Lydia was still spinning in place, her snow-white hair swaying gently with her movements. The sound of her muttering grew clearer. "Grandma Nun calls you 'Old Lord Anemo Archon,' but you call Gotelinde 'Big Sister.' So... should I call you 'Grandpa Venti'?"
The word "Grandpa" had barely left her lips when the corner of Venti's mouth twitched violently.
He had lived for millennia, yet this was the first time anyone had ever called him "Grandpa."
Just as he was about to retort, Diluc's cold voice cut in. "Our top priority is finding Dvalin."
Diluc's crimson eyes swept over the group as he added, "My underground intelligence network will monitor the Abyss's movements. As long as they're active within Mondstadt's borders, we'll find a lead."
"I'll notify you immediately once we have news."
Jean nodded in agreement, her tone carrying the Knights' characteristic rigor. "When I return to the Knights' headquarters, I'll dispatch Scout Knights to focus on monitoring Mondstadt's airspace, especially the areas where Stormterror has appeared before."
She looked at Lumine, her gaze growing more solemn.
"If citizens request assistance, the Knights will prioritize their safety and avoid direct confrontation with Dvalin whenever possible."
Lumine's grip on her Dull Blade tightened, her knuckles turning white. "It would be best if we could resolve this peacefully. But if he still refuses to listen..."
"Then we'll just have to beat some sense into him!" Paimon declared, clutching Lumine's sleeve, her eyes filled with determination.
Paimon's words slightly eased the tension in the room.
Venti gazed at the clouds where Dvalin had vanished, a flicker of sorrow in his cyan eyes.
"Honestly, I don't want to fight him," he murmured, his voice as soft as a whisper carried away by the wind. "We once protected Mondstadt's lands together, but now..."
He raised a hand to touch the damaged Holy Lyre der Himmel in his arms, the cracks in its body pressing painfully against his palm.
"Instead of letting the Knights of Favonius surround him with spears and bows, we should find him first. That way, we can at least preserve some of our old friendship. If the Knights mobilize fully, it won't be about 'awakening' him—it'll be a slaughter."
"I don't want to see Mondstadt's guardian die on the very land he swore to protect."
He spoke the last sentence with a heavy, resigned sigh.
As Mondstadt's Anemo Archon, he was torn between his cursed old friend and the innocent citizens and knights.
If it truly came to that—if one side had to be sacrificed to ensure the other's safety—then the one to be sacrificed could only be Dvalin.
When necessary, Venti would personally strike down his old friend.
He had no other choice.
A silent consensus settled over the group, the air thick with a somber weight.
Lumine turned to Lydia, only to find her gazing up at the sky. Her snow-white hair clung to her cheeks in the wind. Her eyes were unfocused, making her look like a small, soulless stone statue.
"Hasn't Lydia recovered yet?" Paimon whispered, floating beside Lumine. "Well, I guess anyone would be stunned for a while after finding out their drinking buddy is the Anemo Archon."
Jean's expression softened. Just as she was about to step forward to comfort Lydia, she overheard the girl's quiet muttering: "I don't have a Vision, so they definitely won't let me go with them... What am I supposed to do in the meantime?"
Venti's sharp ears caught her words, and he couldn't help but chuckle inwardly.
This girl isn't stunned at all! She's already accepted the truth and is busy figuring out what fun she can have now that she's missing out on the action!
He had worried she might distance herself from him after learning he was an Archon.
Now he realized he'd been overthinking things.
Still, Lydia's words did remind him of something.
Venti sidled up to Lydia, cradling the damaged Holy Lyre der Himmel. He leaned in and whispered conspiratorially, "Little drunkard, I have a 'very important' mission for you."
Lydia snapped back to reality, instinctively taking half a step back. "What kind of mission? Let me hear it first before I decide whether to accept."
She knew Venti well. With his personality, this kind of talk never meant anything good.
"Don't be so tense," Venti said, holding the lyre out to her. The cracks on its body were glaringly obvious in the sunlight. "Look at the Holy Lyre. It's too damaged to carry around like this. The cathedral is its rightful home, and we need someone to return it."
