"Wonderful! Now we just need to find a way to locate Dvalin so we can purify the corruption within it!"
Hearing Venti's words, Lora asked curiously, "Find a way? As the Anemo Archon, can't you locate your own kin?"
Venti shook his head, his voice tinged with loss.
"Ever since the Cataclysm of Khaenri'ah, I fell into a deep slumber. Dvalin believes I abandoned it. Coupled with the erosion of the Abyss's power, it now harbors deep resentment toward me. Finding it won't be easy. So, we need a little help."
"Help?" Lora frowned, puzzled. "If even you, the Anemo Archon, can't locate Dvalin, who else could possibly help us?"
"The 'Holy Lyre der Himmel'," Venti replied.
"The Holy… Lyre der Himmel?" Lora froze for a moment before recalling that, in the original storyline, the Traveler and Venti's group had indeed summoned Dvalin through the melody of the Holy Lyre der Himmel.
It was such an important plot point, yet her memory of it was strangely hazy. If Venti hadn't reminded her, she might not have remembered it at all.
Lora 's mind was flooded with Egeria's memories spanning several thousand years. They were vast and overwhelming—compared to them, her own twenty years of memories were like a fleeting glimmer, easily overlooked.
Noticing that something seemed off, Venti asked with concern, "Lora , what's wrong? You don't look very well. Is there some issue with your body after being revived?"
"Nothing! I'm fine!" Lora shook her head.
Egeria's consciousness had completely dissipated, her power and memories merging into Lora 's body. Having accepted all of this, Lora herself could no longer clearly say whether her sense of self belonged to Lora Chaya —or to Egeria.
If she couldn't figure it out, then there was no point dwelling on it.
"In that case, let's set out!" Venti said cheerfully. "I remember that the 'Holy Lyre der Himmel' is kept by the Church in the Favonius Cathedral. Let's go steal it!"
Looking at Venti as he invited her to become an accomplice, Lora shook her head and declined. "Sorry. I can't go with you to steal the 'Holy Lyre der Himmel' right now. My companions are still waiting for me by Starfell Lake. They don't know my true identity. If I suddenly disappear, it would be hard to explain."
"Companions?" Venti paused, momentarily taken aback. The word carried a special weight for him. But the hesitation lasted only an instant before he smiled again, burying his thoughts and his true self deep within. "That's wonderful! Having companions is truly a beautiful thing."
At that, Lora fell silent. She knew that Venti's friend had died on the eve of toppling the tower, never living to see the truly gentle winds and the high heavens. Even his current human appearance was borrowed from that friend. The God of Freedom, who revered free will above all else, was himself the least free of all.
Unlike Lora 's silence, Venti's emotions shifted quickly.
He remained the same smiling, carefree bard, as though nothing could ever make him reveal sorrow. He said to her, "In that case, come find me at 'Angel's Share' once you reach Mondstadt. I'm usually there."
"'Angel's Share'… that's a tavern?" Lora asked.
"Yes! The tavern at Dawn Winery. Their wine is the best in all of Mondstadt!" At the mention of wine, Venti immediately perked up, his eyes shining with anticipation.
Lora asked, "Do you have Mora to pay for the drinks?"
"Mora… no, I don't." Venti shook his head, sounding completely matter-of-fact. Then he added, "But I can earn it! Isn't the performance of the greatest bard in the mortal world worth the price of a drink?"
"Commonly known as busking, right?" Lora summarized, looking at him.
Venti clapped his hands and laughed. "A very apt description!"
"If the people of Mondstadt knew their god was busking, I wonder what they'd think," Lora sighed. It wasn't that she disapproved of Venti's chosen way of life—on the contrary, she respected his choice and held him in high regard.
Among the people of Mondstadt, Venti fully embodied the will of the God of Freedom. That much was beyond doubt.
"In the eyes of Mondstadt's people, the Anemo Archon disappeared a thousand years ago. For the Mondstadt of today, there's no need for Barbatos to reappear," Venti said slowly, shaking his head. He cherished his current life and felt no need to don the crown again.
Of course, if a crisis arose that humanity could not resolve on its own, he would still fight for Mondstadt's people. After all, he was their god.
With a gentle smile, Venti turned his gaze toward the forest path ahead, where an unusual breeze was blowing. He listened to the message carried by the wind, then said to Lora , "Lora , it seems your companions couldn't wait to come find you. Both she and the one by her side are quite special. You've truly made some remarkable companions."
Lora followed his gaze and nodded. "Yes, they're very special."
"Then I'll be on my way. Angel's Share—see you there, Lora ."
"Goodbye."
Venti dissolved into a gust of wind. Lora put away the purified Dvalin's Tear and turned to look at Lumine and Paimon walking toward her.
From far away, Paimon waved excitedly at Lora , calling out her name.
"Lora ! Come quick! Guess what just happened!"
Lora walked over. Seeing the emerald-green glow of wind shimmering around Lumine, she smiled, pretended to ponder for a moment, and said, "You touched the Statue of The Seven, so now you can use Anemo power, right?"
"Huh? You're amazing—you guessed it!" Paimon exclaimed, eyes wide as she covered her mouth in shock.
"Lora , why did you come to the forest earlier? Is there something here?" Lumine looked around. She could feel an intense concentration of Anemo power in the air—it was far too strange. The Anemo elemental energy here was unimaginably dense.
Lora shook her head. "Nothing. I just thought the scenery here was nice, so I came to take a look."
"Mmm! The scenery here really is beautiful," Paimon said cheerfully. Carefree as ever, she ignored the dense Anemo elemental energy, spun around the area once, then said, "We should get going. Mondstadt is just ahead. Let's go find the Anemo Archon together!"
"Alright," Lora nodded.
The three of them emerged from the forest and stood on the shore of Cider Lake, gazing at the magnificent city of Mondstadt, surrounded by the lake's waters. A broad, long bridge connected the city gates to the shore.
"So this is Mondstadt!"