Departing southward from Mondstadt City, there are two routes that can reach Dragonspine: one is to pass through Windrise and take the fork near Dadaupa Gorge heading south; the other goes through Springvale and Dawn Winery, then climbs up Dragonspine via a small hillside path.
The first route is shorter, a near straight line with little backtracking, so it's the path most adventurers choose when heading to Dragonspine. The Adventurers' Guild has also set up a supply point at the mountain's base. The only drawback is the chance of running into hilichurls and other monsters along the way.
The second route is a lesser-known trail, but because it passes Springvale and Dawn Winery, it runs along a trade road that's well-maintained and regularly cleared of monsters. The downside is that it offers fewer climbing paths up the mountain.
Richard and his group chose the first option, it's more convenient for reaching Albedo's lab, and they'd pass through Windrise too, which is a nice sightseeing stop.
Early in the morning, they met up at Mondstadt's city gate. Since this was a private trip and Richard was accompanying her, Furina didn't bring her guards along.
Ever since Richard once told her that the guards were there only to make her feel protected, not actually keep her safe, Furina had lost trust in them.
So even when she was alone in Mondstadt with her guards before, she never dared wander off to places without 'safety guarantees'; she hadn't even stepped outside the city gates.
Furina found herself missing her chief personal secretary, Clorinde. Clorinde, whose strength had Richard's stamp of approval, clearly gave Furina the sense of safety she needed to feel secure leaving the city.
These days, Furina's sense of 'safety hierarchy' had become clear: with the guards, she'd only feel safe inside the city; with Clorinde, she dared venture outside; and with Richard, it was basically 'I can go anywhere.'
"Because of Dragonspine's extreme environment, I've prepared some anti-freeze potions. Here, take some and split them up," Albedo said, holding up a medical box.
"Anti-freeze potions?" Furina glanced at Albedo. Thanks to Richard's introduction, she knew this was the man who'd taught Klee about 'lizard tails', definitely suspicious in her eyes.
So when she saw Albedo's anti-freeze potions, she instinctively resisted. Who knew what weird ingredients might be in them, maybe some oddly-patterned lizard tails, for example.
"Yes," Albedo explained calmly. "Dragonspine is snow-covered year-round, and various external factors make its cold unbearable for ordinary people."
"Every year, there are underprepared adventurers who freeze to death in the snow. One reason the Adventurers' Guild set up a base camp at Dragonspine's base was to remind people to respect its harsh conditions and avoid needless loss of life."
"So, although I believe the Hydro Archon's divine body could resist the cold, I still strongly recommend you carry a few bottles of anti-freeze potion just in case. Even if you don't need it, you might give it to someone else who does."
Richard's explanation quickly eased Furina's concerns about suspicious ingredients; her fear of freezing to death outweighed any worries about what might be in the potion.
Freezing to death in the snow… that was terrifying.
Furina knew her own situation best. She didn't have any so-called divine body; she was as ordinary as a human could be. If Dragonspine was really as cold as Richard described, she'd never survive without an anti-freeze potion.
As an alchemist, Albedo was also used to people being wary of alchemical concoctions, so he patiently added, "The main ingredient is the core of a Flaming Flower, with a small amount of crushed Scarlet Quartz and purified Slime Condensate. All are within digestible doses, the impact on the body is negligible."
After Albedo showed her the full ingredient breakdown, Furina's resistance eased. She even took a few extra vials just to be safe and grabbed more for Klee, too.
However, Klee didn't seem to need them at all. She said she'd rather leave them for people who really needed them.
Furina cast Richard a puzzled look. He explained, "Klee's an elf; her physique is far stronger than an ordinary adventurer's. Plus, her clothes were custom-made by Alice to resist heat and cold. On top of that, she has a Pyro Vision, so even Dragonspine's chill can't do anything to her."
Richard didn't mention the rest: that he'd personally added some protective wards for Klee. Not even the remains of Durin could threaten her life now.
Not to mention the extra precautions Albedo had put in place for Klee, too. Between Richard's and Alice's safeguards, Klee could play around Mondstadt without a care in the world.
In truth, only Furina really needed the potion. Richard and Albedo could ignore Dragonspine's cold entirely.
