A week later, in Sumeru City.
Although the upper city still lay in ruins from the battle, the lower city's Treasure Street had already returned to its usual bustle. Crowds filled the streets, chattering about the events that had recently shaken the nation.
Inside Lambad's Tavern, the owner—finally able to sleep soundly again—was busy boasting to his regulars about his "extraordinary experience."
"At that time, the Dendro Archon was standing right in front of me! You lot didn't know that, did you? And it's thanks to her and her friends visiting my tavern that she was able to uncover the Great Sage's plot!"
He ended his tale with a triumphant look, waiting for their amazement.
"Really? I've never even seen the Dendro Archon myself. Uncle Lambad, you're bragging again, aren't you?"
"Of course not! The Mora she paid with is still right here!" Lambad, seeing their disbelief, hurriedly pulled out a few gleaming coins. "Look! Proof!"
"Uh... a few coins prove nothing."
"It was the Dendro Archon and the other Archons who protected Sumeru City. What does that have to do with you? Hahaha! Lambad, you must still be half-asleep!"
"Sounds to me like you're just trying to advertise your tavern again!"
"Boring, boring..."
"It's true! Why won't you believe me!" Lambad grew flustered.
Granted, he did plan to use the slogan 'Even the Dendro Archon ate here and praised it!' to promote his tavern, but Lesser Lord Kusanali had really visited! He wasn't just making it up!
The noise and laughter from the tavern did nothing to disturb Lumine and Paimon, who were busy devouring the coconut charcoal cakes on their table.
"Even though... mmm... this thing looks all black and scary..."
Paimon's mouth was crammed full as if she hadn't eaten in days.
"But it's actually so good! Lambad wasn't lying to me! It's... mmph—cough cough!"
"Cough! Cough cough!"
"Slow down..." Lumine sighed and poured her a glass of water.
"Yeah, Paimon, take it slow. There's still plenty more to eat!" Dehya chuckled at the sight.
At the table with Lumine were Dehya, Nilou, Dunyarzad, and others. After the collective dream ended, it was their first time gathering together to properly eat and drink.
Nilou listened to Lambad's boasting from across the room. "It seems most people still don't know what really happened..."
"But everyone knows the Great Sage was arrested," Dehya said with her arms crossed. "Stealing people's dreams? Endangering the whole city? I can't believe they would do such a thing. Truly despicable!"
"Mm, this was only resolved thanks to Lu Chen and the others." Lumine nodded. She hadn't expected her time in Sumeru to take so many twists and turns, but with Lu Chen's reliability, she hardly needed to intervene herself.
"There are too many tricks and schemes in the rainforest," Dehya said with a wry smile. "The desert is far more comfortable—you don't have to overthink everything there."
She noticed Lumine eating quietly and asked curiously, "What about you? Where do you plan to go next?"
Lumine looked up thoughtfully. "After meeting the Dendro Archon, I'll probably head to the desert."
"Oh, I know the desert well~"
As they chatted idly, a hearty laugh rang out nearby.
"Yo! Traveler, you're here too!"
Lumine turned and was surprised to see Tartaglia.
"What are you doing here?" she asked.
"Childe!?" Paimon yelped, completely forgetting about her food as she flew up. "Y-you! You came to Sumeru too?"
Everyone turned to look at the smiling young man leaning casually against a nearby table, arms crossed.
"Long time no see! But you don't have to be that shocked to see me!"
Lumine quickly glanced at Dehya and the others. She didn't reveal his identity as a Fatui Harbinger, only introducing him as an old acquaintance, and pulled over a chair for him.
Childe sat down without hesitation, grabbing a coconut charcoal cake though not daring to bite into it.
"It's not just me. Some of my colleagues are here too."
"Exe—" Paimon caught herself and lowered her voice. "They came too? What are they planning?"
The Great Sage's collusion with the Fatui had only just been exposed, and now multiple Harbingers were in Sumeru? Could they be here for revenge?
Childe chuckled, easily guessing what Paimon was thinking.
He leaned toward Lumine and explained quietly, "With the Four Archons and Rex Lapis gathered in Sumeru, the entire continent is watching. I arrived ahead of Her Majesty."
"The Tsaritsa is coming here too?!" Lumine was shocked.
"That's right." Childe's tone turned serious. "The Doctor... well, he died here. Capitano was captured. The Dendro Archon declared that only Her Majesty herself can come to secure his release. We're here to protect her—and to negotiate."
"Negotiate..." Lumine glanced out the window and saw convoys of Snezhnayan envoys arriving outside the city. They must have come with Childe.
If the Tsaritsa herself was coming, then five of the Seven Archons would be gathered in one place. What would they discuss? Her curiosity flared.
She jumped to her feet. "Paimon, stop eating! We need to find Lu Chen!"
Paimon, still clutching a half-eaten coconut charcoal cake, widened her eyes. "Huh!?"
...
As Childe had said, all factions across Teyvat—the Fatui, the Abyss Order, and countless others—were watching the situation in Sumeru unfold.
The Anemo Archon, the Electro Archon, and even the Geo Archon, thought long dead, had all revealed themselves here. The four Archons appeared to be uniting.
To those in the know, this unity carried immense weight—and there was one man at the center of it, perhaps even the decisive factor.
Deep in the Grand Library of the Akademiya, Lu Chen sneezed.
He rubbed his nose and muttered, "Who's talking about me?"
"What's wrong?" Ei, absorbed in her research, looked up.
"Nothing. Keep working..." Lu Chen shook his head.
"Oh..." Ei returned to her work.
The library was the only place in the upper city untouched by the war. Containing countless books and canned knowledge, it had been sealed off and converted into a laboratory with Nahida's permission.
The blueprints for the God of Machines and the Primordial Energy Constructs had already been handed to Ei. If she could restore them, they would greatly strengthen Lu Chen's hand.
On Ei's workbench lay remnants of Scarlet King technology—the genuine Primordial Energy Constructs from history. After analyzing them, the two concluded that while a single construct couldn't defeat a Vision holder one-on-one, their strength lay in numbers. One couldn't win? Then ten. Ten couldn't win? Then a hundred.
If he could mass-produce them, creating an endless tide of mechanical soldiers, he would command a near-infinite army. Fueled by Primordial Energy, they would also possess a powerful purifying effect against the Abyss.
With the borders of Teyvat growing increasingly unstable, Lu Chen needed such a trump card.
The bluish glow of Primordial Energy reflected off Ei's face, highlighting her graceful profile and her focused violet eyes.
Once Ei was immersed in her research, she could go an entire day without speaking. Lu Chen watched her for a while, chin in hand, but when she paid him no mind, he sighed and stood.
He used the time to review his newly mastered complete Light Realm Force.
His perception spread endlessly across Teyvat, his consciousness stretching even to its borders.
He saw the "eggshell" cracking more and more, with chaotic, pitch-black forces surging beyond, seeping inward.
He didn't probe too far. Forbidden knowledge was dangerous, feared even by the Heavenly Principles.
Redirecting his gaze, he saw the bustling scene at Port Ormos.
The Snezhnaya envoy had already reached Sumeru City, and at the port, massive snow-emblazoned ships of Snezhnayan design lined the harbor.
The Tsaritsa had arrived.