As he spoke, Lynn raised the hand holding his sword behind his back and flashed a "three" with his fingers. Aveline caught the signal instantly.
This time, the captain had no intention of playing along with Lynn's guessing game. He immediately ordered his men to rush forward and seize him, then followed up with a cold sneer.
"Rather than guessing, I'd rather wait until you're captured and begging to tell me—"
Before he could finish, the "three" behind Lynn's back had already become a "one," and then the last finger curled in.
"Here it comes."
Lynn smiled mysteriously.
The moment his words fell, the two enemies charging at the front had already reached him. But in that very instant, a violent tremor erupted beneath their feet and from all directions, cutting off all movement from those caught unprepared.
Boom—crash!
A thunderous roar followed.
"What's going on?!"
The captain panicked.
Having spent years at sea, he immediately realized something was wrong with the ship.
But what exactly had happened?
How serious was it? Where had it come from?
Those were questions he couldn't answer.
More importantly, he couldn't tell whether this was part of Lynn's plan.
"You did this?!"
Snapping back to focus, he was about to order his men to check the situation when he noticed that the two subordinates who had rushed in first were already lying at Lynn's feet. The sword that had just been sheathed gleamed once more, a few drops of blood sliding down its edge.
The situation was obvious. The sudden upheaval hadn't distracted Lynn in the slightest, but the captain and his men had been caught off guard, their footing unstable from the shaking. The two closest had been cut down in an instant.
At that moment, as the words left his mouth, the captain felt a faint trace of regret.
Provoking Lynn… might have been a mistake.
"Who knows? At this point, I can only tell you one thing—everything I've said from beginning to end has been true."
A smile returned to Lynn's face as he spoke meaningfully. Then his tone shifted, casually introducing the sword in his hand.
"The Flute of Extinguished Ember, a gift from a friend of the Masters of the Smoke Veil in Natlan. I won't say much, but it's definitely sharp enough. It also carries a secret incantation that accelerates the loss of vitality. Don't worry—your two men died quickly. No pain at all."
With his earlier actions and these words combined, it was like a gentle beast suddenly baring its fangs. The smugglers who had been rushing forward had already paused due to the unexpected tremor; now, they instinctively took a few steps back in unison.
The captain had no time to scold them, nor to respond to Lynn. The ship beneath his feet was the real priority.
If something happened to the ship, what would anything else matter?
Swim back to shore?
Fortunately, he wasn't some inexperienced rookie. He had stationed people at key points across the vessel, so the report came quickly.
"Captain! Sea monster! A giant sea monster!"
"What?!"
The captain shot Lynn a vicious glare, then turned and left without hesitation.
"You two listen carefully—if you don't want us all to end up as food for that beast, don't cause any trouble."
"Leave five men here. Keep a close watch on them! The rest, with me! Take your positions—prepare the ballistae!"
With that, he led his men away at a sprint.
Lynn watched as only a handful of lackeys remained guarding the cabin entrance. Whatever emotions had lingered in his eyes—disdain, amusement—faded completely, replaced by a soft click of his tongue.
"I've been telling the truth the whole time. Why won't you believe me…? Oh well, even if you did, it wouldn't save you."
"These few are yours, Aveline. I need some time—keep an eye on things for me. Thanks."
With that, he sat down on the spot, closed his eyes, and steadied his breathing, focusing his mind.
Aveline didn't ask questions. She nodded, summoned a spear, and unleashed a burst of icy mist right in front of the stunned expressions of the remaining lackeys.
What the hell—an ambusher?!
You had a Vision this whole time and didn't say anything?!
If you'd shown it earlier, the captain might not have even targeted you. But you kept it hidden—were you fishing for this?!
Those were the final thoughts that flashed through the five lackeys' minds.
After that?
Frost spread instantly, slowing their reactions and movements while concealing the spear's lethal brilliance. In a single breath, all five fell.
Aveline withdrew her spear, calming the turbulent Cryo energy.
If she had relied solely on her own exploration, she might have simply unleashed all the accumulated Cryo power in one overwhelming burst—a method meant for dealing with large groups. Using that here would have been like swatting flies with a cannon.
But during this time, Lynn had introduced her to many friends in Natlan, and she had learned various techniques. Now she could wield her power with far greater precision, using only a fraction of her elemental energy while still delivering lethal results.
If those enemies even had a chance to come back and try again.
Meanwhile, Lynn turned his awareness inward.
"Finally… it's almost ready."
From a perspective invisible to ordinary people, wisps of blue-violet mist were drifting out from the surrounding crates, converging into his body. Their destination was what he was observing deep within—
A "seed" located in the depths of his consciousness, at the very core of his soul, yet also existing at an immeasurable height—something only he himself could perceive.
As a outsider, this was Lynn's ability.
A World Seed.
Once it sprouted, it would give birth to a complete world—one that would act as Lynn's very incarnation.
And what did a "complete world" mean?
It wasn't something like Teyvat, a mere planetary world. It was something on a higher level, comparable in status to the very universe that contained Teyvat itself.
Of course, it would need time to grow. At the beginning, its scale might not even match a small domain within Teyvat. But its fundamental nature was genuine, and growth would not be difficult.
After all, ordinary worlds only possessed a vague, macro-level will. But Lynn's world, as his incarnation, would have a clear consciousness, capable of actively guiding and planning its own development.
Even more interestingly, as a outsider, Lynn's world would inherit certain traits. Once it passed its infancy, it could consume its own origin energy to trace the path of his transmigration, seek out similar worlds, and open "Gates of Traversal."
All of this made his ability undeniably powerful.
But until the seed sprouted and the world was born…
None of it mattered.