At Cider Lake, every morning countless fishermen came to cast their nets.
Rosaria stopped in front of a small stall.
The vendor hurried to greet her. "Take a look! Fresh fish, caught just this morning! Big and lively!"
Rosaria glanced over and asked, "Got any small ones?"
"Small fish? Sure! Right here! How many would you like, miss?"
"A few."
"A few? Just a few? That won't be enough for a meal…"
"I'm buying them for a cat. Throw in one large fish for me too."
"In that case, I'll just give you the small ones for free."
"Fine."
"Want me to gut them for you?"
"Yes."
A few minutes later, Rosaria walked away carrying a string of small fish and one large one, heading toward the Favonius Cathedral.
When she reached her room, she pushed open the door and called softly, "Little one?"
A meow answered her.
She walked over and placed the small fish into the cat's bowl.
"See? Bought you fresh fish. You'll eat it this time, won't you?"
The white cat padded over, sniffed at the bowl, then lowered its head and began to eat.
Rosaria looked down at it, the gloom in her chest slowly dissipating. A faint smile touched her lips.
---
Noelle's petite frame hid a frightening amount of strength.
It wasn't just that she had unyielding willpower—her raw physical might was tremendous.
Once, when Miss Lisa dropped a piece of delicate experimental equipment beneath a bookcase and was fretting over whether crawling on the floor would appear undignified, Noelle rushed in and casually lifted the fully-loaded shelf with one hand. Not a single book fell out.
Another time, several delivery carts were attacked by Pyro Slimes near Mondstadt's side gate. Flames spread quickly, and the owners panicked. Noelle arrived, scooped up the burning carts—goods and all—and hurled them into Cider Lake. She then dove in and retrieved every single parcel intact.
It was said that when Noelle practiced swordsmanship, she nearly drove Wagner, the "proudly skilled" blacksmith, into early retirement. Dozens of different alloys, forged into long swords with painstaking craftsmanship—all of them snapped after a few uses in Noelle's hands.
At first Wagner thought she was simply wielding them incorrectly. Later he realized the truth: the weapons simply weren't strong enough. Desperate to preserve his reputation, Wagner forged her a custom heavy claymore, solid and durable. With Noelle's own Geo power reinforcing it, the problem was finally solved—barely.
That claymore was the very one she now wielded.
When Mr. Xia suggested she spar with Yaoyao, Noelle had planned to hold back her strength. But once they exchanged blows, she was shocked to discover that the tiny girl's power was no weaker than her own.
In fact, the longer Yaoyao's spear danced, the more force she felt pressing against her claymore—enough to surpass her outright.
Noelle was astonished, but quickly shook off the thought and fought in earnest.
Xia Zhi stood nearby watching their clumsy sparring.
As expected, while both girls looked fine training alone, once put into a true combat setting all sorts of flaws began to show.
By the time the sparring ended, quite a few other girls had gathered to watch.
Xia Zhi gave pointers on the mistakes they'd made. Both of them listened carefully and memorized his advice.
The match had been intense. Sweat clung to them both. Yaoyao suggested heading into the Serenitea Pot to bathe, warmly inviting Noelle to join her.
Noelle glanced at her soaked clothes and hesitated. "But… I don't have a clean set with me…"
Xiangling grinned. "Don't worry! You're about my size, you can borrow mine for now."
After some persuasion, Noelle agreed and went with Yaoyao.
It was her first time entering an adeptal treasure like the Serenitea Pot. The miniature world inside filled her with awe.
At the bathhouse, they stripped down and sank into the hot water together.
The warmth was blissful.
Noelle looked at Yaoyao's small body submerged in the bath and couldn't help saying, "Yaoyao, you're so strong."
Yaoyao laughed sheepishly. "I'm not that strong. Sister Shenhe is the really powerful one."
Hearing Shenhe's name, Noelle pictured the quiet, composed woman and struggled to imagine her as immensely strong. "Really?"
Yaoyao nodded. "Sister Shenhe can lift a whole mountain with one hand!"
Noelle's eyes widened. "A mountain?!"
Then Yaoyao lowered her voice and whispered stories of Shenhe's feats from the past year, leaving the young maid gaping in disbelief.
So this was what it meant to be a disciple of the adepti. Terrifying indeed.
