With his ability to perfectly wield the Judgment of Shamash, Aerin's combat strength had long since surpassed that of Venti.
Although Venti possessed the ability to gather information through the thousand-year flow of the winds—
As long as Aerin chose to conceal himself, Venti would be completely unable to perceive or locate him.
After leaving Windrise, Aerin moved at extreme speed and arrived at Stormterror's Lair.
There, he located Khaenri'ah's first Ruin Guard and forcibly removed its eye.
"This is one of the most critical components the Abyss Order needs to complete the Loom of Fate," he muttered.
"It's safer if it stays with me."
Aerin stored the Ruin Guard's eye inside his Imaginary Space.
The Loom of Fate's primary function was to weave the ley lines.
To all life in Teyvat, ley lines were fundamental—they recorded every piece of information in the world.
Reweaving the ley lines was essentially equivalent to optimizing all recorded data.
To a certain extent, the Loom of Fate resembled concepts such as Infinite Tsukuyomi or the Stigmata Project—
Allowing people to exist within a consciousness-based space.
However, its true superiority lay in its ability to materialize everything within that consciousness space into reality.
Much like how Caribert, before disappearing, manifested a photograph of Aether and Lumine together.
That had only been the very beginning.
Once the Loom of Fate was fully completed and new ley lines were woven, it would be possible to materialize reality directly from ley line data—
Completely overturning the very foundation of the world.
As a Descender, Aerin wasn't worried about his information being recorded by Irminsul or the ley lines.
Still, something this dangerous was best kept in his own hands.
Nothing brought peace of mind like holding the authority to decide.
Finding a comfortable spot, Aerin lay down and checked the system.
Emotion Points—previously stagnant—were now skyrocketing after people confirmed that the exposed future was real.
There was curiosity. Anticipation.
But above all, fear of the unknown.
Especially after Hu Tao's enthusiastic promotion of Wangsheng Funeral Parlor.
No one could remain calm when facing death.
"The early stage is over," Aerin said calmly.
"Now I can really start weaving."
He began interacting with the system interface.
The system emphasized plausibility—but in Aerin's view, the most important thing was that the woven future aligned with his own capabilities.
That way, reality would never contradict the projection.
As for truth—
With the Fifth Descender entering the picture, all predetermined developments were bound to be severely distorted.
Reality itself would inevitably change because of the exposure.
To harvest more Emotion Points, Aerin chose war as the core theme.
People feared unknown life and death.
They felt anger, helplessness, despair—
And sometimes, fleeting joy from small victories.
Still, Aerin had no intention of making everyone see him as a war-mongering maniac.
The woven future was merely a means to gain rewards—an illusion.
Reality was what truly mattered.
He had no desire to become someone everyone trembled before at first sight.
That would only cause trouble for himself.
So within the woven future, he deliberately left room for maneuvering in reality—
To achieve his objectives without pushing things to extremes.
"Done. Continue projecting the future."
[Amber brought Lumine and Paimon to a restaurant.]
[After the two ordered their food and Amber paid, she excused herself under the pretense of reporting work and headed to the Knights of Favonius Headquarters.]
[After meeting Acting Grand Master Jean, Amber submitted the post-battle report regarding the Hilichurl attack on Mondstadt.]
["Well done, Amber."]
["If you hadn't noticed the Hilichurls' abnormal movements early, Mondstadt's losses would've been far greater."]
[Jean praised her with a smile.]
[Amber scratched her head shyly.]
["It's just what a scout should do."]
[After collecting herself, Amber suddenly looked at Jean seriously.]
["Acting Grand Master, I sensed some unusual movement in the distant forest earlier."]
["I'm worried the Abyss Order may launch a second attack tonight. We should prepare in advance."]
[After hearing Amber's report, Jean nodded.]
[As Acting Grand Master, she deeply trusted Amber's sense of responsibility.]
[Though still young, Amber possessed an unusually strong will.]
[Her scouting experience was rich, and she had repeatedly proven herself in the field.]
[Amber's warning immediately put Jean on alert.]
["You're right. The Abyss Order won't give up so easily."]
["Thank you, Amber. I'll make the necessary defensive arrangements."]
[Jean forced a faint smile.]
[Recently, due to Dvalin's attacks, the Fatui from Snezhnaya had been pressuring Mondstadt diplomatically.]
[Dvalin had just disappeared, and now the Abyss Order emerged immediately after.]
[Jean had been overwhelmed with work, barely sleeping for days.]
[As dusk fell, Jean stood atop Mondstadt's walls, gazing into the distance.]
["Acting Grand Master…"]
[A knight approached her.]
["Are you still worried about the Abyss Order?"]
["I don't think it's necessary. With their intelligence, they wouldn't strike again so soon."]
["Especially not at night."]
The Abyss Order.
Aether froze slightly.
The knight's words sounded like open mockery toward the Abyss Order's leadership.
"Insufferable."
"How dare he speak of the Abyss Order like that," the Abyss Lector Pyro snapped angrily.
Aether remained silent.
The disrespect irritated him—but in truth, their plans did not include a second attack.
Seeing Aether's grim expression, the Lector quickly spoke.
"Your Highness, the future shown is only a possibility."
"Dvalin's unexpected change likely altered our original plan."
"If the scout's perception wasn't mistaken… this second assault may truly be ours."
Mondstadt City.
Jean stared at the light-screen unblinking.
While she hoped Amber's intuition was wrong, she also hoped that the attackers truly were Abyss-controlled Hilichurls.
Mondstadt had ways to deal with the Abyss Order.
But against the mysterious Fifth Descender—
She had no confidence at all.
Compared to the Abyss Order, the Fifth Descender felt far more terrifying.
[Jean sighed inwardly after hearing the knight's words.]
[She knew everyone was mentally exhausted.]
[But enemies always struck at moments like this.]
[This was precisely when vigilance was most crucial.]
["Acting Grand Master!"]
[Amber's anxious voice suddenly snapped Jean out of her thoughts.]
[Looking up, she saw Amber rushing onto the wall.]
["I just finished scouting—this time, the Abyss Order is indeed launching a second attack."]
["The Hilichurl forces are almost at Mondstadt."]
[Amber's panic exceeded Jean's expectations.]
[She had never seen the girl this flustered.]
["Amber, calm down. What did you see?"]
[Amber steadied herself.]
[She forced her voice to slow.]
["Acting Grand Master… these Hilichurls are completely different."]
["Their appearance has changed drastically."]
["Their bodies are white, as if covered in armor-like shells."]
["They also have colored markings layered over the white base."]
["Some are blue, some pink, some purple—each one different."]
[Hearing this, Jean's expression changed dramatically.]
[Her first thought was that the Abyss Order had enhanced the Hilichurls by some method.]
["I see now!" Jean realized.]
["The first attack was only a probe."]
["This second assault is their true main force."]
["Pass the order—every knight to their post."]
["We must not allow the monsters to approach Mondstadt."]
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