Genshin Impact: Awakening in the Darkness

After waiting for many days, news finally arrived from Diluc's side regarding the Abyss Order. When Sora and Paimon arrived at Dawn Winery, they found everyone was there except for the two of them.

Wendy: "You're finally here! I could have written several poems while waiting for you."

Xuanqing: "Stop being so cheeky. You've been craving several kinds of wine while we were waiting."

Wendy: "Hey."

Paimon: "I still have a nagging feeling that this drunkard is really the god of wind?"

He shrugged helplessly.

Diluc: "Ahem... Let me tell you the results of the investigation first. The Abyss Order... these monsters who are enemies of humanity, there is very little information about them in the underground intelligence network. But although it was troublesome, I still managed to find some clues."

Wendy: "You've got a lead so quickly? As expected of the well-informed Diluc."

Paimon glanced at Jean, then at Diluc, then at Xuanqing, then at Venti, and a question suddenly popped into his head: "But speaking of which, why does Lord Barbatos, the Wind God, need to rely on the power of humans..."

“Haha, how should I put it? The seven gods people talk about are more fundamentally called the ‘Seven Rulers of the Mortal Realm.’ Dividing the mortal realm and each ruling one-seventh of it is our responsibility as gods.” Venti patiently answered Paimon’s question: “Fulfilling divine duties is how we accumulate divine power. But I don’t like ruling… and I don’t think Mondstadt would like it either.”

Qin: "We will remember Lord Barbatos's ideal: 'Build free city-states where no one will be king.'"

Paimon: "How devout, Jean! I never imagined it might be because someone is too free-spirited and doesn't want to get involved."

Xuan Qing: "I agree."

Wendy: "Ahem. Anyway, you see, I haven't been back to Mondstadt for so long... so right now, without a doubt, I'm the weakest of the Seven Gods!"

Sora: "Those words are truly powerful... No wonder you're the Wind God of the 'City of Freedom'..." (-_-||)

"You flatter me." Wendy accepted Kong's teasing quite well.

"Heh... is it a good thing or a bad thing that we have such a Wind God? But for now, let's put aside the topic of the Seven Kingdoms and the Seven Gods and refocus on humanity's common enemy." Diluc steered the conversation back on track: "The traces of the Abyss Mage that we've discovered this time are near the winery."

"We can't let it get away unscathed." Qin immediately drew her West Wind Sword upon hearing that there were enemies nearby, while Kong also looked ready for battle: "Let's begin the hunt."

There was a river near the Dawn Winery, and when they arrived, they saw a number of Abyss Mages wandering around the area.

Xuanqing glanced at the three charging ahead, then at the Wind God behind him, and quietly retreated to the back. He then transmitted his voice to Wendy: (Can reinforcements from within Mondstadt withstand the surprise attack?)

Venti: (Don't worry, while my Mondstadt may not be as powerful as your Liyue, its combat strength is definitely not inferior to other countries.)

Xuanqing: (I'm not at ease even though you say so...)

Wendy: (Am I really that untrustworthy?!)

Xuanqing: (Your words are only half true, so you can't believe them completely. That's why I sent Xuanyue to guard Mondstadt...)

Wendy: (! Xuanqing, after all these years of friendship, where is the most basic trust between people?!)

Xuanqing frowned slightly before saying "I understand," and turned to join the battle. Paimon, completely bewildered, looked at the previously cheerful Wind God and sighed.

With Xuan Qing joining the battle, the situation became almost entirely one-sided. His sword intent, imbued with ice elemental power, easily pierced the water elemental shield, cleaving the abyss mage in two. While the ice elemental mage's shield was immune to most attacks of the same element, Xuan Qing's attacks were unaffected by their immunity, and he too dispatched them with a single strike.

This was even with him holding back, since this was his first battle after officially waking up, and he was a bit rusty.

"Wow! Grandpa Qingyue is amazing! He finished them all in one go!" Paimon exclaimed in admiration.

Xuan Qing: "Thank you for the compliment."

Qin: "I didn't expect Mr. Qingyue's swordsmanship to be so superb. He has been a great help."

Xuan Qing: "Commander Qin is too kind. I haven't held a sword for many years and I'm still a bit rusty."

"Kong! Qingyue! Look! What are those black things?!" Little Paimon's exclamation drew everyone's attention. They saw that the Abyss Mages were covered in black, unidentified substances.

"Huh? What is this... After the Abyss Mage was defeated, some kind of energy was released..." Wendy sensed it carefully and finally came to a conclusion: "Its original purpose seems to be to sever the connection between me and Dvalin."

Wendy: "Traveler, do you know about the 'Wind Dragon Ruins'?"

Kong shook his head blankly: "I don't know."

