"Even though I want to keep going, the path ahead is blocked," Paimon said, spreading her hands.
"Yes, the path ahead is blocked," Venti repeated.
"Then tell us what to do, bard?"
Paimon was annoyed that Venti kept repeating himself.
"Hmm…" Venti fell silent for a moment.
Then, pointing to the side, he said, "Perhaps the wind current here can be used."
"Then let's take the detour to go up," Paimon approved the plan.
"Then let's take the detour to go up!" Venti continued to repeat.
"Damn it, I'm going to give you an ugly nickname!"
"But little Paimon, you've already given him a nickname," Lumine said with a smile.
"Then I'll come up with another one! I'll call him… Slacker!"
Calling the Anemo Archon 'bard' and 'Slacker' in front of his own people—only Paimon could do something like that.
Jean massaged her forehead, somewhat worried about whether this small team could complete the planned objective.
Diluc always prioritized efficiency, but this time, he uncharacteristically didn't rush them, merely standing to the side with a grim expression.
The Abyss Order was not an opponent to be easily dealt with.
So, even though Diluc usually pursued efficiency, he wouldn't rush his teammates at a time like this.
Everyone arrived before the wind current. Jean and Diluc prepared to take off normally, but Paimon got excited.
"Lumine, that line! Quickly!"
Lumine quickly understood Paimon's meaning and, without feeling embarrassed, cleared her throat.
"The wind says, you can fly!"
With that, she spread her Wind Glider and leaped down, soaring on the wind current.
"Achoo!"
Amber, who was clearing monsters around Mondstadt, felt her nose itch and sneezed.
"Why do I feel a chill? Am I catching a cold?" Amber was puzzled.
Fortunately, only Paimon and Lumine were being mischievous.
Diluc and Jean were both silent; otherwise, Amber might really have caught a cold.
Everyone successfully flew into the high tower using the wind current, and Paimon couldn't help but exclaim,
"What a convenient wind current, the position is so perfect."
"Ehe," the Slacker chuckled.
There weren't that many coincidences; it was just that someone was carrying the burden.
"By the way, these ruins haven't been occupied by the Abyss Order, have they?" Paimon asked nervously.
She hid behind Lumine, then gently patted her chest and continued, "Luckily, we have Master Diluc; he's very good at dealing with the Abyss Order."
"Don't underestimate the Abyss Order," Diluc shook his head.
"That inhuman organization contains many unimaginable dangers."
This was also why Diluc hadn't rushed everyone along the way, because the danger here was actually very high.
If he had read the story of Act 3, Diluc wouldn't have so many worries.
Unfortunately, Venti didn't want to wait any longer.
At this moment, no one knew what the future held, nor what dangers lay within.
"Exactly, that's why I came along this time," Venti nodded.
The Abyss Order was indeed full of danger.
This was also why Venti didn't act immediately after learning that the Abyss Order was involved.
Venti's theft of the skyward harp to summon Dvalin was also to gauge the Abyss Order's control over Dvalin.
Fortunately, it was only Abyss Mages; the Abyss's infiltration of Mondstadt was not yet severe.
"This is all for the sake of your safety, you know."
As he spoke, Venti began to boast.
"Ah, I'm just too diligent; so diligent that I'm completely unsuited to be a poet."
Venti wasn't just boasting when he said this.
He just felt that in the works of the author named 'Qiu Cheng,' he was a very lazy person.
So he definitely wouldn't write a line where I say I'm diligent, right!?
Unfortunately, this line could be said to have hit the mark.
"You've been drinking at the tavern the whole time, and the money you owe Master Diluc is enough for several months of my expenses. I have no idea where your diligence is," Paimon retorted.
"Ehe."
Everyone continued forward, exploring the ruins, dealing with monsters, and then discovered another wind current.
'Coincidentally,' this wind current was not only at the end of the path, but it also seemed capable of sending everyone directly to the top of the tower.
Everyone took off on the wind current, and sure enough, it sent them directly to the top of the tower.
"Surprisingly easy," Paimon said.
"Yes, but the seal ahead won't be so easy," Venti said.
"You can't break it?" Paimon asked, surprised.
Although she constantly complained about Venti, she actually trusted him a lot.
This was also why she would hide behind Venti when encountering enemies.
She always accurately found the most powerful person in the group and then hid behind them.
"It's the Wind Tyrant's barrier, but it's not constructed of wind," Venti shook his head.
"Wind Tyrant? Dvalin has such a title?" Lumine asked.
"...That's a story from old Mondstadt. I'll tell you when I have a chance, Traveler."
"Dvalin is only temporarily residing here; this building itself is even older than the era of the Four Winds."
Lumine grew interested. She didn't know when, but she had started to become interested in the stories of this world.
When was it? When her brother went missing? At that time, she wanted to understand this world and find her brother.
When she met Paimon? At that time, Paimon always told magical stories.
Or was it the first time she read the prophecy book?
She had truly appeared in the story of Teyvat, no longer an outsider.
Lumine wasn't sure when she became interested in Teyvat, but she now urgently wanted to understand these stories.
"This seal's design, I've seen it in archaeology books; it should be a 'Light Guiding Mechanism,'" Diluc's words interrupted Lumine's desire to ask further questions.
Yes, the stories could wait; there were more important matters now.
Diluc informed everyone of the method to break the 'Light Guiding Mechanism,' and Venti nodded in approval.
"Then let's try it," Venti said.
After everyone's attempts, the seal before them was broken.
However, this was only one layer of the seal.
There were three more distant seals that needed to be broken. Fortunately, everyone split up and quickly solved the problem.
"Next is the last one."
"I think I'll write the story into a song after this is over."
"Alright, let us restore freedom to the great dragon," Venti said.
The seal was broken, and Dvalin appeared before everyone.
"Barbatos… are you here to hunt me?" Dvalin stared intently at Venti.
"Dvalin, I'm here to respond to the previous questions."
"Why do people now despise me?"
The skyward harp said nothing.
"We never despised you, nor did we ever think of hunting you."
"Woooo~argh!" Dvalin let out a pained roar, and the poisoned blood on his body glowed.
"Dvalin!" Venti exclaimed, and a longbow appeared in his hand.
He shot an arrow into the purple congealed blood, seemingly alleviating some of Dvalin's pain.
Dvalin's eyes were full of madness, and his massive dragon claw struck down, as if to flatten Venti.
Diluc raised his sword to block, and actually managed to withstand this terrifying blow.
Diluc was only the size of one of Dvalin's claws, yet he steadily took the attack.
Feeling the force of the impact, Diluc couldn't help but marvel at Dvalin's power.
"Focus your attacks on the poisoned blood," Venti reminded everyone.