Genshin Impact: The Sharpshooter of Teyvat

Chapter 1355 Falga's Letter

……

Shao Yun temporarily suppressed Gan Yu's inexplicable words and quickly returned to the living room of the ranch on the first floor. Ning Guang was sitting on the sofa holding the restless Xi, while Kong and Yuan Shang were huddled together beside her, all three waiting for his news.

Shao Yun waved the cipher cylinder in his hand and said in a light tone, "The cylinder is open, the letter has arrived."

Upon hearing this, Yuan Shang's eyes widened instantly, his face filled with disbelief, and he exclaimed in shock:

"Huh? How could it be so fast!"

He knew very well the difficulty of exhaustively searching through these ten digits of the password. There were a hundred billion possible combinations. Even if he tried day and night, it would still take a long time. How come Shao Yun had solved it in such a short time?

Seeing Yuan Shang's utterly astonished expression, Shao Yun couldn't help but grin, deliberately keeping him in suspense.

"secret."

Yuan Shang felt a strong itch to see that smug look on Yuan Shang's face, but he was helpless to do anything about it.

Immediately afterwards, Shao Yun walked to the center of the living room, opened the lid of the combination lock cylinder in front of the three of them, and gently shook his wrist.

A neatly folded roll of letter paper slid out of the tube and landed in his palm.

He held the corner of the letter, raised an eyebrow, and said, "Let me see what's written in this letter."

……

The contents of the letter.

Hello, Knight of Honor, Paimon, and Mr. Shao Yun, or rather, Mr. Tacitus Kilgo, I'm not sure which is your real name.

I am Falgar. You may not recognize this name, so let me add that I am the Grand Master of the Knights of Favonius.

I had heard about your deeds from Qin many times before, and what started as praise gradually turned into complicated narratives...

I can hardly believe that the wine-loving bard (Barbatos, the god of wind) would do such a thing.

Unfortunately, I was away on a long expedition and never had the chance to meet you.

If I were still in Mondstadt, perhaps things wouldn't have turned out so cruelly.

If there's a conflict, I'll just take you to Angel's Gift, we'll have a couple of drinks, and maybe all the disagreements will be resolved.

I've gotten a bit off-topic. Anyway, I've finally settled down in Nordkalé recently (or at least halfway settled).

The forces here are a mixed bag, and the situation is quite tricky, but nothing can stop me, the Knight of the North Wind.

I've made some reliable friends, one of whom is the messenger who delivers your letters. Her name is Ineff, and she's a robot maid created by Miss "Aino," the owner of the Dingling Clang Egg Roll Workshop.

However, her memory has been a bit off lately, so please take good care of her. It's worth mentioning that she's quite good at managing household chores.

You absolutely cannot imagine what I saw in Nordkalé: the strange lunar torque and the boundless, devastating Wild Hunt.

By the way, it's embarrassing to admit, but most of the Knights' warhorses were sacrificed here.

I was quite happy when I heard Qin mention in a letter that you planned to open a ranch in Mondstadt, thinking that this would solve my problem of finding a source of high-quality warhorses.

Alas, what a pity! Fate has played a cruel trick on us... We have missed out on such a talented person as you.

In short, in Nordkalle, in addition to fighting the Abyss Order, we also encountered the Fools.

I heard about those guys trying to seize Mondstadt's defenses three or four years ago. Thank you for everything you've done for Mondstadt, and thank you for taking care of Noelle.

I heard that Noelle, under your guidance, successfully became a full-fledged Knight of Favonius? Oh dear, that little girl, to use Liyue's words, is truly remarkable—"a person who has changed so much in just three days should be looked at with new eyes."

I also heard that Noelle liked you quite a bit. I never expected that you would end up marrying the Knight of Honor... Come to think of it, you knew the Knight of Honor before Noelle did.

We've digressed again. Most of the Knights of Favonius didn't have a friendly attitude towards the Fools, but in the complexities of the battlefield, shifts in allegiance are commonplace.

Mr. Shao Yun, you've been through so much, you must understand what I mean...

