Though higher in rank, she was far less refined than Cloud Retainer. At least that adeptus' robes smelled sweet and were soft and warm…
Xia Zhi sighed, opened his system panel, and spent some points to craft her new clothes.
"Here."
"Yay!"
She happily accepted and clumsily dressed herself.
Meanwhile, Xia Zhi summoned a stream of water to wash his hand, then waved to gather the floating fragments into his pack.
As Dvalin's accompanying material, they could be used to refine a life-bound artifact.
He already had Xia Lin's shells stored. Someday, he'd teach them both.
Finally dressed, the girl beamed. "I'm done!"
He glanced at her, nodding. "Looks good. Do you only speak dragon tongue?"
"Mm!"
"I'll get you a language pack, then."
"Language pack!"
From the [Shop], he bought [Teyvat Language Mastery], manifesting a glowing sphere.
"Come here."
"Okay!"
He pressed it to her forehead.
She shut her eyes.
Moments later, she opened them and greeted him in flawless Mondstadt speech: "Hello, big brother!"
"Mm. That completes your transformation. How do you feel?"
"Pretty good!"
"Right?"
"Thank you!"
"You're welcome."
"Big brother, play the guqin for me!"
"…The guqin?"
"I want to hear it!"
"Maybe next time. I still need to get back and cook."
"Back? But isn't time already stopped here? You could play for me as long as you want, and no time would pass outside."
"…" Xia Zhi paused, then sighed, nodding. "Fine. Just a little, then."
"Yay!"
She sat before him, chin in her hands, eyes sparkling.
Xia Zhi summoned the guqin, sat down, and placed it on his lap.
"What do you want to hear?"
"Anything you play!"
"Then a few Mondstadt folk songs."
Gentle music drifted through the still air.
She listened intently, humming softly in perfect harmony.
No words, yet perfectly in tune.
The power of [Whispered Melody].
"That's all."
"Not enough!"
"Alright?"
"More!"
"Enough now?"
"One more!"
"You're even clingier than before transformation."
"Hehe."
"Fine. One last song."
"Okay!"
He had said a few, but in the end he played over a dozen.
At last, he put the guqin away, dispelled the [Time Stop], and led Dvalin back to Mondstadt.
Her eyes lit with wonder, her head swiveling to take in every sight.
He bought her little ornament from the stalls. Watching her bright smile, he sighed softly.
She had always been one of the Four Winds, yet had never truly explored the city she protected.
"We're almost at the Church of Favonius."
"Mm!"
"How do you plan to introduce yourself?"
"Hi everyone, I'm Dvalin!"
"That won't do…"
"Eh? Why not?"
"You'll scare them."
"Scare them? But I'm not scary!"
"It's not that. It's the name. Sharing a name with a dragon isn't unusual, but here in Mondstadt… 'Dvalin' could cause misunderstandings."
"Then I'll change my name?"
"Right."
She frowned, stumped. With no ideas, she looked at him pleadingly.
"Big brother, I can't think of one. Help me?"
"Let me see…"
Xia Zhi thought. Names like Xia Te, Xia Va sounded terrible. Xia Lin was already taken by Durin.
After a pause, he said, "Since you love music so much, why not Xia Le?"
She whispered it: "Xia Le…"
"How does it sound?"
"Pretty!"
"Mind taking my surname?"
"Not at all!"
"Then it's settled."
"Mm!"
Xia Zhi brought her into the Church of Favonius, returning to his quarters.
Zhu Zi and Ying'er were already waiting, in charge of welcoming guests into the Serenitea Pot.
"Boss, you're back!"
"Mm."
"And this is…?"
Zhu Zi eyed the unfamiliar girl beside him.
Dvalin smiled brightly. "Hello, sisters! My name is Xia Le!"
She was far more outgoing than Xia Lin, not shy at all.
"Xia Le?"
The two girls exchanged glances, surprised.
"Boss, are you related?"
Xia Zhi shook his head with a smile. "No, just the same surname by chance. Xia Le is the guest I mentioned before."
"Ahh, I see!"
"Have the others arrived?"
"Some are here already," Ying'er answered.
"And Venti?"
"He came early. Probably drinking by now."
