After finishing the diary entry, Su Xuan looked up. Not far ahead, a massive emerald barrier shimmered over the ancient ruins.
Venti felt the wind currents within it, and his expression darkened.
"...This used to be an ancient city. After waking, Dvalin claimed it as his nest. But this barrier isn't just wind. There's another energy mixed in—something twisted and wrong."
If it were only wind, breaking it would've been effortless.
But this foreign contamination was meant to block him—and sever his resonance with Dvalin.
"So whoever set this up clearly doesn't want us to meet him."
Venti sighed dramatically.
"Ahh… Well then! I suggest we return to Mondstadt. As long as we obtain the Sky Lyre, I can summon Dvalin instead. No need to force our way—"
Su Xuan gave him a side-eye.
Venti raised both hands in surrender.
He wasn't joking this time.
The barrier truly did carry Abyss energy—but that was irrelevant.
Su Xuan lifted a hand.
Radiance flared around him like rippling glass, and a vortex twisted out of the air itself upon the barrier.
Venti blinked.
The vortex widened—
Crack—BOOM.
The colossal storm barrier shattered like thin crystal.
A hurricane howled across the cliffs.
Venti gaped at the open path as Su Xuan casually stepped forward.
"W-wait—wait! What exactly did you do?!"
"I broke it."
"As… in… just broke it."
"Compared to studying its elemental pattern and resonance layering," Su Xuan said lightly, "destroying it was easier."
Venti: "…I… see."
No, he did not see.
But he wisely shut up.
He pointed toward the towering spire ahead.
"Dvalin rests at the top. We can fly—"
Su Xuan raised a hand.
"Quiet."
Venti froze.
Su Xuan's gaze swept the ruins—then his diary flickered.
[Stormterror's Lair.jpg]
[This used to be a flourishing city under the rule of the Tower King.]
[Now it is rubble so broken that walking across it is an act of suffering.]
[Ironically, it did not become ruins naturally.]
[One woman with a… unique mind decided it 'lacked historical atmosphere.']
[So she bombed it.]
[Thus, Stormterror's Ruins were born.]
[The dragon awoke after 500 years of slumber and returned home…
[Only to find his palace had become a doghouse.]
[Tragic.]
[But thinking of that woman gave me inspiration.]
[She once attempted to create a Teyvat idol group.]
[She tried recruiting Barbara and Kamisato Ayaka repeatedly.]
[Her plan failed.]
[Perhaps… I should revive it.]
[Picture this—my own floating Jade Chamber, suspended high above the world…]
[Waking each morning on an 800 square meter bed…]
[Surrounded by my personal idols singing sweetly at sunrise…]
[Life would be beautiful.]
The women watching him:
"..."
Ningguang actually let out a soft laugh.
"If that is your desire, that is easily done.
If you want a Jade Chamber, I will give you one.
If you want a new one, I will build it—no matter the cost."
She paused.
"As for the idols… I'm afraid we may need consent.
Unless coercion is acceptable?"
[Enough. Time to help little Jean save Dvalin.]
Venti was just about to ask how.
And then—
BOOM.
The entire land shook.
Venti whipped his head toward the tower—
only to see the entire spire being lifted off the ground.
Like a tree being uprooted.
Exposing the storm vortex beneath.
A roar ripped through the sky—angry, pained, and awakening.
Dvalin burst from the storm, wings wide, emerald light blazing.
"Barbatos… did you come to torment me again?"
But mid-roar—
His entire body locked.
Frozen mid-air, like a puppet pinned by invisible strings.
"Barbatos—what have you—!"
"I didn't do anything!" Venti yelped.
He looked at Su Xuan.
Su Xuan's hand was simply raised.
A gesture.
The dragon slammed to the ground like a pinned beast.
No matter how Dvalin struggled—he couldn't move.
Venti's breath caught.
This power…
This wasn't combat.
This was authority.
Su Xuan stepped forward.
"Don't waste your breath. Once the corruption is purged, he'll calm down."
With a flick of his hand, the Qiankun Mirror materialized, its polished surface shining.
Dvalin's full form appeared reflected within—every vein, every stream of corrupted blood, mapped in perfect clarity.
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