The Abyss.
The Abyss Herald recounted everything that had happened to him to Aether.
Aether led the Abyss Herald back to the ruins. Upon seeing the statue drained of all Abyss Power and the shattered Orb, Aether's expression darkened.
"Cancel the plan for Wolvendom. Deploy all available forces to find the one you spoke of."
The Abyss Herald placed his right hand over his chest.
"As you command, Your Highness!"
-
Meanwhile, back with the Traveler's group—again from the player's perspective:
Lumine, Paimon, and Dain traced the Abyss's trail, learning that they were searching for the eyes of the world's first farming machine.
The conversation eventually circled back to the Defiled Statue within the ruins, a matter that continued to weigh heavily on Lumine's mind.
Paimon suggested inquiring at the Favonius Cathedral in Mondstadt. Dain's expression turned peculiar, but he ultimately said nothing.
As they journeyed toward Mondstadt, even the usually oblivious Paimon noticed something amiss.
"Hey, have you guys noticed? There seem to be way more monsters around Mondstadt lately, and they're acting way more aggressive than usual."
"Could something have happened in Mondstadt that we don't know about?!"
Lumine and Dain remained silent, quickening their pace.
Dain's expression was deeply pensive. He detected faint traces of Abyss energy clinging to the monsters.
Their current twisted state was entirely the Abyss's doing.
Aether... what are you planning now?
Whether it was the Abyss's plan against Stormterror or their yet-to-be-launched scheme against Osial, Dain could roughly deduce the Abyss's intentions.
But...
He couldn't comprehend why they would create such chaos this time, even dragging countless innocent civilians into the fray.
Though he and Aether had parted ways, Dain believed he still knew him fairly well.
Faced with this stark reality, he knew he had to investigate thoroughly.
They pressed forward, clearing monsters as they went, until they reached the outskirts of Mondstadt.
Even Lumine showed signs of fatigue.
The bridge leading to Mondstadt's gate was scorched black, littered with uncleaned arrows, and bore the marks of intense fire damage.
Monsters vanish immediately upon being defeated, so though no corpses littered the bridge, one could easily imagine the fierce battle that had recently raged there.
As Mondstadt's Honorary Knight, Lumine was well-known throughout the city.
The gatekeeper, Knight Swan, recognized her immediately and opened the gate without a word.
"Hey Swan, what's going on? Why have so many monsters suddenly appeared?" Paimon asked, thoroughly puzzled.
Swan replied with a helpless shrug, "We don't know either. These monsters only appeared this morning. They're extremely aggressive. Acting Grand Master Jean and the others are already investigating. I'm sure we'll have answers soon."
"You must have encountered many monsters on your way here," he continued. "But with the Honorary Knight's strength, they couldn't possibly have harmed you."
Though Swan addressed Lumine directly, Paimon took his words personally.
She crossed her arms and puffed out her chest. "Of course! We're super strong! We've defeated countless monsters on our journey—so many we couldn't even count them all!"
Lumine had grown accustomed to Paimon's occasional flights of fancy. Now, her mind was focused on other matters, and she knew they needed to get into the city quickly.
"Then we'll head into the city first."
Swan solemnly performed a Knight's salute.
"Please proceed. May the Anemo Archon protect you!"
-
Arriving at the Statue of the Anemo Archon plaza in front of Favonius Cathedral, Dain turned to Lumine.
"You two can go on ahead. Let's part ways here."
"You're not coming with us, Dain?" Paimon asked.
"My identity is... complicated. To avoid unnecessary complications, I won't accompany you further. We can resume searching for the land-tilling machine later. There seems to be an even more pressing matter at hand, and I must urgently find answers to questions that weigh heavily on my mind."
Lumine gazed at Dain and nodded slightly.
As Dain departed, Paimon and Lumine immediately headed for Favonius Cathedral.
Inside, they found Barbara helping to treat the injured.
Though the monsters were relatively weak individually, their sheer numbers had caused considerable chaos, making injuries inevitable.
Lumine and Paimon asked Barbara about the first farming machine, but she clearly knew nothing about it.
They then inquired about the Statue of The Seven, careful not to reveal the specific details of what they had seen in the Ruins, for Barbara's protection.
Upon learning that a Statue of The Seven had indeed been lost in the past, Lumine and Paimon bid farewell to Favonius Cathedral.
Barbara was very busy these days, so they should avoid taking up too much of her time.
Outside the cathedral, Paimon asked Lumine:
"Lumine, where should we go next?"
Without hesitation, Lumine replied: "The Knights of Favonius."
-
When Jean learned that the source of the trouble lay on Dragonspine, she immediately convened a meeting with Lisa, Kaeya, Diluc, and others who had just returned.
The final consensus was to dispatch a small team to Dragonspine to find the source of the problem and eliminate it.
It was a straightforward and highly effective plan.
Staying holed up in the city indefinitely wasn't their style.
The finalized squad list included Diluc, Kaeya, Yura, Rosaria, and Lisa.
Originally, these five were the only members. But just as the roster was finalized, the Traveler arrived, and so Lumine and her mostly useless companion, Paimon, were added.
Rola practically followed on Lumine's heels, entering right after her. Seeing the scene unfold, she immediately declared she wanted to go too:
"Brother, me too! Me too! I want to go too!"
Paimon exclaimed, "Oh, it's Rola! How did you end up right behind us?"
Rola grinned mischievously. "Hehe, didn't notice me, did you? I was planning to give you a jump scare!"
"Ugh, how annoying! Good thing you popped out early."
Diluc's expression darkened, his brotherly authority asserting itself. "Rola, stop fooling around. This isn't a game."
Rola's enthusiasm immediately deflated, but she still glanced hopefully at Kaeya, secretly winking at him.
Kaeya silently turned his head away, pretending not to see.
"Fine..."
Rola shot one last look at her brother and Kaeya, realizing there was no chance she'd be allowed to go this time. With a sigh, she retreated.
After leaving, Rola found a secluded spot, cleared her throat, and called out:
"Venti! Lord Venti! Please help me, Lord Venti!"
Dragonspine Mountain harbored Durin—a Durin corrupted by the Abyss, making him far stronger than before. Sending her brother and the others would be pointless.
Though she knew Venti would likely intervene, what if he didn't?
Almost as soon as Rola finished calling out, a green figure materialized on the wall behind her.
"Little Rola, what is it you want from me?"
"Venti, it's like this..."
Rola recounted everything: Mona's observation of the calamity's source, the Mondstadt team's preparations to depart, and her unwavering insistence on joining them.
Venti listened intently, pondered for a moment, and then said:
"Alright, I'll keep an eye on them. You don't need to worry, little Rola."
With that, Venti transformed into a gust of wind and vanished.
Rola stood frozen in place for a long moment...
"Hey, what about me? I want to go too!"
But this time, the air remained silent, offering no reply.