บท 201: Chapter 201: Stone Gate
Liyue, Stone Gate
As the bustling transportation hub between the two nations, Stone Gate is teeming with life, where one can often see people wearing clothing from different countries.
It's not just Liyue and Mondstadt.
There are also people from Inazuma, Sumeru, Fontaine, and other countries.
They are probably merchants or tourists, which is why they've come to Stone Gate, a relatively prosperous transportation hub.
After all, this is the last town before Liyue when traveling from Mondstadt and the first town when traveling from Liyue to Mondstadt.
Regardless of the direction one travels next, stopping here to rest and replenish supplies is a must.
After Nolan and Lumine ran away from the teleport waypoint, they first took a stroll around Stone Gate.
They had some snacks and drank a bowl of tea at a tea stand.
Then they prepared to continue their journey to Liyue Harbor.
Following the passersby, they walked along the dirt road heading towards Liyue Harbor.
Their next destination was Dihua Marsh, a wild area but close enough to Stone Gate with frequent traffic, likely having inns or something similar.
If they could reach it within the day, they wouldn't have to camp outdoors.
At this moment.
Nolan and his companions noticed a crowd gathered by the roadside, creating quite a commotion.
"What are they doing there? Should we go take a look?"
Paimon, hovering in mid-air, pointed curiously at the scene.
She was someone who enjoyed joining in on lively scenes. Nolan and Lumine also became slightly interested, so they approached to see what was going on.
"Come one, come all, folks! Come and see!"
"Get your fortunes told by a half-immortal, accurate readings for everything. If it's not accurate, you don't have to pay. We do this not for profit but to help people.
"If you're facing any difficulties, just speak up!"
A middle-aged man with a gray square hat, a black mustache, and a long beard on his chin was sitting behind a stall, shouting out to the crowd.
On either side of him stood two flags, one on the left and one on the right, each bearing the inscription:
[Lord Emperor's True Disciple]
[A Wonderer Half-Adepti]
Seeing this, Paimon exclaimed in surprise, "W-What?! We haven't even reached Liyue Harbor yet, and we've already coincidentally encountered a disciple of the Divine Geo Emperor!"
Hearing Paimon, Lumine couldn't help but put her hands on her hips and sigh. It was obvious this was a scam, yet Paimon, the fool, believed it.
Nolan also nodded in agreement.
How could one easily encounter an adept? Moreover, doing fortune-telling so openly in public.
Speaking of which, this guy is really daring, actually using the name of the Geo Archon to deceive people.
"Are you really a half-adepti?"
Of course, not everyone could see through such a simple scam. For example, an elderly woman with white hair among the onlookers showed a skeptical expression and asked.
"Yes, we've never heard of the Lord Emperor having any true disciples!"
A middle-aged woman, dressed in traditional Liyue-style clothing, was clearly doubtful.
Their skepticism caused more people to show doubtful expressions. Although many of them were elderly and not well-educated, they weren't easily fooled by just anyone.
"Sigh!"
The middle-aged man who claimed to be a disciple of the Geo Archon rubbed his long chin beard and smiled gently, shaking his head:
"You don't understand the details, so I don't blame you for your offense.
"If you have doubts, then let me tell you the story of how I became a disciple of the Lord Emperor."
His confident demeanor seemed to convince the crowd a bit, and out of curiosity, they gestured for him to continue.
The middle-aged man with the gray square hat continued to stroke his beard, squinting his eyes and smiling as if he were speaking with insight:
"That year, I was just a child.
"There was a flood in Guili Plains, and the muddy, yellow water submerged my village.
"Fortunately, it was discovered early, so there were no casualties, but the village's crops were washed away, leaving nothing."
At this point, the man paused, wiping the tears from the corners of his eyes.
Seeing his dramatic performance, Nolan almost believed him if he hadn't seen such tactics on the internet before.
"Oh, so sad! If the crops are gone, won't there be no food for the whole year? Right?"
Paimon, along with some of the elderly onlookers, seemed moved by the man's story, and the crowd grew quieter.
Perhaps they had faced similar experiences in the past.
"Because there was no food, the villagers had no choice but to abandon their young and ignorant children in the wilderness to fend for themselves, and I was one of them."
The middle-aged man paused briefly before continuing.
"What?!"
"How could this happen? It's so pitiful, how could young children survive in the wild like that?"
The onlookers, both old and young, started to discuss fervently.
The middle-aged man took note of everyone's reactions with disdain in his eyes, sneering inwardly: 'What a bunch of fools. You deserve to be deceived.'
As a professional scammer, using people's empathy was the most basic tactic he mastered.
He continued to feign pity and said, "Sigh, if things had continued like that, me and my fellow villagers might not have survived the first night, and would have been eaten by monsters and beasts."
"And then what happened?" A young boy who had come out to play with his grandmother curiously asked.
The middle-aged man adjusted his gray square hat and continued to narrate:
"Yes, what happened next was just as you imagine. Frightening-looking monsters appeared, intending to devour me and my fellow villagers!
"And then.
"A divine dragon, radiating a dazzling golden light, was drawn down by our cries. With two gusts of breath from its nostrils, it blew the monsters to dust. Yes, it was our beloved Lord Emperor!"
"A Divine Dragon! Indeed it's our Lord Emperor!" The young boy's eyes seemed to sparkle with golden light.
No one in Liyue dared to impersonate Lord Emperor, so everyone began to believe him a little more. Seeing this, the middle-aged man continued:
"Afterwards, Lord Emperor took pity on us, brought us to his training ground, and accepted us as disciples."
"And among us, I was the most intelligent, which is why I became his true disciple. As for where the training ground is and how to learn the Adeptus Arts, I cannot divulge, as it involves Lord Emperor's secrets!"
"I see, so you really are a true disciple of Lord Emperor, and even after learning, you do fortune-telling for free, choosing to give back to the world. That's truly magnificent!"
The speaker was a young man in the crowd wearing a red headband, looking somewhat excited.
Nolan raised an eyebrow. Seriously? It's one thing for the elderly and children to be easily deceived, but you're so young and you believe this?
Moreover, this storytelling is too forced, not natural at all.
(End of Chapter/Volume 3: Jade Chamber Starts)
Quick Question Guyz!
The knowledge about adepts is known to everyone? I mean normal people at least know they exist, right?
Note!
Lord Emperor = Geo Archon = Divine Dragon, it's not hard to guess, I guess 😅
Also, as the old arc is now ended I want to take a short break, and focus on my new Pokemon story.
See yaa sooon...
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