Night.
Victory celebration banquet.
"Let us cheer for victory!"
After finishing her speech, Mavuika raised the wine glass in her hand high, and the warriors in the restaurant also raised their glasses, jointly celebrating this hard-won victory.
However, in others' eyes, the still-underage Traveler and little Paimon could only drink juice and milk at this moment.
But this did not affect their celebration of this victory.
"The war with the Abyss is over, and it feels like the whole person is much more relaxed." Paimon said to the Traveler.
"It's just a pity that the weapon Xilonen forged for me hasn't been put to use yet." The Traveler said.
Who could have imagined that the Abyss would suddenly launch a massive invasion on this day.
And who could have imagined that after repelling the Abyss, the Pyro Archon would charge straight into the Abyss on the spot, turning their lair upside down.
What happened to not pursuing a defeated enemy?
The Traveler curiously surveyed the surrounding environment.
Old friends like Kachina were chatting and laughing, while Mualani was excitedly dancing.
Even Kinich, who used to always have a stern face, had a much softer expression than before.
After looking around everywhere, she finally spotted the Pyro Archon in the corner, conversing with Mavuika.
The Traveler pondered for a moment and ultimately decided to stand up, striding with her long legs toward the two Pyro Archons.
It seemed like she had experienced something like this once during the Pilgrimage of the Return of the Sacred Flame; she hadn't expected to have the chance to experience it a second time.
"Traveler, are you here to drink with us?" Noticing the blonde girl approaching, Mavuika's lips curved into a smile as she said.
"We can't drink alcohol." Paimon said helplessly.
"I know; I was just making a joke." Mavuika said with narrowed eyes and a laugh.
Hearing her words, the Traveler and Paimon looked at each other, both seeing helplessness in the other's eyes.
It seemed that whether it was this Pyro Archon or that one, they both quite liked making jokes, and their level of joking wasn't very high.
At this moment, Rios said: "Do you two have something you want to ask?"
The Traveler nodded.
Earlier, because she had been busy fighting the Abyss, plus Rios's actions had been too swift, she had many doubts but hadn't had the chance to ask them.
Now that everyone had some free time, she had come over to seek answers from the Pyro Archons.
First question.
[What was the battle in the Abyss like?]
"That should have been an extremely grueling battle." Mavuika said after hearing this question, "The monsters encountered inside the Abyss were probably much stronger than the ones we faced in Natlan."
Rios smiled, then said: "Do you remember the simulation exercise we had the Traveler participate in earlier?"
"I remember, I remember!" Paimon said excitedly after recalling it, "At that time, you even said the Abyss might produce Archon-level enemies, which scared Paimon and the Traveler half to death!"
"In fact," Rios continued, "the monsters I encountered in the Abyss were indeed no less formidable than Archons."
"Really or not?" Paimon's eyes widened upon hearing this.
"Of course it's true." Rios said with a smile, "After I entered the Abyss, the ones I first encountered were just ordinary Abyss monsters.
But in the end, the monster I faced was a powerful entity formed from the Abyss mixed with the body of the Pyro Sovereign.
Dealing with it took me quite some effort."
Hearing his words, both the Traveler and Paimon widened their eyes.
"The Pyro Sovereign? Isn't that the same as Neuvillette?"
Rios said: "I'm not clear on who this Neuvillette you mentioned is.
But if he is also an elemental Sovereign, then the enemy I faced is indeed on the same level as him."
The Traveler was quite surprised at this moment; after all, she knew full well how strong Neuvillette was.
That Chief Justice of Fontaine had the confidence to judge all the Seven Archons of the world, which meant his strength was absolutely among the top tier on the continent of Teyvat.
And yet, Pyro Archon Rios could single-handedly defeat a fusion of the Pyro Sovereign and the Abyss—it was truly beyond her expectations.
Of course, what surprised her the most was something else entirely.
"Fighting such a powerful enemy, and we didn't get to participate at all." Paimon said.
"In the past, we definitely would have fought side by side with the Pyro Archon."
The Traveler nodded.
Indeed.
This feeling of not participating in the final battle was still somewhat unaccustomed.
Mavuika explained: "The battle with the Abyss is exceptionally dangerous.
Rios also considered that he didn't want you to get hurt, so he chose to go alone."
Then, this red-haired woman added with a smile: "At the time, I also wanted to follow along, but Rios's attitude was exceptionally firm; even I was intimidated by him."
"What did the Pyro Archon say back then?" Paimon asked, somewhat curious after hearing this.
"He said to me, 'I am the Pyro Archon.'" Mavuika recalled, "Then he set off."
The Traveler was stunned for a moment.
What was with this overwhelming sense of déjà vu?
Second question.
[Will Abyss monsters never appear in Natlan again in the future?]
Rios answered: "The war between Natlan and the Abyss monsters has now come to a complete end.
In the future, there might occasionally be a few monsters appearing here and there like in other nations, but it won't escalate to the scale of a full war like before."
Third question.
[About the False Sky.]
Mavuika said: "Regarding the False Sky, I only knew of it by hearsay; I never imagined it was real.
There have been quite a few people who came to ask me about it before, and I always said it was caused by special weather phenomena."
Upon hearing this, Rios said: "You should have said it was caused by the Abyss.
Blaming everything on the Abyss would save us a lot of explanations."
Fourth question.
[About the next destination.]
Rios said: "For someone like me who has never left Natlan in his entire life, how would I know about your next destination.
You've asked the wrong person for this question."
Mavuika, however, said: "Your next stop is Nordkrai within Snezhnaya.
It's said that the people there are different from those in other nations; they do not believe in the Seven Archons of the world, but rather in gods beyond the Seven Archons.
And they wield a power even more ancient than elemental power; you must be extra careful."
"There's a power even more ancient than elemental power?" Paimon was immediately surprised upon hearing this.
Rios said: "That so-called power can be regarded as a special kind of elemental power.
And what Mavuika just mentioned about their faith refers to the fact that they believe in an existence known as the Moon Goddess."
Paimon was stunned for a moment, scratched her hair, then said: "Didn't you say you know absolutely nothing about the affairs of foreign nations?"
Rios said with a laugh: "Come on, we're all from the same world at least; even if it's just superficial knowledge, I can still grasp the general situation there."
With that, Rios looked toward the blonde girl: "Any other questions?"
The Traveler shook her head: "None."
At that moment, Mavuika pulled out the Gnosis and handed it to Rios: "This is your Gnosis."
Rios glanced at it, then waved his hand: "No, this is your Gnosis.
From now on, you are Natlan's new Pyro Archon."