A golden-haired boy sat silently on a throne.
Kneeling before him was a returning Abyss Mage, the very one who had fled from Starsnatch Cliff.
"Your Highness…
The plan to convert the East Wind Dragon into a weapon of war… has failed…"
Its voice was raspy, its expression full of dejection as it delivered its report.
"…The Anemo Archon? Is he re-crowning himself for the dragon's sake?"
The boy—Aether, Lumine's brother—narrowed his eyes.
If Barbatos had truly stepped in, that would complicate things.
Gods, after all, were not to be underestimated.
"No, Your Highness. We accounted for every possibility involving that god,"
the Abyss Mage replied, shaking its head.
"But the unexpected obstacle… came from your own bloodline."
"…My sister."
Aether fell silent.
Memories of the past surfaced, flickering faintly through his mind.
After a long pause, he exhaled slowly.
"Tell me everything. What exactly happened?"
"Yes, Your Highness."
The Abyss Mage relayed the entire sequence of events in detail—
from the failed dragon corruption to the incident outside Mondstadt.
It also included Stormterror's assault and the surprising outcome.
"You're saying my sister possesses incredible wind powers…
strong enough to summon a massive green dragon larger than even Stormterror?"
Aether's brows furrowed deeply.
"Yes, Your Highness. That very dragon was what defeated Stormterror."
The Abyss Mage had witnessed it firsthand from just outside the city.
The power of that enormous emerald beast was terrifying—
Even recalling it now made it shudder in fear.
Aether fell silent again.
He knew his sister very well.
And as far as he could remember, she had never wielded such wind-based powers.
Could she have acquired this strength recently?
"…Was it Barbatos?"
He briefly considered the possibility.
But then dismissed it.
That god hasn't re-crowned yet.
He shouldn't be able to bestow such immense power.
Which meant—
Lumine had obtained her power from another source.
Now, Aether was intrigued.
Just where did she get it?
"Keep watch over Mondstadt," Aether ordered coldly.
"Don't let them discover you. Gather all possible intel… especially anything about my sister."
"If something major happens—report it immediately."
"Yes, Your Highness!"
"…Speaking of Mondstadt, there is something else of importance…"
The Abyss Mage then recounted another event it had witnessed—
and made a bold suggestion.
"Your Highness, that three-headed silver dragon…
In both aura and size, it rivals Stormterror.
It could be extremely valuable for our plans."
"A powerful wind-controlling, silver-scaled three-headed dragon…"
Aether's lips curled into a faint smile.
"Fascinating. So much is happening in Mondstadt all of a sudden."
"If such a beast exists, news will surely spread.
Go investigate quietly. Do not act rashly."
"Yes, Your Highness!"
Inside Mondstadt – Solace Book House
After finishing his lunch, Han Feng once again settled in with a cup of tea,
enjoying the calm as he waited for new customers.
He didn't have to wait long.
The doorbell jingled.
In walked a young woman in a restaurant uniform, with chestnut-brown hair neatly tied.
It was Sara, the waitress from Good Hunter.
"Excuse me, is this… Solace Book House?"
Sara glanced around cautiously, sizing up the shop interior with evident curiosity.
When Amber and Eula first told Sara about the manga shop, she had been curious.
But the more she thought about it afterward, the more laughable it seemed.
Getting rewards from reading manga?
Yeah, right. That kind of thing couldn't possibly be real.
That is… until just earlier today.
At the Good Hunter restaurant, three guests had come in,
and after placing their orders, they began chatting animatedly.
They were excitedly talking about Digimon, how great One Piece was, and so on.
At first, Sara simply smiled—she wasn't surprised.
She'd heard several groups of customers mention the same thing today.
And the general consensus was the same:
That the so-called manga shop owner had teamed up with some bard to stage an elaborate scam.
Sara had shared that opinion too.
But then—
The conversation took a strange turn.
Those guests began describing parts of Digimon that Sara had never heard of.
One of them even pulled out a long, tube-shaped object, which they claimed was a telescope.
They said they'd gotten it from the manga.
And they didn't look like they were lying—
their expressions were too full of genuine excitement.
Sara began to seriously question everything.
Could it be true? Could there really be rewards…?
After hesitating for a while, she finally made up her mind to investigate for herself.
Worst case, she'd just miss a bit of work time.
No huge loss.
But if it really was real?
Then she could hit the jackpot.
With that thought in mind, she arranged for her coworkers to cover her shift,
and followed the address to find the mysterious bookstore.
~~--------------------------------------
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