“Yes, but Lord Jean and Lord Diluc must both know. After Dvalin awoke, he made an ancient ruin his lair.” Venti crossed his arms, trying to make himself clear: “Like the storms that previously sealed off Mondstadt, the entrance to the ruins also has a special barrier. But now, from the energy emanating from the Abyss Mages, I can read the rhythm of weaving magic. Although that rhythm is even more awful than a Hilichurl's chorus, it… is enough for us to break through the storm barrier and reach the interior of the ‘Wind Dragon Ruins.’”

Diluc: "So, we're going to have to face the Wind Dragon head-on? I have no objection... But speaking of which, Jean is the one who wants to avoid war."

Jean: "No, when there is no better option, I will take responsibility for changing the course. If defeating the Wind Dragon is the only solution, then I will be the knight who charges ahead."

Xuanqing: "It hasn't gotten that serious yet; there's still room for things to turn around."

Wendy: "That's right!"

Xuanqing and Wendy both looked at the sky at the same time, their intentions very clear.

Sora: "Why are you two staring at me?!"

Xuanqing: "You possess the power to purify filth, and the source of the curse of Dvalin and the filth in the crystal is the same. You are the turning point."

Wendy: "So—"

Before Wendy could even speak, Paimon interjected worriedly, "Singing for money? This is too dangerous! Look at how angry Dvalin is! If you make a move, you'll be swallowed whole by Dvalin!"

Kong, hands on his hips, said helplessly to Paimon, "I'm a very strong fighter, I'll definitely come back safely."

Diluc: "...Hey. Interesting plan, worth a try."

Jean: "Of course I will stand with you, Knight of Honor."

Paimon: "The enemies are... monsters from the abyss, and dragons! It's very oppressive."

Wendy's inner thoughts at this moment: (If Paimon knew that there was a war god hidden in this team, I wonder what his reaction would be, hehe...)

Xuanqing glanced at Wendy as if sensing something, but ultimately said nothing more.

Diluc: "Humans also have their own inherent qualities. Let's go."

Wendy: "So—"

"The epic of heroes has finally entered the final battle chapter."

The group followed Wendy toward the legendary Wind Dragon Ruins, the atmosphere heavy with tension. Paimon looked at Xuanqing, then at Wendy, remembering a question he'd forgotten to ask: "Um, Grandpa Qingyue, did you and Wendy know each other a long time ago? How come you weren't surprised at all when you found out he was the Wind God?"

Xuan Qing: "Hmm..." (I really can't be surprised...)

Wendy chuckled and said mysteriously, "Little Paimon, you should know that Mondstadt and Liyue's original trade route was through bars."

“Yes, yes! I heard Jean and Diluc talk about it before. It originated from the Liyue Contract signed with a Liyue merchant, and that person is related to Grandpa Qingyue by blood.” Paimon remembered this story very well.

Wendy: "Paimon has a good memory. But do you know that Qingyue's ancestors came to Mondstadt to find me?"

Paimon: "Hey!"

Kong looked at Xuan Qing: "Is that so?!"

Xuan Qing remained silent, and Wendy continued, "Back then, I was also a bard, just like I am now. I met him in a tavern."

“You guys… drinking together!” Paimon looked at Wendy, then at Xuanqing. If you put Xuanqing in the picture, you couldn’t imagine what a cool and aloof person would look like when drunk.

Venti: "Hahaha, yes. But when he first arrived in Mondstadt, he had no connections, so he planned to build one. Luckily, the Geo Archon of Liyue guided him to establish a trade route with Mondstadt. I saw that he ordered a lot of wine, but didn't seem to want to touch it, so I offered to let him try some. That's how our relationship was established."

Paimon: "And then what happened?"

Xuanqing finally spoke up: "Then, somehow they started a drinking contest. The loser had to answer three questions from the other person. They couldn't lie, and they couldn't leave the questions unanswered."

Sora: "A drinking contest? Then...didn't that Liyue merchant lose?"

Upon hearing this, Xuanqing's lips curled up three pixels: "They won. So the Wind God had no choice but to sign the contract with Liyue, and then his identity was guessed not long afterward."

Diluc: "Is that so...?"

Qin became serious: "So, Mr. Qingyue has always known about Lord Barbatos's existence?"

Xuanqing: "I had some books at home that I was reading, and I accidentally came across someone else's diary."

Wendy: "We've arrived."

Paimon: "It's a storm barrier! Wow...that looks like a really dangerous landscape."

The ruins of the Wind Dragon are shrouded in high walls erected by the hurricane, making it impossible to approach.

Wendy: "Leave it to me. I only have an ordinary xylophone... but to break through this wind barrier, I don't need 'Sky'—wait, what's that?"

Wendy looked back and saw a large group of monsters attacking her.

Qin: "Enemy attack! Everyone, prepare for battle!"

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Um, I wanted to ask you readers, is it because my writing is bad? I feel like fewer and fewer people are reading it. (╥_╥)