In short, I express my sincere gratitude for the good things you have done for Mondstadt during this time; and I sincerely apologize for the unexpected things that may have upset you.

Now, we need your help, or rather, your family's help...

I know that once you get to this point, you might burn the letter or just throw it away, but I implore you, please continue reading.

The Wild Hunt in Nordkale has escalated far beyond our initial expectations. This is no ordinary disaster, but a crisis that could engulf the entirety of Teyvat.

I'm not kidding!

If the Wild Hunt is allowed to continue unchecked, not only will Nordkalley be razed to the ground, but the entirety of Teyvat will be mercilessly wiped out by this army of ghosts. This concerns the survival of all humanity.

For the sake of your family, and for your own sake, I beg you, let's talk.

If you're willing to come to Nordcalle, come find me at the "Flagship"! I'll discuss things with you in person and use fine wine to resolve any unpleasantness.

Finally, considering we are all human beings and are both striving for survival, let's have a proper talk.

Your help is needed for the safety of Nordkale, the future of all of Tiwat, and the peace of you and your family.

Grand Master of the Knights of Favonius, Knight of the North Wind, Falgar.

……

After reading the letter word by word, Shao Yun lowered her eyes, her heart filled with mixed feelings, feeling suffocated.

The word "Noelle" in the letter stirred up his memories.

The Mondstadt girl with the earnest smile on her face clearly appeared before my eyes.

She was once so young and inexperienced, like a flower bud about to bloom, yet she possessed extraordinary strength and perseverance, striving for perfection in everything she did.

From his initial clumsiness to his successful passing of the tests and becoming a formal Knight of Favonius, every step he took was incredibly solid.

But at the end of this memory lies a scene shrouded in madness and rupture, beneath that ancient, sturdy tree where the wind rises.

He clearly remembered the moment he pulled the trigger and the bullet flew towards Qin; he remembered Noelle frantically supporting the injured Qin and the look in her eyes as she turned to look at him...

It was filled with despair, confusion, and deep disbelief, as if questioning why he had become like this.

That look was etched deeply into Shao Yun's mind, becoming an indelible mark he could never erase for the rest of his life.

Forcibly suppressing the turmoil in his heart, Shao Yun had to admit that the Grand Master of the Knights of Favonius was indeed a man of skill.

The phrase "Let's settle those unpleasant things with fine wine" really hits the nail on the head regarding his character. If Barbatos hadn't kidnapped his wife and children, he might have actually been moved by this generosity.

Unfortunately, some things, once done, can never be undone.

The current situation cannot be erased by a single drink or a meal.

Shao Yun's gaze fell on the signature at the end of the letter, his lips moved, and he repeated the name in a low voice.

“Falga… Falga…”

Ningguang, who was standing nearby, heard the contents of the letter clearly. Seeing Shao Yun repeatedly mentioning the name, she took the initiative to add:

“I’ve heard of this person. He is the Grand Master of the Knights of Favonius and the current Knight of the North Wind.”

She paused, recalling their past interactions, and continued, "I met him once in my early years. He was a straightforward and unpretentious person with considerable abilities."

"Of course, compared to you, Mr. Shao Yun, I am still far behind."

After listening, Shao Yun simply responded with a flat, "Oh..."

Ningguang looked at his calm and composed demeanor, feeling somewhat puzzled. She assumed he was worried about the Nodcalai mentioned in the letter, and muttered softly:

"So, the letter says there's a big problem on Nordkale's side?"

Shao Yun put the letter back into the Eastern Legends backpack and looked up at Ningguang.

He suddenly remembered that Ningguang was Tianquan, one of the seven stars of Liyue, in charge of Liyue's commercial and intelligence networks. She was knowledgeable and experienced, and probably knew more about the situation in Teyvat than he did.

“Ningguang,” Shao Yun asked directly, without beating around the bush, “How much do you know about this place, Nordkale?”

Seeing that Shao Yun's question was direct, Ningguang answered without reservation, "Nordkare? I do know some of it."

"Tell me about it." Shao Yun immediately straightened his posture, looking like he was all ears.

