Seeing the green hat, the little leather shoe, and the tattered scraps of cloth in Klee's hands, everyone fell silent, the scene sinking into a suffocating stillness…
Su Yuan couldn't make sense of it either.
They had followed the clues all the way here to Stormterror's Lair in search of Venti, yet instead of finding him, all they discovered were some of his personal belongings?
And why were they in Dvalin's feeding bowl of all places?
Could it be that Venti… had already been eaten by Dvalin?
If Venti really had perished, devoured by Dvalin, then perhaps it made sense why no one had been able to find him…
"Why… why has it come to this? Could it be that Barbatos… was eaten by me???"
At this moment, Dvalin wore an expression of shock and incomprehension, speaking in confusion:
"With Barbatos's power, how could he possibly die at my hands? More importantly, why do I have no memory of any of this…?"
Looking at the bewildered Dvalin and listening to his words, the others could more or less guess what had happened…
"Dvalin, from the current situation, it seems likely that you previously triggered the conditions for Eerie state, and were controlled by the corruption…"
Su Yuan took a deep breath and said:
"Venti… Barbatos, though one of the first Seven Archons and immensely powerful, as the wielder of Anemo, he ultimately could not stand against the Eerie…
And besides, you are the Dragon of the East. Once corrupted by Eerie, you would unleash power far greater than your own…"
Venti being eaten by Dvalin?
To be honest, Su Yuan found it hard to accept.
They had searched so hard and for so long, only to arrive at such a conclusion?
What's worse, Xiao's situation back in Liyue was already dire — his life hanging by a thread, waiting for Venti to save him.
Yet Venti himself had died first…
"Everyone, quickly — draw your weapons and cut open my belly, my stomach, my intestines! See if I truly did eat Barbatos!!!"
Dvalin spoke with grief and urgency:
"Barbatos is vast in his divine powers — perhaps he isn't dead yet! We must rescue him!!!"
"Dvalin, isn't this a bit too…"
Seeing Dvalin so agitated, Aether hesitated before speaking:
"If we cut open your belly and something happens to you, then won't Mondstadt be left without its protector, falling into even greater danger?"
"That's right, Dvalin. We can't let you take such a risk…" Eula nodded, voicing her agreement.
"No, no! Hurting yourself is wrong!" Klee chimed in.
"Dvalin, even though you're the Dragon of the East and your body is strong, no one can guarantee what kind of unforeseen accidents might happen if you really do this. It's best not to." Albedo reasoned calmly.
Su Yuan also nodded and said heavily:
"Though I don't want to admit it, if Barbatos were still alive inside you, Dvalin, wouldn't you at least feel something?"
"And if it was your Eerie self that hurt Barbatos, then most likely you would have killed him first before eating him, wouldn't you?"
"Besides, you're not a python — you wouldn't just swallow him whole. You'd most likely have bitten him into smaller pieces, chewed them, and then swallowed…"
Su Yuan's tone grew heavy as he continued:
"Dvalin, we understand your feelings, your grief and pain…"
"But Barbatos… I fear he truly is already dead…"
"You don't need to hurt yourself further, or put yourself at risk for him…"
"No!!! You don't understand at all!!!"
Dvalin suddenly roared, his voice trembling with fury and anguish:
"How long have you even been with Barbatos? How could you possibly understand the bond I share with him after all these countless years???"
"Even if there is only the faintest sliver of a chance — I will never give up!!!"
"If he is really dead, I must see his body!!!"
"If you won't help me do it, then I'll do it myself!!!"
As he shouted, Dvalin, overcome by emotion, drove his sharp claws into his own chest and belly, tearing open his flesh!!!
In an instant, blood sprayed everywhere!!!
Without the slightest hesitation, Dvalin tore open his own stomach!
At once, all kinds of half-digested food and murky stomach acid burst out, splattering across the ground!
The crowd didn't even care about the gruesome sight or the stench of the acid — because they all noticed something among the things spilling from Dvalin's stomach: a very distinct remnant…
Though the remains were horribly corroded, the skin and flesh nearly unrecognizable, it was still clear enough to make out a human shape…
There seemed to be a special bond between Dvalin and Barbatos, and the moment he saw those remains, Dvalin let out a roar of grief and rage:
"Barbatos, you bastard… how could you just die like this???"
Seeing Dvalin in such anguish, Albedo stepped forward to comfort him:
"Enough, Dvalin. At least now you've confirmed it. Don't drown too deeply in sorrow — misfortune is something this world can never escape."
"Though I'm not a doctor, and I have no experience treating a dragon, leaving your wounds like this is far too dangerous. Let me at least give you some emergency stitching."
As he spoke, Albedo began treating Dvalin's injuries as best as he could.
Watching Dvalin's heart-wrenching grief, Su Yuan's chest tightened with unease…
He thought to himself: since the rewind mechanism has changed, could he once again return to the past through death, just as he did before?
But after a moment's thought, Su Yuan realized he couldn't gamble on it.
After all, the number of rewinds he had left today was completely unknown…
Besides, judging by how corroded Venti's body was inside Dvalin's stomach, it must have been there for quite some time.
Even if he could rewind back, could he truly return to a point before Dvalin devoured Venti?
That was something utterly beyond his control…
Who would have thought that Barbatos, the mighty Anemo Archon himself, would meet his end by being eaten by his own companion Dvalin… and in such a manner?
"Wait! I think there's something here!" Klee exclaimed as she spotted something unusual among the contents of Dvalin's stomach.
"Let me take a look." Eula stepped forward and found, buried among the half-digested scraps, a delicate little box — so out of place it stood out immediately…
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