The next day, Feng proceeds to wander around and gather information. He doesn't know wtf to do right now. Exploring: luck of Bennett that finds nothing. Mining: real-life mountain physics. Fishing: H2O PTSD.
Yes, it's still going, Feng didn't hear no apologies from that water slime. What do you mean it's dead? What does that matter?
Seemingly out of options, Feng tinkers with his Power Menu. Still blurry, and still fiery. From the look of it, not all items in Terraria are researched.
As for Genshin items: Mora, no result, primogems, no result, resin, no result. In fact, the power menu doesn't contain anything from Genshin Impact.
Feng tries to research, but it doesn't seem to be working. It's almost as if this Power Menu is a feature that was forcibly amalgamated into his Block System, but isn't entirely compatible. A sigh escapes Feng's mouth as he once again worries for his life. If this journey mode is not working properly, he can't guarantee that he isn't currently in hardcore.
Thus, for the sake of safety, Feng plans to continue acting as if he only has one life; that respawning after death isn't an option.
Feng tinkers further: nothing else in this power menu works. No going god mode, no changing weather, no altering time, no adjusting mob spawn rate.
Maybe.
Feng can't be too sure yet, as all those buttons are present, but activating them ignites flames on himself that are too much for him to bear.
This presents a problem when Feng realizes that he has used up all of his carrots. In other words, his Unreal Celebration Mk2 is once again out of ammo.
Terraria has carrots as well, but they aren't food or rockets. They are instead, mounts. Not that it matters, Feng doesn't have them researched either.
It'd appear that right now, this Power Menu is best for obtaining pre-hardmode consumable items: mainly potions. However, the price is heavy. Feng isn't even confident that he's able to get more than 2 bottles of anything without being burned to ashes.
The series of tests that Feng has been doing periodically caused him to erupt in flames of various colors. This sure scared many people who just left their stone huts.
Perhaps the new Archon is still angry about their behaviors from yesterday.
Feng is, naturally, not holding anything against those people. He would have left with Corcell at midnight yesterday if it weren't for her warning.
One may find it strange that Feng is going to such lengths for those people. To be honest, Feng does as well. Pre-reincarnation, Feng never thought that he cared this much about strangers. But seeing families who have lost their homes from war wandering in the wild, actually seeing them in front of him, as opposed to only on the internet, feels very different.
Feng is simply lending a helping hand, just as many people naturally would. The key difference is simply that thanks to his Block System, Feng is able to provide a lot more help than a person would ordinarily be able to.
Corcell's question kept Feng awake last night. Should he help, or should he walk away?
Ultimately, he decided that Feng would warn Havria and her people of the upcoming disaster.
If you knew that a town is gonna be hit by an earthquake, you'd inform the town.
After that, perhaps he'll help with some simple tasks to assist in evacuation, but Feng won't be doing too much else for them.
Helping usually means giving, but givers should have their limits because the takers seldom do.
The sun has risen, casting elongated shadows for the numerous short huts on a flattened field sandwiched by a mountain and a sea.
Feng stops his experiments and heads into a hut.
In a slightly bigger stone hut around the middle of the newly emerged town, Corcell Feng and Havria are each sitting around a small crafting bench.
Feng has no material to craft proper furniture. That crafting bench was all he had after most of the wood was spent on crafting doors.
“Corcell, what disaster did you sense last night?” Feng inquires.
Havria gives a worried look. It's difficult for her to accept that after all those travels to escape from the other Archons, eventually, disaster will still hit.
Corcell has transformed back into how she looked when she first met Feng.
“An Archon.” Corcell says. “One that's of the sea.”
“And what was up with your look last night?” Feng asks.
“Battle stance. It was a bluff though” Corcell answers. “Just as clouds are white during the sunny days, and dark when it rains, my appearance will shift based on my state.”
“Was the Archon close enough to battle last night?” Feng asks in disbelief. He can't imagine what he could have done had an Archon struck last night.
“It was.” Corcell says as she steps towards the window of the hut. The windows of those buildings are literally a square hole carved out of the walls. Feng doesn't have any sand to make glass.
“That Archon isn't alone. Last night, I felt it circling in the ocean, sometimes peaking at us before turning back to deeper water. It's as if it wanted to attack, but was also waiting for something.” Corcell continues, staring sternly at the ocean.
“What was it waiting for?” Havria asks in a slightly shaky voice.
“I'm guessing a partner.” Corcell deduces.
Feng is deep in thought. He is trying to remember what Archon could that have been. Feng played Genshin Impact, but he didn't necessarily go digging into the lore of the game. That said, characters from the gameplay were comparatively easier to remember.
For example, Feng eventually remembers who Havria is. A kind, but weak Archon who could only run away when enemies approached. In the end, she perished.
During the war, powerlessness makes you the prey, and kindness would only make you a fresher piece of meat.
