"Clatter!"
A gentle breeze blew, and Venti's Gnosis tumbled onto the desk.
"Hehe, remember, I didn't give this to you; you took it yourself." Venti glanced at the overturned Gnosis on the table, then transformed into a gust of wind and vanished from the Goth Grand Hotel.
Silence returned to the office. The Lady rubbed her temples and slowly walked to the desk.
The chaotic sensation brought by the Frenzied Flame's burning intertwined with the mystery of Venti leaving the Gnosis, assaulting her mind.
The Lady picked up the dim Gnosis from the table. In her eyes, the Gnosis shimmered with multiple afterimages.
Just moments ago, she was worrying about how to obtain Venti's Gnosis, but now it was already in her hands. This made The Lady feel like she was dreaming.
"Phew... I can finally leave this cursed place!" After confirming it was the real Gnosis, The Lady let out a sigh of relief.
The mission was complete, and she could finally leave Mondstadt, a place that brought her such sorrow.
Over so many years, no mission had ever made The Lady so mentally exhausted. This was all thanks to Yu Jin.
As soon as she thought of Yu Jin being in this city, The Lady's heart involuntarily tightened, and her actions became much more restrained.
If it weren't for Yu Jin, with The Lady's personality, she would have definitely chosen a secluded spot and directly snatched Venti's Gnosis. Why would she have gone through so much trouble before?
But now, it was all over. The Lady held Venti's Gnosis, and a new question arose in her mind.
"'You took it yourself...' What does that mean?"
The Lady looked out at the dark night, her muddled head already protesting. So, she temporarily set aside the question in her heart and began preparing to leave Mondstadt...
In the early morning, Yu Jin sat in the small courtyard with his legs crossed, looking idle.
Actually, he wasn't truly idle; he was just waiting for Lanssangx to return.
Soon, with a "creak," Lanssangx's dragon horns extended into the courtyard first.
"Finally back? Come here, I need you!" Yu Jin saw Lanssangx return, immediately got up, and pulled her in.
"Ha— Your Majesty, what is it?" Lanssangx yawned, looking like she hadn't slept well.
"Hm? What were you and Dvalin doing last night?" Yu Jin kicked aside the matter he was about to discuss and immediately became concerned about Lanssangx and Dvalin.
Lanssangx felt Yu Jin's curious gaze from within his helmet and immediately looked helpless.
"Your Majesty, what are you thinking? Last night, I just watched Dvalin breathe fire all night, and we chatted for a while. Other than that, we didn't do anything."
"What? A single man and woman spent the night together and only did that?" Yu Jin heard that Lanssangx and Dvalin had only breathed fire all night and immediately exclaimed with some disappointment.
"No, one night isn't enough time, anyway." Lanssangx mumbled softly. Dragons are very robust in that regard; one night really isn't enough.
"What did you say?" Yu Jin dug at his ear, pretending not to hear, and asked Lanssangx.
One night isn't enough? He learned something new.
"Nothing. Your Majesty, did you need me for something?" Lanssangx chuckled. She was a lady. How could a lady discuss such topics?
Yu Jin shook his head with some regret. It seemed Lanssangx was quite shy. He had originally thought he could learn more about such matters!
But he quickly adjusted his mindset and said to Lanssangx, "Hold out your hand, I need to draw blood."
As he spoke, Yu Jin pulled out a large basin from somewhere and placed it on the ground.
"Why draw blood?" Lanssangx naturally squatted down and put her hand into the basin.
One hand remained human, while the other revealed a dragon claw. The sharp dragon claw lightly scratched her jade-white arm, and a ghastly wound appeared.
Crimson dragon blood flowed from the wound, forming a bloodline between Lanssangx's slender fingertips and the basin.
"Of course, it's to fertilize the Golden Tree!" Yu Jin said, squatting down as well. He also stirred it with a twig.
The fresh blood surged, and a heavy aura hidden deep within the Ancient Dragon bloodline rushed forth. It was clearly a pool of fresh blood, but it seemed to weigh a thousand pounds, making it difficult to breathe.
"Fertilize the Golden Tree?" Lanssangx squeezed her wound, then pouted and said, "Your Majesty, you're not joking, are you? To fertilize the Golden Tree, even if you buried me, it wouldn't be enough to feed it."
Lanssangx recalled the Sky-obscuring Golden Tree. That Golden Tree had grown by absorbing the flesh and blood of most creatures in The Lands Between.
And it had consumed them multiple times. Thanks to the Erdtree system, a person protected by the Golden Order would enter reincarnation after death, and their physical body would be absorbed by the Golden Tree.
During the Golden Dynasty's heyday, this cycle had been repeated countless times, creating the Golden Tree's glory and immense size.
And now Yu Jin only wanted to use her blood as fertilizer for the Golden Tree. Should she say Yu Jin overestimated her, or that he underestimated the Golden Tree?
"It's just for its initial nourishment. I'm afraid it might not adapt to the soil, so I'll give it some of its favorite food to nurture it first."
Yu Jin waved his hand. He hoped the Golden Tree would consume the forbidden knowledge that was corroding the leylines.
That part of the forbidden knowledge was quite extensive, and Yu Jin was afraid the Golden Tree was too small and couldn't handle it. So, he thought of nurturing it first, lest there be too much forbidden knowledge later, which would directly choke it to death.
"That won't work either. The Golden Tree has a huge appetite. This bit of my blood isn't even enough to get stuck in its teeth." Lanssangx saw the basin was full, so she released the restriction on her bloodline power.
The Ancient Dragon's bloodline power surged, and rock-like scabs condensed on Lanssangx's wound, then quickly fell off.
By the time the scabs had completely fallen off, the terrifying wound on Lanssangx's hand had already healed as good as new.
The Ancient Dragon's regenerative power wasn't considered too strong in The Lands Between, but Lanssangx's wound was simply too small.
Although it looked scary, that was only when she was in human form. If she transformed into her dragon form, such a small wound would be unnoticeable without careful inspection.
"Let's try it. If it really doesn't work, we'll draw blood from the others too." Yu Jin said casually.
He thought the Fatui's blood would be quite good. If it didn't work, he would draw theirs.
"Besides, the Golden Tree doesn't only eat flesh and blood. It can also consume some things from this world." Yu Jin put away the basin and stood up, looking towards the direction of the snowy mountains.
That place held the power of both the Sky and the underground. Planting the Golden Tree there would eliminate worries about its nourishment.
During its sapling stage, it could be nourished by fresh blood and the power of the snow; during its growth stage, its roots could deeply penetrate the earth to absorb the massive pollution in the leylines; as for its complete form... Yu Jin felt that Teyvat probably couldn't cultivate a complete Golden Tree. A complete Golden Tree, besides nutrients, also required corresponding Golden Order.
Teyvat doesn't even have an elden ring; what kind of Golden Order would it have?
"Alright, everything is ready! Time to draw blood!" As Yu Jin spoke, he dragged Lanssangx and ran out...
"Achoo!" The Lady suddenly sneezed, and an inexplicable chill surged in her heart.
"Hurry up! Hurry up! Pack everything up and get out! There's no need to stay in Mondstadt any longer!" The Lady looked at the busy Fatui in the hotel and immediately urged them on.
"Understood!"
"So urgent! Did headquarters issue a new mission? Why are we leaving so quickly?"
"Less talk, or you'll get a big slap from The Lady!"
...Seeing the even busier Fatui, The Lady's heart felt much lighter. Because after her urging, that inexplicable chill seemed, appeared, possibly... vanished.
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