"There aren't many people these days who dare to voice their own theories out loud."
Albedo's expression was calm and sincere, with not even a hint of mockery in his eyes. Clearly, he meant what he said.
"You've got a point." Jiang Bai felt a bit consoled.
Thinking back on Zhongli's reaction, it didn't seem so unreasonable now—he'd just been overthinking it and piling too much drama on top.
What had Zhongli said back then? Something about being able to "boldly hypothesize and make rational deductions." That was clearly a compliment!
Why should he feel embarrassed just because he got it wrong?
Mister Zhongli had clearly been encouraging him!
Wait—he remembered another thing Zhongli said. That this continent held countless stories, just buried by time. Maybe Jiang Bai really could unearth some of those long-forgotten tales.
Who knew what kind of stories this ancient, ruined kingdom before him might hold?
Jiang Bai was the very picture of someone who blossomed at the first sign of praise. Albedo's encouragement had him feeling confident again—like he could do anything.
As they chatted, the two reached the statue.
The posture of the Anemo Statue was completely different from that of the Geo one. This god had great wings folded behind its back, draped in flowing robes as it stood atop a stone column, hands gently cradling a softly glowing blue orb.
"Try touching the statue," Albedo suggested.
"Just touch it? That simple?" Jiang Bai felt it seemed a little too straightforward.
"If you gained the Geo element by touching a special Geo construct, then maybe the Anemo Statue will have a similar effect."
Albedo didn't know what method might let Jiang Bai gain elemental power. All he could do was try them one by one.
Unlike Geo, wind had no form—nothing tangible Jiang Bai could grab hold of.
"Give it a try. If it doesn't work, we'll try something else."
"Alright." Jiang Bai stepped forward and placed his hand on the statue.
He had intended to activate this ley line anchor anyway—if gaining Anemo control came as a bonus, even better.
A sensation spread through him—eerily similar to what he'd felt when he touched the Geo essence created by Zhongli.
He felt the wind.
It was as if he'd entered a world made entirely of air. The breeze lifted his hair and tugged at his clothes, sending them fluttering in the gusts.
And then, he seemed to become part of the wind itself, as light as a feather—
Floating freely on the currents, never still, never stopping.
He was one thread among a thousand winds, rushing past lakes, over mountains, across seas—free, unbound.
It felt like an instant—or perhaps an eternity—before Jiang Bai returned to himself, a sphere of wind forming in his hand.
"I think… I think I've gained control of Anemo," he said, staring at the swirling orb in disbelief.
If simply touching a statue allowed him to control a new element, then theoretically… all he had to do was visit each god's land and give their statue a tap, and he'd be set?
Compared to the people here, who relied on Visions to access elemental energy, his method was practically a cheat code.
Albedo checked and nodded. "It seems you really have."
A moment later, he posed a new question. "Can you use Anemo and Geo at the same time?"
"I don't know. Let me try."
This was Jiang Bai's first attempt at using two elements simultaneously—he wasn't sure if it would work.
He formed a sphere of wind in one hand and summoned rock in the other. Neither resisted. No conflict. No failure to activate.
"It works!" he exclaimed.
Whether it was Anemo or Geo, he could wield both with complete ease—like extending his own limbs.
Watching the twin elements gather in Jiang Bai's hands, Albedo rested his chin in thought once again.
"If two elements are compatible… then perhaps three… even all seven could be as well…"
If Jiang Bai could eventually command all seven elements, wouldn't that make him equivalent to a god? Maybe even more than a god?
"Have you ever seen anyone—person or creature—who could use more than one element at once?" Jiang Bai asked, curious.
He wanted to know whether this made him unique—if it was something only someone "from beyond" like him could do—or if others had achieved the same.
Albedo nodded. "I have. Most of the Fatui Harbingers from Snezhnaya can use two, sometimes more, elemental forces."
"There are also some large Geovishaps that can shift between multiple elements. Though whether they can use more than one simultaneously is still under research…"
As the top alchemist of the Knights of Favonius, Albedo had naturally encountered the Fatui and studied their capabilities.
But their methods weren't alchemical—they fell outside his field of expertise. And information about their inner workings was so classified, even within the Fatui, it was out of reach.
"I've heard our Director mention that they—what are they called again, Fatui?—can use elemental power even without Visions?"
"Yes. They developed something called Delusions. With them, ordinary people can wield elemental power. But the price… is steep."
"What kind of price?"
Jiang Bai didn't know much about the Fatui. He'd never seen them, never interacted with them. Just heard the name a few times in passing.
He assumed they were a national organization, like the Millelith in Liyue or the Knights of Favonius in Mondstadt.
From what he understood, those who had Visions were rare.
So if every Fatui soldier could be outfitted with a Delusion, wouldn't that make Snezhnaya the most powerful nation of all seven?
Still… in a world ruled by gods, could mortal power truly rival the divine?
"Delusions consume life force. Using one can cause a healthy man to age rapidly, even wither into an old man in a short span… and then die."
"Yikes… that's a serious cost." Jiang Bai clicked his tongue.
It was like burning your own life to wield power.
"If they use Delusions throughout the army, wouldn't the casualty rate be insanely high? Or is there a way to avoid it?"
Albedo shook his head. "There's no way to bypass the life-draining cost. That's why most of their soldiers use elemental weapons crafted by Snezhnaya instead."
Jiang Bai had never seen a Fatui soldier, and Albedo couldn't describe the exact weapons they used. So the topic drifted away quickly.
"Now that I've got control over Anemo, what kind of research do you want to do next?"
"No rush. Experimentation takes time. I need to observe your condition up close before I can design the right protocols."
Jiang Bai glanced at the sky—without realizing it, dusk had already begun to fall.
Another day… already gone.