"Brother Su Bai, I never imagined it was you who saved me. Thank you so much."
Bennett lay on the hospital bed, his eyes filled with gratitude. When that blast of Anemo energy had struck him, he'd really thought it was the end.
"No need for thanks. If Klee hadn't wanted to go fish-blasting, I wouldn't have met Razor at that moment. You could call this your fate."
"Many turning points in life can only be attributed to fate. This time, if not for fate's protection, you'd have been long gone."
Su Bai didn't quite know how to evaluate Bennett anymore. Say he was unlucky? He'd managed to survive until now. Say he was lucky? That time on Dragonspine, he'd nearly gotten them all killed.
Unable to find an answer, Su Bai could only attribute it all to Fate itself. After all, fate was inherently full of contradictions, though these contradictions seemed especially pronounced on Bennett.
"I'm a bit curious, Bennett. Don't you complain about your luck even a little?"
"Heh, what's there to complain about? It's just not as smooth sailing as other adventurers'. Nothing worth mentioning."
"Though it might be presumptuous... Bennett, I advise you to give up being an adventurer. It's far too dangerous for you."
Su Bai crouched down and gently patted Bennett's shoulder. While Bennett was unconscious, Barbara had told him many stories about the boy. Su Bai genuinely didn't want to hear news one day that his young friend had perished in the wilds.
"Heh, don't worry, Brother Su Bai. I'll be more careful from now on."
"Since I was little, my dads taught me many things. But giving up? They never mentioned that once."
A determined light shone in Bennett's eyes. No one could make him abandon his dream of becoming a great adventurer. It wasn't just his dream; it was his dads' dream too. Since they could no longer walk that path, he, Bennett, would carry their share of the dream forward.
"Bennett, I know you're strong. But have you considered that one day, you might die because of your bad luck?"
"If you're worried about making a living, I have some connections with the second young master of the Feiyun Commerce Guild. I could ask him to help find you work with their branch here in Mondstadt."
Su Bai felt utterly exasperated. What was with Mondstadters these days, throwing their lives away one after another? Bennett took a deep breath. Having had almost no friends growing up, he could tell Su Bai genuinely cared for his well-being. Bennett gave a silly grin.
"It's alright, Brother Su Bai. I'll be careful from now on. This is my dream."
'Careful, my foot! Can your rotten luck be avoided just by being careful?' Su Bai sighed, his suggestion unsuccessful. If Bennett said this was his dream, what right did he have to stop someone from chasing their dream?
"Fine. Just be careful in the future. When I return to Liyue, if you have time, you can come find me at Liyue Harbor. I'll have Granny Ping take a look at your bad luck."
"I suspect your misfortune might be a form of curse. I'm not very knowledgeable in that area."
"Thank you, Brother Su Bai. I'll definitely visit you in Liyue Harbor when I have the chance."
Looking at the happily grinning Bennett before him, Su Bai could only pat his shoulder again, hoping the adepti in Liyue could discern the problem with Bennett.
"Rest well and recover. I'll go check on how Razor is doing."
In another room, Razor was devouring a meat steak to replenish his strength. Barbara had examined his injuries. Aside from the wound on his thigh, which might leave a scar, the rest weren't too serious. Razor had collapsed due to complete exhaustion.
"Razor, looks like you're recovering well. You've finished the entire steak on that plate."
The completely empty plate genuinely surprised Su Bai. The portion of grilled steak Barbara bought was no small amount; even Su Bai might not have been able to finish it all.
"Brother Su Bai... thank you... for saving me."
"It's nothing. Just focus on recovering, Razor. Don't worry about Bennett. Although Stormterror's Anemo was strong, Bennett's constitution is quite good. He's already woken up."
Razor haltingly expressed his thanks. Su Bai waved it off dismissively. While Bennett was still unconscious, Razor, with his excellent physique, had already regained consciousness.
After Razor explained what happened, Su Bai understood why the residual Anemo on Bennett felt so familiar. That was Dvalin's Anemo energy! He'd been hit by a blast of it himself not long ago.
"But you were really ruthless with yourself, kid. Barbara's hands were trembling when she heard what you did."
"For Bennett... it is... nothing."
The determination in Razor's eyes matched Bennett's, though there was a difference. Bennett's eyes held an undying belief, a refusal to give up. In Razor's eyes, there was a relentless, unyielding fierceness.
Having met this young man only a few times, Su Bai's estimation of him kept rising. The more he interacted with Razor, the more he could feel the boy's simple, fervent heart.
"Razor, I once thought your limit would be, at best, a fairly skilled adventurer. Now it seems I was truly mistaken."
"Is this the 'erosion' Granny Ping mentioned? To misjudge two people in a row..."
Su Bai calmed his emotions. The frivolous, carefree air about him vanished completely, replaced by an expression of appreciation and encouragement.
"Razor, I believe one day your name will resound throughout all of Mondstadt. Keep striving, young knight. Your destination may be far higher than I ever imagined."
"Brother Su Bai..."
The inarticulate Razor was momentarily at a loss for words. No one had ever said such things to him before. In his excitement, he accidentally tugged at his wound. Seeing blood about to seep through the bandages again, Su Bai covered his face and called out helplessly.
"Barbara! Barbara! Come quick! Razor's bleeding again!"
"Mr. Su Bai! What did you do to Razor? I just managed to get his bleeding to stop!"
The night breeze brushed against his face. Unlike the sea breeze of Liyue Harbor, Mondstadt's night wind felt exceptionally peaceful. The long-absent Stormterror seemed to have made the city forget the Dragon Plague's existence.
"This peaceful, dreamlike atmosphere of Mondstadt is truly intoxicating."
"Hmm? Miss, why aren't you home yet? It's already dark. If you're facing some difficulty, perhaps I can help."
Chased out of the Favonius Cathedral by an angry Barbara, Su Bai felt no drowsiness under the night wind. Thinking he hadn't properly toured Mondstadt yet, he decided to stroll through the city under the moonlight. A girl sitting quietly on a bench caught his attention.
"Is it already dark?"
"Thank you for your concern, sir. I don't wish to rest right now. If you're tired, you may sit on the bench to rest."
The girl with bandages over her eyes smiled as she declined Su Bai's offer. Though Su Bai didn't know why this blind girl wasn't home, out of concern for her, he chose to sit silently on a nearby bench and began counting the stars.