On the road to Stormterror's Lair, everyone naturally turned their questions toward Lin Mo.
Why had Noelle suddenly become so powerful?
In the blink of an eye, she had gone from the weakest knight of the Knights of Favonius to the strongest combat force in Mondstadt.
It made both Eula and Jean unable to help but wonder—
Had Noelle's strength already surpassed that of Grand Master Varka?
Though doubt lingered in their hearts, when they looked at Noelle's shy, bashful smile, both Eula and Jean already had their answer.
She wasn't just the strongest knight in Mondstadt—she might very well be the strongest knight in Mondstadt's entire history.
Even accounting for the wind Lin Mo had helped create, the astonishing feat at Wolvendom was something even Grand Master Varka himself could not have accomplished.
"Hey, Ganqing~"
At that moment, Diluc bumped Lin Mo lightly with his shoulder.
Lin Mo glanced sideways and saw Diluc forcing a stiff smile onto his face as he asked,
"Just how did you awaken Noelle's potential?"
"And, uh… could you help awaken mine too?"
"..."
"Ah… well…"
Lin Mo looked troubled.
After all, even he didn't know why Noelle had retained the strength she possessed in the dream world.
The only differences between Noelle now and Noelle in the dream were the lack of artifacts—and the weapon she had won from Arataki Itto.
"Well… awakening potential isn't something that works for everyone…"
Lin Mo did his best to improvise.
"Maybe it's because the Geo Archon of Liyue took a liking to Noelle."
"He admired her diligence and favored her."
"The Vision he granted her seems to hold power not inferior to that of the adepti of Liyue."
"So not everyone's Vision has tremendous hidden potential."
"Take you and Amber, for example. You both wield Pyro Visions."
"But even five Ambers wouldn't necessarily be a match for you, right?"
Lin Mo looked at Diluc's deeply suspicious gaze and tried his hardest to make the explanation sound believable.
But clearly, this one of Mondstadt's strongest fighters wasn't so easily fooled.
Thankfully, at that moment, the adorable little Klee stepped in to save the day.
"Big brother Ganqing~ What about Klee? What about Klee~?"
Klee pointed at her own chubby cheek and asked innocently,
"Klee also has a Pyro Vision! How many Klees could this strange grown-up beat?"
"Strange… grown-up…"
Diluc's cheek twitched.
I was the former Cavalry Captain, you know.
We've known each other for years.
'Strange grown-up'?
Calling me Uncle Diluc would be far more appropriate!
Before Lin Mo could respond to Klee, Lisa scooped her up into her arms, affectionately pinching her long ears as she smiled.
"Klee is still little. No need to worry about fighting~"
"If Klee wants to become stronger, you can come to my research lab sometime."
"I'll make super terrifying Overloaded bombs—so scary that even Diluc wouldn't dare come near."
"How does that sound~?"
Now that she knew Klee was Lin Mo's daughter, Lisa's fondness for her had clearly doubled.
"Super terrifying Overloaded bombs…"
Acting Grand Master Jean rubbed her temples in concern.
She couldn't help thinking—
If nothing went wrong in the future, all would be well.
But if Klee ever accidentally set off a bomb inside the city…
Should Lisa, the accomplice, be locked in the confinement room as well?
…
Fortunately, amid everyone's laughter and chatter, they soon caught sight of Dvalin's nest in the distance—Stormterror's Lair.
The ruined tower standing tall in the distance was the Wind Dragon Ruins where Dvalin resided.
However, powerful wind barriers surrounded the tower, making it nearly impossible to see what lay within.
Paimon stared at the howling winds and exclaimed,
"Wow~ So this is where Dvalin lives? How are we supposed to get inside?"
"Let's take a closer look. There should be a gap in the wind barrier."
Venti said.
Everyone exchanged glances and nodded.
…
As they continued forward, Venti briefly explained the origin of the wind barrier.
He spoke of the past—of how, led by a nameless bard, the heroes of Mondstadt once raised the banner of freedom against the tyrant of the tower.
As he recalled those memories once more, Venti's gaze drifted unconsciously toward Lin Mo, who was walking ahead, whispering to Eula and making her blush bright red.
If not for him, the land of freedom that was Mondstadt would not exist today.
"…It's good that you're still here, Lord Barbatos…"
…
Soon, they arrived at the main entrance leading into Stormterror's Lair and stepped deeper into the ruins.
Walking beside Lin Mo, Eula frowned slightly.
"Strange… We're already here. Why hasn't Dvalin appeared yet?"
"Look up."
Lin Mo reminded them, drawing on his knowledge from the original storyline.
"Do the three magic circles on the tower look like some kind of seal?"
"Yes, they do resemble a powerful magical array."
Lisa nodded.
"It seems Dvalin—or perhaps the Abyss Order—used a seal to hide the true lair inside the tower."
"Ah~ Then what do we do?"
Paimon's face scrunched up in worry.
Diluc pondered for a moment before saying uncertainly,
"Judging by the structure, this looks like some sort of conduit mechanism, based on what I've learned from archaeology."
"Correct."
Lisa nodded again.
"If we return the missing components to the mechanism, we should be able to complete the conduction ritual and break the seal."
"Missing components… Where are they?"
Paimon looked confused.
Lin Mo couldn't stand it anymore.
Pointless puzzle segments deserved to be skipped.
So once again, Lin Mo took on the role of guide.
"Judging from the state of the mechanism, the ritual should be almost complete already."
As he spoke, he pointed into the distance with a smile.
"Look over there. That glowing object—doesn't it look like one of the missing parts?"
"Yes, that must be it."
Lisa agreed.
Jean looked at everyone seriously.
"Let's split up and search nearby. The other components might be scattered around."
Everyone nodded and spread out to search near the mechanism.
…
"Acting Grand Master Jean~! Klee found a glowing part~!"
"Ganqing-gege! Klee found another glowing part!"
Very quickly, the remaining two components were found—by the ever-lucky Klee.
"All right. Let's place them."
Lin Mo nodded.
When the three glowing components were set into place—
"Rumble—!!!"
The Wind Dragon Ruins shook violently.
"ROAR!!!"
A dragon's roar echoed across the sky.
"Ah—! That's Dvalin's roar!"
Paimon cried out as she hurriedly grabbed Lumine, who nearly lost her footing.
Everyone supported one another, their expressions grave as they looked toward the base of the tower where the roar had originated.
"ROAR!!!!"
The deafening dragon cry pierced their ears once more.
At that moment, an ominous feeling suddenly rose in Lin Mo's heart.
"Whoosh—"
"Whoosh—"
The raging wind beat rhythmically, like the sound of massive wings.
Dvalin descended once more, riding the storm, appearing before them.
"What—?!"
Lin Mo was the first to notice something wrong and cried out in shock.
Every pair of eyes present widened in disbelief.
"Dvalin!! What happened to you?!"
Venti's anguished call received no response.
The once-emerald body of the Anemo Dragon was now shrouded in foul corruption.
The vast dragon form was completely covered in filthy, abyssal energy.
What should have been a brilliant green was now entirely dyed black.
Lin Mo knew it at once.
The story… had taken a drastic turn.
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T/N:
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