dmims Page 16
Page 16
[Task Rewards: 1 million Mora, 10,000 points, 5,000 experience points, and one randomly assigned keyword]
Lu Lin opened the system and found that there was a special panel in the section for new members.
[Member to be Joined: Gui Zhong]
[Soul integrity: 0.01%]
[Note: This member is in a remnant soul state and has not yet officially joined the game; no other data is available at this time.]
So there was actually a wisp of a departed soul inside that green orb?
It's quite remarkable that a remnant soul with only 0.01% integrity has been preserved until now without dissipating.
This revival mission is very difficult, as can be seen from the generous rewards. The most crucial thing is that no one has told me how to repair her remnant soul!
Forget it, there's always a way out. There's no point in guessing here. It's getting late, I should go to sleep!
......
After leaving the Dust Song Pot, Ningguang didn't waste a moment and went straight back to the Jade Pavilion.
"Lady Ningguang is back. Shall we prepare her for a bath?" Baishi was in charge of her daily life today.
"No rush. Bring the brazier I usually use to burn important documents to my bedroom. Then you go out and don't let anyone in." Ningguang's face was cold and stern. Bai Shi dared not delay and immediately did as she was told.
In the bedroom, Ningguang sat in front of the brazier and lit the film negative that Lu Lin had given her without hesitation.
But when she picked up a picture card to drop in, she hesitated for a moment.
To be fair, these photos are perfectly taken, capturing Ningguang's elegant temperament and exquisite charm to the fullest extent, making them true works of art.
Even Ningguang herself felt it was a bit of a waste to just burn it like that.
No, no, what am I thinking? I actually want to keep the pictures that that shameless bastard took?!
She picked up the picture as if to burn it, but then put it down.
On the other hand, the pictures are all in my hands now. I can keep them for my own enjoyment. Is that a bad thing?
Ningguang, when did you become so narcissistic?
Just as she was debating whether to burn it, she caught a glimpse of another picture out of the corner of her eye, and her pupils immediately constricted!
There's something wrong with this picture!
Chapter Twenty-Eight: The Discovery and Changes of Ningguang
Lu Lin took quite a few pictures, some before the strawberry planting and some after, totaling ten. But he really didn't keep any for himself, giving them all to Ningguang.
That's why Ningguang discovered the problem.
She picked up two pictures and compared them side by side. The two pictures were taken from similar angles, and the resulting images were almost identical.
The only difference is that one picture shows strawberries on a snow-capped mountain, while the other only shows red plum blossoms against the snow.
Most importantly, her expression is exactly the same in both pictures!
She looked through each picture, and although the angles were different, her expression was exactly the same in all of them!
How could they be exactly the same?
Lifting her clothes, taking pictures, planting hickeys, taking pictures again—how much time must have passed in between, and how could she maintain the same expression without changing?
Like a sculpture, standing there at will.
Ningguang had speculated about Lu Lin's methods, initially thinking they involved memory erasure or hypnosis, but now it seemed that wasn't the case at all.
This situation is more like time freezing at this moment!
Stop time? That's an incredible ability; even gods and immortals couldn't do it, right?
Even if I get back the pictures and negatives using such unpredictable methods, what can I do? He wants to take another set, and I'm still powerless to resist!
No wonder he handed everything over so readily.
Thinking of this, Ningguang felt a strong sense of powerlessness wash over her, and at this moment she truly felt despair.
The best course of action now is to avoid meeting him again. As long as we don't meet, even if we have some tricks up our sleeves, he won't have the chance to use them on us.
Looking at the exquisitely beautiful picture in her hand, Ningguang's thoughts drifted, and she recalled the scene of being embraced and kissed by Lu Lin in the Chenge Pot just now.
If only he weren't such a jerk...
She sighed softly, found an exquisite box, put all the pictures inside, locked it, and placed it next to her pillow.
......
Lu Lin was unaware that a few pictures had allowed Ningguang to deduce his abilities and had also dealt a blow to her mentality. He slept soundly until dawn.
On the first day of the new year, Lu Lin went to the Hall of Rebirth early in the morning.
The Seven Stars Invitation Ceremony was about to begin, and Gan Yu had a lot of work piled up that she hadn't finished, so Lu Lin didn't bother her and prepared to go find Hu Tao to play with.
