"You'll know once you feel it!"
Lora slowly released the power she now possessed.
A noble aura that surpassed even Apep gradually spread through the surrounding space, bringing an indescribable pressure over the entire area.
"This is..." After sensing the power Lora had released, Apep's tone slowly filled with shock.
"This is the power that maintains the Heavenly Principles. No... not all of it. There is also the Primordial Sea... and... this. You actually possess power from beyond Teyvat. Why has that power not contaminated you?"
"What I obtained is not the power of the Abyss. In fact, the power I gained stands opposed to it," Lora said softly as she looked into the space ahead.
After a long while, Apep finally said, "Then, as you are now, can you already stand alongside the Heavenly Principles?"
Lora nodded with a smile. "Although I've never truly fought them, my authority in Teyvat is very high now. As long as the Sustainer and the Heavenly Principles remain asleep, even you Dragon Sovereigns do not possess greater authority than I do in this world."
Her meaning was simple.
Whether she could defeat the Heavenly Principles was still unclear, but in terms of authority, she was already not far behind.
After Lora finished speaking, Apep remained silent for a very long time.
No one knew how much time had passed before she finally asked, "Then what will you bring to this world?"
"Hope," Lora said. "I will keep this world from destruction and bring true hope to every living thing."
"That is something not even the Heavenly Principles ever accomplished."
It was not that Apep did not believe her. The moment she sensed that power, she had already understood Lora's strength. But when it came to Teyvat's future, she still could not feel optimistic.
Lora said, "What the Heavenly Principles can accomplish, I will accomplish. What they cannot accomplish, I will accomplish as well. That is why I returned to this world, and it is the promise I made to that great being."
After she said those words, every sound in the space fell silent.
Even the elemental lifeforms within Apep stopped talking and turned toward her.
After that strange atmosphere continued for a while, Apep finally asked, "Egeria, I choose to believe you. What do you need me to do? Attack Celestia? It may be somewhat troublesome, but I will not refuse."
"No, no, no. This time I really did just come to hang out with you!" Realizing that Apep had clearly misunderstood her purpose, Lora quickly shook her head.
"But I am the oldest Dragon Sovereign in Teyvat today. What could you possibly come to me to 'hang out' for?" Apep clearly did not understand what she meant.
Lora looked at the space before her. "Can you show yourself?"
"My body is vast beyond measure. You are currently within my inner space," Apep's voice sounded again.
Lora looked at the elemental lifeforms whose gazes had all turned toward her and sighed. "Of course I know we're inside your inner space. I mean face-to-face."
"My body is enormous. I am afraid meeting face-to-face is not possible."
"I mean, elemental beings like us can change forms, can't we? Just transform into one," Lora said.
Apep refused without hesitation. "Impossible. Absolutely impossible."
"Just transform once!"
"Impossible."
"Just for a moment! Just once!"
"No. Do not even think about it. I will absolutely never take on a human form."
Seeing Apep refuse so decisively, Lora brought out her finishing move.
"Great Dendro Dragon Sovereign! Are you truly going to stand by and watch those second-generation Dragon Sovereigns throw away the dignity of their kind?
"Look at those new-generation dragons. They've already become playthings of The Seven!
"Are you truly going to watch those juniors forget the pride of the Dragon Sovereigns?
"No. You cannot allow that. You must carry out the will of the Dragon King and teach those ignorant new-generation Dragon Sovereigns a lesson!
"That is what you should do. Answer me, Apep! Should you not fulfill this duty?"
Apep: "..."
A breeze blew through, making the silence feel slightly awkward.
"Ahem... Don't just stay silent. Give me some kind of reaction?" Lora felt a little embarrassed by the sudden quiet.
That actually surprised Apep. "You can feel embarrassment? Judging from what you just said, I thought your skin was thicker than all of Teyvat."
"Hehe..." Lora scratched her head sheepishly.
"Very well. What you said does make some sense," Apep's voice slowly sounded.
Immediately after, countless green leaves began to swirl in front of Lora. Fallen leaves drifted through the air, mingling with desert sand that filled the sky. The weight of the entire space seemed to press down before her.
Then, from within the countless leaves and desert sand, a long, slender leg stepped out.
From bottom to top, a tall, mature woman with long greenish-yellow hair appeared before Lora. Her clothing carried an unmistakable desert style, and her figure was curvaceous, her skin fair, her features beautiful.
Lora looked at the transformed Apep.
Without saying a word, she immediately pulled out her Kamera and snapped a photo.
"What is that?" Apep frowned, her gaze falling on the Kamera in Lora's hand.
"This is a wonderful little tool invented in Fontaine!" Lora put it away and immediately began calculating when she should send the photo to The Steambird.
The headline would be:
Shocking! Perfect Mature Beauty Appears in the Sumeru Desert, Her True Form Turns Out to Be...
Just from the headline alone, she knew it would sell.
A ten-out-of-ten hit.
"All right. Now you can tell me what you are really planning, can't you?" Apep crossed her arms and looked seriously at Lora, who was slightly shorter than her.
"I don't know whether you've heard of Liyue's Lantern Rite."
Lora leaned closer, waved Apep down, and gestured for her to crouch a little. Then she quietly told Apep her plan.
After listening to Lora's explanation, Apep nodded slightly. "Mm. It is a decent plan. But I have one question."
"What question?" Lora blinked.
Apep looked at her in confusion. "There is only you and me here. No one in Teyvat can detect this place, and what we are discussing is not shameful. Why did you lean in and whisper?"