Lumine and Paimon arrived before the great tree at Windrise.
Venti had clearly been waiting for some time. The three of them were discussing matters concerning Stormterror.
"The Favonius Cathedral? What are we going there for?" Paimon asked, puzzled.
Venti smiled. "To retrieve a certain lyre... called the Holy Lyre der Himmel."
"But we need to avoid Lydia," he added. "If that girl finds out what we're planning, she's bound to cause even more trouble."
Just as Lumine was about to say something, a flurry of hurried footsteps echoed from the distance.
Even faster than the footsteps was a familiar shriek: "Hilichurl Big Bros, stop chasing me! I'm sorry!"
The trio turned toward the sound. Lydia's long, snow-white hair whipped wildly in the wind as she sprinted toward them like a madwoman.
Behind her surged a dark horde of Hilichurls, some brandishing wooden clubs and torches, others wielding crossbows and shields.
Swish! Swish! Arrows zipped past, grazing the hem of her skirt.
Even more absurdly, trailing behind the Hilichurl army were two or three Stonehide Lawachurls.
Their heavy Geo armor thundered against the ground, making the ground tremble. For a moment, the trio didn't know who to focus on.
"My Archons! Why are there so many monsters?!" Paimon shrieked, her eyes wide with shock.
"Ah, speak of the devil..." Venti sighed, pressing a hand to his forehead in exasperation.
Not far away...
Lydia ran until she was breathless, tears threatening to stream down her face.
She glanced back, desperately hoping that the moment she turned her head, her pursuers would simply vanish.
Unfortunately, reality was cruel. What greeted her was an arrow that grazed past a strand of her hair.
"!!!"
Lydia's speed surged again, almost as if she were about to start crawling on all fours.
It had all started like this:
After happily leaving Mondstadt, she passed her first Hilichurl Camp.
Initially, Lydia thought she could sneak past it like she always did.
But she never expected these Hilichurls to have such good memories. They instantly recognized the white-haired human who had once toyed with them in the Whispering Woods!
They grabbed their weapons and gave chase.
Then, her luck got even worse.
Fleeing for her life, Lydia could no longer afford to stay hidden. She sprinted past a second camp, then a third... and several more Hilichurl tribes after that.
The Hilichurls multiplied as if spawning from monster generators, growing in number until even the Stonehide Lawachurls were roused!
"Venti! Lumine! Save me!"
Lydia charged toward them, snot and tears streaming down her face, nearly tripping over her own feet.
She deeply regretted not bringing Noelle with her.
If the Geo Archon Princess were here, Lydia would have been thrilled to see even more Hilichurls.
But now...
Who would've thought the boast I made to Noelle would actually come true!
Venti's eyes sharpened. He quietly raised his hand and summoned Anemo.
Invisible wind blades instantly swept past. Before the Hilichurls chasing Lydia could even react, they were sent tumbling and scattering by the gale.
Then, he secretly manipulated the Anemo again, luring a nearby Anemo Hypostasis.
"Looks like that thing is defending its territory," Venti deliberately shouted.
Lydia froze in her tracks, staring at the Anemo-infused core floating before her.
"Is that... an Anemo Hypostasis!?"
"You've got to be kidding me... Out of the frying pan and into the fire?"
At this point, she just wanted to lie down and wait for death.
At least she could dodge the Hilichurls. But this flying Anemo Hypostasis? She couldn't possibly outrun it!
The Anemo Hypostasis seemed to lock onto Lydia, who looked like the easiest target, and lunged toward her.
Lumine reacted instantly, drawing her Dull Blade and charging forward.
With a flash of her sword, she struck the Anemo Hypostasis squarely, knocking it back several meters.
Venti "cooperated" by drawing his Elegy for the End and casually firing two arrows.
He didn't need to deal much damage—just slowing the Anemo Hypostasis was enough.
The arrows grazed past the Anemo Hypostasis, making it look like he had tried his best.
"Run, Lydia!" Lumine shouted while clashing with the Anemo Hypostasis.
Lydia snapped back to her senses and bolted toward the giant tree.
Seeing its prey ignore it, the Anemo Hypostasis gave chase.
Lydia ran frantically at the front, the Anemo Hypostasis pursued her from the middle, and Lumine, Dull Blade in hand, chased the Anemo Hypostasis from behind. Paimon floated beside her, shouting, "You can do it!"
The comical scene made Venti burst out laughing.
"It was her who hit you, not me!" Lydia wailed as she ran, tears streaming down her face. "I'm just a passerby! Please, let me go!"
Fortunately, this Anemo Hypostasis wasn't particularly strong, and Lumine quickly found its weak point.
