Creatures that love music are often more sensitive and emotional.
Though Dvalin's mind was slightly more mature than Durin's, at the end of the day, he was still like a child—fragile and sensitive.
When he was wronged, he too wanted understanding and comfort.
Barbatos should have done this five hundred years ago. But at that time, He had exhausted most of His strength in the war against Khaenri'ah and the battle with Durin.
To keep Mondstadt's climate stable, He had no choice but to fall into slumber, leaving no time to help Dvalin.
Later, when Dvalin awoke, he could no longer bear the torment of the tainted blood and flew to Mondstadt seeking help from humans. But the people of Mondstadt, terrified, saw him as a calamity to be avoided at all costs. That reaction broke his heart.
He didn't understand. Why had the people and nation he risked his life to protect become like this?
Feeling betrayed by both Mondstadt and his comrades, he fell under the influence of the Abyss Order, leading to the tragic "Stormterror Crisis."
Last year, Barbatos—through the help of that blonde adventurer Lumine—managed to clear up the misunderstanding with Dvalin and even purified the massive thorn formed by the tainted blood.
But mental wounds were always far harder to heal than physical ones.
A splinter remained in Dvalin's heart. Barbatos would need far more time to melt it away.
Of course, if a professional therapist had stepped in, this kind of psychological issue could've been resolved more efficiently.
And right now, Xia Zhi was acting just like that therapist.
He used the [Dragon's Call Guqin] to play the piece [Empathy], easily breaking through Dvalin's defenses and allowing the dragon to feel—for the first time in a long while—that he had found someone who truly understood him, who would listen to him, comfort him, and help him.
Dvalin descended from the sky, lowered his head before Xia Zhi, and let out a low, mournful whimper.
To the average person, it was nothing but meaningless dragon roars.
But Xia Zhi understood the Monster Tongue and could hear the grievances Dvalin was trying to pour out.
He reached out and stroked the scales on Dvalin's face, gently comforting him. "It's okay. It's not your fault…"
That didn't seem to help much.
Dvalin had apparently found the perfect outlet. His whimpering turned into full-on sobbing.
What a handful, this water-element-charged baby dragon.
Xia Zhi kept stroking him, continuing to soothe him patiently with soft words.
From his omniscient view, he could see Dvalin's sparkling diamond progress bar steadily filling.
Not that he cared much about that. As Venti's closest friend, helping out in a time of need was only natural.
The audience and judges were all a little stunned by the sight before them.
After a while, Dvalin's progress bar was finally maxed out, and Xia Zhi's inventory gained a Diamond Treasure Chest.
But Dvalin was still pouring his heart out in dragon-sobs.
He had just been holding all this in for far too long.
Still, this couldn't go on forever. After all, this was a competition. Xia Zhi was the eighth contestant, and there were still two more to go.
He retracted his hand and said, "Alright now, no more crying. So many people are watching. Even if you don't care, let me finish the competition first, okay?"
Dvalin looked a little reluctant, but obediently flew back up into the sky.
Holding the guqin on his lap, Xia Zhi stood up from the ground, calmly faced the judges, and said warmly, "Sorry to keep everyone waiting."
The judges exchanged glances, looking troubled.
The melody Mr. Xia had played earlier was utterly exquisite—divine, even.
Venti's tune had merely summoned the Dragon of the East from the sky.
But Mr. Xia's melody had made the dragon willingly descend, lower its head, and shed tears.
Clearly, Xia Zhi's performance was the more flawless one.
The problem was that they had already considered Venti's performance to be the pinnacle and had given him a perfect score. Now, they had no way to give Xia Zhi a higher score.
After some whispered discussion, the judges regretfully gave Xia Zhi a full score as well.
The audience erupted—some cheering, others booing in protest. The results were being questioned.
Xia Zhi, however, had no complaints. He hugged his guqin, bowed graciously to the crowd in gratitude.
Then, just like Venti before him, he looked up at Dvalin in the sky and gave a respectful bow before slowly walking off stage.
The girls immediately gathered around, beaming with congratulations.
Because Diona was present, Venti didn't dare approach Xia Zhi. He stood at a distance, gazing at the guqin in Xia Zhi's hands and sighed. "Dearest friend, I didn't expect you to be hiding such a trick."
Xia Zhi remained composed. "You're one to talk. You tricked me earlier…"
Venti immediately defended himself, "Hey, that wasn't a trick. A bard's life is full of mystery. Look, it's just an ordinary wooden lyre…"
"Sorry, I'm blind. Can't see it."
"Ehehe…"
Venti chuckled, then turned his eyes toward Dvalin in the sky, lost in thought.
Xia Zhi turned back to the stage. The ninth contestant had already gone up, but their music failed to stir even the faintest ripple.
Still, Xia Zhi listened attentively, until he suddenly felt someone clinging to his arm.
He looked down—it was Xia Lin again.
The little girl grabbed his right hand and pressed his palm against her cheek.
Xia Zhi traced her smooth face with his fingers and smiled. "What's wrong?"
The girl puffed out her cheeks slightly and stared at him with bright eyes, saying nothing.
Xia Zhi tried to withdraw his hand, but she wouldn't let go.
Then he remembered—this was the hand he'd used to stroke Dvalin.
Was she just being jealous? Or maybe… she wanted to feel, through his touch, the warmth of the master she admired?
Xia Zhi couldn't guess her thoughts. Smiling, he gave her cheek a little pinch and let her do as she pleased.
When the tenth performer finished, the judges began announcing the results.
Venti and Xia Zhi, both with perfect scores, were declared joint champions.
They went on stage together to receive their awards.
Venti whispered, "Ahem, dear friend…"
Xia Zhi nodded. "Don't worry. I always keep my word."
