After leaving the Knights of Favonius, Lin Mo headed toward Dragonspine without delay.
"Find Albedo and ask him to make a device for preserving fruit…"
"If I remember correctly, this should be the Shadows Amidst Snowstorms arc of Lumine's journey."
As he walked, Lin Mo quietly pieced together the plot Lumine was about to experience.
Shadows Amidst Snowstorms was the limited-time storyline from Version 2.3 of Genshin Impact.
In this arc, Lumine would come to understand Albedo's origins and secrets on a much deeper level.
What made it especially interesting was that three "Albedos" appeared in this story.
One was Albedo himself, the creation of "Gold," Rhinedottir.
Another was the so-called "Fake Albedo," created by a "Crimson Alchemist" using the knowledge granted by Durin.
The last was the "Albedo Flower," born when the Fake Albedo combined Durin's blood with a Cryo Whopperflower.
"…Calling him 'Fake Albedo' feels a bit disrespectful," Lin Mo muttered, suddenly displeased.
That so-called fake was, after all, a homunculus he himself had created.
He possessed considerable strength and an independent personality.
True, Albedo had a Vision—but that was acquired later.
In Lin Mo's eyes, he was never a failure.
Lin Mo couldn't understand why Rhinedottir had labeled him a failed product and sacrificed him as nourishment for creating the dragon Durin.
To Lin Mo, that nameless homunculus and Albedo were hardly different at all.
"Back then… why did Rhinedottir choose to sacrifice my finest creation?"
With that question weighing on his mind, Lin Mo continued toward the snowy mountain, hoping this trip would finally give him an answer.
…
At the entrance of a cave somewhere on Dragonspine—
Albedo, Klee, Bennett, Lumine, and Paimon stood together, their expressions tense as they discussed something serious.
Just moments ago, they had been tracking down the thief who stole Albedo's alchemy notes.
But while waiting at the cave entrance, they seemed to have encountered two Albedos.
"You're saying… I appeared at the cave entrance earlier?"
Albedo asked again, his gaze solemn.
"Yes, yes~"
Klee nodded vigorously, wracking her memory.
"Just now, Albedo-brother, you were saying something like…"
"Humans are very realistic creatures…"
"They only like good things…"
"Once they learn to tell good from bad, they can't stop comparing…"
As Klee spoke, she pointed behind her.
"After you finished saying that, we heard Bennett-brother calling for help over there~"
Behind them lay a frozen lake.
Klee continued,
"When we saved Bennett-brother… Albedo-brother was gone!"
"And then you walked out of this cave again~"
She tilted her head, eyes wide with confusion.
"Albedo-brother, do you dislike Bennett-brother? Is that why you hid in the cave?"
Albedo didn't respond.
He lowered his head in thought, as if he had already guessed a possibility.
Just then—
"I've found you!"
"Stand right there and answer my questions!"
Eula's cold voice suddenly rang out.
Everyone turned toward the sound.
Eula and Amber were striding toward Albedo, their presence sharp and imposing.
"Huh? Eula, weren't you training newcomers from the Adventurers' Guild?"
Paimon asked in surprise.
On their way to Dragonspine, they had taken on a few Adventurers' Guild commissions.
With nothing urgent to do, Eula, Amber, and Noelle had volunteered to help train rookies.
By all accounts, they shouldn't have been here.
"Hmph. If it weren't for someone with ill intentions causing trouble, that would indeed be the case,"
Eula replied coldly, her sharp gaze fixed on Albedo.
"Albedo! I personally saw you leading Joel toward the uninhabited area at the edge of Dragonspine."
"That place is crawling with monsters—what exactly were you trying to do?!"
Faced with Eula's accusation, Albedo remained silent, deep in thought.
"Wait—what's going on here?"
Seeing the tension spike, Paimon asked anxiously.
Eula ignored her and continued, her voice icy:
"When I tried to stop you from taking Joel away, your first reaction was to abandon him and attack me."
"But when I counterattacked, you fled."
"Aren't you going to explain yourself?"
…
"I see."
At that moment, realization dawned on Albedo's face.
"Eula, you may have encountered someone impersonating me," he said seriously.
"Impersonating you? For what purpose?"
Eula frowned.
"I can't be certain yet… but it's likely connected to what I'm investigating right now."
With that, Albedo explained everything—the stolen alchemy notes, and how he, Lumine, and the others had tracked the thief all the way here.
…
Meanwhile, Lin Mo had just entered the Dragonspine region.
Looking at the vast, snow-covered mountains, he couldn't help feeling puzzled.
"How far along is the story right now?"
"Where exactly should I go to find everyone?"
He thought back to the key locations in this arc.
Naturally, the most important one was Albedo's laboratory.
"…If I remember correctly, Eula is supposed to take an ice bath in the lake near the mountain's base. I should go find my wife first."
With that thought, Lin Mo headed toward the frozen lake.
But after only a few steps, something caught his eye.
A small pink fox.
The little creature tilted its head, curiously studying him.
"Hm?"
Lin Mo stared at the fox's soft pink fur, momentarily stunned.
He had come to Dragonspine countless times during the Hundred Lifetimes of Invitations.
He'd seen plenty of foxes here—white ones.
But pink?
Never.
More importantly, the sight of this pink fox stirred memories from thousands of years ago.
Back in Inazuma… hadn't there been a pink fox by his side as well?
In his memories, that little fox had eventually transformed into the elegant and captivating Yae Miko.
Just then, the pink fox cautiously approached Lin Mo.
It plopped its little rear onto the snow and looked up at him with wide, curious eyes.
Perhaps because it reminded him so strongly of that fox from the past, Lin Mo felt an instinctive fondness for it.
Smiling, he bent down and asked gently,
"Hey there, little one. Why are you all alone in the snow? Where's your family?"
As he spoke, he carefully scooped the fox up into his hands.
The little fox was surprisingly well-behaved, not struggling at all.
Its black, jewel-like eyes were fixed on Lin Mo, as if it wanted to engrave his face deep into its heart.
"Oh? Little one, your eyes are purple."
Lin Mo looked delighted.
After all, that sly fox from Inazuma had the very same violet eyes.
To think he'd encounter such a similar creature on Dragonspine—it made him feel even closer to it.
"Come on, little fox. Be good and let me take a closer look~"
"Let's see—are you going to grow up into a handsome little male fox, or a graceful and beautiful little lady fox?"
The moment his words fell—
The little fox bristled, its fur standing on end in an instant.
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T/N:
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