Lora sensed the threat and swiftly pulled Venti backward, then raised her hand to block the strike.
The sudden turn of events caused Lumine and Diluc, who were behind them, to rush over immediately. They formed a vigilant circle around Venti and Lora, keeping a watchful eye on Dvalin's side.
A Cryo Abyss Mage drifted out from behind Dvalin. Scrutinizing the crowd below, he flashed a hint of apprehension upon seeing Lora and Venti, yet forced himself to speak through his fear, "Don't be deceived by them, poor dragon! He abandoned you long ago! Look—he's brought others to deceive you once more!"
"Hate him! Rage against him! You've already made Mondstadt your enemy—there's no turning back!"
The Abyss Mage incited relentlessly from the sidelines.
Lora clenched her fists, glaring at him coldly. "You're asking for death."
Arrows of water materialized from thin air and shot toward the Hydro Abyss Mage. Yet mid-flight, they were scattered by the gale whipped up by Dvalin, who bellowed, "Barbatos, Mistress of Water! Have these people come with you—to hunt me down?"
"That's not it!" Venti cried out.
The Abyss Mage arrived atop Dvalin, standing amidst the corrupted abyssal power behind him. With a sinister grin, he declared, "This dragon shall now serve its true master! You may remain here, lamenting your own powerlessness!"
Dvalin spread his wings and soared swiftly into the distant sky.
Lora's gaze turned cold as she murmured, "I should have killed those two Abyss Mages first..."
"It's useless. Even if this Abyss Mage dies, His 'Highness' the Prince will summon more. Essentially, this is a contest between him and me for Dvalin. The Abyss Mages are merely pawns."
Venti shook her head, addressing Lora.
Lora sighed and said, "The Abyss Mage accompanying Dvalin is difficult to kill."
Jean overheard Lora and Venti's conversation. With her keen mind, she recalled Dvalin's address to Venti and Lora during her earlier approach. A sudden suspicion formed in her mind.
But conjecture was just that. While Lora's identity remained unclear, Venti's was now evident.
Jean looked at Venti standing over there and said,
"Ba—Venti, Lord, please take care to protect yourself."
"Ah... It's been so long since anyone called me by that name. But Jean, thank you for still being willing to call me Venti."
Venti looked at Jean, expressing his gratitude.
"What should we do next?"
Lumine looked at Venti. Knowing he was the Anemo Archon, she had many questions for him beyond just Dvalin.
Lora gazed toward the direction Dvalin had departed and said,
"Dvalin has returned to Stormterror's Lair with the Abyss Mage. We possess the 'Holy Lyre der Himmel,' which can shatter the endless storms there. Venti and I will go. You two should return to Mondstadt to rest."
"No way! That's far too dangerous!"
Paimon immediately shot down Lora's suggestion.
"That Abyss Mage looks like a tough opponent! Venti's just a singer, and you're so frail, Lora. Stormterror's Lair sounds like their lair—what if you can't defeat them?"
Jean chimed in, "Yes, Paimon's right. We should return to Mondstadt first, deliberate carefully, and then decide. Even if we do head to Stormterror's Lair, as acting captain of the Knights, I should accompany you! After all, your two statuses are special..."
Hearing Jean's words, Lora glanced at her, her expression thoughtful.
Ultimately, following Jean's suggestion, the group decided to return to Mondstadt to rest first.
From a hilltop, Rosalyne watched the group heading toward Mondstadt. Ignoring everyone else, her gaze fixed intently on the green figure within their ranks.
"Barbatos—"
Rosalyne clenched her fists, her eyes burning with hatred.
"Who would have thought you'd return to Mondstadt! Well, this works out perfectly—we won't have to waste effort searching for the Anemo Archon's relic! With you as the Anemo Archon, Her Majesty will have everything she needs!"
...
The group returned to the headquarters of the Knights of Favonius, which was practically becoming their base.
On the way back, Paimon had also uncovered Venti's true identity—Mondstadt's Archon, the God of Wind and Freedom, Barbatos.
Yet more questions followed. She looked at Venti, puzzled, and asked, "Why would Lord Barbatos, the Anemo Archon, need human power? As a Archon, couldn't you just wave your hand and 'whoosh'—send all those Abyss mages running?"
"Heh? Well..."
Venti chuckled at Paimon's query.
After a moment's thought, he explained to the group, "What people call the Seven are fundamentally known as the 'Seven Archons of the Mortal Realm.' Dividing the mortal world and each ruling over one-seventh of it is our duty as deities."
Sigh…
"Fulfilling our divine duties allows us to accumulate divine power, but I dislike ruling. I don't think Mondstadt would like it either."
Jean raised her hand to her chest and spoke with reverence, "'Establish a free city-state where no one reigns as king'—Lord Barbatos's vision remains etched in our hearts."
"Or maybe it's just that some drunken poet was too free-spirited and lazy to bother with governance..."
Lora delivered the perfect retort from the side.
Paimon nodded. "Yeah, you're right!"
"Ahem... Anyway, I haven't returned to Mondstadt in ages, so my God power is naturally nearly depleted."
At this point, Venti glanced at Lora, his expression deep and full of stories.
Lora: "..."
Dammit, don't look at me, okay?!
Jean and Diluc followed Venti's gaze toward Lora.
"I can't even defeat Lora... So right now, I'm undoubtedly the weakest of the Seven!"
"..."
Alright, alright. Playing this game, huh?
Lora blinked, pondered for a moment, then suddenly smiled and said, "How could that be? Lord Barbatos' divine duties are Freedom and Wind, aren't they? The freedom you've granted Mondstadt for a thousand years—that is the greatest rule! Today, believers in Mondstadt are everywhere! How could you possibly be the weakest archon?"
"That's true!"
Paimon blinked, finding Lora's words utterly convincing.
"So you see, Lord Barbatos is truly formidable! He scattered millennia of ice and snow, transforming inhospitable Mondstadt into the Crown of the North it is today—a testament to his majestic divine power! I believe this 'weakest archon' nonsense is completely unfounded!"
"Mm-hmm, Lora is absolutely right!"
Paimon chimed in as the straight man.
"Oh my, you're quite the sly one, Lora!"
Venti chuckled, listening to Lora's flattery.
Lora shot him a glance and retorted, "Same to you, great poet!"