Chapter Thirty-Nine: Sinbad

"It's been quite some time, and these Foolish Fatuus are still searching. It seems that the debt collector held some importance among the Foolish Fatuus."

"But they have no chance of finding the original debt collector. If he hasn't emerged by now, he must have perished in the Dragonspine Mountain."

Seeing those Foolish Fatuus back then, unable to break through the Snowboar King's defenses, he knew the consequences wouldn't be good. He didn't expect them to be completely wiped out and not even escape.

"Anyway, who cares about the Foolish Fatuus? As long as they don't come bothering me, it's all good."

...

The first light of dawn illuminated the surroundings as Xianyu arrived at the city gate, keeping to yesterday's agreement.

While there was no urgent need for the sword forging task, if there was someone who had information, there was no need to delay further.

"Xianyu, my young friend, I didn't expect you to arrive so early. Apologies for the wait," the old man's voice came from behind, causing Xianyu to smile faintly. "No worries, I just got here myself."

"You mentioned we'd meet at the city gate yesterday. Does that mean Sinbad isn't in the city?"

John nodded in response. "You're correct. Sinbad is rarely in Mondstadt. Most of the time, he's at Starfell Lake or the Thousand Winds Temple. After you left yesterday, I went to inquire Wagner about his father's whereabouts, and learned that he had gone to Starfell Lake."

"So all we need to do is go find him there."

Knowing Sinbad's location, Xianyu and John didn't linger and set off towards Starfell Lake.

Along the way, John explained why Sinbad was often outside the city. "You see, Sinbad spends most of his time outside the city searching for ore and other materials. You might wonder how I know all this. Well, it's because that guy frequently comes over to my place for meals. Over time, I got to know him quite well. To be honest, if Siya hadn't recognized you yesterday, I might not have noticed you either."

"Starfell Lake, they say it wasn't a lake in the past; it used to be like any other area with flowers, grass, and trees. The transformation into what it is today, they say, occurred several centuries ago when something fell from the Celestia. This has piqued the curiosity of many, including Sinbad."

"But Sinbad isn't interested in treasure hunting. He's more intrigued by the object that fell from the sky. He's been searching for it for years, wondering if it can be used as a material for forging swords. However, despite all these years, he hasn't found anything. We're not even sure if that legend is true or just a myth."

As they approached Starfell Lake, Xianyu had been quietly listening to John's explanations. He didn't have much to say about Mondstadt, and while he knew the city's name and reputation, delving into local legends and stories wasn't his forte.

Both of them were swift and agile; Xianyu was no ordinary person, and John had the experience of wielding the Vision. Their journey to Starfell Lake wasn't a long one, taking about an hour or so.

However, as they neared the lake, they heard a series of explosions. At first, Xianyu thought it might be Klee up to her usual antics, mercilessly slaughtering fish and crustaceans. But when they arrived, they found it wasn't Klee.

"Huh? What are treasure hoarders doing here? Is there some ancient relic hidden around this area?" John expressed his surprise at the unexpected sight.

When Xianyu saw that it wasn't Klee but rather a group of treasure hoarders, he didn't react with surprise. Wherever there were treasures to be found, these treasure hoarders were bound to show up, risking their lives for riches in the most perilous places. The greater the danger, the higher the potential reward.

"Don't bother with these people. As long as they're not from the relief association, we can bypass them. Let's search for Sinbad's trail along the lakeshore."

Despite the unexpected presence of treasure hoarders, they continued their search. Starfell Lake was quite expansive; otherwise, it wouldn't have withstood Klee's continuous bombings. If it were as small as in the game, the fish population would have long gone extinct.

Finding Sinbad wasn't too much trouble, and after circling half of Starfell Lake, John spotted an elderly man.

"We've found him! The person ahead is Sinbad. Let's go."

Their arrival prompted Sinbad to put down what he was holding.

"Hmm, John, what brings you here? Are you also searching for treasures, like those treasure hoarders over there?"

John chuckled, "No, I'm here to find you for something, or more precisely, this young man here is looking for you."

"Oh?" Sinbad looked at Xianyu more closely after hearing John's words. He had noticed the young man earlier but had assumed he was some relative of John's and hadn't paid much attention.

However, now that John had said this, it became clear that Xianyu wasn't a relative of John, but more likely a "friend."

"Young man, not bad at all! I can see the flow of elements around you. You must possess the Vision of a deity. If you have a Vision, then there must be a reason you seek me out."

"And I suppose you've come to me for weapon crafting, considering my proficiency in that area?"

Xianyu didn't find Sinbad's comments surprising, especially since he had noticed another Vision on his waist, similar to his own. The intense elemental flow was unmistakable.

Frankly, Xianyu wasn't thrilled about being recognized as a Vision bearer. If it were up to him, he'd prefer to conceal his elemental fluctuations. However, the presence of the Crystal butterfly on his head was a telltale sign of his unique status.

Even though the Cryo Crystal butterfly remained dormant most of the time, it was still an elemental creature, and it couldn't completely hide its elemental presence since it was, fundamentally, an "element."

"Mr. Sinbad, you have an excellent eye for these things. Indeed, I've come to request your craftsmanship in forging a weapon. I assure you that the materials I've brought won't disappoint you."

Sinbad seemed intrigued by Xianyu's confidence. "I didn't expect you to be so self-assured. Your confidence and John's introduction have piqued my curiosity. I wasn't planning to take any commissions at the moment, but since you're so confident, and with John guiding you, I'll take a look."

Xianyu wasted no time and with a wave of his hand, a fang appeared on the ground. When Sinbad saw the fang, his eyes widened.

"This aura, this appearance, could it be... a dragon's fang?"

"Impressive! To recognize the origin of this item at a glance, you truly deserve the title of a master blacksmith."

In this moment, Xianyu had to admit that Sinbad indeed had some skills. He could instantly identify the type of creature this fang came from.

After his initial surprise, Sinbad quickly regained his composure and examined the fang closely, preparing to pick it up. However, as soon as he touched it, he immediately withdrew his hand, a look of shock on his face.

"This thing is rather peculiar! When I touched it just now, it felt like my blood was being drawn toward it!"

"Hmm?"

Xianyu was also surprised by Sinbad's words. When he had stored the dragon fang earlier, he had never encountered this kind of reaction.