Carried by the wind, Orion quickly returned Barbara to Mondstadt City.
In front of the church, Orion watched Barbara enter the church, then turned and left.
Barbara hid by the church entrance, watching Orion rush away as if in a hurry, her heart a mix of emotions.
Throughout the journey, Orion seemed busy rushing and didn't speak to her. Not only that, after dropping her off, he just said a quick goodbye and left.
— Is he going to find Miss Skirk? He should be, after all, my sister needs support.
The figure was no longer in sight, but Barbara still stood at the church entrance, lost in thought.
If it were before, he would have refined his actions and used the excuse of lifting the curse to spend some time alone with her.
That's right, alone. When Orion and she were alone, it wasn't just about lifting the curse physically; ultimately, they would talk non-stop when they were alone.
It was only then that Barbara realized that what truly made her happy was the process of chatting and joking like close friends.
In that small room, on that treatment bed, there were only two people. Neither of them needed to worry about others overhearing their conversation. They could open their hearts as much as possible, speak their innermost thoughts, complain about their day, or share their secret hobbies.
— So that's how it is.
It wasn't until another nun called her name that Barbara snapped back to reality and walked inside.
— Is it because we lost the excuse of treating the curse that we also lost the reason to stay together?... However, that's not it. Orion genuinely had other things to attend to.
He rushed back to the inn, pushed the door open, and saw Skirk sitting on the bed, fiddling with her hands and feet, even attempting some yoga poses.
Wait, feet?
Orion looked closely and realized that the bottom of Skirk's "Zeus" was no longer that pointy high heel, but clearly articulated feet.
Their eyes met, and the words Orion was about to say caught in his throat.
Skirk looked at Orion, then gazed out the window with a distant look.
"When I was young, after my parents were destroyed, I was taken in by Master The Wicked Knight and became his disciple. Every day, I endured inhumane special training."
Orion:???
What does that mean? Why the sudden confession?
"Every day, I trained until my hands and feet were completely useless, and only then would Master heal me with Abyssal Power."
Orion: No, who asked you?
"I don't know when it started, but after I could use Abyssal Power more freely, I used this power to generate clothes for myself, including handbags, shoes, and socks. Over time, I didn't even know if my hands and feet were moving on their own, or if I was moving them by encasing them in Abyssal Power."
Skirk's sharp gaze suddenly turned to Orion: "So, I'm doing the rehabilitation exercises Clara taught me."
Orion: "..."
"Do you understand?"
"Understood, understood!"
Skirk let her feet hang down, and the exquisite outline of her feet instantly deformed. To be precise, the Abyssal Power encasing her jade feet transformed into the shape of high heels.
She stood up and asked, "Are you back alone? Are you looking for me for something?"
Orion nodded: "Stormterror seems to have been tampered with, and its power has surged!
If you want to train against an opponent with Abyssal Power, now's the time!"
...Watching Skirk rush out in a hurry after getting the location, Orion shook his head helplessly.
As a level 100 Skirk player, Orion could clearly feel Skirk's emotional fluctuations becoming increasingly larger.
It seems his presence as a butterfly has affected more than just the unfolding of some plotlines.
However, if he could truly subtly help Skirk open her heart, that would indeed be a fortunate thing.
Locking the inn door, Orion went to carry out his own plans.
Soon after, at the Adventurers Guild in Mondstadt City, Miss Katheryne still offered a kind smile: "To the stars and the abyss, Mr. Orion, please confirm the details of the commission you are posting."
She brought over a commission form, the general content of which was to recruit companions to explore Wolvendom together.
That's right, Orion had never forgotten that he wanted to find time to study the power of Andrius, the Northwind Wolf King, to see what was truly going on with the God's power in Teyvat.
Originally, Orion had intended to rush directly to the Wolf King's trial grounds, but then he suddenly remembered that in the game, activating the Wolf King's trial seemed to require Razor as a catalyst.
It was roughly like the Traveler wandering through Wolvendom, encountering a super giant Slime, and just as things were about to get dicey, being rescued by Razor, the Wolf Boy of Wolvendom.
Then they discovered that some shady merchants wanted to hunt the wolf pack. After a series of events that Orion couldn't quite recall, the merchants were driven away, and the Northwind Wolf appeared. After a battle, he declared that the weekly boss would be available, and the Traveler could come to farm materials.
Although he couldn't remember many details, the general process was like that. Moreover, the Wolf King was essentially a spirit now, so if he just rushed over and the Wolf King didn't appear, he couldn't very well go hunt the wolf pack to force him out, could he?
So, the best way was to gather a few companions and go to Wolvendom together to complete Razor's quest as per the process.
And Orion vaguely remembered that there were many little interludes along the way, like collecting Wolfhook and making medicine. As the commissioner, he couldn't possibly do the collecting himself, could he? Naturally, he'd let those who accepted the commission do the grunt work!
After lunch, Orion returned to the Adventurers Guild.
Surprisingly, in just one afternoon, two Adventurers had already accepted the quest.
Guided by Katheryne, Orion met the two "senior Adventurers" who had accepted the quest.
"So you're Senior Orion? I once teamed up with Lumine, and she often mentioned you! Please guide me!"
This was a young man with white hair and a shy smile, wearing goggles but without a partner Digimon.
"Pure one from distant realms, though you harbor secrets, This Princess, the Princess of Condemnation, may deign to accompany you. Rejoice! You are permitted to kiss my hand!"
"The young lady means: Hello, shake hands."
And a purple-themed chuunibyou beautiful girl, along with her translator, Oz.
Looking at the two talents before him, Orion's heart was filled with complex emotions.
How am I so blessed to have brought you two, the Sleeping Dragon and Young Phoenix, together?
Shaking hands with the purple-themed chuunibyou beautiful girl to show friendliness, the three then officially began their self-introductions.
The white-haired young man spoke first: "Hello everyone, my name is Bennett, and I'm the leader of Benny's Adventure Team! Although, although I'm the only one in the Adventure Team right now... I'm still a senior Adventurer! I've been to many places and encountered many dangers! Even though I only ever get cabbage when I open treasure chests, my quest completion rate is still very high!"
Orion also smiled: "Hello everyone, I am the commissioner for this quest. My name is Orion, and as you know, I am Lumine's friend. This commission I've given you is actually related to the Anemo God's Relatives. But you don't need to be too nervous; there will be no danger with me around."
Then, the two looked at the last person, Her Excellency, the Princess of Condemnation, but found that she was just blushing, biting her lower lip, and saying nothing.
Orion was a bit puzzled, so he asked, "Your Esteemed Excellency, the Princess, are you feeling unwell somewhere?"
It was fine a moment ago, but Orion's question completely ignited the Princess. She cried out, her face flushed with embarrassment:
"Eh?! Impudent fellow! You, you, you, you, how long are you going to hold This Princess's hand?!"
Oz on the side also said sharply: "The young lady means: She is simply too shy to have you holding her hand and not letting go."
"Oz! Shut up!"
Orion looked down, and only then did he barely remember that he had forgotten to let go after shaking hands.
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