"Dvalin, he... the anguish he feels... has brought him to tears..."
"Tears...?" Paimon tilted her head in confusion.
"He was once such a gentle child. Now so full of rage and suffering..." Venti turned to the two of them and extended his hand. "I also came across a teardrop crystal. Can you purify it?"
Jibril was slightly stunned and her gaze falling on the bard's open palm. In the end, she pouted and accepted the teardrop.
As Lumine slowly closed her eyes, the entire teardrop was gently enveloped by a strange power. The impurities inside were gradually removed as it restored to its original crystal-clear appearance.
However, the teardrop in Jibril's hand might not have been so lucky.
Under the gaze of the group, the teardrop trembled yet showed no sign of being purified. Instead, it gradually twisted and shattered. Cracks appear one after another on the surface of the teardrop. Eventually it ended up exploding into a pile of fragments, turning into black mist and disappearing from the Flügel's fingertips.
"Ah... it seems this young lady doesn't possess this kind of power~"
Jibril shrugged, looking completely nonchalant.
Of course, she couldn't purify the teardrop like Lumine.
The moment she touched the crystal, the magic (Spirit Corridor) inside her body began to operate. When the small amount of Anemo was completely absorbed, all that remained was just the Abyssal Corruption.
"Achoo!" Jibril felt like someone was cursing her and secretly glared at a certain person.
Venti pretended not to notice and took the purified teardrop from Lumine's hand. "You... really do have some wonderful abilities."
"Someone like you is going to end up getting written into a bard's poem."
"Oh, a hero so bright, should he stand in the light. Though stand in the shade, and you'll be met by a blade..."
"But alas... I don't really have the time to compose a melody for you at this moment." Venti said with a regretful expression. "Anyway, even if Dvalin is not taken down, his life will still wither away in a breeze.... He'll burn himself out in the flames of anger...."
The bard lowered his head.
"Is there anything we can do to help?" Lumine asked gently.
"It's fine~ Purifying the tear drops was a huge help and I am very grateful to you! However..."
"However?"
"Seeing this tear has brought to mind a friend so dear... Heh-Heh, one must be going!"
Watching Venti turn and run off, Paimon shouted anxiously. "Hey! Where are you running off to!?"
"To the Symbol of Mondstadt's Hero. Bye-bye~" Venti waved his hand without looking back.
A gust of wind blew past and his figure completely vanished into the crowd.
"Symbol of Mondstadt's Hero... does Jibril know where that is?" Lumine cast a hopeful look at the girl beside her.
"I don't know~" The Flügel replied without changing her expression.
"Isn't it that—super big tree?" Paimon exaggeratedly spread her arms to gesture. "Lumine, you must remember it, right? We saw it when we arrived!"
"Yes, I remember." Lumine nodded. "Then let's hurry over!"
Jibril looked toward Windrise. Under the dispersing clouds, the wilderness spread out like a green carpet to the horizon.
She drooped her eyes while lightly tapping her chin with her fingertips and whispered casually. "But don't you think... this Bard's voice sound familiar?"
Not hearing the response she expected, silence reigned behind her.
The Flügel turned, only to meet two pairs of sparkling eyes and she couldn't help but step back.
"W-What are you doing..?"
Lumine and Paimon exchanged glances and extended their hands with a smile.
----
A few days ago, when Venti encountered Jibril outside the city, he thought it wasn't a big deal.
After all, it was just a small pit that exploded, right? Mondstadt doesn't lack people who play with explosions and it wouldn't affect him, allowing for him to slack off.
Last night, when that strange feeling of familiarity emerged, he still thought it wasn't a big deal.
Anyway, his popularity is so good... it's normal to have many old friends... Yes, very normal. Let's drink until we pass out first!
But now, something even more outrageous appeared. The other party's strange ability manifested directly before him, forcing him to pay attention.
How should that power be described?
If Lumine selflessly purified all impurities and left only the purest Anemo, then Jibril was sucking away all Elemental Power, hiding it somewhere he couldn't see and leaving the most toxic and darkest Abyssal Corruption outside her body.
Venti felt that if they were compared to filters, the current situation was probably that one of the machines had awakened self-awareness and was preparing to punch the whole damn world.
Hidden among the thousands of gusts of wind blowing towards the Great Tree, he fumbled around his head for a moment, then dejectedly sighed.
She really seemed intent on killing Dvalin yesterday....
"What a hassle... I shouldn't have provoked her, right?"
Venti mumbled to himself, yet his face showed no sign of panic. Just then, the thoughts constantly flashing through his mind came to an abrupt halt.
Not far away, under the Symbol of Mondstadt Hero, Paimon and Lumine were chatting leisurely and Jibril seemed to be holding something in her hand.
Venti: "..."
I must be under too much stress lately... Look, I'm so tired to the point that I'm having hallucinations.
Thinking self-deprecatingly, he regained his focus and re-materialized his form from the wind.
The information about Windrise available in the Adventurer's Handbook only consisted of low-quality photos and simple descriptions. The only information obtainable was that there was a Statue of the Seven and a very large tree here.
Only after truly arriving on site could people genuinely feel its magnificence and even develop a sense of respect for everything here.
"I think it'll be fine."
Lumine was filled with worry and pulling on Jibril's clothes. "Let's just forget it, okay? What if it's expired..."
Jibril leaned against the tree while holding up the wine bottle in her hand, which still had some dirt on it.
"If Lumine doesn't like it, just watch from the side. I won't force Lumine to do anything she dislikes." The Flügel said while smiling.
"This is a Gift from Mother Nature, how can we waste it..."
"You just dug this up, didn't you? And how did you even know there would be wine here, hey!" Paimon poked half her head out from behind Lumine.
"I don't know. Cheers to the Anemo Archon!"
"Eh~ How come you—"
As the two exchanged glances, the smile on Venti's lips gradually vanished and slowly transferred to Jibril's face.
This is bad...
This girl... is absolutely terrifying!
How did she know where he buried the wine!? This is a major crisis for Mondstadt!
"Venti, you're here!" Paimon waved enthusiastically and greeted Venti.
"Ahaha... How did you get here so fast? I thought you wouldn't follow or at least would take some time to find the way."
Venti exerted all his strength and finally managed to pull his gaze away from the Aged Wine bottle that was swaying temptingly.
"Hehe... You haven't seen this before have you?" Paimon lifted her head and patted the Flügel beside her on the shoulder. "This is Jibril's specialty! She can come from waaaaay over there in a swoosh, just in the blink of an eye!"
Lumine's attention was clearly focused on something else. "Since you are so familiar with Stormterror's, I was wondering if I could learn more about the Anemo Archon from you."
To be honest, Lumine already had a thought in her mind, that Venti standing before her... might be the Anemo Archon himself.
Hmm, she figured Jibril must be thinking the same thing.
"Barbatos? The Anemo Archon? That guy disappeared from Mondstadt long ago." Venti said dismissively.
"The Geo Archon of the neighboring nation Liyue and the Electro Archon of Inazuma are still around, but the Mondstadters haven't seen their god for really a long time."