Genshin Impact: Awakening in the Darkness

"Phew, it's all finally over." Paimon patted her chest; she had been terrified just now.

Xuan Qing: "That's strange..."

Kong: "What's strange about that?"

Xuanqing: "Hicrulls don't tend to frequent areas with high elemental concentrations. But the Stormterror's Lair is arguably the place with the highest concentration of wind element in all of Mondstadt, probably the place of the Abyss Order."

Wendy: "Qingyue is right, their bodies bear a greater burden here... So, without further ado—this time the audience is just 'the wind,' so it doesn't matter if we strum the strings a little faster."

Wendy took out her xylophone and began to play a tune. The fierce hurricane seemed to have heard the call and began to scatter—the wind wall was broken.

Paimon: "Wow, it really works! You'll be useful sometimes, for busking."

Xuan Qing: "This is the only way I can take you."

Kong: "Aren't you coming with us?"

Xuanqing shook his head and said, "Even if my ancestors had some connection with Mondstadt, I am still a Liyue person. It's best if your Mondstadt poems don't mix in other things."

Qin: "Mr. Qingyue, I can swear on the honor of being the acting Grand Master of the Knights..."

Xuanqing: "No need. I said before that this is your Mondstadt people's internal affair. At most, I will contribute some intelligence work. But now, I have interfered too much. If I go any further, it will be a breach of contract."

Paimon: "But Qingyue didn't sign a contract with us!!"

Wendy explained to Paimon, "Actually, Qingyue's words at the tavern, 'I won't interfere too much; at most, I'll provide intelligence,' were already a contract he was making for himself."

Xuan Qing: "Well, I wish you a safe journey ahead."

Xuan Qing watched them walk away, then disappeared into the darkness alone, entering a space not far away. Kong turned around at this moment, but he was already gone. However, he didn't think much of it and followed the group.

Paimon: "This must be the 'main entrance' to the Wind Dragon Ruins. It's huge for us... but how does someone the size of Dvalin get home?"

Wendy: "It doesn't have to walk through the pedestrian area; it flies."

“…You make a lot of sense.” Paimon was successfully convinced by Wendy’s words, which made everyone laugh.

They hadn't walked far when another barrier of wind appeared ahead.

Paimon: "It's blocked."

Wendy: "It's blocked."

"Hmm... isn't there a big hole in the roof over there?" Paimon noticed a large section of the tower's roof was broken.

Wendy: "Hmm... we could probably make use of the wind over there."

“Okay, let’s take a detour and go up.” Paimon clapped his hands happily.

Wendy, also wanting to tease her, said, "Okay, let's take a detour and go up."

Mondstadt—

The crescent moon transformed into a human form and hovered above Mondstadt. It was dark at the time, and not many people were looking up, so they naturally didn't notice that there was someone above them.

"How is it?" Xuan Qing crossed space to come to Xuan Yue's side and asked about the current situation.

"The Abyss Order is directing those Hilichurls to assemble, and they'll probably launch an attack soon, from two different intersections in Mondstadt." Xuan Yue finished her analysis and looked at Xuan Qing: "What Barbatos said is that Mondstadt's main force isn't in the city. This wave of enemies is coming in strong, and they'll probably be hard to deal with."

"He made us trust the Knights, and he believed that his people could resolve this battle on their own."

"Sigh~ I really don't know what Barbatos is thinking. He could have solved it with a gust of wind, but he made it so complicated." Xuan Yue complained.

Xuanqing ruffled Xuanyue's hair and said, "The strength of a country is not based on the power of gods, but on the people. We just need to watch and wait, and we'll take action if things go wrong."

Xuan Yue nodded, then transformed back into a small bird and landed on Xuan Qing's shoulder: (This time, you can't chase me away no matter what.)

(it is good.)

Wendy and her group flew safely through the wind walls and were about to reach their destination.

Paimon: "Could there be an Abyss Mage lurking in these ruins? Hmm, if we encounter one, we should ask Lord Diluc, who has a proven track record of victory... Unfortunately, Lord Qingyue is not here."

Diluc: "Don't underestimate the opponents I've defeated. Ah... I'm not bragging. I mean, there are many things even more unimaginable in that inhuman order."

“That’s right. That’s why I came along this time and am working with you. It’s also to make sure you’re safe.” Wendy finished speaking and sighed, “Sigh, I’m just too hardworking, so hardworking that I’m completely unsuitable to be a poet.”

Paimon: "He's someone who didn't even participate in the search for the three dragon tears, spending the entire time hiding in the tavern drinking. I just can't understand where his diligence is!"

Paimon: "Look! There's a wind field there. Maybe it leads to the top of the tower..."

Kong: "Let's go up."

Everyone opened their wind wings and flew into the hole at the top of the tower, successfully entering the tower's interior. However, it seemed that something was preventing them from entering the secret realm.