Unfortunately, Hu Tao was also not there. Wang Sheng Tang had taken on a job, and Hu Tao set off for Qing Ce Zhuang early in the morning.
Everyone was working diligently, so Lu Lin didn't want to disturb them. He strolled over and arrived at Wanmin Hall.
Why do I feel like a lazy bum who's doing nothing?
However, the Summoning Ceremony is about to begin, and the Traveler Luminous will soon arrive at Liyue Harbor, so he will have something important to do.
Inside the Wanmin Hall, Xiangling, dressed smartly and carrying a bamboo basket, looked ready to go out.
Good morning, Xiangling. Where are you headed?
"Good morning, Brother Lu. I'm going to look for some special ingredients near Cuijue Slope to research new dishes," Xiangling said energetically.
"I happen to have some free time and I'd like to explore the famous mountains and rivers of Liyue. How about we go together?" Lu Lin suggested.
With the arrival of Hu Tao and Ning Guang yesterday, we are only one member away from completing the task of having four members join. Lu Lin came to see Xiang Ling, hoping to build a closer relationship and trick the girl into joining Chen Ge Hu as well.
Going on a trip together is a great opportunity to strengthen your relationship.
But Xiangling hesitated. The scene she witnessed in the private room yesterday was still vivid in her mind, causing a great conflict with her values.
Although Lu Lin explained afterwards that they were truly in love, isn't your sincerity a bit excessive?
So although the little girl didn't have any ill feelings towards Lu Lin, she couldn't help but feel a little bit of fear.
What should I do if he treats me like that too?
Along with fear, there was also a little curiosity and anticipation.
Hu Tao and Sister Gan Yu both seemed to be enjoying themselves so much, so what exactly did it feel like?
"Hmm, why are you daydreaming?" Lu Lin waved his hand in front of her, bringing her back to her senses.
"Um...sorry for daydreaming. Traveling together is no problem, let's go!" The girl snapped out of her reverie, gave an awkward smile, and ran ahead to lead the way.
The girl skipped and hopped ahead, full of energy, while Lu Lin followed steadily, chatting about everything under the sun.
"I heard you went to Mondstadt recently in search of special ingredients and even ran into that blond traveler?"
"Yes, yes, it was amazing! When Ying and I were looking for ingredients, we came across a Cryo-Tree. After killing the Cryo-Tree, we even rescued a person who had been frozen for three hundred years and a wild boar..."
Xiangling enthusiastically recounted her experiences in Mondstadt, her adventures with Ying, the special ingredients she found, and the tense cooking battles, among other things, and seemed quite pleased with herself.
"The wild boar meat frozen for three hundred years helped you win the cooking duel, so when you heard that there is a Blazing Tree in Cuijue Slope, you wanted to see if there were any special ingredients nearby that could be used as cooking materials?"
"Yes, there are usually some unique plants near elemental creatures like these. Maybe there will be a surprise!"
Xiangling, who believes that "food should not be divided into noble and lowly!", has always been pursuing new breakthroughs in cooking.
Ice Mist Flowers, Slime Condensate, strange insects, wild boars frozen for three hundred years, and even the wooden sticks in the hands of Hilichurls are all usable materials in her eyes.
This time, she set her sights on the Blazing Tree of Cuijue Slope!
Lu Lin suddenly regretted coming out with Xiang Ling. Was he going to be asked to be a food taster later?
Cuijue Slope is located in the northwest of Tianheng Mountain. It is a remote place, rarely visited by anyone except adventurers. The two hiked for almost a whole day because it was quite far.
In fact, Lu Lin had tried it and he was able to use the teleportation anchor, but most Teyvats did not know the purpose of this ancient device, and only a very small number of Eye of Gods possessed it.
Although Xiangling possesses the Eye of God, she is unable to use the teleportation anchor point, so the two of them can only walk all the way to Cuijue Slope.
"Finally here! Blazing Tree, here I come!" The two crossed a mountain and saw a strangely shaped, fiery red tree in the valley below.
The two quickly descended into the valley and walked up to the big tree.
The area is rich in fire element, and even people like Lu Lin and Xiang Ling, who can control fire elemental power, felt a bit of heat.
Strictly speaking, the Blazing Tree can no longer be considered an ordinary plant, but rather a sentient elemental creature. Sensing the approach of the two, it reacted immediately.
