By the way, this brings us to Mona. She had been waiting for Lucian to use the Portable Waypoint, but he never did.
As fate would have it, today—after buying some books—she ran into Bennett's "Adventure Team" and got dragged along on an adventure. Coincidentally, it was also the day Lucian finally used the Portable Waypoint.
Lucian took Lumine straight to Stormterror's Lair to retrieve the "Eye of the First Field Tiller" first.
As for the Wolf of the North, he didn't need to worry about that. There was no telling when the Abyss Herald would even show up in Wolvendom.
Even if it did, Jean and the Knights of Favonius could handle the problem.
In the original story, the Traveler was sent to deal with the Wolf not because the Knights couldn't handle the Abyss Herald, but because their relationship with the Wolf was… delicate.
They were worried that marching into the Wolf's territory with armed forces might provoke a misunderstanding, so they sent the Traveler—who had a better rapport with the Wolf—instead.
But now, Jean already knew the Abyss Herald's tactics. If it attacked Wolvendom again, the Knights would intervene directly.
As for Lucian, after retrieving the "Eye" with the Traveler, they returned to Liyue and waited outside the ruins for Dainsleif's arrival.
It didn't take long—Dainsleif showed up as expected.
"Reunion… Hm?" Dainsleif first noticed the Traveler and Paimon, an eye-catching duo.
Then, he spotted another person dressed in "strange attire" sitting on a pile of rocks nearby, casually tossing something in the air.
"I assume you're the 'Prophet' Lucian, correct?" Dainsleif said, eyeing Lucian.
Truth be told, he wasn't fond of the title "Prophet"—after all, one of his enemies bore the same epithet.
But ironically, that other Prophet was far less known, while Lucian's reputation as a prophet had spread far and wide.
Lucian nodded silently, playing the role of the enigmatic expert. The Traveler and Paimon quickly explained the situation.
"...An ability far beyond expectations." Dainsleif took the "Eye."
Holding onto this thing would make them a target for the Abyss Order, and Lucian had no intention of keeping it. Better to let Dainsleif safeguard it—even if it got stolen, it was all part of the future anyway.
Dainsleif couldn't help but marvel. This prophet could actually foresee the Abyss's movements? That surpassed most prophets in Teyvat.
After all, most prophetic methods were ineffective against the Abyss—it existed outside the world's boundaries.
"So next, we just go inside, destroy the statue, and beat up the Abyss Herald, right?" Paimon asked.
"Yep. I choose you, Paimon!" Lucian nodded.
"Huh?! M-Me?! No way!" Paimon flailed her arms in panic.
"Aren't you always 'set the sea ablaze'? A Hydro Herald is way easier than that," Lucian teased.
Paimon pouted and tugged at Lumine's sleeve. "Traveler, look at him!"
"Alright, leave it to me," Lumine said firmly.
She was about to see her brother again—she wasn't about to let some Abyss Herald stand in her way.
The group entered the ruins, and sure enough, Venti's statue stood inverted inside. Without hesitation, Lucian flicked two fingers, summoning a Hydro dragon that shattered the statue to pieces.
Lucian felt satisfied. He'd always wanted to try smashing a Statue of The Seven.
Dainsleif watched Lucian's pleased expression and thought, This guy seems to hate the Seven even more than I do…
As they pressed forward, however, there was no sign of the Abyss Herald in the depths of the ruins. It had likely gone to Mondstadt.
With nothing else to do, Lucian suggested they kill time with a round of mahjong.
Dainsleif: "..."
After centuries of fighting the Abyss… this was a level of relaxation he'd never experienced before.
Rewinding time slightly—after finishing their books and a meal, Mona and the others prepared to continue their "adventure."
With Razor around, their presence in Wolvendom wouldn't provoke the wolf packs.
However, they hadn't expected the future described in the book to unfold so quickly.
An Abyss Herald led the Abyss Order in an invasion of Wolvendom, and the wolves were already locked in battle.
"Wolves… danger!" Razor immediately charged into the fray, fighting his way toward Boreas' trial grounds to ensure the Wolf's safety.
"We need to inform the Knights!" Mona quickly assessed the situation.
But then she hesitated—who should she send to deliver the message?
Her teammates were…
Razor: Communication issues, already engaged in combat.
Bennett: Too unlucky—there was a real risk he'd get delayed by some mishap on the way back to Mondstadt.
Fischl: Her way of speaking wasn't exactly… reliable for delivering urgent intel.
Klee: …Yeah.
"Sigh. I'll go inform the Knights. You all stay safe, understand?" Mona instructed.
"Seriously, protect yourselves. I'll be back soon!" she stressed again.
The three nodded obediently. Mona dissolved into a surge of water and vanished.
"Shouldn't we… help Razor?" Bennett asked.
Even if Mona told them to stay safe, they couldn't just watch Razor fight alone, right?
"Razor, Klee will help you~!" Klee cheered, already sprinting forward and tossing bombs. (At least Jean wouldn't scold her for blasting these furry enemies.)
Bennett and Fischl exchanged a glance before charging in as well. "Let's go!"
Time resumed its flow. By the time Mona returned with the Knights and the battle against the Abyss Order was in full swing, Lucian destroyed the inverted statue.
"Hm?" The Hydro Herald sensed something and, while blocking Jean and Diluc's attacks, opened a portal to return to the ruins.
Truthfully, he'd wanted to retreat for a while now—fighting Jean and Diluc alone was pushing his limits. If he didn't leave soon, he'd die here.
But Diluc and Jean weren't about to let him escape easily. It was only after a prolonged struggle—and with the Abyss Order's cover—that the Herald finally managed to slip away.
The moment he stepped out of the portal, before he could even catch his breath, he saw three people and a white floating thing… doing who-knows-what.
"Two of Circles," Lucian said.
"Mahjong!" Lumine declared triumphantly.
"No way! Again?!" Lucian groaned in despair.
Then, he noticed the Hydro Herald emerging from the portal. "Perfect timing."
The Hydro Herald felt like the world was playing a cruel joke on him. In Mondstadt, two monsters had been beating him up. Now, in Liyue, there were three.
Just as the Herald was on the verge of collapse, Aether arrived to turn the tide.
"Brother!" Lumine cried out joyfully.
Even though Lucian had already told her she'd meet Aether, actually seeing him again filled her with overwhelming happiness.
"Lumine…" Aether's voice was gentle.
"Brother, I already know everything you want to say. So this time… let's just catch up, okay?" Lumine pleaded.
Aether glanced at Lucian, realizing he was the one who'd told her.
Lucian's expression said, You better not run. Talk to your sister, or I'll start calling you "brother-in-law."
Seeing Aether stay put, Lucian relaxed and checked the system notifications to see who'd been "broken" this time.
The latest entries? Lumine and Aether.
Lucian looked up at the siblings chatting warmly, then at Dainsleif.
Dainsleif simply watched in silence, wisely choosing not to interrupt.
===✧✦✧===
Character Voiceline · Lucian: About Aether
"No matter how deep your grudges run, you should still talk to the family who searched for you, worried for your safety."