"I see..." Star nodded.
Acting Grand Master Jean was explaining to her what that thing Star had just dealt with was.
An Abyss Mage of the Abyss Order. This was the first time Star had seen such a thing, and also the first time she had heard of the Abyss Order organization.
It was mainly composed of various non-human creatures and could even control and command Hilichurls.
They seemed to be the common enemy of all humans on the continent; even annoying guys like the Fatui would be hostile towards them.
Mondstadt had also been greatly troubled by the Abyss Order during the Dragon Disaster, and the Dragon Disaster itself seemed to be a conspiracy of the Abyss Order.
"No one knows the true purpose of the Abyss Order, but those guys commit all sorts of evil... In short, such enemies are very dangerous. If you encounter them in the future, you must be extra careful," Acting Grand Master Jean emphasized again, worried.
The one Star had just eliminated was merely an ordinary Cryo Abyss Mage, not difficult to deal with for someone with a certain level of strength.
Diluc had personally dealt with many of these things. From this perspective, Abyss Mages were likely just low-level grunts in the Order.
Although Star was very powerful, able to easily shatter the ice shield and even directly eliminate the Abyss Mage, the Abyss Order itself was extremely mysterious, and no one knew what other combat capabilities they might be hiding.
"I'll be more careful in the future, thank you, Acting Grand Master Jean." Star silently noted down what Acting Grand Master Jean said, then smiled and thanked her.
"No, it's nothing..." Seeing Star's smile, Acting Grand Master Jean's cheeks flushed slightly, then she turned her head to look into the distance.
Venti was talking with Dvalin, and Lumine was beside him. It seemed that because of Lumine's unique constitution, which could peacefully purify the curse on Dvalin, she was kept by Venti, and Paimon naturally followed along.
Diluc, on the other hand, was looking into the distance on the other side. He, like the two of them, had nothing to do for the moment, but also seemed reluctant to disturb their conversation, so he could only stand there in a daze.
The two gradually fell silent, waiting for things to conclude over there.
However, Acting Grand Master Jean, who was beside Star, was somewhat distracted, always hesitating as if she wanted to say something.
"Acting Grand Master Jean."
Finally, Star couldn't help but break the silence.
"Wh-What's wrong?" Acting Grand Master Jean, who was thinking about something, was startled by Star's sudden voice.
Already feeling guilty, she was even more restless now.
"You're a bit strange today. Is there something you want to tell me?" Seeing Acting Grand Master Jean like this, Star became even more confused.
"No, I just... I just didn't rest well and I'm a bit tired now," Acting Grand Master Jean quickly waved her hand and said.
Such words were obviously an excuse, and Star could naturally see through them.
But similarly, Acting Grand Master Jean saying this also meant she didn't want to tell Star the truth.
Star hesitated for a moment and then stopped asking, planning to observe more later and ask people around Acting Grand Master Jean.
She always felt that what Acting Grand Master Jean wanted to say but didn't dare to was mostly related to herself, but she couldn't think of anything inconvenient to say between Acting Grand Master Jean and herself.
"Speaking of which, you didn't just find out about Venti's identity now, did you?" Star changed the subject, making the atmosphere between them less dull.
"Mmm, I had already guessed it before," Acting Grand Master Jean nodded, looking at Venti's figure in the distance, feeling a bit emotional.
Barbatos, the Anemo Archon, had not appeared before the Mondstadters for countless years. He was a very special deity; even though Mondstadt had many devout followers of the Anemo Archon, the Anemo Archon would not display his divine power.
Unlike the neighboring nation of Liyue, where one could still see him once a year.
"If it weren't for this Dragon Disaster, perhaps Lord Barbatos still wouldn't have shown himself, right?" Acting Grand Master Jean slowly said.
"Don't you feel... hmm, how should I put it?" Star struggled to organize her words for a moment.
She wanted to say things like disappointment or resentment, but considering that Acting Grand Master Jean was, after all, a devout follower of that deity, saying such things directly to her face seemed a bit inappropriate.
"I know what you want to say, but for Mondstadters, this is something they have long been accustomed to. Every Mondstadter knows Lord Barbatos's philosophy—'You shall build a free city-state where no one reigns.'"
"I see," Star nodded knowingly.
Although in her opinion, this sounded more like an excuse the deity in front of her found for his laziness and unwillingness to manage affairs.
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"Your Highness, regarding East Wind Dragon..." A Hydro Abyss Mage came behind the golden-haired young man and spoke hesitantly.
"It failed?" The golden-haired young man seemed to have already guessed what it wanted to say.
He didn't seem particularly angry about it, his expression remaining calm as usual.
"I am very sorry, Your Highness. Our plan was unexpectedly interfered with, and your kin also seems to be involved..." the Abyss Mage slowly said.
It wasn't trying to excuse itself, but rather, matters concerning His Highness's kin had to be made clear.
After all, the Abyss Order's curse was not something anyone could cleanse, not even the Anemo Archon.
There should be no one else capable of purifying the curse besides the one who shared the same origin as their Highness.
"Lumine..." The golden-haired young man was slightly startled, and his brows furrowed.
In that case, their plan had to be expedited.
"Furthermore, beside your kin, there is another noteworthy presence," the Abyss Mage suddenly added.
"Oh?" The golden-haired young man looked at it curiously.
"There's something terrifying within that person's body. We dared not approach too closely, but we can confirm that that Damselette is very dangerous, Your Highness. You must make plans early," the Abyss Mage said, feeling a chill just recalling the scene of its colleague being annihilated by that strange club.
Besides that, the Damselette herself was even more outrageous. It had never seen such a creature in this world. It was even debatable whether that Damselette was human or not.
"Dangerous..." The golden-haired young man's brows furrowed even deeper.
Something dangerous appeared next to his younger sister?
This was not good news for him.
"I understand. Send someone to test them later... No, I'll go myself," the golden-haired young man waved his hand, dismissing the Abyss Mage.
If it was truly as the Abyss Mage said, then these subordinates might cause trouble instead.
It would be more reassuring if he went in person.
"What a pity, the preparations here seem to have been for naught," he sighed, then turned to look at what was before him.
It was a huge ruin, currently enveloped by a storm.
East Wind Dragon's plan didn't succeed, so it naturally wasn't needed here.
"Dangerous Damselette, I hope you don't do anything to Lumine... Otherwise, you'll definitely regret it!" A dangerous glint flashed in the golden-haired young man's eyes.
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