The woman was like a snow lotus blooming atop a high mountain—distant and icy at first glance, but once you got close, you'd only feel like she was a gentle elder sister.
There was a calming aura about her presence.
At the very least, even someone as prideful as Rosalyne had noticeably softened in front of the Cryo Archon.
The Jade Chamber was quiet—eerily so. After an unknown period of time, the Cryo Archon finally closed the book in her hands.
A flicker of astonishment passed through her eyes as she softly asked,
"Rosalyne, where are the alchemical potions?"
Rosalyne quickly pulled out several bottles of potions from her chest.
"Your Majesty, these are all healing potions."
The Cryo Archon examined them carefully, then handed them back to Rosalyne with a gentle voice:
"These are quite useful. You did well—keep them. They'll help protect your safety."
Her tone wasn't feigned politeness. She truly cared about Rosalyne from the bottom of her heart.
Although Rosalyne was deeply moved, she still replied softly,
"Your Majesty, I've already taken some and recovered. These were prepared… for you."
The Cryo Archon chuckled lightly and shook her head.
"No need. I believe Barbatos will help me heal… Isn't that right?"
She looked toward Venti with a faint, meaningful smile:
"After all, you stole my scepter back then and replaced it with a hilichurl's wooden club. I never held you accountable for that."
Jean and Lisa both sighed in mild exasperation.
The things their Archon had done in the past were really hard to explain...
Venti gave a sheepish smile.
"Ah, that was ages ago~ Why bring it up now?"
As he spoke, Venti handed her a golden apple that shimmered with strange brilliance…
"Here, eat this. Your injuries involve the Abyss's curse—ordinary potions won't be enough to cure it."
Venti's expression was serious for once—no trace of mischief.
But the Cryo Archon knew him far too well.
The moment she saw that look, she understood immediately.
He was definitely up to something.
That golden apple?
With a thoughtful gaze, she summoned her divine power and cautiously took it from his hand.
The moment it touched her palm, her arm sank heavily under its weight—she quickly summoned more divine power to stabilize herself.
"Tch… not falling for it this time, huh?"
Venti muttered under his breath.
Jean lowered her head, troubled.
Venti's little tricks were all too obvious.
He had definitely hoped to surprise the Cryo Archon into fumbling it—dropping it to the floor.
With the power packed inside that enchanted golden apple, it could easily punch a hole through the Jade Chamber.
If that had happened, Venti would've laughed himself silly.
Too bad…
The Cryo Archon knew exactly how childish Venti's sense of humor was.
Still, she didn't have the mind to argue right now. She was staring intently at the enchanted golden apple in her hand, marveling at it.
"This… this thing weighs at least a hundred tons! It contains countless mysterious laws and principles… How did you even make this?"
"A hundred tons?!"
Rosalyne gasped in shock, then immediately glared furiously at Venti.
"Barbatos! How dare you toy with Her Majesty!"
Normally, with that kind of accusatory tone, Jean would've stepped in to defend Venti—as he was the Anemo Archon, after all.
At the moment, since her own side was clearly at fault, Jean figured it was best to pretend she hadn't heard anything.
"Don't be so tense!"
Venti grinned as he spread his hands playfully.
"I was just joking to lighten the mood!"
"You—!"
Rosalyne was about to say something, but the Cryo Archon softly chuckled and shook her head.
"It's fine, Rosalyne. Just an old friend's harmless prank."
"Yes, Your Majesty."
Rosalyne obeyed the Cryo Archon without question and decisively said no more.
Zhongli also spoke up,
"That is an Enchanted Golden Apple, a unique product from another world—crafted by smelting over a hundred tons of gold."
"It should be enough to restore you to your prime and remove all curses without issue."
"If it isn't, I can privately gift you a Totem of Undying. That artifact grants a second life."
The Cryo Archon's heart stirred slightly. She made sure to remember the Totem of Undying.
But now wasn't the time to ask more—she picked up the enchanted golden apple and took a small bite.
To be honest, the taste was average.
But the surging, pure vitality contained within it made her feel as if she'd been reborn.
The wounds she had suffered five hundred years ago—fully healed.
The cursed taboo that had plagued her for centuries—dispelled in an instant.
Feeling her current condition, the Cryo Archon couldn't help but joke lightly:
"I'm fully healed now… Too bad I won't get to use that Totem of Undying you mentioned."
Rosalyne was overjoyed.
"Your Majesty… you've truly recovered completely?"
To be honest, Rosalyne hadn't had much faith in alchemical potions before.
No one knew better than her how grave the Cryo Archon's injuries were—having faced the forbidden powers of Khaenri'ah head-on all those years ago.
The fact that she had survived at all was a miracle.
And after five hundred years of gradual worsening…
Yet now, with just one enchanted apple, she was healed in an instant.
The Cryo Archon was clearly in good spirits. She smiled and nodded gently.
"In five hundred years, I've never felt this light and free. I daresay I couldn't be in better condition."
"What a miraculous item… and what a miraculous world."
With a sigh of wonder, she turned to Zhongli.
"Thank you, Morax. Now… shall we get to the main topic?"
"Could you let me meet this Mr. Ryen?"
~~----------------------
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