"I've stressed this countless times already—Barbara's primary duty is serving as the Deaconess of the Cathedral of Favonius. I don't want you constantly disturbing her during her working hours."
Faced with Albert, Jean seemed somewhat helpless.
Although Albert was Barbara's number-one fanatic, he hadn't actually done anything truly out of line.
So, in principle, all she could do was advise him—not take any kind of forceful action.
"Master Jean, I think you've misunderstood me." Albert chuckled awkwardly and said, "I'm not hanging around here to bother Miss Barbara. On the contrary, I came here as a volunteer, helping the Cathedral of Favonius by cleaning up the grounds outside!"
"Since morning until now, I haven't even taken a break. I've been working diligently!"
As he spoke, Albert pointed toward a broom nearby to prove he wasn't lying.
Su Yuan, however, keenly caught onto something and asked, "Mr. Albert, you said you've been cleaning outside the Cathedral since this morning. Before the Anemo Archon's statue collapsed, did you notice anything unusual?"
"Unusual?" Albert repeated, thinking for a while before suddenly recalling something.
"Actually, yes! Just before the statue collapsed, I think I saw the Stormterror… no, I shouldn't call it that anymore—the Wind Dragon, Dvalin—flying over Mondstadt!"
"And although the sound was faint and unclear, I'm pretty sure I heard something like: 'Do something serious for once, Barbatos!'"
Everyone present was startled.
This was indeed valuable, crucial information.
Could it be that the one who destroyed the statue was actually Dvalin?
But hadn't the Abyssal taint in Dvalin's blood already been successfully purified?
Why would he do such a thing again?
Before long, however, everyone arrived at a possible explanation…
Perhaps Dvalin wasn't tainted by the Abyss once more, but instead had been corrupted and controlled by some kind of Eerie power—that was why he would commit the act of destroying the statue of the Anemo Archon.
If that really is the case, then what could be the cause and conditions for Dvalin's corruption by the Eerie power?
And after becoming corrupted, what would his goal be?
"But no matter what, thank you for the information, Mr. Albert."
Jean expressed her gratitude to Albert, then led Su Yuan and Aether into the Cathedral of Favonius.
"Huh? Big sis? At this hour, it's really rare to see you at the Cathedral!" Barbara looked at Jean with surprise.
"Deaconess Barbara, I've told you before—during work hours, you should address people by their titles…" Jean said.
"Oh, alright then. Acting Grand Master Jean, did you come to the Cathedral for treatment or purification?" Barbara asked with a smile.
"Not for now. Prepare a private room for us—we have matters to discuss," Jean instructed.
"And Barbara, you should join us too."
Shortly after, in a private room of the Cathedral of Favonius, Jean explained the current situation with the Eerie force to Barbara in full detail.
The group then began to discuss the issue concerning Dvalin.
"Traveler, Su Yuan, if you had to guess, what do you think could be the conditions for Dvalin's corruption by the Eerie force?" Jean asked.
"That's obvious—it's because Barbatos isn't doing his job properly!" Su Yuan and Aether almost spoke in unison.
"But Lord Barbatos hasn't descended upon Mondstadt in a long time. We have no idea where he even is…" Jean said with a worried expression.
"In truth, Barbatos has never left. He's always been here in Mondstadt." Su Yuan and Aether both knew this wasn't the time to keep Venti's identity a secret.
If they wanted to stand together against the Eerie threat, they had to share everything they knew.
"Venti is Barbatos' mortal vessel."
"What? That bard who's always drinking and singing at Angel's Share—that's Lord Barbatos???" Both Jean and Barbara wore looks of utter shock.
"It may sound unbelievable, but that's the truth…" Paimon sighed and waved her little hands helplessly.
"That bard is none other than the Anemo Archon, Barbatos."
"But ever since Mondstadt banned alcohol and both Angel's Share and the Cat's Tail tavern shut down, I haven't seen any trace of Venti at all…" Jean added.
"Acting Grand Master Jean, I think Mondstadt's alcohol ban can be lifted for now," Su Yuan suggested.
"We've already figured out that the disappearances and deaths of those who drank were caused by the corrupted Diona."
"But now both we and Diona are aware of this matter. Since she's shut herself away and is restraining herself, there shouldn't be any further casualties."
"As long as we reopen the taverns, I'm sure with Venti's drunkard's nose, he'll definitely come running the moment he catches the scent of alcohol. Then we won't have to worry about not finding him."
"That does make sense. In that case, I'll return to the Knights of Favonius headquarters right now to arrange the lifting of the alcohol ban and allow the taverns to reopen." Jean nodded, then left.
After Jean departed, Aether turned to Barbara and said, "Barbara, my good brother Su Yuan sometimes has strange dreams, and they're often accompanied by sudden headaches. Could you treat him and see what's going on?"
"That's a small matter—leave it to me!"
Barbara smiled as she spoke.
She summoned her gentle Hydro power, enveloping Su Yuan's body as she began her examination and treatment.
But after a while, Barbara frowned in confusion and said, "This is strange. It feels like Su Yuan's body is rejecting my examination and treatment. I can't sense any useful information at all…"
"Forget it, Aether. My physique has always been unusual—different from ordinary people. Standard examination and treatment methods don't work on me. Honestly, I expected as much," Su Yuan said.
"Since nothing came of it, and I'm not showing any symptoms right now, let's head back to the Knights of Favonius headquarters and check on Albedo's situation!"
After bidding farewell to Barbara, Su Yuan and Aether returned to the headquarters' entrance—where they happened to spot Amber.
"Amber, what are you doing here?" Aether asked.
"Oh, Traveler, it's you!" Amber gave an awkward laugh.
"Don't even mention it. The moment people heard the alcohol ban was lifted and taverns were reopening, everyone who was supposed to be taking their Wind Glider license exams just vanished in an instant!"
"With nothing else to do, I just scouted the area around Mondstadt to confirm things were safe, then came back."
"That's perfect. Su Yuan, weren't you hoping to learn how to use the Wind Glider?" Aether suggested.
"Since Amber's free right now, let's split up to be more efficient. I'll go check on Albedo's situation, while you go and learn gliding from Amber!"
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