After sharing the information obtained from the Wolf of the North with Dainsleif, he deduced the whereabouts of the "world's first Field Tiller."
Leaving the Wolf's territory, the Traveler and Dainsleif arrived at Stormterror's Lair.
There, atop the tower of Stormterror's Lair, they indeed found the "world's first Field Tiller" and retrieved its "eye."
As for how to handle it, Dainsleif suggested keeping it himself.
This made readers somewhat dissatisfied—was entrusting such an important item to him really reliable?
Regardless, the Dainsleif in the story managed to persuade the Traveler, and the "eye" was secured.
With the "eye" dealt with, their next target was the statue—it needed to be destroyed.
Barbara's mind went blank—were they going to destroy Lord Barbatos' statue?
Barbara felt this was wrong, but since the statue had been tainted by defiled energy and with no known purification method, destruction seemed the only option.
Being reasonable, though distressed, she didn't blame the Traveler.
She could only clasp her hands in prayer before the church's statue, begging for the god's forgiveness on the Traveler's behalf.
Meanwhile, Barbatos himself remained completely unfazed.
Destroying a statue mattered little—shattered wine bottles would sadden him more.
===✧✦✧===
In the story, the Traveler re-entered the ruins, this time accompanied by Dainsleif.
Previously, encountering either an Abyss Herald or Dainsleif alone meant dealing with one cryptic speaker.
Now, with Dainsleif and an Abyss Herald facing off, two enigma-makers were trading words.
[Abyss Herald: "You remain as detestable as ever, enemy of the Order—Dainsleif!"]
["I sense a terrible bloodlust about you. Does it come from the pitch-black nightmare, or... hmm?"]
["Oho... How dangerous. You carry that same 'decaying' stench—so familiar..."]
["You and I are alike—dangerous beings. But all dangerous things outside the 'Order' should be caged..."]
Readers were utterly lost—what were they talking about?
Though this was originally an unknown tale, now revealed by the prophet, they'd assumed it would become clear.
Yet reality proved them naive—who could understand this? They could follow events but not their meaning!
What was this "pitch-black nightmare"? The "or"? And the "decaying stench"?
This brought back the confusion from when they'd first read the prophetic book—nothing but question marks.
Speaking of which—they still didn't understand the "Heavenly Principles" mentioned earlier. Prophet, you really know how to leave mysteries unresolved.
Wait—the prophet wrote about future events, so shouldn't the blame lie with these in-story characters and their riddles?
Of course, not everyone was confused—those who understood simply didn't explain to those who didn't.
===✧✦✧===
In the story, the Traveler and Dainsleif soundly beat the Abyss Herald, giving readers some catharsis.
Yes! Hit harder! That's how you treat these riddle-speakers! Are all Abyss Heralds like this? Then they all deserve this!
Just as the fight peaked, someone appeared and temporarily drove back the Traveler.
[Abyss Herald: "Your Highness."]
It was Aether—Lumine's long-sought brother.
Readers' eyes widened. Lumine's original journey goal was finding her brother, and this seemed their first proper reunion since awakening?
[Lumine: "Brother!"]
[Aether: "Lumine..."]
[Lumine: "I finally found you! Come with me—it's dangerous here!"]
In their first moments reunited, Lumine's foremost concern was her brother's safety.
Joy at their reunion was suppressed as she prioritized getting him to safety.
[Paimon: "W-wait, Traveler! He blocked our attack to protect the Abyss Herald!"]
Without this prophetic book's omniscient perspective, Lumine and Paimon wouldn't know Aether had appeared in Mondstadt or his connection to the Abyss.
Ignoring Paimon, Aether asked:
[Aether: "Why are you with Dainsleif?"]
This question stunned Lumine—why?
After so long apart, why was his first question about someone else?
The narration of Lumine's inner turmoil made readers ache for her.
She worried so for her brother's safety, yet his first words questioned her about another.
What kind of storytelling was this?
With their omniscient view, readers knew Aether had been watching over Lumine all along—his concern wasn't in doubt.
Their frustration came from his silence—he cared deeply, so why not say it?
===✧✦✧===
[Aether: "Lumine... You shouldn't travel with this man."]
["He... is my 'enemy.'"]
[Lumine: "Stop saying things I don't understand, Aether!"]
Yet Aether continued, now revealing Dainsleif's identity:
Dainsleif was the "Twilight Sword" of Khaenri'ah's last royal guard.
This explained his hatred for The Seven—mystery solved.
Aether also disclosed crucial information: Khaenri'ah's people had become the Abyss' monsters.
Was the Abyss Order truly Khaenri'ah's "descendants," as Paimon once speculated?
"..." Kaeya remained silent, though his emptied wine glass was quietly refilled by Diluc.
Rosaria observed her unusually quiet drinking companions. Unfamiliar with the backstory, she was curious why no one discussed such intriguing content.
But perceptive enough not to disrupt the mood, she simply kept reading.
===✧✦✧===
[Lumine: "Come with me first, brother! You can explain everything later—let's go home!"]
[Aether: "Home..."]
["Yes, anywhere with you is 'home.'"]
["But I can't journey with you to another world to find a new home... not yet."]
["Before the Abyss drowns the divine throne, I have unfinished business with the 'Heavenly Principles'..."]
"Heavenly Principles" again—an entity mentioned since the book's beginning, yet still unexplained.
This wasn't the "Era of Eternity"—people knew more of The Seven than Celestia's will.
And those who understood couldn't speak openly, leaving everyone to await Lucian's revelations.
[Aether: "I've already completed one journey. So you must reach the end too, to preserve this world's essence in your own eyes."]
["We will be reunited."]
===✧✦✧===
Character Voice: Kaeya - About Khaenri'ah
"Oh? Asking such a sensitive question?"
"Unfortunately, though you rarely ask, even I don't know much about Khaenri'ah."