Chapter 134: Traveler: Me, Fighting the Doctor? Seriously?!

“Nibelungen?” Paimon tilted her head in confusion, unable to recall immediately what the Nibelungen were, but judging from the Traveler’s shocked reaction, she realized it was no ordinary matter.

It sounded familiar. Let me think… I believe I heard of it in Sumeru.

After a brief moment of thought, Paimon finally remembered: the Nibelungen was the King of Kings of Dragons. Shocked, she stomped the air in place and jumped, shouting as she flew, “Nibel… Ow! That hurts!”

She had flown too fast and collided with the ceiling.

“Pft!” Lu Mingze couldn’t help but chuckle, but quickly restrained himself and continued, “That’s right. I am the King of Kings of Dragons, Nibelungen. To be precise, I am the spiritual will of Nibelungen; I have no physical form.”

“Is that so?” The Traveler remained cautious, her guard never dropping.

Behind the Traveler, Paimon shook her head as if trying to shake off the pain, then looked seriously at Lu Mingze. After a moment’s thought, she said, “I get it. You say you’re the spirit of Nibelungen, so you must be some kind of yokai, right?”

“Yokai?” Lu Mingze’s expression stiffened; the comparison stung as if he had been stabbed.

He could never have imagined this fellow would equate him with a yokai. In this world, Nibelungen was the Second Throne and the Third Advent—his spiritual will should never be compared to mere monsters.

He cleared his throat lightly and asked, “How did you come to compare me to a yokai?”

“Not a yokai?” Paimon scratched her head and began pondering with her small, clever mind. “Then you must be a bound spirit! That makes sense!”

“Bound spirit?” Lu Mingze felt a headache coming on. Paimon seemed a bit silly, but that was understandable—after all, she was just emergency rations. No need to be harsh.

“Stop talking; you’re scaring me,” the Traveler said, patting Paimon’s head with a complex smile.

If this golden-haired youth truly was the spirit of Nibelungen, then he likely possessed power capable of instantly killing the Traveler. To liken such an existence to yokai or bound spirits was tantamount to courting death.

Perhaps Paimon was not more afraid because Lu Mingze’s aura was relatively friendly, so she spoke freely without much fear.

Had Paimon faced a more aggressive member of the Fatui, like the Doctor or Childe, she certainly wouldn’t dare speak so casually.

“It’s fine. Talking emergency rations look pretty cute too, don’t they?” Lu Mingze smiled casually, though the grin soon took on a dangerous edge. “Now, let’s consider how to prepare this emergency ration: steamed, braised, or skewered for barbecue? Just thinking about it makes me hungry.”

“Ah!” Paimon hurried behind the Traveler, frightened out of her wits.

‘Emergency ration?’ The Traveler shielded Paimon behind her, her gaze toward Lu Mingze growing increasingly suspicious. The term ‘emergency ration’ was widely used, but if this ‘Nibelungen’ had been trapped here all along, there was no way he could know Paimon’s nickname.

In other words, this Nibelungen might not be the real Nibelungen. The appearance of Nibelungen’s consciousness in the Doctor’s old test site was already absurd—highly abnormal!

“Are you really Nibelungen?” the Traveler squinted, questioning.

“Absolutely genuine,” Lu Mingze replied, gradually emanating a powerful, overwhelming spiritual pressure. The Dragon’s Authority suppressed the five elemental forces within the Traveler, and a pitch-black, terrifying power appeared in her elemental vision.

‘Such a strong sense of oppression!’

The Traveler struggled to resist; her body felt as if sinking into the deep sea under immense pressure. The waves of oppression surged relentlessly but were finely controlled to hover just below her tolerance threshold, maintaining a perfect balance of intimidation.

The mental oppression came swiftly and vanished just as fast. When it lifted, the Traveler was already sweating profusely.

“Traveler, what’s wrong? You’ve looked unwell since earlier,” Paimon asked anxiously.

‘Did she not feel it?’ The Traveler whispered to herself, her wariness toward the golden-haired youth deepening. His precise control of the spiritual pressure, focusing it solely on her and pushing close to her limits, was beyond ordinary capability.

Moreover, he wielded the pitch-black power, a force from beyond this world, and held dominion over all elements—possibly all attributes. Such a being might truly be the spirit of Nibelungen.

“Do you believe me now?” Lu Mingze smiled.

“I believe you,” the Traveler sheathed her sword.

Yet, she did not wholly trust him. After all, she had journeyed through five nations; how could she easily trust anyone? Though his power was exceptional and indeed resembled Nibelungen’s, maintaining caution and skepticism was essential during her travels.

She put away her sword not out of trust, but because resistance was futile; their power disparity was too vast. Better to lower her weapon, listen, and then decide.

“A wise choice,” Lu Mingze chuckled, casually sitting atop a blood-stained vessel. “Do you know why I appeared here?”

“Why?”

“Because an overconfident Fatui operative once tried to study fragments of my remains. My spiritual will arrived and witnessed that infuriating scene.”

His gaze darkened as he continued, “Though I am not a tyrannical, murderous king, that does not mean I am weak or to be trifled with. Perhaps sensing my presence, that fellow fled far away and burned all materials related to that experiment.”

“The Doctor?” the Traveler asked.

“Do you care about the name of an ant? When you see ants in your home, do you think to crush them or sweep them out? Of course not,” Lu Mingze replied dismissively. “I don’t know who he is, but I left a curse on him. The curse will activate if he returns near this country, inflicting unbearable pain and endless torment in fear and confusion.”