Does Feng wish to alter her fate now that he has reincarnated?
Definitely no, what really can he do with his carrot launcher while having no carrots?
On the other hand, the Ocean Archon that Feng knows the best is Osial. The Hydro Hydra thing that got nuked when the human Dropped an enormous floating building on it that somehow exploded.
“An Archon who lives in the sea and has a partner. Any ideas?” Feng has a guess as to who that is, but he also wants to hear from the two girls.
Corcell isn't too sure, as she seldom gazes into the ocean. While it's true that she can control the Hydro element, she spends most of her time in the sky with the clouds instead down in the sea.
Havria, on the other hand, can only think of one Archon: “I have heard of an Ocean Serpent named Chi. But that serpent should be thousands of miles away from where we are.”
Feng has absolutely no idea who that Chi is, but from the sound of it, it doesn't fit the criteria.
“I know of a couple: the Vortex Archon Osial and his wife Baisht.” Feng proposes. “two water dragon fish thingies each with 5 heads.”
“Osial?” Corcell remarks.
“You know him?”
“Heard of him. Thousands of years ago, the land where we are currently at was the ocean. The Vortex Archon would often decimate nearby villages and harbors. The Geo Archon has been in conflict with it to protect his citizens, literally terraforming the land to shift the border of the ocean. The Mt. Tianheng where we fought the Cultist was created by Morax himself.” Corcell explains.
When the heavenly principle announced the start of the Archon War, disasters soon spread like a forest fire across the world of Teyvat. Feats like that of Morax's have been known by many, even the Goddess who lives above the clouds.
Feng has a weird taste in his mouth. He vaguely knows Zhongli's lore from his gameplay, but witnessing firsthand the sheer size of that mountain and digging into it, Feng can't believe something that enormous was created and moved by a single entity.
What kind of world-shifting forces is he going to have to face being in this world that he has reincarnated into?
Will the Zenith, the most powerful weapon in Terraria, even be as menacing as a plastic knife in front of those Archons?
Worries and doubts appear in Feng's mind, but he eventually omits them all. He looks sternly at Havria and says: “If that Archon really is Osial and Baisht, then I won't have the power to stop them. Once they appear, they'd for sure wreak havoc upon you all.”
Lights begin to fade from Havria's eyes.
“So basically what I'm saying is that you need to gather your people and leave this place.” Feng says.
“I don't think I can.” Havria says.
Corcell skeptically crosses her arm and retorts: “How come? Aren't you their Archon? How is it that you have so little control over your own believers?”
In a bittersweet smile, Havria answers: “Those believers haven't been with me for too long. They come from various places, and we're once believers of other Archons.”
Feng and Corcell remain silent, signifying Havria to continue.
“Numerous Gods have fallen during this war. When they do, the godless believers are left to fend for themselves. In this day and age, humans simply do not have what it takes to survive in this harsh world. They do not have the strength to rival the monsters, sharp teeth and claws to match that of the beasts, power and abilities equal to the gods, or the resiliency to live in the wild, now that the world is a battlefield.”
Feng thinks back to his own world. While yes, in that world, humans are at the top of the food chain, for the vast majority of human history, life wasn't very safe.
Diseases and natural disasters, for example, are significant problems even to modern humans, never mind people from an earlier age with less advanced technologies.
And what's more, here in Teyvat, humans have to deal with literal gods and monsters.
“Humans are lovable creatures.” Havria continues, “Throughout the war, I've taken in many who have lost their gods as my own. But I can't provide them safety like Morax. I'm not powerful enough. And therefore, I lead them away from conflicts, and in search of anywhere safe to settle in.”
“And that's why you have lost multiple territories in the past.” Corcell remarks, remembering the Salt Archon's reply to her question yesterday.
“And that’s why, I’m afraid that they won’t want to leave, now that you have given them a home here.” Havria says to Feng. She is slowly beginning to be less formal around him.
“Where are you all heading on this path?” Feng asks.
“I'm planning to see if Morax would take us in. Even if I have to be a lowly subordinate to the Geo Archon, even if my people fall to the lowest class in his territory, at least that way, they'll be safe.” Havria replies. She's squeezing her words out through gritted teeth.
She truly wishes the best to all who follow her, but she is simply powerless when facing all the more powerful foes out there. If possible, she dreams of giving her people what Morax has given the people in Liyue. But she can't.
“That wasn't what I was asking.” Feng's voice suddenly cuts off Havria's melonconny. “Havria, what I meant was: to where are you leading your people with your current approach? If your only actions are to escape and hide, succumbing to and handing away your territory to whoever you encounter, what would happen to those people when you've reached the point where there's nothing else you can give out?”
Feng's words strike like a dagger straight to what Havria's most afraid to think of. She isn't stupid; such a simple concept is easily understandable, but she dares not to think of it. After all, as an Archon, Havria doesn't even have any way to dish out an attack.