Wendy: "We can't go any further. There seem to be some very ancient seals in this ruin."

Paimon: "Was this also Dvalin's doing?"

Wendy: "No. These ruins were once an ancient city, and Dvalin was only temporarily residing here. The ruins themselves are actually older than the era of the Four Winds. Mondstadt was a city-state without a king, and before Mondstadt was founded... there was a tyrant who ruled here... um... if there's a chance later, I'll tell you the story of that king."

Diluc: "The design of this seal... based on my knowledge of archaeology, should be a 'light-guiding mechanism.' Putting all the scattered parts back into the main body will complete the light-guiding ritual."

Empty: "I'll give it a try."

Following Diluc's instructions, Sora tried to unlock the mechanism. He brought the fragments close, and they automatically burrowed into their corresponding holes. Once the last fragment was put in, the mechanism turned, and one layer of the seal was broken.

Wendy: "It seems we broke the mechanism correctly. There are still three layers of protective rings inside this tower..."

Qin: "In other words, we need to find three more 'light-guiding mechanisms' to break all the seals. Look, we can see one from here... the rest must be inside the ruins, distributed around this tower. Let's look for them."

"...Living in a place with so many traps and seals, doesn't Dvalin find it troublesome to go home?" Paimon couldn't help but complain. Who would want to set up so many complicated traps to go home? Doesn't it get annoying?

"It doesn't have to walk through the pedestrian area; it flies," Wendy couldn't help but tease.

Paimon: "...You make a lot of sense."

Kong: "Then let's split up and speed things up."

Wendy stood still, watching them fly away from the tower in three directions, then turned her gaze to the distance, towards Mondstadt…

"Hmm...They're here." Xuan Qing looked at the monsters outside the city walls and the rapidly assembling Knights of Favonius. Leading them were the various captains within the Knights. Xuan Qing saw several familiar figures: Kaeya, Amber...and Lisa was there too. The two forces were currently in a standoff.

The abyss mage on the other side was chanting something incomprehensible, but judging from his posture as he prepared to attack, he was probably giving the order to charge.

"Let the wind guide us! Victory belongs to us!" Kaeya led the charge, igniting the war horn, and the battle for Mondstadt officially began.

Xuan Qing, suspended in mid-air, frowned. They seemed to have overlooked something: the Abyss Order, the Knights, the Travelers, the Wind God, and... the Fools!

“Xuan Yue, go listen to what the Fools are plotting. I feel their target isn’t the Wind God, but what the Wind God possesses.”

"Chirp chirp? Chirp chirp chirp?" (What's that in the wind god's hand? What is that?)

Xuan Qing's eyes darkened, but he still gave the answer: "The Heart of God."

Back to Venti, whether it's Diluc, Jean, or Sora, their skills are unmatched. They quickly broke the three seals, and now they're ready to enter the secret realm.

Paimon: "Wendy, what are you thinking about?"

Wendy: "I'm thinking, after all this is over, I want to write all of this into a song..."

Kong: "A lot has really happened during this time."

Wendy: "Yes, this song will be sung by the people of Mondstadt, just like Vanessa's Legend."

Qin: "I've loved that song since I was little. So, traveler... how are you doing now? I've adjusted to my best state and I'm sure I can be a help to everyone."

Kong smiled and said, "Qin, the troupe leader, is really reliable."

Paimon: "Speaking of which, Diluc was with us all the way to the end. He was just an innocent bystander who got dragged into this...?"

Diluc: "You shared secrets with me, and I simply reciprocated with the same trust."

“Lord Diluc’s reason is ‘trust’,” Sora nodded in agreement.

Paimon: "So, the bandleader's reason is 'responsibility,' right? And what about the street performers?"

“It’s ‘freedom,’” Wendy said proudly, hands on her hips.

Paimon: "Freedom...?"

Wendy: "When you came to Mondstadt, did anyone tell you that Mondstadt is the 'Free City'?"

The image of the girl in red, wearing a knight uniform, whom he had first met, flashed through his mind: "Amber..."

Wendy: "Haha, she's a free spirit too. Mondstadt is a romantic city-state without a 'king.' And the people of Mondstadt are the freest of the Seven Kingdoms. I hope the dragon that once protected Mondstadt is the same—no one should deceive it by saying, 'This city betrayed you.' It has the right to choose its own way of life."

Paimon: "Wendy..."

Venti: "Oh dear, thank goodness Kiyomi isn't here right now... Well then, Traveler, the thousand-year-old winds of Mondstadt are with you. I will now guide you with the elemental power of 'Wind,' just like last time."

"You said 'last time'..." Empty's mind conjured up the scene of him being swept into the sky by a hurricane on his very first day in Mondstadt.

Paimon: "I see! No wonder he said your voice sounded familiar."

Wendy: "Then get ready, Qingyue is still waiting for our triumphant return!"