Once Rosaria had left, the only one remaining was Diluc.
After briefly asking Kaeya to keep an eye on Klee, Albedo returned to his lab to resume his experiments.
Diluc looked toward Kaeya. Their eyes met, and in that calm, steady tone of his, Diluc asked:
"What exactly happened? What kind of experiment was this? And why destroy the Nail of the Heavens?"
Before Kaeya could respond, Diluc continued:
"Don't give me the same line you gave earlier. I know you too well. What you said just now may be true, but it's only a fragment of the truth. I want the full picture."
"You really are hard to fool," Kaeya said with a sigh, shrugging in mock helplessness—but that familiar smirk still lingered on his face.
"Look over there—see that domain? Go inside and take a look. Then I'll tell you everything."
Diluc gave a simple nod and, without another word, turned and headed toward the domain.
---
Mondstadt
Bellies full and rounded, Hu Tao, Jiang Bai, and Bennett stepped out of the restaurant, thoroughly satisfied.
Bennett hadn't originally planned to join them for the meal—he was just their guide—but how could the ever-hospitable Director Hu possibly allow their guide to sit off to the side watching them eat?
After some back-and-forth, the three ended up sharing the meal.
Mondstadt's cuisine had a completely different style from Liyue's, but it was no less delicious.
Since Hu Tao rarely had the chance to eat Mondstadt food, she ordered an entire table's worth just to find what she liked. And since wasting food was out of the question, the three of them ate until they were about to burst.
"Sorry for making you spend so much," Bennett said, scratching his head in embarrassment.
"Don't be so polite! Feeding two or feeding three doesn't make a difference," Hu Tao said grandly.
Jiang Bai slung an arm over Bennett's shoulder. "Yeah, we're all around the same age—no need to be so stiff."
Their words did seem to ease Bennett's awkwardness a bit.
They wandered through the streets chatting casually, not unlike visiting tourists.
"You became an adventurer so young—why don't you tell us your story?" Jiang Bai was genuinely curious about Bennett's infamous bad luck.
Even during lunch, the chair Bennett sat on nearly collapsed. It had been fine a moment before, but the moment he sat, one leg suddenly gave out. Thankfully, he reacted quickly and avoided falling flat on his face.
"My adventures really aren't much to talk about," Bennett began modestly, but under the encouragement of their expectant gazes, he eventually started to share.
"I've been on a lot of adventures, sure… but my luck's always been awful."
"Sometimes, I'll finally find a treasure chest, but when I open it, there's either nothing inside, or just really ordinary stuff…
"There was this one time, I went treasure hunting with a member of my adventuring team. We were just a few steps away from the treasure when a sudden surge of Geo energy hit. A massive earthquake cracked open a giant ravine right in front of me. I was okay, but the treasure was completely unreachable…"
"That's insane! Your bad luck isn't even normal bad luck," Jiang Bai said in disbelief.
He couldn't understand how someone could be so chronically unlucky. Most people wouldn't encounter those freak accidents even once in a lifetime.
"I don't know either," Bennett said, still smiling like it was no big deal. "Maybe the world just doesn't like me."
He'd lived through too many experiences like that to be fazed anymore.
From the time he was a child, luck had never been on his side.
And yet—he'd been blessed with a Vision, and he'd survived this long, safe and whole.
He had his adopted fathers, his friends, and countless kind adventurers like Cartis who had looked out for him.
If I can't be lucky myself, then at least I want to bring luck to the people I care about.
Besides, more than the treasure itself, what Bennett truly loved was the adventure—the thrill of the unknown, the irresistible pull of danger and discovery.
After hearing his story, both Jiang Bai and Hu Tao were filled with admiration.
It was people like this… that the gods chose to bless.
"So, where do you want to go next?" Bennett asked.
Jiang Bai looked up toward the massive statue of the Anemo Archon, its full form mostly obscured by surrounding buildings. "Let's go see the Wind God Statue. I've always wanted to see it up close."
"No problem!"
Following the steps upward, the trio arrived at the wide terrace before the Cathedral of Favonius.
The cathedral stood as the tallest building in all of Mondstadt, and the towering statue of the Anemo Archon stood proudly in the plaza before it.
A fountain, reflecting pool, and lush flowerbeds surrounded the platform. Many people stood quietly before the statue with closed eyes, offering their prayers—an awe-inspiring sight for Jiang Bai.
He looked up at the towering statue. From afar, its size wasn't obvious, but standing beneath it now, he was struck by how massive it truly was.
"The Wind God Statue is huge!"
"They say it was built over a thousand years ago," Bennett explained. He often came here himself. As a Mondstadter, he, too, was a follower of the Anemo Archon.
Though, admittedly, not as devout as the cathedral nuns.
"Does the Wind God show up in person like the Geo Lord does?" Jiang Bai, ever the curious one, asked.
"I heard he hasn't appeared in a really long time—probably over a thousand years," Hu Tao chimed in. She was fairly well-versed in this sort of thing; after all, it wasn't exactly a secret.
"But who's to say whether the gods walk among us in human form? Our Lord Rex Lapis loves traveling incognito. Loads of Liyue shops have signs like 'Jade praised by the Geo Lord!' or 'Dishes favored by the Lord Himself!'"
"Those signs sound totally made up."
"No no no, they're real! But if you think about it, every shop in Liyue could put up a sign like that. After all, the Lord has lived for thousands of years—he's probably visited every corner of the harbor by now…"
Because it was so common, those signs had lost their meaning and become background noise.
Hu Tao and Jiang Bai kept chatting while Bennett listened quietly with a smile.
He hadn't been to Liyue yet, but he'd heard the Rite of Descension was coming soon. The Geo Lord himself would appear. If he had the time, maybe he'd go see it for himself.
"Wanna check out the cathedral too? It's really beautiful inside!" Bennett offered.
"Absolutely!"
The Cathedral of Favonius covered a vast area. Its soaring spires were visible from almost anywhere in the city and were iconic to Mondstadt's skyline.
The main doors were always open, welcoming worshippers and pilgrims alike.
As they stepped inside, rows of pews came into view, all lined up neatly across the grand hall. Quite a few people were already seated, murmuring prayers under their breath.
The massive arched ceiling gave the entire interior a vast, awe-inspiring presence. Sunlight filtered through the stained-glass windows, casting multicolored patterns on the floor.
Golden particles shimmered in the light. The entire cathedral was filled with a serene, sacred stillness.
As soon as they entered, a priestess in a white dress and twin tails walked over.
"Bennett, how's your injury? Is it healing well?"
---
T/N: BARBARAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA she was one of my mains when i firststarted