The corner of Lora's mouth twitched as she looked at Venti, who wore a carefree, smiling expression.
She muttered inwardly, You're impressive—fine, I'll give you a thumbs-up.
After silently scoffing at Venti, she looked at Lumine and the others who were watching her, spread her hands, and said, "I don't know either. After I parted ways with Paimon and Lumine, I went into the forest and happened to see a Dragon Tear on the ground. When I approached it, it was purified for some reason."
Hah… playing dumb, huh? Anyone can do that.
"Inexplicably?" Jean frowned slightly, professional instincts kicking in as she subconsciously evaluated how credible Lora's explanation was.
"Uh… it still doesn't sound very reliable," Paimon complained.
Lumine called out to Paimon and shot her a look.
"Anyway, let's all do our part!" Venti said cheerfully, gripping the Holy Lyre der Himmel in his hand.
"To restore Dvalin as soon as possible! To save Mondstadt!"
...
Outside Mondstadt, at a Fatui stronghold.
A large number of Fatui members stood gathered, all of their gazes fixed on the woman at the center.
She was dressed in luxurious attire, her presence overwhelming. She was the Eighth of the Fatui Harbingers—La Signora, Rosalyne.
"Miss La Signora, we… we infiltrated the Favonius Cathedral, but we did not find the Holy Lyre der Himmel. It seems it was taken away by the people of Mondstadt."
One of the agents bent low as he reported, his voice filled with tension and fear.
"Taken?" Rosalyne frowned and looked at him. "Did you leak our information?"
"No—absolutely not!"
The agent hurriedly defended himself.
"We are always extremely cautious in our operations. This time, we even chose to act when the Knights of Favonius had their manpower deployed outside the city. We guarantee that no one leaked anything!"
"The Anemo Archon has been gone for a thousand years. The Holy Lyre der Himmel is the only object through which we can come into contact with the Anemo Archon's divine power. No matter what, you will find it for me." Rosalyne's voice was icy, utterly devoid of emotion.
"Yes! We'll dispatch people to search immediately!"
...
After several days of searching, the Knights of Favonius brought all of the Dragon Tears back to their headquarters.
Under everyone's gaze, Lora raised both hands and cradled the Dragon Tears. Dense Hydro elemental power flowed from her palms, carrying sea-blue starlight as it merged into the murky droplets.
Before their very eyes, the color of the Dragon Tears shifted from dark crimson to a clear, crystalline sky blue.
"This is… the power of Hydro?" Barbara sensed the energy fluctuations coming from her Vision as Lora used her power. She couldn't help but ask, "Miss Lora, do you have a Hydro Vision?"
Lora nodded and showed them the glass orb she had Venti make overnight.
"Now we can charge the Holy Lyre der Himmel."
Venti took out the Holy Lyre der Himmel. Lora held the purified Dragon Tears and let them drip onto the lyre's strings. An even richer surge of Anemo power blossomed as the Holy Lyre der Himmel was fully restored.
Venti smiled. "Mm, that'll do it!"
"Then where should we play the Holy Lyre der Himmel to summon Dvalin?" Paimon asked another question. "We can't exactly play it inside Mondstadt, right?"
After a moment of thought, Lumine said, "Somewhere high."
"If we're talking about high places, then Starsnatch Cliff should be the highest point within Mondstadt," Diluc said, looking toward Jean.
Jean nodded and turned to Venti. "Yes. Starsnatch Cliff is the highest place we can reach right now. Let's play there and call Dvalin."
"Hmm… it really is a wonderful spot—perfectly suited to my singing," Venti said with a grin, agreeing with their choice.
Once the decision was made, everyone immediately set off for Starsnatch Cliff.
Barbara, as the deaconess, had been extremely busy caring for the many injured within Mondstadt and couldn't go with them. Jean assured her, however, that the Holy Lyre der Himmel would definitely be brought back safely.
Paimon flew ahead of the group, looking at the scenery around Starsnatch Cliff and exclaiming, "Wow! This place really is beautiful."
Venti walked to the very peak of Starsnatch Cliff, turned back to the group, and smiled. "It matches the theme of 'Fateful Reunion,' doesn't it? Then… it's time to begin."
Jean and Diluc exchanged another round of sharp words.
Venti laughed and waved his hand.
"Alright, alright—everyone stand back a bit. The greatest bard in the mortal world is about to pluck his strings!"
As his words fell, a gentle breeze began to blow.
Lora stood behind him, gazing at the God of Wind and Freedom.
When the Holy Lyre der Himmel's ancient, oath-like melody slowly rang out, the breeze carried the poet's longing into the distance—and with it came the dragon's roar.
A far more violent wind surged up from below Starsnatch Cliff as the massive Dragon of the East Wind beat its wings and flew toward them.
"It's Dvalin!!" Everyone raised their arms to shield themselves from the fierce gale, watching him with excitement.
Jean noticed Lora standing beside Venti. Only the two of them seemed unaffected by the raging wind, unlike the others who had to brace themselves against it.
"It's you…"
Dvalin's voice sounded surprised—and weary.
"At this point, there's nothing left to talk about…"
Venti lifted his head and looked up at the dragon in the heart of the storm, speaking softly.
"Is that so? Or am I mistaken? Your eyes look like they're remembering this melody."
"…"
Dvalin fell silent.
Lora stepped forward, raised her head to look at him, and waved in greeting.
"Dvalin, do you remember me?"
Dvalin turned to her, paused for a moment, then finally recognized her.
"You are… the Mistress of Many Waters?"
Whether it was Lumine or Jean, they were standing too far away to hear what was being said. They only knew that Lora and Venti were speaking with Dvalin. Lora wasn't worried about them learning her true identity.
"It's me, Dvalin. Venti and I are here to help you," she said with a nod.
"Help me?"
"That's right," Lora continued. "I can remove the abyssal power from your body and free you from this pain. Even if you don't trust this street singer, you should trust me, Dvalin."
"Mistress of Water…"
Dvalin fell silent once more.
At that moment, an attack condensed from Cryo elemental energy shot straight toward Venti and Lora.