Ningguang quickly processed all the information about Nordkare in her mind, discarding irrelevant details and extracting only the most essential and useful information. She slowly spoke:

“This place is nominally the territory of the Winter Kingdom, but in reality, the Winter Kingdom has not established an effective ruling order there; it is equivalent to an autonomous region.”

"Over time, this place became a veritable lawless zone, gathering people from all over Teyvat's countries and regions... criminals fleeing persecution, merchants pursuing profits, and various exiled forces."

"For a long time, Nordkare was synonymous with barbarity and violence, with burning, killing, and looting being commonplace, and there were no rules whatsoever."

"However, as the saying goes, a power vacuum will always be filled. The local indigenous forces, the 'Children of Frostmoon,' the Fools sent by Winter, the 'Lamplighters' organization dedicated to fighting the Abyss, and the Voynich Merchant Guild, among others, have been mutually restraining and balancing each other on this wild land, gradually building a fragile balance."

"Among these forces, the one that has the most dealings with Liyue is an intelligence organization called the 'Secret Archives'."

Ningguang looked up at Shao Yun, observing his reaction, and added, "At first glance, Mr. Shao Yun might not have any impression of 'Secret Archives,' but if I put it another way, 'Northern Continent Intelligence Network,' you should understand now, right?"

“Northern Continent Intelligence Network…” Upon hearing these six words, Shao Yun’s eyes flickered slightly, and he nodded thoughtfully. “I did hear about this organization when I was in Mondstadt.”

Immediately afterward, Shao Yun frowned, quickly reviewing the information Ningguang had just revealed about Nordkalé in his mind, and muttered to himself based on his understanding:

"It sounds a bit like the Golden Age of the West... a chaotic, lawless land where various factions vie for territory."

He could guess to some extent the rules of survival in this kind of place: only those with strong fists and quick minds could gain a foothold.

After muttering to himself, he turned his gaze to Ningguang and continued to press for answers.

"Besides these basic facts, is there any other more detailed intelligence? For example, the Wild Hunt disaster mentioned in Falgar's letter, or the recent movements of those forces?"

Seeing that Shao Yun still wanted to dig deeper, Ningguang shook her head helplessly and replied, unable to help:

"I'm not sure about that. After all, Liyue's intelligence network, especially core intelligence involving foreign countries, is mainly managed by Yelan. What I have here is mostly public or semi-public basic information."

She paused, then added seriously, "Moreover, intelligence is extremely time-sensitive; if it's not updated even for a day, serious errors may occur."

“Not only is it useless to talk about those outdated messages, but it may also mislead your judgment, so it’s better not to say them.”

Shao Yun nodded; Ning Guang's words made sense.

Since no more valuable information could be obtained from her, the only way to find out the specific situation of Nordkale, or rather, Winter, was to go to the maid robot named "Inef".

After all, she came from Nordkalai and knew Falga, so she must know more inside information.

"Looks like I need to find some time to have a good talk with that maid robot."

“Inev...Nodekale, the autonomous region of winter...Winter…”

The moment he uttered the words "winter's end," Shao Yun's eyes sharpened, and a plan quickly formed in his mind.

Ying's current goal is to collect all elemental forces. She is only missing the last elemental force, ice, and Winter Solstice is the territory of the Ice God.

Falgar's letter pointed precisely to Nordkare under Winter's rule, which might be an opportunity.

Seeing her daughter growing up day by day, and soon to be able to call her "Mom," it's time to put a trip to Zhidong on the agenda.

Since they don't want to be taken advantage of, they can't be too conspicuous and probably need to avoid attracting attention.

Although with his strength, he might not necessarily suffer a loss even if he fought someone in the Winter Territory, it's always better to have less trouble.

Now he is no longer alone; he has a family and people to care about. It's time for him to start thinking more about the future of his family.

Even if we take a step back and assume that Teyvat is really doomed, we can't let Luminous leave with its incomplete elemental power, can we?

What's the difference between this and being robbed by Teyvat?

I'm always the one taking other people's portions; no one has ever dared to treat me like this!