At Wangshu Inn in Liyue Harbor, the audience buzzed with discussion, but Barbatos paid them no heed. His eyes remained fixed on the storyteller on stage, searching his memories of that time.
In that battle to defend Mondstadt, he and Dvalin, the Dragon of the East, had joined forces to slay the black dragon Durin.
Recalling that memory, Barbatos's face paled. His heart was heavy.
Killing Durin was necessary to protect Mondstadt.
On one side, the reincarnation of his old friend. On the other, the people of Mondstadt he had sworn to protect.
Even if given another chance, Barbatos believed he would still choose to defend Mondstadt.
Because he knew—if his old friend were alive, he would never want Durin's claws stained with the blood of Mondstadt's people.
Thinking this, Barbatos let out a deep breath.
Though he had lived through those battles, he knew nothing of Durin's story before them.
Barbatos wanted to know what kind of dragon Durin had been before it invaded Mondstadt.
His eyes never left the storyteller, waiting for Li Mo to continue.
...
On stage, Li Mo raised his cup and took a sip of bitter tea. His dry throat felt much better.
Below, while he drank, the audience continued their heated discussion.
"Durin was a powerful dragon—it should have been a sacred beast guarding Mondstadt. What a waste that Rhinedottir corrupted it."
"Rhinedottir has done nothing but evil. She deserves to die."
"I remember the storyteller mentioned earlier that two dragon-spirits were born together, bound to each other. So Durin has a brother?"
"Yes. One was turned into Durin. What happened to the other?"
"Now that I think about it, Mondstadt has only two dragons: Durin and Dvalin. Could Dvalin be Durin's brother?"
"They both have 'in' in their names, so they must be brothers."
"Storyteller, tell us!"
"If that's true, Durin's fate is even more tragic…"
The audience recalled Li Mo's earlier words, piecing the story together.
They had discovered a shocking truth.
What had happened to the dragon-spirit born alongside Durin?
One possibility: it escaped and went to another nation, perhaps even across the sea.
Another possibility: it never left, traveling from the snowy mountain to Mondstadt.
If the second possibility were true, then Dvalin had appeared around the same time as Durin, in the same region near the snowy mountain.
Could Dvalin be that escaped dragon-spirit?
Could Dvalin be Durin's brother?
The idea was even more startling than learning that the boy had been reincarnated as Durin.
Even the listeners from Liyue were stunned.
In a corner of the inn, Barbatos's hand trembled, nearly spilling his wine.
Was it true?
Even he, the Anemo Archon, had never considered that Dvalin, one of the Four Winds of Mondstadt, might be connected to Durin in this way.
Now, on stage, Li Mo set down his cup. He had heard the audience's speculation.
He was surprised. Before he could even speak, they had guessed correctly.
"You are very clever. You've guessed it all."
"The black dragon Durin and Mondstadt's Dvalin did indeed originate from the same elemental spirit, splitting into two dragon-spirits."
"In human terms, you could call them brothers."
"In that encounter on the snowy mountain, Durin was captured by the alchemist Rhinedottir. Dvalin escaped and made his way from the mountain to Mondstadt."
"In the land of Mondstadt, Dvalin felt warmth, heard songs of freedom and the sound of a harp, and gradually awakened to consciousness."
"Following the Anemo Archon Barbatos, he became his companion."
"With Barbatos's help, Dvalin grew quickly, becoming a great dragon and a guardian of Mondstadt."
"He was known as Dvalin, the Dragon of the East—one of the Four Winds."
...
Li Mo saw no need to hide it. Since the audience had guessed, he would confirm it.
Below, the audience was stunned.
So it was true. The storyteller had done it again.
Not only had he made everyone cry with the story of Barbatos, but now he would also cut Dvalin down with tragedy.
He was relentless.
Imagine—if Dvalin learned he had killed his own brother, would he not be driven mad?
And now, Barbatos had come to hear the story in person.
If Dvalin heard it, would he come to Liyue too?
Liyue had just lost Rex Lapis. It was a time of crisis.
If Dvalin attacked, they could only hope the Qixing and the Conqueror of Demons could protect them—and perhaps Barbatos would help.
The audience's thoughts were divided.
On stage, after speaking of Dvalin, Li Mo continued with the story of Durin.
As he spoke, Electro energy gathered above the inn, forming vivid images once more.
Durin's massive, fearsome form appeared again.
During its time on the snowy mountain, Durin had learned not only to fly but also to sing.
Every day, after flying to the mountain's peak to listen to the distant song and harp, Durin would sing itself.
Its only flaw was that it was a great dragon, a poisonous weapon of war. Its voice was like thunder—harsh and grating.
But still, the love of singing was etched into its very soul. It was relentless.
So Durin sang every day.
Flying from the eastern slopes to the western peaks, from the southern ridges to the northern crags, it spread songs of freedom to every corner of the snowy mountain, letting every living thing feel the freedom in its songs.
But Durin was a massive dragon. Its voice was deafening.
Combined with the stench of its poisonous blood and the crushing presence of its weapon-body, it frightened away every beast that lived on the mountain.