I took a soft breath as I sat at the porch facing into my inner garden, a warm cup of tea held in my hands. Steam gently rose into the air, illuminated by warm lantern lights. The moon hung in the night sky above, the stagnant stars free of any clouds.
The day had swiftly gone by after Tianqiu left. I went for a quick lunch before I left for the wilderness in search of treasure. Unfortunately, I didn't find a single remaining treasure chest in the area around Liyue Harbor. It seemed I'd found all of them, which meant that I could only rely on fishing to gain more Primogems.
Or at least that's what I thought. Because as I was making tea earlier, I remembered the [Abyssal Trials] function that got unlocked after I defeated General Longqu. I hadn't checked it out much since I was busy with other things, but now I definitely had the time to give it a look.
As the name implied, the [Abyssal Trials] were a series of trials I had to undergo. Each trial also had several special conditions I could reach, and if I did a perfect clear I could get 180 Primogems for each trial I finished. And considering I was about 100 Primogems away from another 10-pull, this seemed like the perfect chance to attempt perfectly clear the first trial.
[Trial 1
Main Mission: Defeat all Enemies
Special 1: Finish Main Mission without being harmed
Special 2: Finish Main Mission in 00:01:00
Total Rewards: 180 Primogems
Begin Trial?]
I drank the rest of my tea, set down the cup, and began the trial. A sense of weightlessness took me then, and the world around me faded into a swirl of deep purples. The feeling vanished a second later, and I found myself standing on a platform of bedrock, floating within a void of blues and black.
I frowned slightly. The air felt…stifling, here. It felt stale, as if the world itself refused to allow any life to inhabit it permanently.
Various pops sounded, and I turned to see a group of 12 Small Slimes appear from thin air. Pyro, Hydro, and Electro—there were 4 of each type, all grouped together like minefields. It was a dangerous mix for most, considering all 3 Elemental Combinations that could occur between those slimes could easily kill.
But I had a bow, so that wasn't really an issue for me.
A halo formed above my head as my eyes glowed, and wind swirled atop my palm as I formed it into an arrow made purely of Anemo. I notched it onto my Hamayumi, and aiming right at the middle of the group of Small Slimes, I let the Anemo arrow fly. The condensed wind flew forward, and it exploded into a small tornado as it hit the ground.
The tornado picked up all 12 Small Slimes, cutting them with sharp winds. But more importantly, it forced all the slimes close together, and before long,
BOOM!
A powerful combination of Overload and Vaporize exploded within the tornado. Most of the slimes were killed in the ensuing explosion, and any that survived were soon killed as the tornado imploded on itself. The Abyss descended back into eerie silence after that, and the little slime droplets faded into motes of light.
[Trial Clear! Recorded time: 00:00:12
Reward: 180 Primogems
Return?]
I nearly chose to Return, but I stopped. My curiosity took hold of me, and I instead walked up to the edge of the platform I was standing on. I tried to look down, but I couldn't see the bottom of this abyssal world. There were hundreds of other platforms around me, each too far for me to ever reach without flying.
I glanced at the option to Return once more, and then dismissed it. I knew that the option would remain there somehow, and that it'd stay open no matter where I am or how long I stayed here.
Which meant it was time to explore!
The halo above my head glowed just a little brighter as my Energy surged, and suddenly from my back grew a pair of wings made entirely of green light. I took a step forward, and with a small breath I leapt off the platform. My wings spread behind me, and my fall suddenly slowed as I began to glide.
As I descended, more and more platforms became visible, while the platforms above began receding. My surroundings grew dimmer the lower I went, almost as if I was diving into some abyssal ocean. My skin crawled as an eerie chill went up my spine, but I resisted the urge to Return back to the real world.
Soon, I descended far enough that my surroundings were plunged into complete darkness. By this point, the only light that existed came from my halo and wings. I felt almost nauseous as I desperately held back the urge to Return. It was as if the Abyss had finally taken notice of me, and it wanted nothing more than to kick me out.
But I refused. My spirit of adventure demanded I find out what lay at the bottom of the Abyss. Or at least do my damn best to reach that goal. And maybe even find a few treasure chests if possible.