Actually, the real reason Albedo made so many potions was because of the Salon Solitaire members Klee had mentioned. After all, a Hydro Archon who helped solve Mondstadt's dragon crisis shouldn't be afraid of a bit of cold, right?
According to Klee, those conjurations were special water-element phantasms; they probably couldn't handle Dragonspine's harsh cold, which was why Albedo prepared so many vials.
Not that it mattered, Richard had other contingencies anyway. No one knew better than him how 'fragile' their dear Hydro Archon really was.
The gift he'd prepared for Furina this time was partly to cover for that.
It would at least give her some means of self-defense if things went wrong, so she wouldn't be completely powerless.
Furina fell silent for a moment. 'So in this makeshift travel group, I'm the weak link, huh? Even Klee was stronger than me!'
Luckily, only she knew that. Well, maybe Richard had guessed, too.
Furina wasn't stupid; she knew her behavior lately hadn't escaped Richard's notice. He'd probably suspected something long ago, but he'd never called her out on it.
She hadn't known Richard once doubted her claim of being the Hydro Archon, only to have Venti dismiss it, letting her keep the title in Richard's mind.
Otherwise, Furina would be weeping right now, begging Richard to keep her secret...
Soon, they took transportation to the foot of Dragonspine. As they passed the Adventurers' Camp, Furina's curiosity was piqued by the bustling atmosphere.
She tugged at Richard's sleeve and asked, "Are there really that many people going to Dragonspine? There are so many people here."
"These folks make a living off Dragonspine's abundant resources. Even just the renewable resources around the mountain's base earn them a good profit. As for the mountain's depths, they're too dangerous for most to bother," Richard explained.
"The Mondstadt Alchemists' Guild often puts out commissions for Dragonspine materials, too. Over time, all this activity has made the area so lively," Albedo added.
"Klee comes to Dragonspine to play a lot, too! It's super cold, but the lakes have tons of fish. You just toss a bomb, and the ice, plus all the fish underneath, go flying! If you're lucky, you might even see a rainbow. It's really fun!" Klee said, shaking her backpack.
No surprise, it was probably stuffed with Jumpty Dumpties. She was determined to blow things up to her heart's content this time out with Richard.
Klee had even prepared a stash for Furina and the Salon Solitaire members, too. She wanted everyone to experience the joy of blasting fish out of the ice!
"So... are we just sticking to the outskirts this time?" Furina asked.
"Nope. Albedo's lab is deep in Dragonspine, and the gift for you is in his lab too. So our destination is the mountain's interior," Richard said.
"I see..." Furina nodded. She didn't look too worried; she had Mondstadt's top alchemist's anti-freeze potions and Richard by her side. She felt plenty safe.
But then Richard's next words made her heart jump.
"The only thing to worry about is that we might run into some... inexplicable phenomena this time."
"Inexplicable phenomena?!" Furina echoed, her gut telling her this wasn't good.
"Things like monsters disguising themselves as humans and sneaking into the group... teammates vanishing mysteriously... or a dead stranger suddenly greeting you. Wait, Furina, where are you going?" Richard paused, noticing Furina was already trying to drag Klee back down the trail.
"I don't think Dragonspine sounds that fun anymore. I'd rather take Klee back to Windrise, at least the scenery there is nice," Furina said flatly.
Richard couldn't help but laugh. "Alright, alright, I was just sharing some local legends about Dragonspine to add a bit of mystery and make the trip more immersive."
"Totally unnecessary!" Furina shot back. She wasn't exactly brave to begin with, coming to somewhere as dangerous as Dragonspine was only because she trusted Richard.
'And now this guy was here scaring me on purpose, absolutely outrageous!'
Under Richard's playful teasing, the group soon stepped into Dragonspine.
As they ventured deeper into the snow-covered mountain, Furina found herself captivated by the breathtaking scenery, so different from anything she'd seen in Fontaine.
Her image of Dragonspine had only come from library books and photos; only now, seeing it with her own eyes, did she realize that words and pictures alone could never capture its grandeur. Only by standing there herself could she feel its majestic beauty.
Awed by Dragonspine's stunning landscape, Furina glanced at Richard walking ahead, shielding her from the snow and wind. A genuine smile bloomed on her lovely face.
Coming to Mondstadt really was the right choice.