.

"My apologies. The delay was on our end. I hope—" He immediately chose to back down.

Standing before the tall, armored guardian, the pressure was palpable.

That lance… looked like it could reduce him to a smear on the ground in an instant.

"Don’t let it happen again."

Lumine’s words carried the weight of finality. Then, she turned to him.

"Where’s the ruin?"

"Ah, right! This way, please."

The Grand Treasure Thief adjusted his posture, keeping his tone respectful as he led them forward.

He was too focused on his steps to notice—

The moment he bowed his head, a barely suppressed grin flickered across Lumine’s face.

But it vanished just as quickly, replaced once more by her cold, aloof expression.

Lumine had realized something.

As troublesome as these theatrics were…

They actually saved her a lot of effort.

The Grand Treasure Thief cautiously led them to the ruins, making sure they stayed hidden. "Our next step is to wait until the Abyss Mages are fully distracted. Once they’ve left, we’ll move in to claim the treasure."

"Step?"

Lumine frowned, gripping her sword.

"Ahem—plan! I meant plan!" The thief quickly corrected himself.

Meanwhile, Jia Changjiang glanced toward the ruins with a strange expression.

Because at that very moment—

A system notification had appeared before him.

[Objective: Learn more about the Abyss Order. Defeat an Abyss Herald.]
[Reward: 1 Lottery Draw]

"Abyss Herald…?"

Jia Changjiang blinked, recalling the last time he had encountered an Abyss creature back in Mondstadt, when he had pursued one alongside Dainsleif.

It hasn’t even been that long since then, and we’re already running into more of them?

No, wait…

Not Abyss Mages.

Abyss Heralds.

"What’s inside this ruin…?"

A sense of unease stirred within him, but he held his ground at the front.

Before long, the Abyss Mages—distracted by the Treasure Hoarders’ diversion—began leaving the site.

This was their chance.

The ruins were unguarded.

Jia Changjiang, Lumine, and the others dashed inside.

It was just as they expected—most of the enemies had been lured away.

But not all of them.

A handful of Abyss Mages had remained.

And the moment they saw intruders, they flew into a rage, launching an attack.

The Grand Treasure Thief nearly jumped out of his skin in terror—

Only to witness Jia Changjiang charge forward, shield and lance in hand.

He plowed through the Abyss Mages like a war machine.

Not a single one survived.

"…No."

Lumine furrowed her brows.

And this time, it wasn’t part of the act.

Something in these ruins…

Something deep inside them…

Was wrong.

A creeping, suffocating sensation gnawed at her instincts.

Like some ancient beast lurked beyond.

A presence even more twisted than the Abyss Mages.

Even worse.

Even worse!

"This place feels… really bad," Paimon finally said, unable to suppress her unease.

The deeper they ventured into the ruins, the stronger the feeling became.

And at last—

They found it.

The most prized object within the ruins.

A Seven Statues of The Seven.

Hung upside-down.

"The hell is this?!"

The Grand Treasure Thief recoiled in shock. "That’s… that’s the Mondstadt statue! Why is it here?!"

"An upside-down Statue of The Seven…"

Lumine stared at the orb that had replaced the statue’s usual glowing core.

A dark sphere pulsed with an eerie purple light.

Its presence was… oppressive.

Suffocating.

"Barbatos’s statue…"

Jia Changjiang narrowed his eyes.

Could Statues of The Seven be stolen?

What did the Abyss Order want with it?

A curse of some kind?

He couldn’t wrap his head around it, but before he could think further—

The Grand Treasure Thief, still overwhelmed by greed, reached out to touch it.

Only for someone else to stop him.

A towering figure emerged, wreathed in a dark blue aura.

"Those who pry into the true Abyss…"

Its voice was jagged, fragmented—almost inhuman.

"Since you have come, since you have seen, you must now face the price."

"Judgment… shall be delivered by the Herald!"

"You…"

Jia Changjiang’s lips curled into a grin.

His excitement surged.

"You’re an Abyss Herald, aren’t you?"

His lance twitched with anticipation.

"Judgment? You think you’re worthy?!"

---

This is a fan translation of 武器大师在原神绝不死于徒手 by 徐人双 All rights to the original work belong to the creator. Please support them by exploring their original work or sharing it with others if you can. Thank you for reading and supporting my efforts to bring this story to a wider audience!