After bathing, Noelle and Yaoyao returned from the Serenitea Pot, then joined the others for breakfast.
At the restaurant, the chatter of patrons circled back to last night's events.
Not only had the [Darknight Hero] appeared again, but now there were two strange young girls fighting alongside.
When the meal ended, Noelle bid farewell and returned to the Knights of Favonius to continue her maidly duties.
The others prepared to join the day's contests.
---
After several days of warm-up events, the highlight of the Windblume Festival finally arrived—[Wine].
For the next two days, Mondstadt would host all sorts of alcohol-themed competitions.
A mixing contest—crafting the most delicious new drink from the city's stock.
A drinking contest—like an eating challenge, but with wine. Whoever could drink the most without falling would win.
Diona, of course, signed up for the mixing contest.
The Dragon King and Venti, notorious drunkards, didn't need to be asked—they'd long since registered for the drinking contest.
---
Around mid-morning, Fischl tracked Xia Zhi down through her connection to the eyepatch.
She had been out all night and returned home only at dawn before collapsing into bed.
Though her transformation gave her a body of great endurance, when she wasn't transformed she was still just an ordinary girl—prone to oversleeping if she stayed up too late.
Qiqi, being a zombie, had no such issue.
She watched the yawning Fischl, the corners of her lips quirking slightly. She reached up to gently rub the little snowfinch perched on her shoulder.
"Ba Ba…"
---
In her office, Jean frowned over the report before her.
One male [Darknight Hero] had been troublesome enough. But now there were suddenly two female ones as well…
It made the Knights of Favonius look useless, as if only masked vigilantes could protect Mondstadt.
Imitators.
Jean sighed heavily.
She prayed this "Darknight Hero" trend wouldn't keep multiplying—or else it would become a true headache.
That morning, Diona easily swept the mixing contest and claimed first place.
She cast a smug glance at the bartenders of Angel's Share, convinced her dream was just around the corner.
In the afternoon, while most citizens flocked to watch the drinking contest, Xia Zhi quietly slipped out of the city.
He strummed his guqin, summoning Dvalin.
It had only been a few days, but Dvalin had already missed him. The moment they met, the dragon pressed its head against him affectionately.
"New creature contact detected. Gained [Blessing of the Sky Dragon]: Strength +1, Constitution +1, Anemo Damage +20%, Anemo Resistance +20%."
"New creature contact detected. All attributes +0.0001%."
From this meeting, Xia Zhi received yet another blessing—and a new transformation ability.
Since no one else was around, he tried it immediately, transforming into a Sky Dragon.
Dvalin blinked, dumbfounded at the sudden appearance of another gem-like dragon before him.
Xia Zhi looked at him and let out a resonant growl in dragon-tongue. "It's me."
Realization dawned, and Dvalin responded with a delighted roar.
"How did you become a dragon?"
"A new ability I picked up recently."
"How does it feel?"
"Beautiful, isn't it? Ha, I look almost the same as you. If I say I'm handsome, isn't that just narcissism?"
"Stop rubbing against me…"
Perhaps because it was his first time seeing a dragon like himself, Dvalin was unusually giddy, playing with him for a while.
Xia Zhi spread his wings and soared into the sky.
The sensation was utterly unlike flying as a crane. The sheer might of a dragon's wings made the heavens themselves tremble.
Dvalin followed him upward with a roar.
Amber was out on another scouting mission today.
But life was easier now than before.
With a Space Ring, she no longer worried about supplies or carrying weight. Instant noodles solved meals. And with Cloud Retainer's upgrades, her Wind Glider flew faster than ever.
The breeze was strong today—perfect for gliding.
Amber stretched out her wings, enjoying the air, when suddenly a massive shadow swept overhead, sending gusts whipping past her.
Startled, she looked up and saw the familiar figure of a dragon soaring across the skies.
"Oh, it's just Dvalin."
Amber smiled, unbothered. She had no idea why he'd flown over here, but there was no need for alarm.
She looked back down to resume surveying the ground.
Then—another massive shadow blotted out the sun above her, and another rush of wind blasted her wings.
"…???"
Amber's head snapped upward—another dragon.
Also Dvalin.
What?!
Why are there two Dvalins?!
She stared, dumbfounded, at the twin figures trailing each other across the sky.
Did I… wake up wrong today?
Was it because I stayed up too late reading novels last night?