Finally, I head into the portal back to genshin, I find myself in mondstadt once again.
It seems only one night had passed since I had last been here, what kind a strange time logic was this? I thought the conversion, was one hour here equalling one minute on earth!
After walking around a bit I found Jean and Aether standing around with someone who looked like a fatui agent.
Jean was talking to the fatui agent, "monster?" The fatui agent responded, "Yes, what's your point." Jean kept saying, "I'd expect a more professional attitude from your diplomats. Yet here you are saying you want to 'put and end' to one of the four winds of mondstadt?"
After they finished talking Jean turned to me and Aether, "Oh traveler, Livvy you're back"
Jean continued, "I don't killing Stormterror is the right course of action. The cryo god's fatui have always coveted the Anemo god's power. I don't believe they have mondstadt best interests at heart.
Aether spoke up, "speaking of power, there's something I need to show the knights of favonius" Jean replied, "oh let us head back to headquarters then. We shouldnt discuss important matters out in the open"
A short walk back to the headquarters later.
We show Jean the red teardrop crystal, Jean speaks, "It's a crystal embedded with some kind of power... Lisa are you able to anaylyse it"
Lisa repilies, "let me tack a look" Lisa tries to inspect the crystal, "ouch! The impurities in the crystal, it hurts when I get close. I see it appears to react to visions." "Fascinating" Jean said.
Jean continued, " when then travelers the knights of favonius have another favour to ask of you. Please accept the titles of honarary knights... and the gratitude of the acting grand master."
Paimon looked really suprise, "honarary knight, of favonius!?
After the chat we head outside, Paimon immediately turns to use and questions, "there's something you didn't tell them. The dragon and the crystal weren't the only things we saw."
Aether replies, "I'd like to investigate it on my own first. I don't think he's a bad guy."
Paimon exclaims, "So you do remember him then! That green guy! He looked just like that guy down there!" she pointed to a familiar looking bard clothed in green.
My eyes widened, "that exact same shade of green, it can't be a coincidence"
Paimon questioned, "wait... hold on a minute... that's the same guy!"
We follow the guy's path down the steps, and use elemental sight to track him down.
We follow the footprints up a wall. We arrived near the statue of the anemo archon. and saw the green guy playing a song underneath it
The green guy starting singing a poem,
"What is to be sung transpired in days of yore,
when the divine archons still walked the earth,
a dragon cast his curious gaze on the world below,
as he parted from the heavens that gave his birth,
the dragon sought truth among the common folk,
but mortal trifles only fogged his mind,
the windborne bard strummed his stings dolce,
and the holy lyre answered his questions kind,
the dragon was but a child full of wonder,
and soared the heavens free from care,
The bard's songs invited him to sing along,
for he yearned to let all percieve him fair,
enchanting legends the bard and dragon were,
but the tides of despair soon engulfed the land,
the lion fang perished and the falcon flag slept,
as a vile dragon approached mondstadt in lone stand,
over the cathedral loomed death and his friends,
of the people's agony the bard soon sang,
the soaring dragon heeded his grave calls,
and amidst the windstorms a brutal war sprang,
blood of venom sent the sky dragon into a slumber,
only to awake to be expelled in abhor,
"why do people in this age loathe me so?"
but the holy lyre replied no more
wrath and woe, vigor and venom,
poured from the dragon's bitter eyes
the dragon's curse sprawled in silence
but the lyre could no longer soothe his cries.
As the bard ended his song with a finale relish he turned towards us, "wait you guys are... oh thats right, you're the ones that scared dvalin away."
Paimon was curious, "dvalin who's that" Aether answered her, "that's stormterror's real name"
Paimon continues, "oh right most people seem to call him stormterror, why do you call him that.. are you two meant to be close or something?"
Venti replies, "oh so close!"
Aether asked him, "I'm sorry you are?" I already know so I stayed silent.
Venti replies, "I'm Venti the bard. Three time winner of the most popular bard of mondstadt award to be precise. So, what do you need from me?"
Paimon replies, "given you recognise use Paimon doesn't feel the need to explain any further, of course its about stormterror. Alright traveler show it to him" Aether pulls out the red crystal.
Except the crystal has been purified already. The bard was suprised, "oh isn't this... Dvalin he... the anguish he feels has brought him to tears. He was once such a gentle child. Now so full of rage and suffering. I also came across a teardrop crystal. Can you purify it?"
Traveler reached out and took the crimson teardrop crystal. Magically it turned from bloodred to a pretty sky blue.
Venti was shocked, "You really do have some wonderful abilities. Someone like you is going to end up written into a bard's poems.
Alas I've really not the time to compose a melody for you at this moment. Anyway even if dvalin is not taken down, his life will still wither away in the breeze. he'll burn himself out in the flames of anger"
I looked at him in concern, "is there anything i can do to help?"
Venti smiled, "I have a plan, seeing this tear has brought to mind a friend so dear."
Later at windrise, venti explained his plan to steal his holy lyre de himmel!
We headed off to the church, "let me handle this." Venti told us, "Hello there sister." he said to one of the nuns, she replied, "may a anemo god bless you young bard. How can i help you?"
Venti smiled, "Actually I know a secret that could save mondstadt from its current predicament." The nun was trilled, "oh what a blessing from the god of anemo!"
Venti giggled, "I'd like to borrow the holy lyre de himmel, with it I'll be able to help stormterror-" She didn't even blink and immediately said, "please see yourselves out"
"What?" venti was shocked, "please I beg of you." "I'm afraid not little bard."
Venti sighed, "then I guess I'm left with no other choice. I cannot hid anymore! My disciple rejoice! Behold, the god of anemo, Barbatos has descended!"
She totally did not believe him, "If there is nothing else, I'll be going back to handle the cathedral's paperwork now." "wait-" venti called out.
Venti sighed, "at least I now know what I wanted to know, she didn't deny they were enshrining the lyre. Now since you're the hotshots of the knights of favonius maybe you can give it a shot.
We go over and talk to the sister. "Hello," I say, "we're the knights of favonius, Livvy and traveler"
She exclaimed. "I know you, you and Amber saved mondstadt that day. So what brings you here tasks from the knights of favonius?"
Aether replied, "Yes, actually. The knights of favonius would like to borrow the holy lyre"
The sister replied, "A signed document is required. Without it there's not much I can do."
We headed back to Venti and he sighed, "It didn't work, I knew it. Anyways, seems we'll have to steal it.
Paimon was shocked, "steal the holy lyre de himmel!" "shh paimon keep your voice down.
Venti smiled, "traveler, Livvy what do you say?" Aether frowned, "I'm sorry, wait did you just say you're barbatos?"
"ah, yes seems I did mention that," Venti appeared a bit flustered, "your point being?"
Aether replied, "If you really are a god then we can't simply abandon you. And if you're not a god, then I'll help dvalin anyways. I will bring you the holy lyre de himmel"
We enter the cathedral again that night, and head to the basement.
After a while of sneaking around the guards later, we finally enter the holding chamber of the holy lyre de himmel, but as we were about to grab it.
A fatui agent got to it before us! We were then found by a guard and we had to run for it!
We found Venti outside the cathedral, and glided away on our wind gliders.