“I knew of an Archon in my past.” Feng begins to narrate. “A kind Archon who looked after her people. However, though she was kind, she was also weak. Facing against the other gods, that Archon could not have done anything but to endlessly run away, succumbing to every enemy. Eventually, the Archon, who has lost all of her territory, led her citizens into an underground city, their last sanctuary.”
Havria raises her head and looks at Feng. She is almost certain that the Archon Feng's talking about is herself; she too has led her people underground before. However, that period of underground wasn't their last sanctuary. They eventually left. Hearing Feng's story, Havria feels as if this young man before her has seen her future.
The thought causes the Salt Archon's hands to tremble.
“That Archon thought, that by avoiding conflicts, avoiding participating in the war, they'd eventually come out safe. That if she can give away the territory that the other Archons want, she and her people can remain unscathed. But what the Archon had failed to comprehend was just how cruel and uncaring a war can be.”
Corcell too is staring unmoving at Feng. She didn't expect him, a human, to have grasped the meaning of this war.
“In a war, where everyone is fending for themselves, no one needs any reason to destroy another. No one will negotiate or ask your permission to wipe you out.” Feng's tone is turning more serious as time goes by.
Havria is taking in every word, as if she can extract, from within them, a path deviated from her own inevitable demise. Just then, a question from Feng completely cuts off Havria's brainstorm.
“What do you think eventually happened to that Archon?”
Havria is baffled by the sudden question. She is now certain that Feng is talking about herself. What does she think will happen to her eventually if she continues to run away from everything? Finally, she accepts her situation and faces the thoughts that she has been avoiding thinking all those years.
“How else?” Havria lowers her head and lets out. “An Archon who has lost everything will eventually die at the hands of the last foe whom she can no longer run away from. When she has nothing left to give up, the only thing she can still offer would be her own life.”
Corcell crosses her arms and closes her eyes. A moment of thinking later, she nods in agreement.
“Fortunately and unfortunately, that wasn’t how the Archon I’m talking about ended.” Feng says.
Havria suddenly looks up, and Corcell’s eyes spring open. The two now no longer know where Feng is heading with his story.
“In her underground palace, the citizens had realized that their Archon was no longer able to protect them. If anyone were to attack, there would also be nowhere to run. Seeing their demise as inevitable, the people…” Feng pauses to appear dramatic to observe his listeners. Corcell and Havria have both momentarily held in their breath. “They, euthanized their own Archon.”
Silence befalls the hut, and it is then shattered by Havria’s increasingly audible heartbeats. She can not believe that’s how she would end up as: being killed by the very people that she has tried to protect.
It is not right! It can’t be right!
Surely, something would have happened before that kind of thing could occur.
The war would end first; they would be taken in by a more powerful Archon and receive protection.
However, the more Havria tries to convince herself otherwise, the more she ends up accepting Feng’s prophecy as the truth.
“But…” She lets out, not knowing what to say next. Her voice is as dry as her lips.
“In the end, she had not even a single blade left to defend herself with. Her death released a shockwave of energy, turning all humans in the innermost layer of the palace into salt statues. The rest of her citizens scrambled. Some would eventually be taken in by other Archons, though I doubt that could have happened to all of them. Surely, many would have perished.” Feng continues, mercilessly solidifying the fact that he is, indeed, talking about Havria.
Feng couldn’t have predicted Havria’s outcome. No, he knew her outcome ahead of time from him playing Genshin pre-reincarnation. He assessed that he probably can not alter Havria’s fate, especially if she ends up making all the same choices that have led to her demise. Instead, Feng told her the story he knows, and leaves the rest up to herself.
“So Havria,” Feng says, as he stands up to leave. “If you were that Archon, would you have chosen differently?”
Feng leaves without waiting for a reply, not that Havria can give one; she remains motionless in her seat, her mind thinking of everything and also nothing at the same time.
Corcell does not speak also. She can’t fathom how Feng could have known a story like that to tell. Does he have such a unique way of thought that even Archons can not grasp? Or, perhaps this man knows the future?
-----
Feng steps out of the hut. He plans to converse with some of those people.
After the Archon meeting, most people have gotten up and exited their hut. Many look at the sunrise with a little more light in their eyes as they have not been sheltered for a considerable amount of time. Last night, many had the best sleep they’ve had in a long while.
The people who see Feng are acting hesitant and nervous. They still remember the flashing lights, the thunderous noises, and Feng’s wrath from yesterday.
For however much awkward it feels, Feng insists on trying to talk to the people.
The difficulty for a shut-in to begin socializing well with strangers, rivals that of beating Terraria for the worthy Master Mode using a character in Medium core, but Feng has to start somewhere.
He acts gently and puts up a smile. Whenever there’s an awkward silence Feng would intentionally cough a few times and then laugh at himself, even if it makes no sense. It’s a terrible strategy, but Feng can’t think of any other ways.
