Genshin Impact's Incense Burner Of Liyue [510]

The fireworks continued until the massive rock-based fireworks contraption completely collapsed, leaving the dazzling display to gradually fade from the sky.

“So pretty...”

Klee tilted her little head back, staring dazedly at the sky. But then she suddenly remembered why she had come here. Pinching her own cheeks with her small hands, she quickly shook off her distraction, her expression returning to that adorably serious look of hers.

“I can’t let myself get fooled! Klee, don’t forget—Dodoking is really mean! He wants to take Dodoco away! I can’t be tricked by surface appearances!”

“I mustn’t be mesmerized by the pretty fireworks! This is just Dodoking’s trap to break my fighting spirit. I won’t fall for it!”

Watching Klee mutter to herself in encouragement, Gu Sanqiu couldn’t help but picture what this little girl was like when she ran around Mondstadt.

On one hand, she used her cute words to hype herself up. On the other, she ran around causing mayhem for Hilichurls with her bombs held high.

Klee’s perspective: Brave Klee, overcome all obstacles!

Hilichurls’ perspective: Oh no, the demon is coming!

Cough. The mental image was quite vivid.

Still, if this so-called trial always ended up turning into an entertaining spectacle, that wasn’t so bad either.

After the rock wall crumbled, the group didn’t find a second prism shard. However, considering the amount of elemental energy they had just poured in and the reaction it had triggered, they remained convinced that the notorious Dodoking was indeed real.

“Teacher, how are you feeling? I can help heal you,” Barbara offered. “If there’s more danger ahead, it might be better to rest for a bit before moving on.”

“You must be exhausted after channeling that much elemental power just now,” she added with concern.

“I’m fine. That was barely even a warm-up.”

Gu Sanqiu flexed his right hand. He hadn’t felt any suction force earlier, so why had Itto been the one to get caught by the runic formation inside the rock wall? Something about that didn’t seem right.

Why not him or Albedo? Could this mechanism actually have some kind of selective targeting, picking the easier prey?

“This doesn’t add up... but there’s no solid evidence to support any conclusions yet.”

Shaking his head, Gu Sanqiu decided to wait until the next trial appeared before making further judgments.

After some searching, the group eventually found another trial deep within a secluded valley.

“Brave mortals, I commend your courage and pity your ignorance. Now, show me your reckless bravery, like moths rushing to a flame!”

If Alice hadn’t been deliberately dramatic when designing these trials, Gu Sanqiu was pretty sure that this kind of taunting message would have ended with a playful sticking-out-tongue emoji.

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

Kaeya frowned, looking across the valley. “Does it want us to charge straight across to the other side? Are we going to have to dodge falling rocks along the way?”

“Heh, what’s the big deal? Only one way to find out!”

With his usual carefree attitude, Arataki Itto stepped forward and smacked what was clearly the trial’s activation switch.

Whoosh—

A chilling aura instantly swept through the valley. Diluc swung his claymore down hard, sending a ring of blazing fire around the group to resist the encroaching cold.

Moments later, the ground ahead froze over with a thick layer of ice. A loud boom echoed from behind—they turned to find their retreat cut off by a massive boulder.

From both sides of the valley, a foreboding energy surged. There were weapons aimed at them, and quite possibly hostile creatures lurking nearby.

“So by ‘test of courage,’ it means we have to cross an icy battlefield while dodging attacks?”

Barbara nervously ran a hand through her hair. “Um, I haven’t trained in advanced movement techniques yet… this might be a problem.”

Jean gently patted Barbara’s head. “Don’t worry, I’ll be right beside you.”

Barbara’s face lit up. “Thanks, Captain— I mean, thanks for protecting me, sis!”

Jean chuckled and ruffled the little healer’s hair again. “Call me ‘sis’ just this once, alright? Only here.”

Barbara beamed and threw herself into Jean’s arms. “Yes! You’re the best, sis!”

Meanwhile, the rest of the group, uninterested in following the designated path, gathered around the massive boulder blocking their retreat.

“This thing seems similar to a Dragonspine pressure stone.”

Holding Klee’s hand with one, Gu Sanqiu knocked on the boulder with his other.

“Think we can blow it up?”

Albedo shook his head. “No. This rock is perfectly fused with the surrounding cliffside. There might be a hidden mechanism keeping it in place, but I can’t guarantee that forcing it open won’t cause a landslide. That would be far more dangerous.”

“Good point.”

Gu Sanqiu nodded. “Looks like we don’t have a choice—we have to move forward through the trial.”

Arataki Itto pounded his chest. “No worries, boss! I’ll take the lead!”

“That won’t be necessary.”

Gu Sanqiu turned to Kaeya. “How about you go first? You’re the most familiar with ice.”

“No problem. I’ll relay my observations in real time.”

Kaeya smirked and stepped forward. “But before I go, I’ll need someone to put up a shield for me. Testing the dangers head-on without one seems a little reckless.”

“No problem.”

Gu Sanqiu summoned a rock shield around Kaeya. “If anything unavoidable happens, just call out. I can pull you back to safety using the shield.”

“Got it.”

As a chill emanated from him, Kaeya stepped onto the icy surface, his movements perfectly steady, as if he were standing on solid ground.

“No irregularities in the ice. Looks like it’s just a basic elemental construct.”

While keeping the group informed, Kaeya cautiously began making his way across.

“If this is all it is, even if your Vision elements don’t match, as long as we control our speed, we should be able to cross safely—”

Whoosh!

The sharp whistle of arrows filled the air. Kaeya’s expression turned serious as he shifted his stance, sidestepping the incoming projectiles.

But dodging created a chain reaction—maintaining balance forced him to pick up speed.

Slowing down deliberately only to take a direct hit? That was not an option.

The ice was shifting. Kaeya’s elemental energy was no longer merging with it, meaning he couldn’t maneuver as easily as before.

Give verbal feedback to the group?

Forget it. Staying alert for incoming attacks was more important right now.

Swish—

A subtler sound approached. Kaeya’s eyes widened as obstacles suddenly rose from the ice right in his path!

“Those projectiles were condensed water element?!”

But there was no time to think. Kaeya slammed his palms onto the obstacles formed by the freezing reaction, using the momentum to flip himself through the air. Landing smoothly, he continued his increasingly chaotic parkour sprint.

As he neared the final stretch, water orbs and arrows shot toward him from different directions at the same time, leaving no room for escape.

Had he not been highly skilled—or lacking an ability to dissipate some of the water attacks in advance—he might have been in serious trouble.

Seeing Kaeya reach the other side safely, the others finally breathed a sigh of relief.

Albedo turned to Gu Sanqiu. “Did you catch all that?”

“Crystal clear. I might even be able to brute-force my way through.”

Albedo shook his head. “Don’t. We’ll move together, and remember where the arrows came from to anticipate them. Keep our speed consistent.”

“Also, if too many of us step onto the ice at once, we can’t predict if the attack patterns will change.”

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This is a fan translation of 原神之璃月奉香人 by 淡白蛋清. 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!