Chapter 34, Amber: Pew-pew-pew

Jean was delighted to see Lisa’s recovery. "Congratulations, Lisa."

Lisa reached out, and a spark of lightning flickered in her palm. "It seems that everything Ye Yun sells is genuine. Let’s take a look at the 'Wind Spirit Art' first."

Lisa steered the conversation toward the technique, as it was the key to truly strengthening Mondstadt. The Heart of Magic could, at best, restore one's own power, but the strength of a nation did not depend on a single individual; it relied on the collective. Much like the Millelith of Liyue nearby, their overall strength far surpassed that of the other six nations.

Jean opened the "Wind Spirit Art" and displayed it page by page for the others to see. After reading it, Diluc sat cross-legged on the spot, silently reciting the content of the technique. In the stillness, he felt a strange new power emerging within him, flowing through his meridians and gathering at his dantian. The others watched him curiously, not daring to make a sound, fearing they might interrupt his progress.

After more than half an hour, Diluc opened his eyes and let out a sharp shout. A crisp cracking sound emanated from his body, and his aura surged significantly. Amber quickly asked, "How is it? How is it? Did you succeed?"

Diluc slowly stood up. Ignoring her question, he reached out and summoned a ball of Pyro energy. Everyone’s gaze was drawn to the flames in his palm. The next second, as if caught by a breeze, the fire began to rotate and spread rapidly! Jean, a wielder of a Anemo Vision, widened her eyes. This—this was the unique Swirl effect of the Anemo element!

"It worked!"

Diluc nodded slightly. "Yes, according to the records in the manual, I have reached the first level of the Martial Artist realm."

Hearing this, Amber began to imagine herself wielding two elements in the future. "Wow! Doesn't that mean I could shoot an arrow with Pyro and then use Anemo to trigger a Swirl for area-of-effect damage?"

Lisa chuckled. "Theoretically, it is possible."

Amber was overjoyed and pulled Eula aside to sit down and begin practicing. Diluc spoke up, "You all practice; I’ll keep watch." With that, he drew his Favonius Greatsword and leaned against the doorway. Lisa and the others sat cross-legged and began their training.

Outside the window, Venti had been watching for quite some time. "This is interesting. It seems I’ll have to go look for some Primogems myself." Venti transformed into a gentle breeze and departed to hunt for Primogems. Indeed, Venti also wanted to buy things from Ye Yun; as the Anemo Archon of Teyvat, the wind itself was his eyes and ears.

...

More than an hour later, everyone finished their practice. Each person’s progress was different. Surprisingly, Amber was the fastest, taking only ten minutes to reach the first level of the Martial Artist realm. Kaeya was the slowest, taking over an hour.

Kaeya was somewhat frustrated. "Hey, hey, why am I the slowest one?"

Diluc mocked him, "Because someone is an idiot, aren't they?"

Just as Kaeya was about to retort, Lisa interjected, "I think Master Diluc has a point; it likely has to do with talent."

Kaeya considered this, and it seemed to be the only explanation. "No way? Is my talent really the worst among us?"

Amber couldn't believe she had the highest talent. How could that be? Surely Acting Grand Master Jean should be the most talented, given her competence and strength. They couldn't reach a conclusion on how talent was measured. Before long, everyone left Jean’s office to attend to their duties.

After leaving the Knights of Favonius headquarters, Amber and Eula headed straight out of the city. They were going to scavenge for Primogems; they had decided to arrange for two people to collect them every day to purchase goods from Ye Yun.

Arriving at a Hilichurl camp, Amber condensed a powerful surge of Pyro energy at the tip of her arrow, pulled her bow to its full extent, and fired. The arrow sped off, only to be blocked by a Hilichurl Berserker’s shield. The creature gloated, cackling with glee. Amber’s lips curled into a smile. The next second, the Pyro energy on the arrow exploded, swirling rapidly and burning all the surrounding Hilichurls.

At that moment, Eula leaped from the shadows, her greatsword surging with Cryo energy imbued with Anemo. She swung it down, and the Swirled Cryo energy landed on the Hilichurls, dealing massive damage instantly. If this were a game, the screen would be filled with the word "Melt." With one combined strike, the entire Hilichurl tribe was annihilated without a chance to resist.

The two retrieved their weapons and began collecting loot in the center of the camp.

"The 'Wind Spirit Art' is amazing! If it were before, it wouldn't have been this easy to take out a Hilichurl tribe," Amber remarked.

Eula agreed wholeheartedly. With the addition of the Anemo element, her ability to handle groups had improved significantly. Previously, she had relied solely on her ultimate technique for crowd control, but it consumed so much stamina that she would be exhausted after a few uses. Now, simple elemental infusion combined with the "Wind Spirit Art" was enough to achieve powerful crowd-clearing effects. Paired with a good teammate like Amber, who could trigger elemental reactions, it was truly remarkable.

After clearing the battlefield and gathering the Primogems—it was a mystery why these Hilichurls loved collecting them so much; a single camp usually yielded at least a hundred, sometimes over three hundred—Amber patted the bag to ensure nothing would spill. "Done! Eula, let’s hurry to the next camp. Let’s finish the mission quickly so we can go back and practice!"

Eula gave a cold snort, lifting her chin with a haughty air. "I don't want to practice with you. I’m going home to practice by myself."

Amber giggled and hugged Eula. "No, no~ I just want to practice with you~ Hee hee, it’s decided!"

Eula turned her face away, acting aloof. "I’ll remember this grudge! You actually decided for me, hmph!"

With that, the two continued toward the next Hilichurl camp. These locations were marked on their map, which was updated daily with intelligence from adventurers and the Knights of Favonius.

...

At night, Diluc left his tavern and traveled to an Abyss Order stronghold in the wilderness. He straightened his cuffs and drew his Favonius Greatsword. "I had intended to keep you around to catch bigger fish, but for now, you will serve as my whetstone."

Diluc gripped the greatsword with both hands. Violent Pyro and Anemo energy surged around him, swirling and rotating around the blade.

"Dawn! Judgment!"

"Roar!"