Xia Zhi nodded. "Good. Xia Le, come on—I'll take you to meet an old friend."
"Okay!"
---
Inside the Serenitea Pot was a hidden paradise.
Xia Le followed Xia Zhi in. A ripple spread across the air, and in the next instant, the two of them arrived at a little garden villa that looked like something out of a fairy tale.
From a distance came the sound of laughter.
Xia Le sniffed toward the noise, catching the dreamlike fragrance of wine along with several familiar scents.
Just like the last gathering, today's guests had split into two groups:
Venti and the adepti were drinking together, while Diona, Fischl, and the others chatted nearby.
Xia Zhi led Xia Le over, greeting Lisa and the others first.
Klee and Yaoyao stared curiously at the unfamiliar new "sister."
Xia Lin, however, was different—her gaze carried a complicated mix of fear, yearning, envy, and resentment.
Xia Le noticed Xia Lin's strange expression and glanced at her.
But because Xia Lin bore the [Golden Circlet], Xia Le failed to recognize this little girl as Durin—the same dragon she herself had once bitten to death atop Dragonspine, whose poisoned blood had tormented her for five centuries.
The eyes of two dragons met in the air.
Xia Lin instinctively wanted to lower her head to avoid it. But remembering that "Papa" might be stolen away by another dragon, she steeled herself and stubbornly met her senior's gaze.
It didn't work.
Xia Le was soon led away by Xia Zhi.
"This is the new friend I mentioned before."
"Hello, everyone! I'm Xia Le!"
Her voice was like a song, cheerful and bright as she smiled in introduction.
The Dragon King studied the pretty girl before him, sensing a faintly familiar aura—kinship. His brows lifted slightly.
Venti also felt something familiar—an Anemo presence, reminiscent of Dvalin… yet not quite the same. There was time woven in as well.
"Xia Le…"
Both the Dragon King and Venti lowered their cups, uncertainty flickering on their faces, as though the name itself carried hidden meaning.
Xia Ci and Xia Zhen smiled knowingly, content to watch the show.
As for Xiao, Mountain Shaper, and Moon Carver—they sensed nothing unusual at all, only confusion.
"Cousin, help me take care of Xia Le. I'm heading to the kitchen to cook."
"Alright, cousin! Come here, little sister!"
As the former Dendro Archon, she had a natural affinity with children—it came with bonuses.
Leaving Xia Le with his cousin, Xia Zhi glanced once more from above at the frowning Dragon King and contemplative Venti, then walked off with a small smile.
"Here, try this!"
"This one's even better!"
Barely seated between Xia Ci and Xia Zhen, Xia Le was promptly buried under a pile of snacks.
The aroma was irresistible. She opened her mouth, took a bite, and the taste bloomed across her tongue like the roasted meats big brother had made for her—her face glowed with blissful satisfaction.
Unable to resist, Xia Zhen reached over to pinch her puffed cheeks and, smiling, turned toward Barbatos: "Still haven't recognized her?"
Venti froze. "You mean—?"
Xia Ci clicked her tongue. "Already drunk? And you can't even recognize your old companion?"
Though he had suspected, Venti was still startled. "She's really… Dvalin?"
The Dragon King frowned. "But her aura… something feels off."
Cheeks stuffed, Xia Le glanced at him and mumbled indignantly, "Mmmph mmmph!"
Even so, the garbled sound was as melodious as song, delightful to the ears.
Madame Ping's eyes immediately lit up, like she'd discovered treasure.
But remembering who she was, she steadied herself, bowing her head in thought.
Her best friend Cloud Retainer wasn't at her side—she'd run off to the kitchen to "help" with her mechanical contraptions.
When Xia Le finally swallowed everything in her mouth, Venti asked curiously: "Dvalin, why transform all of a sudden?"
"Big brother helped me!"
The Dragon King followed up: "Did Mister Xia teach you the art of illusion?"
"Nope! Big brother gave me a round thing to eat. I fell asleep, and when I woke up, I was human!"
"And before this, you couldn't speak Mondstadt's language?"
"Big brother taught me!"
"And where did this power of time come from?"
"Big brother gave it to me!"
Every answer revolved around "big brother."
Venti lifted his glass with a sigh, feeling strangely like a father whose daughter had just eloped.