Beside the domain at Guyun Stone Forest, Chen Mo called up the system panel and discovered that Lumine and Paimon’s affection values had actually changed.
[Lumine: 0 → 3] [Paimon: 0 → 1] “This affection thing is pretty easy to raise, isn’t it?” He asked the system again, “Does affection have to reach 100 before I can unlock a Stand?” [You only need to reach 80 to unlock a Stand.] [Reaching 100 affection is the condition for unlocking a Stand’s strongest form.] “It’s actually that easy?” At present, three characters already had affection values above 70.
There was a chance he could obtain four Stands before the dragon disaster began.
Chen Mo was instantly filled with motivation and hurried back to Liyue Harbor.
The actual size of Teyvat’s map was probably more than a hundred times larger than what the game depicted, perhaps even over two hundred times larger.
On top of that, there was no convenient function like teleportation.
Guyun Stone Forest was surrounded by the sea on all sides, so one needed a boat to reach it.
“Speaking of which, how did Lumine and Paimon get here?” In Chen Mo’s memory, the only Waverider docked in the surrounding waters seemed to be his own.
“Ah, whatever.
They’re the protagonists.
Why am I worrying about them for no reason?” Liyue Harbor was crowded with people coming and going.
When Chen Mo passed by Wanmin Restaurant, only Chef Mao was inside, busy with his work.
Only then did he remember that Xiangling had already gone out a few days ago to train her cooking skills.
By the time she returned to Liyue Harbor, the Mondstadt main storyline would probably already be over.
“I’ll go find Hu Tao first.” “Although Keqing’s affection value is also at 70, she’s been extremely busy lately.
She probably doesn’t have time to play a dating sim with me.” At the entrance of Wangsheng Funeral Parlor, Chen Mo learned from one of the attendants that Hu Tao had gone to Wuwang Hill to investigate rumors of a haunting.
His scalp immediately tingled.
The straight-line distance between Liyue Harbor and Wuwang Hill was nearly 150 kilometers.
He had only just returned from Guyun Stone Forest, and now he had to go on another long trip.
But what could he do?
He was the one who wanted to unlock new Stand abilities as soon as possible.
Compared to Xiangling, whose location was currently unknown, at least Hu Tao’s whereabouts were clear.
“If I had The Hand, traveling would be so much easier…” After casually complaining, Chen Mo summoned Star Platinum to possess him, using it to strengthen his legs.
The moment he started sprinting, he shot forward like a gale.
Along the road, it was as if a level-eight storm had been kicked up.
Chen Mo’s running speed was no worse than that of the warriors of Natlan.
Fortunately, women’s clothing in Liyue tended to be steady and secure.
Otherwise, his name would definitely have appeared on the Ministry of Civil Affairs’ complaint list.
The closer Chen Mo got to Wuwang Hill, the gloomier the surroundings became.
This was not because of the weather or the time of day.
Wuwang Hill had always been eerie and unsettling.
At the foot of the mountain, even when only a faint breeze brushed past him, he could not help suspecting that a female ghost was causing trouble.
When he unintentionally lowered his head, Chen Mo noticed several footprints in the dirt.
These marks were more than a dozen sizes larger than Hu Tao’s little feet.
Besides, with her cleverness, she would never leave her own tracks so easily in the wild.
Chen Mo had no way to investigate whether there were any elemental traces nearby, so he could only focus more carefully on searching for other clues as he climbed the mountain.
“This is…?” There were obvious burn marks on the trunk of a pine tree.
Black ash on the grass formed a circle, while scattered around its edges were Treasure Hoarder Insignias and Fatui badges.
“Wuwang Hill sure is lively today.” Chen Mo looked around, then finally fixed his gaze on the tree beside him.
The tree was tall and straight.
The view from the top would definitely be broad.
He summoned Star Platinum and climbed to the top of the tree.
Borrowing his Stand’s eyesight, he looked into the distance and soon locked onto Hu Tao’s figure.
There was also a four-person Fatui squad lying in ambush not far away.
Combined with what he had just discovered, it was obvious that some kind of conflict existed between Hu Tao and them.
“Isn’t this a perfect chance to raise affection?” He quietly approached.
From the darkness, he had Star Platinum possess him and fired an arrow.
The Pyroslinger was struck in the knee and immediately dropped to the ground.
“Next comes drawing aggro.” He stepped out from the darkness.
When the Fatui saw a figure appear from the shadows, they questioned him without the slightest courtesy.
“You brat, you’re an enemy, aren’t you?” Chen Mo looked around in confusion, then pointed at himself in a daze.
“Are you talking about me?” The Fatui underlings saw that this guy was clearly treating them like fools.
How could they possibly hold back their anger?
Ignoring the Agent’s attempt to stop them, they charged at the person in front of them.
“They took the bait.” The corners of Chen Mo’s mouth rose as he deliberately dropped a few Recruit’s Insignias.
“This brat really is an enemy!” The heavy guards’ builds were not suited for chasing people at all.
Even without relying on his Stand, Chen Mo could run circles around them.
After only a few minutes, he saw Hu Tao’s figure.
As he ran, Chen Mo drew his bowstring and shouted toward the front, “Miss over there!
Could you save me for a moment?” Hearing a faintly familiar voice, Hu Tao looked back.
Her plum-blossom pupils suddenly shrank.
“Chen Mo?” Hu Tao had no idea why her childhood friend had appeared at Wuwang Hill.
But when she noticed the arrow ready to fire in his hand, as well as the Fatui chasing behind him, the Staff of Homa spun with a flash of red light.
Guide to Afterlife.
As the two brushed past each other, Hu Tao accelerated in a flash, thrusting her spear toward the two heavy guards behind the Agent.
Chen Mo swiftly turned around and fired three arrows at once.
Two arrows grazed past the Agent’s hood, while the final arrow shot straight toward his face.
The Agent hurriedly summoned a flaming blade to block it.
He could not understand why mere arrows possessed such terrifying strength and speed.
During that brief moment of thought, the sounds of his squad members falling rang out one after another around him.
The Agent realized he had fallen into a trap and quickly concealed himself, turning his attack directly toward Hu Tao.
However, with Star Platinum’s A-rank precision, even without leaving elemental energy on the enemy, Chen Mo could still lock onto his movement path through the regular rustling changes in the grass on the ground.
The Agent gathered his strength, about to launch a thrust at Hu Tao.
In that instant, Teyvat’s time was stopped for 0.5 seconds.
To the Agent, it felt like only the blink of an eye, yet he vaguely saw a faint, blurry purple figure appear before him.
The large man said nothing.
Only one sound rang out.
“Ora!” A fist the size of a sandbag came crashing back like a tide, then fell like a violent storm.
The Agent’s mask cracked, and his entire body was sent flying several meters away.
“Ora?” Hu Tao tilted her head and looked back in confusion.
Aside from a flash of purple that quickly vanished, she saw nothing.
“Where did the other person go?” “No idea.” Chen Mo spread his hands and pretended to be innocent.
“Maybe his mother called him home for dinner.” Hu Tao narrowed her eyes and carefully sized Chen Mo up.
This guy was definitely hiding something from her.