"Ha! I knew you would!"
"Come to the plaza tomorrow morning. I'll bring the wine."
"Perfect! …Um, I've got some things to do, so I'll be off!"
With that, Venti collected his prize and hurried off.
Xia Zhi noticed he was heading in the direction of the Favonius Cathedral.
He was probably going to return the stolen [Holy Lyre der Himmel].
—
Fischl stood in the audience watching Xia Zhi on stage. A glimmer of something unfamiliar shone in her uncovered eye.
So incredible…
As expected of the fated one I recognized at first glance!
Actually, she wasn't the only girl in the crowd who had taken a strong interest in Xia Zhi.
The free-spirited Mondstadters had always adored music and poetry. A charming outsider with a face like his, a masterful hand on the guqin, and a foreign allure? Of course he was going to spark romantic curiosity.
Such feelings were hazy, sweet, and pure.
Oz looked up at Dvalin still circling above. "My lady, that Stormterror dragon hasn't left yet."
Fischl glanced at him and said impatiently, "Stormterror? That thing's barely at the level of a garden pet tethered in the royal court of my. Ignore it."
Then she turned her eyes back to Xia Zhi onstage.
She looked exactly like a starstruck fan watching her idol.
—
That afternoon, at the Knights of Favonius.
Jean was busy with paperwork when a knock sounded at the door.
She looked up. "Come in."
Barbara hurried inside. "Acting Grand Master!"
"What is it this time?"
"It's good news! The [Holy Lyre der Himmel] suddenly reappeared in its original place!"
"Oh, I see."
Barbara blinked. "You… don't seem surprised at all?"
Jean paused. "No, I am surprised."
"But your tone and expression just now were way too calm…"
Jean replied seriously, "As Acting Grand Master, one must remain composed in the face of everything."
Barbara looked awed. "I see!"
"Anything else?"
Barbara shook her head. "Nope! I'll head back to the cathedral and stop disturbing your work!"
"Mhm…"
She tiptoed out and gently closed the office door behind her.
In her heart, she thought, Sister is becoming more and more like a truly excellent Grand Master!
Inside, Jean stared at the carefully shut door with a somewhat helpless expression.
It felt like the distance between her and her sister had grown again…
—
Though the competition was over, Dvalin continued to fly over Mondstadt, reluctant to leave.
Xia Zhi found an excuse to slip away from the group, activated [Stealth Mode], and made his way alone to a forest outside the city.
He reappeared and took out the [Dragon's Call Guqin], playing a few soft notes.
Before long, Dvalin flew over from Mondstadt and descended from the sky, searching for him.
Xia Zhi called out, "I'm over here."
Dvalin lowered his head, letting out a happy rumble.
Xia Zhi reached out and patted his head. "You're still not fully healed. Don't move."
Dvalin obediently stayed still.
Xia Zhi gave him a thorough examination and found that many of his injuries were still unhealed.
Some were ancient wounds from five hundred years ago during his battle with Durin. The terrifying toxins embedded in them had prevented proper healing. It wasn't until Lumine's strange power had purified those toxins last year that the wounds even began to recover. But not enough time had passed, and Dvalin remained too weak to fully heal.
Others were fresh injuries from last year's Stormterror incident, when he had lost his senses and fought those who came to help him. These too were still slowly healing.
"Don't worry. I'll take care of it. You'll be fine soon."
Xia Zhi raised his hand and cast [Divine Healing].
A gentle golden light bathed Dvalin's enormous body, filling him with warmth.
He let out a pleased rumble.
At the same time, all the wounds on his body rapidly mended, vanishing entirely.
He was a healthy dragon again.
"How do you feel now?" Xia Zhi asked.
Dvalin nuzzled him.
Looked like he was fine.
Xia Zhi chuckled. "Barbatos, really. Doesn't know how to take care of you at all. Good thing you met me, or you'd have been suffering a lot longer…"
Dvalin growled softly.
"You want me to play again?" Xia Zhi said. "Later. Are you hungry?"
"A little hungry, huh?"
"What do you usually eat?"
"Hunt for yourself? Wild boars? Raw?"
"Raw meat's not tasty, is it? You think it's okay?"
"You poor thing. You've never even properly enjoyed a good meal. Barbatos… all he does is drink and forgets to get you something nice…"
"Alright, I'll cook something good for you. With your size, let's go with some roast meat… Bring me a few boars, okay?"
Dvalin flew off obediently.
Xia Zhi waited patiently where he stood.
He didn't actually need Dvalin to hunt. He could've just bought fresh meat from the [Shop] using points, with better texture and taste.
But that would've defeated his purpose.
A few days ago, while browsing books at the Favonius Library, he had picked up several on psychology.
Through the [Scholar's Ring], he absorbed their contents and gained a basic understanding of counseling methods.
Just like he had once helped Shenhe, he knew that the fastest way to heal Dvalin's hurt and sadness was to create new, beautiful memories together.
Xia Zhi could've cooked alone, but letting Dvalin join in—even just by catching the ingredients—would give the dragon a sense of contribution.
That, in turn, would make the food taste better and the memory more precious.
Before long, Dvalin returned with several wild boars.
Xia Zhi praised him warmly.
Dvalin looked very pleased.
Then, Xia Zhi began preparing the meat while explaining the process aloud.
Dvalin watched curiously from the side, listening with great interest.
As the fire was lit and the aroma of roasting meat wafted through the air…
Dvalin smacked his lips.
"Not yet," Xia Zhi said gently. "You have to wait a bit longer."
Dvalin held back with difficulty.
Finally, the food was ready. Xia Zhi fed it to him.
And then… Dvalin cried again.
Last time it was from the music.
This time, it was from how good the food tasted.
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