Chapter 96: The Staff of Gale

Now, back to Xianyu's side.

Was he really shot down by Dvalin due to carelessness?

This doesn't quite fit his modus operandi.

At the base of the tower.

"I knew it! This is indeed an artifact of authority!"

Xianyu is now holding a staff with swirling gales around it, feeling the sharp pain in his hand.

As he said, how could the wind here never dissipate?

And why would Dvalin choose this particular place as a habitat? Combined with the fact that even after the Wind Wisp Dragon in the game was "saved," the fierce winds here persisted, it just doesn't make sense.

So the only explanation is... there's a "source of wind" below!

Though Venti's explanation earlier seemed reasonable, Xianyu didn't fully believe it. He always had his own thoughts.

And Dvalin's madness just gave him the opportunity.

Even acting requires seizing the right moment, being convincing is essential.

Putting away the staff.

The fierce winds start to calm.

Though occasional rocks fall, Xianyu isn't worried. This tower won't collapse so easily.

If it didn't collapse during the battle for the Anemo Archon, why would it now?

"Weird..."

Sensing that there's no one above, although it's strange that they didn't come down to "rescue" him, Xianyu isn't concerned.

He never pinned his hopes on others, so there's no room for disappointment.

"Oh well, it's for the best..."

Without Venti around, the Cryo Crystalfly reappears.

Without the source of wind, it's "dead."

Flying through the air, looking at the ruins without swirling winds, he sighs lightly and heads towards Mondstadt.

The journey to Mondstadt is complete, and he doesn't want to deal with what comes next, nor does he dare to.

It's inevitable that Venti would be "heart-extracted" by "her." It's the trend, something a minor character like him can't change, nor does he want to.

Passing through the sky, aligned with the birds and cranes, Xianyu sets off on his way home.

...

"Hey, why are there only four of you coming out? Where's Xianyu? Why didn't he come out with you guys?"

Paimon's question leaves everyone stunned.

"Oh no! We left him in the tower!"

"Dvalin, let's go back. There's still someone in the tower where you nested."

At this moment, even Diluc and the others remain silent, though they're still worried deep down. After all, they are "comrades in life and death," and any grudges have long disappeared.

Returning to the top of the tower, they find that it hasn't collapsed as expected, which eases their minds. If it had collapsed, Xianyu might have been in grave danger.

Flying down with everyone, they strangely don't see Xianyu's figure, not even any traces of blood.

"Weird... Could it be that he left on his own? And many of these rocks look like they've been chopped, likely his doing."

Not finding Xianyu at the scene makes everyone slightly relieved. It's a good sign that he's alive.

Now that Venti has assured them, they set aside their worries. It's just a relic, and Xianyu has helped them before; it's only fair.

Seeing Venti's assurance, everyone puts their minds at ease.

Even Diluc, at this moment, has some speculations, but he doesn't voice them out loud.

The journey home is multi-faceted, for both Venti, Dvalin, and Xianyu.

...

Sal Terrae, the Fallen Land of the Salt God Havria.

Xianyu lands here, also with his own considerations. The staff of the Anemo Archon is no small matter.

He intended to go to the Guyun Stone Forest after devouring it, but Mandrill spent most of his time at the Wangshu Inn, and any slight movements would prompt him to go there. The same applies to the Wuwang Hill.

Xianyu wasn't sure if devouring prosses of the Cryo Crystalfly would cause any disturbances, so he chose here.

In Liyue, there are few places where Adeptus don't pay attention.

And here in the Sal Terrae, there are no people or Adeptus casting their gaze, relatively secluded.

The Cryo Crystalfly reverts to its dragon form, and Xianyu changes his appearance. He now looks like the person he traded with in his previous life.

Ordinary, nothing outstanding, just his previous appearance.

"Catch!"

He throws the staff of gales to the Cryo Crystalfly and sits down nearby.

Devouring the artifacts of other gods isn't easy; it's not like the Archon of the Vortex, who has powerful divine power and can directly devour them.

The Cryo Crystalfly's method is similar to how it absorbed the Frostbearing Tree's mark, slowly absorbing and then assimilating, ultimately deepening its own "rules."

The absorption process isn't calm. From this moment on, the Sal Terrae experiences intermittent strong winds, snowfall, and fog, quite frequently.

But fortunately, hardly anyone comes here, and it's close to the Dragonspine Mountains, so such phenomena are understandable.

Days pass by, and the Cryo Crystalfly in dragon form starts to grow larger.

This is the most direct manifestation of a god.

Whether it's the Archon of the Vortex, Morax, or Dvalin and Durin, their sizes are immense, unlike the Cryo Crystalfly, which used to be the size of a slime...

Things are going smoothly on Xianyu's side, but Mondstadt isn't as calm.

...

Since the day when Aether and the others returned to Mondstadt and announced that the Stormterror issue was resolved, although the people were skeptical, they began to feel relieved.

After all, it was said by the acting Grand Master of the Knights, and there was some credibility to it.

As life returned to normal for the people, Venti also showed a long-lost smile.

As people's lives returned to normal, Venti naturally resumed his paperwork and chores, often personally searching for lost pets like cats and dogs.

Fortunately, Aether also helped from time to time; otherwise, it would have been even more exhausting.

And Diluc continued to work as a bartender.

Meanwhile, Venti continued to sing and perform around Mondstadt, earning money for drinks and expenses.

Everything seemed fine, but the Fatui Harbingers began to stir.

Thanks to Xianyu's warning, they had been holding back until now, and with their information, they quickly pinpointed their target.

If they had the opportunity, Signora would have struck already.

Now she's just waiting for the right moment.

To strike openly in front of everyone, what would the other countries' gods think? Not all gods are like Barbatos and Morax, willing to withdraw.

"My Lord, we've been monitoring our target for some time now. When should we strike?"

Sitting in her chair, Signora looks at her nails and gently blows on them.

"No rush, the time is not right yet. How about the information I asked you to gather?"

Kneeling with one knee, the debt collector keeps his head down. "My Lord, Xianyu hasn't appeared since he went out with the Knights last time, and there's been no news from Liyue. I beg for your forgiveness!"