"…"
Ye Luo's mouth twitched. He glanced at the plain, unremarkable dull blade in his hand, then at Lumine's Skyward Blade.
The Skyward Blade gleamed like a sapphire — translucent, shining, the blade and hilt a pure cerulean so clean it felt like looking at the sky itself. A faint glow clung to it, as if a gentle breeze ran across its surface. In Lumine's grip it screamed wuxia vibes — a wandering swordswoman straight out of legend.
No comparison, no pain.
Lumine, why are you holding the Skyward Blade?!
Ye Luo felt like a joke in a circus.
Where was his Mistsplitter? The Mistsplitter he got in a single ten-pull back in the day?
"Wait — how did you know I got my Mistsplitter in a single ten-pull?!" he wanted to ask.
Lumine tossed him a small catlike look as if to say, look at you, so clueless.
He'd never actually seen an artifact-quality weapon up close before. The Skyward Blade definitely counted as legendary — impressive enough to make anyone drool. Ye Luo stared at it with the reverence of a newly awakened collector; even marrying Lumine wouldn't be too high a price for a weapon like that.
"All right," Lumine said, not showing off, sliding the Skyward Blade back into her pocket domain. She planted her hands on her hips and looked at Ye Luo with an air of mock disdain. She clearly enjoyed the expression on his face — whatever it had been before, it was gone now.
"You call that a proper weapon?" Ye Luo waved the dull sword in his hand. To his surprise, it felt… pretty good.
Could it be that the dull swords in this world were actually decent? The handling was nice, pleasantly solid.
Don't underestimate the dull blade, Lumine warned with an affectionate edge to her voice. "It's been with me for half the journey. I've used it in battle countless times and poured so many precious materials into reforging it." Her eyes softened with attachment — she'd once feared it'd be destroyed in combat. Yet here she was, willing to give it away. Ye Luo wondered if fate had somehow made him the dull sword's lucky next owner. There was also a faint, inexplicable familiarity between them. Had they met before?
Lumine frowned slightly, thought about it, and let the notion drop.
"So — what level is it?" Ye Luo leaned forward, eyes wide. Could this be one of those newbie-village OP relics, the kind that carried blessings from multiple Archons? No wonder Travelers could slash from Mondstadt to Fontaine on nothing but a dull sword — there's always lore for everything.
"Hm… two-star perfect, half a step to three?" Lumine said hesitantly.
"Half a step to three?" Ye Luo's brow furrowed. What did that even mean? Wasn't Xiali Longyin (Dragon's Roar in the Box) a four-star? And what the heck is a half-step-three?
"Is it better than Xiali Longyin?" he asked, eyes locked on Lumine.
"No… it's not," Lumine admitted shyly. Xiali Longyin — the famed Boxed Dragon's Roar — was currently in Keqing's hands; Lumine had borrowed it once and fallen in love. The dull blade didn't stand a chance.
"What about the Celestial Shadow Katana?" Ye Luo pressed.
"Well… no," Lumine evaded, trying to sound firm. "Honestly, weapons matter less than the person who uses them. Relying too much on the weapon alone is not great."
Ye Luo relented. Weapons were clearly rare. Even Lumine — who'd traveled four nations — only carried sentimental keepsakes and a Skyward Blade she'd pull out for show. Still, the dull blade had its merits.
"It's sturdy," Lumine said, proud. "Very hardy."
"Yep, I used this to block a strike from the Raiden Shogun at one point," Paimon chimed in opportunistically.
Ye Luo waved away the subject. "Weapons aside… actually, there's something I want to ask you."
Lumine and Paimon sobered immediately, attention sharpened.
"I want you to protect me on my way back to Fontaine."
Ye Luo looked them both straight in the eye. He felt a tremor of nerves even though he expected them to agree.
"Senior…" Layla glanced at him. She'd always known a departure would come, but she hadn't expected it so soon.
"Oh, that's easy," Paimon breathed a small sigh of relief. "Lumine and I are heading to Fontaine anyway. Don't worry — we learned protection skills over Dehya's training. We can be excellent bodyguards~"
Both Lumine and Paimon relaxed; the request was nothing compared to what had come before. Paimon added with a guilty scratch, "But we're entering this contest first — can we go a bit later? After we finish, we'll have enough Mora."
"No problem. My junior Layla is competing too," Ye Luo said, patting Layla's shoulder. "It's just a quick trip home. I'll be back."
"Okay…" Layla murmured, shy.
On the way back, a scholar popped up out of nowhere and grabbed Ye Luo's sleeve, eyes eager.
"Teacher—may I ask you a question? Do you have a moment?"
"Eek!" Paimon jumped. "Scary! People can pop up anywhere here."
Ye Luo shrugged and indulged the scholar. He was bored anyway.
"What do you think of the Miaolun school?" the scholar blurted.
"Miaolun…" Ye Luo took a breath and put on a mock-serious expression. He aimed to be theatrical.
"In my old home, Miaolun is called—more plainly—civil engineering."
The scholar blinked, tense. "Civil… engineering?"
"Do you know what mixing mortar means?" Ye Luo walked up and patted the scholar's shoulder solemnly. Before the man could answer, Ye Luo continued:
"If you pick Miaolun, you're choosing a life of mortar and dust, kid. I was young and foolish once — I chose Minglun. After graduation I was stuck with my junior, bored to death. I envy Miaolun seniors; they're real men — they look like they live full lives."
The crowd chuckled. Many eyes flicked to Layla and Lumine; some men looked a little envious.
"But you only ever see the top of the field — Kaveh and his Kasazalai Palace." Ye Luo's tone grew grave. "For every Kaveh, how many struggling Miaolun scholars starve, live rough lives? Can you research while you're hauling mortar? It's brutal."
He let the truth sit with them: academic competition in Teyvat was fierce. Ye Luo wasn't being hyperbolic — he just wanted them to think.
"If you want stability, Miaolun is not a bad pick — desert development needs you. But remember, every choice is yours. And if you can follow Senior Ye Luo's rhythm? Everything will be steady. Really — steady."
He flashed that slightly mysterious smile and moved on, leaving a crowd that was part bemused, part thoughtful — exactly the reaction he'd wanted.
Advance Chapters available on Patreon
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