Chapter 93: Failure

"Indeed, I've endured quite a bit of hardship for this sword."

"All right, I won't disturb you anymore, goodbye."

When Venti ascended the stairs, he noticed the sword at Xianyu's waist, feeling somewhat nostalgic about its aura.

Although there were waves in his heart, he didn't show it.

Jean agreed with Venti's sentiment.

"Yes, Xianyu's sword is indeed extraordinary. I remember the day it was forged; it caused quite a commotion. Even now, there are traces of that sword left at Starfall Lake."

"It's because of that sword that he offended the Fatui and fled back to Liyue."

Diluc perked up at the different opinion.

"Offended the Fatui? I've noticed that he seems to have a good relationship with them."

Jean replied, "It may seem so now, but he was pursued before and killed quite a few of them."

"Let's not talk about him anymore; let's focus on our task."

At this point, Paimon chimed in, "Yeah, let's save Dvalin first since Jean has retrieved it."

Meanwhile, Aither was curious about Venti's words, sensing a hint of something else in his tone, although he wasn't sure what it was.

The events that followed were not something Xianyu participated in because he knew that the Sky Harp couldn't actually save Dvalin; it would only be damaged by the Abyss Mage.

If it were before, he would have taken the opportunity to go since having the Abyss Mage there would guarantee some gains.

But now, he no longer saw value in what the Abyss Mage possessed.

This was the change brought about by a leap in strength; something important one moment could become entirely useless the next.

Xianyu, who saved the main group a lot of trouble, left the tavern and returned to his residence for "closed-door cultivation."

Although his current strength was decent, he didn't slack off and continued to improve himself.

Each time he felt the slowly increasing "spiritual power," it made him feel more grounded.

Meanwhile, Aither and the others began their actions after Xianyu left.

First, they found that the power on the Sky Harp was too low to call Dvalin, so they used Dvalin's tears to supplement it.

Then they discovered that although the tears contained sufficient power, they were not enough in quantity, so they were informed of where to find other tears.

And so, Aither a embarked on the journey to obtain the tears.

Dvalin's tears were not easy to obtain because they contained elemental power, attracting some monsters.

After a considerable amount of time and many battles, they finally obtained enough tears.

...

Starsnatch Cliff.

This place was one of Mondstadt's rare highest places, overlooking the sea below.

Behind them was a lush greenery, flowers blooming everywhere, fitting the phrase "facing the sea, spring warm flowers blooming." It was also a place where some people made vows of love.

"Alright, this place meets my requirements."

"I'm going to start playing; let's enjoy the performance of the best bard in the world..."

The melodious notes began to drift in the air, spreading out.

This sound contained the unique power of Anemo, crucial for calling Dvalin.

Under this beautiful melody, somewhere, a massive figure soared into the sky towards Starsnatch Cliff.

Xianyu also opened his eyes in Mondstadt.

"Has it begun? This tune is indeed special."

It must be special if even Xianyu could hear it.

Dvalin wouldn't be close to Star Snatch Cliff; it might even be farther than Xianyu. Without a special conveyance of power, it would be impossible to call the wind dragon.

With that said, Xianyu closed his eyes once again.

After some time passed, while Diluc and the others were still marveling at the beauty of the melody, the wind suddenly changed direction.

The howling winds revealed a colossal dragon head before them.

Then they heard Venti speak.

"Really? Did I misread it? Your expression seems like you're reminiscing about something..."

Upon hearing Venti's words, Dvalin emitted a sigh-like low hum.

And Jean pondered, "Can he really communicate with the dragon?"

Just as she finished speaking, a shard of ice shot from Tevat's direction, knocking the Sky Harp to the ground, damaging it in the process.

Ice shards?

Dvalin's power is wind-based, so who launched this attack?

The next moment, they saw the Abyss Mage behind Dvalin's massive head.

"Don't be deceived by him, poor dragon..."

"He has long abandoned you..."

"Harbor hatred, feel anger, you can't turn back now..."

The Abyss Mage's words, along with his insidious influence, made Dvalin start to become agitated, followed by a roar.

The atmosphere became tense because the others couldn't understand the dragon language, and Dvalin didn't speak the common tongue, so they didn't know what Dvalin was saying.

Just as Venti was about to explain, he only managed to say a few words before Dvalin and the Abyss Mage left.

No battle ensued.

It's unclear whether it was the Abyss Mage's intention or Dvalin didn't want to fight.

If Xianyu were there, he would have dealt with the Abyss Mage the moment he appeared, denying him the chance to speak.

However, to prevent too much change from occurring in what he knew, Xianyu rarely got involved in such matters.

That's why he only suggested going to the Stormterror's Lair with them instead of coming to call Dvalin.

As they watched the departing massive figure, Venti's face revealed a sorrowful expression.

Jean, having gone through the recent events, guessed Venti's y's true identity, his ability to communicate with Dvalin, and the words of the Abyss Mage. If she couldn't figure it out after all these years as an acting guild leader, then she had wasted her time.

However, Jean didn't reveal Venti's identity.

"Bar... sir Venti, please take care of yourself."

"Dvalin may have left, but it should have returned to the Stormterror's Lair. We can go there to find it and save it."

Venti didn't doubt this; as the acting guild leader of the Knights of Favonius, her sources of information were quite extensive.

He didn't know that this information was actually disclosed by Xianyu.

Dvalin's location couldn't be hidden from Venti, but he simply nodded.

At this moment, they seemed to forget Xianyu's words from a few days ago.

Except for Diluc, who remembered Xianyu's meaning from his words. If he remembered correctly, Xianyu directly said he wanted to go to the Stormterror's Lair with them.

"That young man, did he anticipate this step as well? Or does he actually know some divination?"

"He's a dangerous guy. I wonder what his purpose is for going to the ruins?"

"I just hope it won't lead to more trouble..."

However, Diluc didn't voice his thoughts; he just kept pondering with his head bowed. And even the small Paimon tagged along with Jean, trying to assert her presence.