Lumine pondered for a long time before slowly speaking: "Regarding that disaster, my knowledge is also limited. As far as I know, the King of Khaenri'ah, Irmin, in his pursuit of the power of the Abyss, didn't hesitate to render himself incapacitated. Afterwards, when the divine punishment of the Seven Gods descended, Gold, in despair, made a desperate gamble but unfortunately fell, triggering the disaster that swept across the entire continent of Teyvat."
Lin Yide pondered briefly before saying: "So, can it be understood that the root cause of this disaster lies in Irmin's excessive pursuit of the power of the Abyss?"
Lumine, however, shook her head: "More accurately, the entirety of Khaenri'ah was consumed by a fanatical pursuit of the power of the Abyss. In that extreme atmosphere, even the counsel of the Court Mage Pierro was dismissed as the ignorant words of a fool."
Lin Yide pressed: "Then what about you? At that time, as the Princess of Khaenri'ah, what was your stance?"
Lumine was no longer surprised that Lin Yide knew these secrets. She spoke in a calm tone: "Because I could master and wield the power of the Abyss, I was chosen as the Princess of Khaenri'ah. The people hoped I would use this power to break the shackles of the mundane world and become the master of the world. But as time passed, I realized the power of the Abyss was too potent and difficult for ordinary people to control; excessive contact would only lead to them being gradually corrupted by it. Therefore, I began to oppose the abuse of this power and cautioned people to use it with care."
Lin Yide immediately followed with a question: "Lumine, could you explain if the power of the Abyss is the same as Sumeru's so-called Forbidden Knowledge?"
Lumine answered without hesitation: "No, they are not the same. Sumeru's Forbidden Knowledge originates from outside this world; it is a heterodox power not accepted by this world. Whereas the Abyss was already a fundamental part of the continent of Teyvat before the Primordial One created this 'eggshell' world."
This answer surprised Lin Yide greatly. Because the catastrophic power triggered by Gold's fall and Forbidden Knowledge are eerily similar, both being the pitch-black power Nibelungen sought from outside this world. Moreover, the Heavenly Principles' decision to destroy Khaenri'ah back then was primarily driven by concern that Khaenri'ah might once again trigger a large-scale disaster similar to the Cataclysm.
As Lin Yide was lost in thought, a bold hypothesis suddenly flashed through his mind. If this hypothesis holds true, then all mysteries would be easily resolved.
After clearing his thoughts, Lin Yide turned back to Lumine, bringing the conversation back to the matter at hand: "Lumine, your plan is destined to fail. You should abandon it as soon as possible."
A flicker of anger flashed in Lumine's eyes as she questioned: "Didn't you say earlier that as long as I answered your questions, you wouldn't interfere with my plan anymore?"
Lin Yide calmly responded: "This plan of yours was never going to succeed in the first place. Soon, Barbatos will awaken. Do you think he would tolerate his retainer being led astray by you, or his people suffering from a dragon calamity? Furthermore, your kin will also descend here as the Fourth Descender; he will surely stop all of this."
Lumine snorted dismissively: "Dvalin is merely a part of my experiment; even if it fails, it won't matter much to me."
Lin Yide continued to persuade: "Lumine, I know you've held a grudge against the Seven Gods because they acted to destroy Khaenri'ah, but you must understand that the people of the Seven Nations are also innocent; they shouldn't bear the blame for that war."
Hearing this, Lumine's anger intensified: "They are innocent? Weren't the ordinary people of Khaenri'ah innocent as well? Their peaceful lives were shattered, their homes destroyed, their loved ones gone, and some even turned into hideous and mindless monsters. Is this what they deserved?"
Lin Yide replied: "During the Black Calamity, countless civilians across the Seven Nations perished in the disaster; the scores have already been settled. If you now commit further bloodshed, retribution will fall upon the Khaenri'ah you are rebuilding."
Lumine fell silent. She gave Lin Yide a deep look, then quietly turned and walked away.
Lin Yide watched her lonely figure recede into the distance, sighing with emotion. To rebuild Khaenri'ah and save its people who were transformed into monsters, she has been searching alone in this world for five hundred years.
After a moment of contemplation, Lin Yide continued towards the inside of the tower, then ascended the stairs.
When he finally reached the top of the tower, the first sight that greeted him was the Stormterror, Dvalin, lying prone on the ground and clearly in agony. It occasionally let out low, painful groans. Lin Yide clearly saw that the poisonous blood of the corrupted dragon, Durin, was corroding its back; many areas had already begun to rot. The continuous corrosion caused Dvalin to suffer unimaginable pain every waking moment.
Just as Lin Yide was observing Dvalin, Dvalin suddenly raised its head, its blood-red eyes fixed on him. "Human, you cursed creature!" Dvalin roared, its voice filled with hatred and loathing for humans.
It struggled to lift itself from the ground, its two massive wings spread, and quickly condensed two enormous cyan wind currents. These two wind currents were like two sharp blades, rotating rapidly on the two wings at the front of its body, emitting a piercing whistle. Immediately afterward, Dvalin fiercely flapped its wings, launching the two wind currents savagely towards Lin Yide. The wind currents sliced through the air, hurtling towards Lin Yide with destructive power, as if to tear him to pieces.
Lin Yide chuckled lightly. A shield shimmering with the light of four elements instantly appeared before him, firmly blocking Dvalin's deadly attack. Seeing its attack had failed, Dvalin roared in fury and charged directly at Lin Yide, intending to tear Lin Yide to shreds with its sharp fangs.
However, just as it was about to bite, a black, chilling one-handed sword suddenly appeared in Lin Yide's hand. Its blade was wreathed in the power of four elements—Cryo, Electro, Hydro, and Pyro—emitting a fearsome light. Before Dvalin could react, the black sword had already struck its head with lightning speed. This sudden strike caused Dvalin's vision to go black; the immense impact force instantly rendered it unconscious, and its massive body fell limply, completely out.
Night had fallen. When Dvalin slowly opened its eyes, it saw a brilliant starry sky, studded with stars like gems set against the night. It immediately noticed something unusual about its body: the poisonous blood that had tormented it for so long had vanished without a trace, replaced by a sense of ease and freedom it hadn't felt in ages. Looking around, Dvalin saw that the young man who had previously knocked it unconscious with a single strike was sitting quietly by a bonfire, engrossed in reading a novel.
Now rational, Dvalin's voice was filled with gratitude: "Human, thank you very much for saving me."
Lin Yide gently closed the novel he was holding, stood up, and responded with a smile: "Dvalin, you're too kind. However, next we need to discuss the matter of medical fees."
"Medical fees?" Dvalin froze in place, then said awkwardly: "I... I don't have Mora."
Lin Yide sighed, sounding exasperated: "You followed Barbatos for so many years, did so many things for him... was it all for free?"