Genshin Impact: The Road to Reversal

Chapter 554 Claire's Advice

Earlier, Mo Yan and Kailin followed Peruvian as she left the castle.

Inside the room, Zhao Heng and Zi Xuan sat facing each other, while Tian Lang leaned against the window, gazing at the distant snow scene.

"So... we're just going to wait here like this?" Zixuan said, holding her teacup.

After he finished speaking, the room remained silent. For a long time…

"Can you give me a reply?" she asked calmly.

Zhao Heng slowly put down his teacup: "Didn't Mo Yan and Kailin already go to investigate?"

"That's right, and they just left, why the rush?" Tianlang said comfortably, sitting in a chair by the window with his legs crossed.

"You're saying this as if it has nothing to do with you," Zixuan said, putting down her teacup and crossing her arms.

Zhao Heng gradually sighed and said, "I understand what you're thinking, but we have no clue about the trial. Taking any deliberate action will only make us lose our composure. So it's better to wait here or observe the situation."

"You're quite patient," Zixuan said coldly.

Just then, accompanied by footsteps, the door to the room was suddenly opened. The three of them looked over and saw Claire pushing a food cart and smiling as she walked into the room.

"Everyone, I've made some snacks. Would you like to try some?" Claire said with a warm smile as she pushed the food cart to the center of the room. Several plates of exquisite pastries of various shapes and sizes were placed on it, emitting a faint sweet aroma.

She stopped and subconsciously looked around, her expression suddenly turning blank: "Hmm? I remember there were four of you besides Lord Sirius, where are the other two?"

"Oh, they went out on some business, don't worry about it," Tianlang said with a smile as he sat up from his chair.

"Is that so?" Clementine tilted her head, tapping her chin with her finger, her gaze drifting blankly to the open window.

There were still traces of shadow elemental energy remaining there, and after Peruvieri left the room and changed into casual clothes, she quickly understood what was going on.

"Hmph, I see." She smiled deliberately, then placed the desserts in front of each person and said, "It's alright, these desserts are fresh out of the oven, so you can eat them while you wait."

Her tone was relaxed, as if she didn't care about Mo Yan and Kailin's "unauthorized actions".

Sirius walked to the table and eagerly picked up a uniquely shaped snowflake pastry. He took a bite, and his eyes lit up: "Mmm! It tastes really good! Clementine, your skills are getting better and better."

Zhao Heng silently picked up a piece and nodded in approval.

Looking at the pastries in front of her and then at Clementine's smile, Zixuan's tense expression involuntarily eased a little.

At this moment, Claire sat down on the sofa and picked up the teacup prepared for her on the dining table.

"Of course, we made this ourselves."

She smiled calmly, poured herself a cup of tea, and took a sip.

"Phew~ I heard you all saying you were worried about the trial just now outside the door, right?"

Zixuan sighed angrily and nodded: "Isn't it because of your superiors? They could have just given us the credentials, but they insisted that we participate in the trial. And we know nothing about the contents of the glacier trial, so we had to find out first?"

"So those two climbed out the window and followed Peipei out?"

Zixuan was taken aback by the blunt question, and coughed lightly in embarrassment, without denying it.

Seeing this, Clementine chuckled and said, "Don't worry, as I said, don't be fooled by Pepe's scary appearance. She's actually a very nice person. I think she probably already found out where those two are."

Zhao Heng put down his teacup and immediately changed the subject, saying, "By the way, Miss Clover, I heard that you and Miss Peruvier participated in the trial together and were the only two to succeed. Could you tell us about what happened back then?"

"The situation with the trial..." Claire scraped the inside of the cup with the lid, her smile revealing a complicated expression. "It's not that it's impossible, but... it's not a good memory."

She looked up at the window, reminiscing about the distant past.

"The trials of the glacier are unpredictable, not only by the treacherous environment, but also by the unpredictable nature of human hearts, full of deception and betrayal."

After saying that, she picked up her teacup again and took a sip.

At this moment, Zixuan blinked. Even though she understood the hardship behind these words, she couldn't help but ask curiously, "Unpredictable...aren't the contents of the trials fixed?"

“It’s fixed, but the subsequent threats are not. And the more prepared you are, the easier it is to become a target during the trial,” Clementine smiled.

As soon as he finished speaking, the atmosphere became inexplicably heavy.

Clementine's words lingered in Zixuan's mind like a fog, making her feel increasingly pressured.

At this moment, Claire seemed to notice her anxiety, so she smiled slightly and said, "Miss Zixuan, right? Since you care so much about the content of the trial, I have a suggestion. In order to train everyone's ability to cope with the trial environment, Glacier opens a training camp for interested people to hone their skills 20 to 30 years before each trial. If you two are interested, you might as well come and experience it. Of course, this is not mandatory, but just another option for preparation."

This suggestion piqued the interest of both Zi Xuan and Zhao Heng. They knew nothing about the trial, and any opportunity to increase their chances of success was worth considering.

“A training camp… perhaps that’s a suggestion worth considering,” Zhao Heng mused.

At this moment, Sirius laughed from the side, "That's a good idea. After all, Clementine, Miss Peruvieri, and the others who participated in the trial all went through this process. I think we don't need to consider it."

He looked at the two of them with his arms crossed, clearly giving them a hint.

Zi Xuan and Zhao Heng exchanged a glance. They truly knew nothing about the trial, and any opportunity to familiarize themselves with the environment and gain experience beforehand was invaluable.

“Then… I’ll have to trouble Miss Clover.” Zi Xuan finally nodded, her tone solemn.

Zhao Heng replied in a deep voice, "Thank you for your trouble."

Clementine nodded: "Okay, then come with me."

She put down her teacup, stood up, and still had a gentle smile on her face.

She led Zixuan, Zhao Heng, and Tianlang out of the room, through several wide but deserted corridors, out of the castle, and to another circular building. Unlike the solemn and magnificent main castle, this building was simpler and more practical, with its thick stone walls bearing the marks of time.

Pushing open the heavy metal door, a stench of sweat, leather, and metal assaulted my senses. Inside was a spacious circular hall with a soaring dome, its walls lined with various training equipment: wooden stakes, targets, weights, and rudimentary devices simulating elemental combat.

Inside the hall, dozens of young people were undergoing basic training. Some were repeatedly chopping at wooden stakes, their coarse training clothes soaked with sweat; others were intently aiming at targets in the distance, their fingertips glowing with faint elemental light; still others were practicing close combat in pairs, the dull thuds of impacts and rapid breathing filling the air.

The atmosphere was serious and focused, with almost no extra conversation except for necessary instructions and breathing sounds.