It only took a moment for Jiang Yan to make up his mind.
"Lumine and Amber, you should head back to the city first. I'll go check something."
He spoke calmly.
"Can't we go together?"
Lumine tugged lightly at his sleeve.
"It's not something convenient for you to know."
Jiang Yan answered honestly.
Both he and Diluc had ties—of varying depth—to Teyvat's underground intelligence networks.
With others present, it would only complicate things.
"…Alright."
Lumine sounded a little disappointed.
"Are you going after that annoying guy?"
Paimon crossed her arms, still indignant.
"That 'annoying guy' happens to be the richest person in Mondstadt."
Jiang Yan said suddenly.
"What?! That red-haired guy is even richer than you?"
Paimon's attention was instantly hijacked.
"Of course," Jiang Yan replied.
"I only own my share of the Good Hunter. He has a winery outside the city, a tavern inside the city, and controls the largest share of Mondstadt's wine trade."
"Wine is Mondstadt's most important commercial product."
"Huh?! Then doesn't that mean the red-haired guy basically controls most of Mondstadt's wealth?!"
Paimon gasped.
Then she shrank back instinctively, her bravado evaporating.
"Then… we can't afford to offend him."
Paimon had always upheld the fine virtues of bullying the weak, fearing the strong, and cherishing her own life.
"I'm sorry, Amber."
She floated over to console her.
"It's fine," Amber waved it off.
"Master Diluc has always been… less than friendly toward the Knights. It's a historical issue."
Then she added earnestly,
"But I believe Master Diluc is a very righteous person."
"Then—then I'll forgive him! Reluctantly!"
Paimon declared, without the slightest hint of shame.
Jiang Yan took out a set of keys from his system inventory.
"If you don't have anywhere to go, you can wait for me at the Good Hunter."
He handed the keys to Lumine.
"We closed early today. Sara should've stored quite a bit of cold food. If you're hungry, just heat some up."
"Mm."
Lumine nodded obediently.
They parted ways for now.
Jiang Yan headed into the nearby grove.
Amber, Lumine, and Paimon watched his figure disappear before turning back toward Mondstadt.
"Boss Jiang Yan, not going to keep playing with the Knights' little girls?"
Diluc sensed the movement behind him and spoke without turning, arms crossed, his tone amused.
Jiang Yan spread his hands.
"Amber's doing serious work. Could you maybe stop being so sharp-tongued?"
"I just think that Boss Jiang Yan constantly associating with the Knights is a pity."
Diluc sounded genuinely regretful.
"If you pick up their inefficient habits, it'd be a great loss to Mondstadt."
"Yes, yes—our Darknight Hero."
Jiang Yan shot back.
"Tch."
Diluc clicked his tongue lightly, clearly displeased—yet his elegance remained completely intact.
"So," Jiang Yan said as they walked side by side,
"what's the situation this time?"
"There are traces of Abyss Mages behind Stormterror's attack on Mondstadt."
Diluc replied.
"You just came out of the Temple of the Eagle of the West. You must've noticed something."
Jiang Yan nodded.
"Yeah. That crystal where the dragon's power was condensed—it couldn't have been placed there by Stormterror itself."
The entrance to the top chamber alone made that obvious. Stormterror couldn't even fit a single claw inside.
More importantly, once Stormterror lost its reason, it no longer possessed the intelligence needed to plan something like that.
Of course, Jiang Yan already knew the truth.
"If the intel's correct," Diluc continued,
"there should still be an Abyss Mage inside one of the temples—hasn't had time to retreat yet."
He was already heading out to hunt it down.
"I see."
Jiang Yan almost forgot about that detail.
If he remembered correctly, it was in the Temple of the Wolf of the North.
Wait—
Wasn't it an Ice-type… or was it Hydro?
If it was Ice—and he and Diluc didn't intervene—
Kaeya's in trouble.
Elemental clash. How was Kaeya supposed to break that shield?
"Let's hurry."
Jiang Yan suddenly picked up his pace.
"What's wrong?"
Diluc broke into a jog beside him.
"Kaeya went alone," Jiang Yan said.
"With Kaeya's strength, it shouldn't be a problem," Diluc replied.
Though he disliked the Knights, he wasn't the type to deny someone's competence without reason.
"That depends on the enemy," Jiang Yan said.
"What if it's an Ice Abyss Mage?"
"…That's bad."
Diluc fell silent.
Ice versus Ice—Abyss Mages could draw elemental power directly from the ley lines, far faster than humans who relied on ambient elements.
In a battle of attrition, Kaeya would lose—no question.
"And you," Jiang Yan added,
"running off alone—what if you run into a Pyro Abyss Mage?"
"I'll crush it before it can raise a shield,"
Diluc said confidently.
"I won't give it time to breathe, let alone chant."
Jiang Yan shook his head, helpless.
Diluc was always like this—confident, decisive, unyielding.
But then again, without such a temperament, he wouldn't be the "uncrowned king" admired by countless Mondstadt maidens and noble ladies.
Night had already fallen in the wilderness.
Beneath the Thousand Winds Ruins—
The two of them spotted the gates of the Temple of the Wolf of the North standing wide open.
They exchanged a glance—
And charged straight in.
Advance Chapters available on Patreon
patreon.com/MythArcStudio