After a few sword strikes, the Anemo Hypostasis let out a soft pop and dissipated into Anemo, vanishing into the air.
Lydia couldn't hold on any longer and collapsed with a thud before the Statue of The Seven.
Her chest heaved violently, her hair was a mess, and she looked like a refugee who had just escaped a disaster.
Paimon floated over to her. "Lydia, you look awful! How did you end up being chased by so many Hilichurls?"
Lydia gasped for breath for a long while before finally recounting the entire story.
The more Lumine and Paimon listened, the wider their eyes grew.
They had heard bits and pieces about Lydia's "recklessness," but they never imagined she could be this bold.
She was the type to kick a hornet's nest just to see what would happen.
"Speaking of which, what are you doing here? Weren't you supposed to be cleaning the statue?" Venti leaned against the giant tree, struggling to hold back his laughter.
Lydia finally remembered her original purpose for coming.
She shot upright and glared at Venti. "You have the nerve to ask! What fun thing were you two plotting without me? You didn't even invite me!"
"If I hadn't overheard your conversation, I would have been bored for days!"
Lumine shook her head helplessly and reached out to smooth Lydia's tangled hair. "We were just worried you'd be in danger..."
As she spoke, an image of Lydia frantically dodging and weaving while being chased flashed through Lumine's mind.
"Still, you were lucky to make it here safely."
Lydia huffed. "Those Hilichurls have no honor! They ambushed a lady like me."
"One of these days, I'm going to bring Noelle and we'll wipe them all out!"
Watching Lydia's puffed-up cheeks, Venti secretly curved his lips into a smile.
Lydia's involvement wasn't necessarily a bad thing for them.
As a member of the Cathedral, she would have a much easier time accessing the basement than they would.
Add to that Lydia's innate... talent for stealth?
Retrieving the Holy Lyre der Himmel from the Favonius Cathedral wouldn't be difficult.
But unless absolutely necessary, he really didn't want the girl to get into trouble.
Venti leaned against the great tree, his fingertips unconsciously tracing its bark.
His heart felt as if it were being tickled by a feather.
When they first met, she was just a quiet little thing lying by the fire, clutching her parents' Visions, her cries soft and muffled.
Now, that soft bundle from the swaddling clothes had grown into a young woman who would "challenge" Hilichurls.
Seventeen years had passed in the blink of an eye.
Venti sighed inwardly—everyone in Mondstadt knew how "brainless" this girl could be.
Yet it was precisely this unadulterated innocence that made it impossible for him to truly abandon her.
Especially now. Seeing him silent for so long, Lydia simply scooted closer, shaking his arm and pleading, "Venti~ I promise I won't cause any trouble! Just take me with you!"
Her snow-white hair brushed against his sleeve, her eyes brimming with anticipation.
Seeing her like this, Venti's hesitation instantly melted away.
Fine, fine, he thought. I've watched this girl grow up. I can't just leave her to brood on her own.
If she got bored, she might run off on her own again to get "revenge" on the Hilichurls, and who knew what kind of trouble she'd stir up this time.
"Alright, alright, you can come," Venti said, raising his hands in surrender. But he immediately put on a stern expression. "But you have to agree to three conditions."
Lydia's eyes lit up instantly, and she nodded eagerly. "Tell me, tell me! I'll agree to anything!"
"First," Venti said, holding up one finger, "once we're at the Cathedral, you follow Lumine's and my orders. No acting on your own." He raised a second finger. "Second, if our Plan A fails and we have to switch to Plan B, you must stay with me. Absolutely no going off with Lumine and Paimon on their risky mission—you don't have a Vision, so you'd only be a distraction."
Lydia pouted.
Though a little disappointed, the thought of joining them for a "big heist" at the Cathedral made her nod immediately.
"Okay! I promise!"
She was about to dash back to Mondstadt when she suddenly remembered something and sheepishly returned to Venti's side.
"Um... what exactly is our plan?"
Venti suddenly broke into a mischievous grin and reached out to ruffle her hair, turning her already messy locks into an even bigger bird's nest.
"It's a secret~ You'll find out when we get to the Cathedral."
"Hey! Stop messing up my hair!" Lydia yelped, dodging away and trying to smooth her hair back down.
She turned to see Venti and Lumine exchange a knowing glance, while Paimon covered her mouth, stifling a giggle.
Lydia felt a flicker of suspicion but decided not to press further.
Whatever the plan was, it had to be a hundred times more interesting than cleaning the statue!
Watching Lydia skip ahead, Venti quietly sighed in relief.
Let's hope this girl really doesn't cause any trouble.