He glanced at the others present.
"Think about it. Who else is suited for this mission besides you?"
Lydia stared at the lyre with its broken strings, taking a long moment to process his words.
Mission? What kind of mission is this?!
He's clearly just sending me off to get scolded!
Barbara's reverence for the Anemo Archon was second to none in Mondstadt. If she saw the Holy Lyre in this state, she'd probably cry her eyes out.
The Cardinal, though generally easygoing, never compromised when it came to sacred relics.
As for Grace and the other sisters, they didn't have the authority. If Lydia gave the lyre to them, they'd just have to report it to Barbara and the Cardinal anyway.
Wasn't this just a dead end?
Jean and Diluc exchanged a glance, both seeing the same "sympathy" in the other's eyes.
Diluc spoke first, his tone unusually gentle. "After you deliver the lyre, if you don't want to stay at the cathedral, you can come find me at the Dawn Winery. Adelinde will prepare a room and snacks for you."
Jean added, "I'll write to the Cardinal beforehand to explain how the Holy Lyre was damaged. I'll do my best to keep you from getting scolded."
"Do my best... Looks like I'm getting grounded again," Lydia muttered, lamenting the wickedness of the human heart.
She looked at the "expectant" gazes of the others, then down at the heavy Holy Lyre in her hands.
Finally, her shoulders slumped in defeat, and her lips twisted into a pout.
"Fine, fine! What can I say? I'm a 'Good Citizen of Mondstadt'!"
Clutching the lyre, she couldn't resist glaring at Venti.
"If the Cardinal and Barbara yell at me, I'm telling them you forced me to deliver it!"
Venti chuckled and ruffled her hair, his teal eyes brimming with doting affection. "Don't worry," he said. "The Cardinal used to hold you when you were little. He'll nag you a bit at most, but he'd never have the heart to truly scold you."
Seeing Lydia accept the Holy Lyre, he secretly breathed a sigh of relief.
Having Lydia return the lyre to the cathedral was a perfect solution. He wouldn't have to worry about her following them to Stormterror's Lair and getting into danger. It would also keep her busy and prevent her from getting into mischief at home. Plus, it would temporarily distract her from asking questions Venti didn't want to answer.
It was a perfect plan—killing three birds with one stone!
Venti couldn't help but mentally praise himself as a genius.
The group said their goodbyes at the gates of Mondstadt. Jean and Diluc hurried off on their separate ways. Lumine and Paimon followed Venti out of the city, while Lydia, clutching the Holy Lyre, trudged toward the Favonius Cathedral, glancing back every few steps.
-
On the live stream, a scene of Lydia holding the Holy Lyre der Himmel was playing.
"Hahahaha, Venti, you old fox! You didn't want to get chewed out, so you pushed the errand onto our little angel!"
"With this pair of clowns around, there's absolutely no pre-battle tension, is there?"
"New player here. Who's the Cardinal? I've never heard that name before. Is he a future character?"
"For those who don't know: 'Cardinal' is the highest rank in the Catholic Church after the Pope. Mihoyo used this as a reference to create the character Seamus Pegg. He appeared in the official Mihoyo manga, where he's not only the Bishop of the Favonius Church but also Jean and Barbara's father."
"^^^ Big brain upstairs, just looked it up and it's true!"
"Lydia should be around the same age as Barbara, and she grew up in the Cathedral. Venti even said the Cardinal held Lydia when she was a baby... Thinking about it, it wouldn't be a stretch to say the Cardinal is like a second father to Lydia, right?"
"That would depend on the Gunnhildr Family's opinion. Guess why Jean and Barbara, who are blood sisters, address each other so formally?"
"..."
The lively atmosphere in the live stream gradually faded.
Lu Nanqing stared at the screen, which was now filled with "Genshin lore expert" comments, feeling completely bewildered.
She swore to herself that she would cram all the Genshin Impact lore as soon as the stream ended