A large amount of fire element gathered at the tree crown, and a pillar of fire shot out!
"Watch out!" Lu Lin's perception of elemental power had surpassed that of Xiang Ling, a possessor of the Eye of God! Before she could react, he grabbed her and rolled away to dodge the attack.
Chapter Twenty-Nine: How should Xiangling be cooked?
"Wow! What fierce ingredients!" The two rolled around on the ground a few times, and Xiangling exclaimed in surprise.
She often searches for ingredients all over the mountains and fields, and has encountered situations even more dangerous than this. At this moment, she is not afraid at all, but rather eager to try.
The menacing Flame Tree might already be a delicious dish in her eyes; she's already decided whether to serve it with salt and pepper or braised!
After the fire pillar attack missed, the Blazing Tree raised its huge crown and spewed fireballs at Lu Lin and the others.
Lu Lin flicked his fingers repeatedly, and an ice wall formed from condensed ice elemental power appeared in front of the two of them, blocking the fireballs that kept coming.
Using the ice wall as cover, the two continued forward, enduring fireballs one after another. Xiangling shouted excitedly, "I see it! There's nectar inside that big flower in the tree canopy!"
“Okay, let’s push it a little further. Find an opportunity to cut the flower down.” Lu Lin’s tone became excited as well.
He continuously poured ice elemental power into the ice shield, quickly advancing to the front of the Blazing Tree.
"There's a chance!" After continuously spewing fireballs for a long time, the elemental power of the Blazing Tree was clearly not keeping up, resulting in a brief gap.
Xiangling was also very experienced in combat. She seized the fleeting opportunity and leaped into the air. In mid-air, she charged up her spear and swept it horizontally. The tip of the spear precisely sliced through the large flower crown on the treetop, and then flicked it lightly!
"Success!" Xiangling landed steadily. Her marksmanship was also superb. She pinned the flower crown to the tip of her spear without spilling a single drop of nectar.
The Flame Tree, having lost its flower crown, immediately wilted and lost all its previous vitality.
"Hmm~ This tree is still alive, but its vitality will be greatly reduced after losing its flower crown. Let's keep it. We can come back to collect the flower crown when it grows back."
Xiangling seems to understand the concept of sustainable development quite well, and Lu Lin gives her a thumbs up.
Fiery Tree: You'd better behave yourself!
Having obtained the most exquisite flower crown, the two left the valley and found an open space outside to set up their tent.
Actually, they could have gone back to Chengehu to rest at night, but when you go out to play, you can't go camping. It's more fun to have the sky as your blanket and the earth as your bed!
The two had a clear division of labor: Lu Lin was in charge of setting up the tent, while Xiang Ling lit a campfire and prepared a meal.
"Mmm! The nectar tastes really good! Sweet and spicy. So this is what the nectar of the Blazing Flame Tree tastes like. I have to write it down!" Xiangling dipped her finger in the nectar, took a small sip, and started writing it down in a notebook.
The notebook was filled with dense writing, all of which were records of formulas and effects she had developed herself.
Stir-fried lizard with fresh flowers, slime fried rice, grilled rock lizard...
Good heavens, the names all sound like bizarre dishes. Lu Lin glanced at them and couldn't help but worry about his dinner tonight.
No, I need to ask first, so I can be mentally prepared.
"Xiangling, how do you plan to cook these ingredients?"
"Hmm~ Let me think... I brought a piece of fresh lean meat, I can try grilling it. Also, we collected a lot of slime condensate from eliminating slimes along the way, can we make a cold dish or soup?"
Let's use the flower petals to make the soup, and the nectar is best for cold dishes. That's settled!
Xiangling, as expected of the head chef of Wanmintang, quickly came up with several dishes, but Lu Lin's face immediately fell when he heard about the slime liquid.
Is this edible?
Seeing Lu Lin's troubled expression, Xiang Ling giggled and patted her small chest, saying, "Don't worry, Brother Lu Lin, the taste will definitely be great!"
Lu Lin was skeptical, but since she was a chef, he decided to trust her this once and see.
Xiangling was skilled; she first skewered the meat and set it up to start grilling. Lu Lin couldn't help with other things, but he could help turn the meat around.
Xiangling set up a makeshift stove next to her, propped up a small pot, and began making the Flaming Flower Soup.