"Ugh!"
Furina, her head buried in the pillow, let out an inarticulate groan, the culprit being Liu Yuan's cool finger gently touching her fair back.
Her finger traced lightly downwards from the nape of her neck, and feeling that finger slowly slide down her back, Furina could only hold back from making any sound.
Her head was buried deep in the pillow, fearing that Liu Yuan would see her current appearance.
Liu Yuan, meanwhile, withdrew her finger. She had been measuring, determining the position of the Alchemical Matrix, and absolutely not messing around.
Though she wanted to enjoy the scenery at that moment, Liu Yuan knew it wasn't the time.
For the first time, Liu Yuan chose to let reason take over her will. The slight confusion in her deep blue eyes vanished instantly, leaving only the purest depth.
Raising her hand, hydro elemental energy gathered little by little in Liu Yuan's hand. The light of the Alchemical Matrix flashed and disappeared, and in an instant, a light ocean-blue colored pen appeared in Liu Yuan's hand.
Gripping the pen, Liu Yuan then raised her other hand, aimed the pen tip at her finger, and gently pricked it. The next moment, dark blue liquid flowed from the wound.
That's right, dark blue liquid. Although Liu Yuan initially always believed herself to be human, apart from her appearance, the difference between Liu Yuan and humans was exceptionally obvious, and her blood was one such difference.
No... perhaps it couldn't even be called blood; it was more like... a dark blue liquid obtained after energy was highly aggregated?
In any case, Liu Yuan's blood was very different from normal human blood.
Of course, Liu Yuan didn't particularly care whether she was human or not; after all, she was Liu Yuan, and that was enough.
And a long time ago, Liu Yuan discovered that her blood, imbued with her aura, had excellent conductivity for elemental energy. Therefore, Liu Yuan decided to use her own blood as the material for inscribing the Alchemical Matrix; such an Alchemical Matrix would undoubtedly have the best energy conductivity.
The dark blue liquid, under Liu Yuan's control, slowly merged into the pen tip. Soon, the originally light ocean-blue colored pen became even deeper, its color turning dark blue, adding a touch of mystery.
Her finger touched Furina's fair back again, and this time, it was immediately followed by the engraving pen used to inscribe the Alchemical Matrix.
"Ugh…"
Furina, her head buried in the pillow, instantly felt an intense pain from her back. A bone-chilling pain caused a fine sheen of cold sweat to appear on her forehead.
If her body hadn't been restrained by Liu Yuan, she would probably have instinctively tried to escape.
She was still just an ordinary person, having not experienced much pain, and now this intense pain made Furina completely unbearable!
"It… it hurts so much…"
Her hands gripped the pillow beneath her tightly, and tears, due to the excessive pain, flowed uncontrollably.
Only at this moment did Furina realize how much "it hurts" truly meant when Liu Yuan said it!
A slight regret appeared in her heart, but it was immediately suppressed by the determination within her!
Hold on, Furina! You've endured five hundred years; can't you endure just a little bit of pain now?!
Crimson liquid flowed from her body, staining the sheets beneath her blood-red, and a dark blue matrix gradually left its mark on her back.
Liu Yuan's hand was steady; even though her heart was incredibly chaotic due to Furina's pain, she did not allow even a single error in the inscription process. On the contrary, the speed of inscription became faster and faster.
Although she had only been exposed to Alchemy for less than a few months, Liu Yuan's Alchemy skill had reached a terrifying level.
For Liu Yuan, who could almost learn and innovate upon knowledge with a single glance, learning Alchemy was not difficult; it could even be said to be exceptionally simple.
It could be said that, currently, in all of Teyvat, the only being who could communicate with Liu Yuan on equal terms regarding Alchemy might be 'Gold' Rhinedottir.
Time passed little by little, and the dark blue Alchemical Matrix was gradually outlined on Furina's back. As the last drop of liquid transformed into the Alchemical Matrix's mark, the pen in Liu Yuan's hand had once again turned light ocean-blue.
However, Liu Yuan paid no attention to this. Releasing her hand, allowing the pen to naturally dissipate, Liu Yuan quickly picked up the unconscious Furina, and hydro elemental power instantly condensed, then completely enveloped Furina in Liu Yuan's arms.
The nature of elemental power is changeable; it can not only be used for destruction but also for healing. At this moment, the purest hydro element gradually healed Furina's body.
Although theoretically, Furina was not injured at this moment, she had merely fainted due to intense pain exceeding her body's threshold, so there wasn't any major problem.
But... concern breeds disorder.
Emotions that had been suppressed for a long time surged, and reason was easily suppressed. Liu Yuan's thought at this moment was: even if it can't heal, it can alleviate some pain.
Thus, such a luxurious method of pain relief appeared.
After repeatedly confirming that Furina was truly fine, Liu Yuan finally breathed a slight sigh of relief, then looked at Furina's back.
At this moment, those Alchemical Matrices were gradually fading from dark blue.
This was a sign that the Alchemical Matrices were slowly integrating into Furina's body.
This also proved that the Alchemical Matrix inscribed by Liu Yuan had no problems.
According to her estimation, the Alchemical Matrix would go through three stages, then completely fuse with Furina's body, forming something similar to an innate Talent.
Currently, it was still in the early stage of fusion and would be visible on the skin of her back for a period of time. After some time, the Alchemical Matrix would completely disappear into Furina's back; if elemental power was not used, it would be no different from normal.
Later, in the late stage of fusion, when Furina completely mastered all the functions of the Alchemical Matrix, the Alchemical Matrix would gradually fully integrate into Furina's body, and in the end, even if elemental power was used, the Alchemical Matrix would not be visible on her back.
A short while later, the hydro elemental power enveloping Furina gradually disappeared. Liu Yuan looked at the young woman in her arms, whose breathing had stabilized, and felt a slight self-reproach.
Perhaps she shouldn't have given Furina three choices? That way, she wouldn't have had to suffer so much pain...
Liu Yuan felt some regret, after all, if one were to get to the root of it, Furina's pain was caused by her.
Looking at the young woman's still red eyes, Liu Yuan's self-reproach deepened.
After Furina wakes up... apologize...
Well, Liu Yuan was still that same Liu Yuan, always liking to blame herself.
~•— ❦ —•~
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