…wait, how do treasure chests appear anyway? I knew for a fact that normal people couldn't see them, considering hundreds walked past the fountain in Liyue Harbor without questioning the very obvious opened chest close to it. Do they just pop into existence or something?
I continued to glide down as I pondered one of the many mysteries of my Genshin System. My surroundings, already devoid of any light, seemed to grow even darker. At times I swore there seemed to be figures swimming through the dark, their bodies so massive as to distort the world itself.
Soon, even the light from my wings and halo were swallowed up, leaving me in total darkness. I remained in that darkness for a long time, continuing to glide down amidst total silence.
Then, rather abruptly, my descent stopped. I jolted at how sudden it was, and I tripped before falling face-first into the ground. "Ouch…" I hissed as I pushed myself up, but I then blinked as I saw the 'floor' I was on.
It was…the night sky. The exact same starry sky I'd been staring at before I delved into the [Abyssal Trials]. I even recognized a few of the stagnant constellations I'd mapped during my time stargazing. They were just inverted, since I was seeing them from above instead.
I furrowed my brows. Was…the Abyss sitting on top of Teyvat? That-, hm. That seemed like the most obvious explanation, but that didn't feel quite right to me.
I shook my head. I could save those questions after I returned to Teyvat. For now however, I had an entirely new landscape to explore! I smiled in excitement as I began walking forward. I didn't have any particular destination; I just walked forward as I glimpsed at the starry sky I was walking on top of.
I smiled wryly. What would Guizhong and Morax think if I told them about this? What would everyone think? I was probably the first person who could genuinely claim to have walked atop the stars themselves. Except maybe the folks sitting within that floating island called Celestia. Morax didn't explain much about them, but he told me that they were people capable of 'reaching the stars'.
After walking for what felt like hours, I actually came across a treasure chest. I was so surprised by the sight that I almost tripped again, but I barely managed to stop myself from falling.
The treasure chest was far unlike the ones I'd found in the wild. It was far larger, and instead of being made of wood, it was entirely white—having been carved from pure marble. The whole chest was lined with gold, and various gems were embedded into the chest, each glimmering like tiny stars.
I rubbed my hands together as I approached, a grin on my lips. I gingerly tapped a finger onto the treasure chest, and the whole thing shook as a bright light began seeping out from the seams of the treasure chest. I took a quick step back, and the lid exploded open as golden light poured out from within.
But instead of the usual spilling of items, three regal crowns slowly floated up from the chest. One crown was entirely white, another entirely red, and the last glowed a bright rainbow.
My eyes went wide as I read their descriptions.
[Crown of Insight 5★
A relic from the Beyond, blessing any who holds it with great wisdom capable of rivaling the gods
Upgrades any 4★ Talent to 5★]
[Crown of Strength 5★
A relic from the Beyond, blessing any who holds it with great power, allowing them to ascend past their limits.
Changes Title to -Ascendant-]
[Crown of Rebirth 5★
A relic from the Beyond, blessing any who holds it with control over causality, one that transcends even the natural order.
Allows the User to revive any Major Character]
I hissed as I read their descriptions. All three crowns were relics entire nations would fight for, and now all three were mine. I gulped slightly as the crowns floated towards me, hovering just above my hands. I stowed the [Crown of Insight] and the [Crown of Rebirth] into my Inventory, leaving only the bright red crown floating before me.
It was the [Crown of Strength] that surprised me most. Because I'd never even heard what a 'Title' was, until I looked back at my status and realized the 'Wanderer' placed right next to my name. I'd always assumed that it was just a summary of my current status, but as it turned out, it was a Title!
[Set Title: -Wanderer-
One who belongs to nowhere. Though you came to this world through means unknown, your journey will span even until the end of time.
No effect applied]
I stared at the [Crown of Strength] for a moment, wondering if I should use it. It didn't really explain what becoming an -Ascendant- meant for me, but I assumed it'd give me strength. But I probably shouldn't use it in Teyvat; there was no telling what attention I'd pull if I did that.
On the other hand, if I used the crown here-
…
I smiled. "Well, all birds must face a storm eventually." I said to myself. I took hold of the red crown, and with a small breath, I placed the crown atop my head.
The moment I did, my vision went white as a bright light expanded across the inverted starry sky.