Good thing is, as he keeps on trying with as many people as he can, some people eventually start to feel more comfortable with him. After all, this Archon did shelter them all from the cold last night, and is acting very friendly right now.
Slowly, some people begin to open up. They chat about their past. They chat about their present. Feng asks them where do they think they are going, but the people’s reaction mirrors that of Havria’s: just live one day at a time, and hope that bad things do not happen.
Feng observes: many people are wearing rags that are so poor in quality, he would not have even used them to wipe his table back in his world. Many people wear shoes that are weaved from straws and caked in mud, but most only have their bare feet, covered in calluses and cuts. Everyone’s thin as twigs, and some even are missing limbs, ears, or eyes.
As time goes on, Feng wonders about the people’s supplies. He himself doesn’t know what he can do for those people. He tried to ask a few people if they will be willing to move away, but they gave Feng the look that conveys their reluctance to leave this place that has been the closest thing to a home since their travel.
Havria has once promised them that life at Liyue would get better, and many thought that those stone huts were the best they could have wished for. After all, it was the best thing that they all have ever received.
Feng decides to leave the leadership role to Havria. Like he said: the givers need to set boundaries.
Feng offers to trade, and many people just straight up offer their belongings to him.
“Oh, great Archon, please accept our humble offerings. We are sorry, but these are all that we have.” they would say.
Feng takes a look: vegetables that have shrunk from aging, speckles of meat jerkies that remind Feng of sunflower seeds, short pieces of dirty ropes, less-than-half-filled jugs of water, fruits with bruises and cuts on their skin, handfuls of random seeds that those people have scavenged from whatever plants that do not appear poisonous.
They do have a good amount of food, for a small camping group that is. But when spread across a population this vast, half a city’s worth, perhaps all will go hungry. Feng, of course, does not plan to rob those people, and insists on trading fairly. The people do not understand such an action by this Archon, just as they do not understand why this Archon keeps on insisting that he is a human.
Feng now still has 7 cabbages left. He ends up trading 5 cabbages for 5 dried-up carrots. The people who have gotten the cabbages were thrilled; after all, those vegetables are so fresh, it’s like they are newly picked. Feng is happy as well because those carrots, although no longer fresh, still qualify as ammunation for his Celebration Mk2.
The last two cabbages are saved because from observing a vast amount of the residents here, Feng has spotted something quite interesting.
One is that some people have with them, a heart-shaped red crystal. Life crystal.
The other is that some people have many white mushrooms with glowing blue spots on them. Glowing mushrooms.
Seeing Terraria items, Feng feels a tiny amount of comfort. Something he knows about in this unforgiving world filled with monsters, gods, and f*@king water slimes.
He trades for those as well. The people were happy to give out the mushrooms for food since the mushrooms don’t really fill them up too much.
“Of course not, glowing mushrooms are medicines and construction materials.” Feng explains.
However, they were pretty reluctant to give away their life crystals. The people have realized that staying close to those crystals can heal their wounds, and thus, those crystals are kept well-hidden by whoever has found them.
If they did not truly believe that Feng is an Archon, none of those people would even allow Feng to be near their precious crystal. But they do believe in his godhood, therefore giving Feng the chance to get his hands on the life crystal.
Feng asks about those items, and learns from the people that they have once lived underground.
“Our Archon once led us deep into the earth,” an elder explains. “And there, we have discovered those mushrooms. They filled our stomachs for a bit, but they weren’t enough. Still, we kept them because we don’t have much else to eat.”
With his godhood, Feng manages to obtain a single life crystal at the cost of a cabbage and 1000 Mora. He waited until that family has used it to heal every member before taking the crystal into his inventory. However, when he uses the crystal, it does not disappear. Instead, there was a magical sound effect, and Feng sees, at the top right corner of his vision, two rows of red hearts.
So he does have a health bar after all.
20 red hearts. No numbers.
Seeing that he can’t use any more life crystals, Feng puts the one he got into his inventory, then returns to the beach where Corcell questioned him last night.
He gazes at the ocean. A vast body of water without any plastic bottles, bags, or rubbish in sight. The glistering sunlight reflects off of the ocean’s surface. Waves come and go as if the sea itself is alive and breathing: in and out, in and out.
Feng then gazes back at Mt. Tianheng. He is thinking: what will he do next? What will Havria do next? He tries to recall his experience from playing Genshin: what can he do if he is facing those powerful enemies himself?
He is begging himself to quickly come up with something because he sees that, in the distance, something huge is raising from the ocean surface.
Something waterly, dragon-like, and with 5 heads.
Alright, let's see if I know how to use this note thing now.
Ye, that worked. I'm exited to see what happens next!
Hey I remember u. You're the one who taught me how that note thing works. Thx