“A curse?” The Traveler’s eyes shifted slightly. Indeed, she had sensed the Doctor’s actions that day were somewhat abnormal, though not enough to raise alarms.

She pondered briefly and asked, “You’re so powerful—why not just kill him outright instead of leaving a curse?”

“Because Teyvat’s fate is already woven by Celestia. The Doctor has a grand role to play in the future. Killing him outright would disrupt the tapestry of destiny and draw Celestia’s attention.”

Lu Mingze sighed deeply, his expression mournful.

“Fate?” The Traveler gradually grew more at ease. She had heard of fate—something Celestia used to govern Teyvat’s future.

Now, the apparent Nibelungen had perished; this was only his spiritual form. Perhaps he could evade Celestia’s gaze, but if he acted to alter fate, Celestia would surely detect it. Thus, he would not act directly, only leaving curses.

“What do you intend to do? You won’t just let it go, will you?” the Traveler probed cautiously.

“Of course not. Desecrators deserve the ultimate punishment—and you, Traveler, have been chosen as the executioner,” Lu Mingze said, locking eyes with her.

“Me? To fight the Doctor…” The Traveler’s expression shifted to shock and disbelief. Though somewhat capable, she knew she could never defeat the Fatui’s Second Harbinger head-on. The Fatui’s top three wield godlike powers.

She had even faced the Godlike Scaramouche in Fontaine. She knew well how formidable divine power was—beyond what she could overcome alone.

“You lack confidence to fight the Doctor?” Lu Mingze asked curiously.

“Should I be confident? And you said before the Doctor has a unique role in the future. If I kill him, wouldn’t I risk drawing Celestia’s wrath for you?” the Traveler countered without hesitation.

“Don’t worry. You are the Fourth Adventurer of Teyvat—your existence alone can rewrite fate. So even if you kill the Doctor, it won’t cause problems,” Lu Mingze said with a smile.

In truth, this notion of fate was something he concocted from Focalors’ description. The Doctor’s future role was likewise fabricated.

“Is that so?” The Traveler remained skeptical.

However, she recalled that the Little Dendro Archon said Adventurers do not belong to Teyvat and their information is not recorded by the World Tree. So even if she killed the Doctor, it likely wouldn’t cause trouble. The system that weaves Teyvat’s fate might even be subject to her influence.

So, did Nibelungen choose her precisely because she was an Adventurer? Because only she could kill the Doctor and alter the future?

“Traveler, not all outsiders can be called Adventurers. Only those who witness, record, and design all things are Adventurers. They possess wills and status powerful enough to rival the world itself, able to rewrite Teyvat’s future with their strength and resolve.”

Pausing, Lu Mingze changed the subject. “By the way, you must know about the prophecy that Fontaine will be submerged, the one recently spreading like wildfire there?”

“Yes,” the Traveler nodded slightly.

Though new to Fontaine, the prophecy conveyed by the Hydro Archon through the Judicator at the opera house had swept across the region. Everyone knew of the rising tides and the threat of drowning. Many were striving to change Fontaine’s fate.

Of course, some considered it alarmism, unwilling to believe even the exalted Hydro Archon.

“That too is part of fate—an inevitable future,” Lu Mingze said casually.

“Hm?”

“You heard right. The prophecy about Fontaine’s future is not baseless; it is the future woven by the tapestry of fate. If no one intervenes, Fontaine will truly fall into an irredeemable tragedy,” Lu Mingze explained.

“If Fontaine is truly going to be submerged, aren’t you worried?” the Traveler asked.

“No. I’m only a spirit without a physical body to drown. Besides, it’s the people of Fontaine who will suffer. I am Nibelungen, King of Kings of Dragons. The prophecy contains no role for me, so I need not concern myself.”

Lu Mingze’s words faltered briefly, then a dangerous smile crossed his lips. “What I want is simply for you to kill the Doctor. The truth behind Fontaine’s prophecy is just a bonus incentive. So, won’t you consider accepting?”

The Traveler fell silent for a moment before saying, “I can help you take down the Doctor, but I need to understand more about Fontaine’s prophecy. I want to use my power to save Fontaine and bring salvation to its people.”

“Save Fontaine?” Lu Mingze found it intriguing. Tilting his head, he asked, “You just arrived in Fontaine recently, right? You must be unfamiliar with the people there. Why take it upon yourself to save them?”

“Because… it’s cool!” The Traveler placed her hands confidently on her hips, smiling proudly. “I am the Traveler. I observe this world with my own eyes and change it with my own hands to make it better.”

“Along my journey, I will meet all kinds of friends and face various crises and disasters. But those challenges will be the embellishments of my journey’s glory. I will rewrite everything with my strength and complete a unique journey that belongs only to me. That is the meaning of traveling, and I will never forget it!”

“The meaning of traveling, huh.” Lu Mingze’s gaze brightened slightly. He felt somewhat moved. If he could embark on a journey across Teyvat, that might be a wonderful thing.

Unfortunately, his connection to Teyvat was through Focalors, so he could not stray far and thus could not accompany the Traveler on this journey.

After a brief reflection, Lu Mingze tilted his head and asked, “Your strength isn’t great. How can you be so sure you can change everything? Even as an Adventurer, there must be many things beyond your reach, right?”

“Then I’ll do what I can. There are surely things only I can do. I am an Adventurer, aren’t I?” the Traveler replied with a clear, bright gaze, untainted by doubt or darkness.

She was the Traveler.

(End of chapter)