The Skyward Guide Adepti Lantern, crafted using floating stones as its foundation, slowly transformed from a lifeless object into a living being under the gaze of countless people in Liyue Harbor. Its body shimmered with multicolored lights, breathtakingly beautiful beneath the moonlight.
The Skyward Guide lifted its forehooves and stood suspended in midair, then began to run forward, a dreamlike trail of blue light streaming behind it.
Moving in time with the music, it leaped and bounded. Wherever it passed, the lights of Liyue Harbor came alive—whether aboard ships or within homes along the docks, sky lanterns were lit one after another.
This was what ten thousand lights across ten thousand homes truly looked like.
Zhongyue watched the Skyward Guide's run with an expression full of confidence.
Lora noticed her demeanor and asked, "Hey, I heard you and Xianyun have been busy tinkering with sky lanterns lately. Did you manage to finish them?"
Hearing Lora's question, Zhongyue let out a smug laugh.
"Of course! When this one takes action, how could anything possibly fail? Just open your eyes wide and admire my masterpiece!"
"Oh? Then I'll be looking forward to it," Lora replied with a laugh.
Following in the Skyward Guide's wake, countless sky lanterns drifted upward. Under the moonlight, they formed a brand-new sky—a constellation born of human wisdom.
Against the night, this lantern-formed firmament shone even brighter and more dazzling, brimming with hope for the future.
The Skyward Guide ran higher and higher into the sky, and then—blossomed.
In an instant, brilliant fireworks burst forth, illuminating the entire sky and every face below.
Amid the radiant fireworks, a colossal silhouette gradually emerged. It was an enormous sky lantern—its form drifting gracefully as a massive dragon-shaped lantern with wings spanning hundreds of meters appeared above Liyue Harbor.
"That is… Yinglong?" Lora stared at the soaring dragon. Even though she had been mentally prepared, seeing it with her own eyes still left her shaken.
"Yinglong? That's a great name!" Zhongyue nodded in approval after hearing Lora say it. "Xianyun and I hadn't named it yet after we finished. I originally just wanted to make a dragon—adding wings was Xianyun's insistence! I was even wondering why a perfectly good dragon needed wings. But now that I see it… it does look pretty good."
"Yes, it really does," Lora agreed, nodding.
There were no legends of Yinglong on the continent of Teyvat, yet the twin-winged giant dragon soaring through the sky bore striking similarities to the mythical being.
Suddenly seeing a creature from the legends of her former world appear before her, Lora felt as though she were living in a dream.
News of the Yinglong Sky Lantern soaring through the heavens had already reached Yujing Terrace, and the Liyue Qixing all expressed their approval.
Of course, even if they hadn't, Zhongyue would have reasoned with them until they did.
"Happy Lantern Rite!!"
Amid loud cheers, under the watchful gaze of the Yinglong Sky Lantern, Liyue welcomed the new year.
"Happy Lantern Rite!" Lora and Venti offered their blessings to the people of Liyue. A god's blessing, at times, truly was quite effective.
Zhongli looked upon the joyful crowds and the Liyue Harbor of today. The man who rarely let his emotions show finally allowed a faint smile to surface as he murmured softly, "Happy Lantern Rite, Liyue."
...
After the Lantern Rite ended, the revelry gradually faded into the depths of the night. The empty streets carried a sense of quiet loneliness.
Yet the sky lanterns still hanging above added a touch of warmth and comfort to the stillness.
Only four figures walked along the broad street.
"Why aren't we going home? Why are we walking around here?" Zhongyue asked as she followed behind Lora and Zhongli.
Lora replied, "Because it looks cool."
Zhongyue: "..."
"Though distance is meaningless to us, there are still regular journeys between Mondstadt and Liyue. I've heard you spend your days singing for a living, barely fed and poorly clothed. What made you think of coming to Liyue?" Zhongli asked, turning to Venti beside him.
"Huh? Barely fed and poorly clothed? Who told you that?" Venti froze, looking utterly confused.
Zhongli glanced at Lora.
"She did."
Venti blinked, then looked at Lora.
"So… that's how it is?"
"Well… I wasn't wrong!" Lora said righteously. "Don't you lack money for food? Don't you only have this one outfit? Don't you sing every single day—"
"Stop!" Venti hurriedly cut her off. "Even if none of that is technically wrong, why does it all sound so strange when you say it?"
"That's your problem," Lora said with a grin, patting Venti on the shoulder. "Don't overthink it. Thinking too much isn't good for your brain—it'll 'wear it out.'"
"Only you would joke about 'wear and tear' like that," Venti sighed.
"It's a festival today. Could you two not talk about this?" Zhongli said, turning back to look at them.
Lora and Venti exchanged a glance and both fell silent.
But neither of them could keep quiet for long, and before long, they were chatting again.
"Speaking of which, I never expected the Dragon Sovereign to end up looking like this. I was pretty surprised the first time I saw it," Venti said with a smile as he looked at Zhongyue. "But… it's quite beautiful."
"Of course it is. My taste has never been bad," Lora said, clearly pleased with the compliment.
Zhongyue nodded.
"That's true—Lora's taste is indeed excellent. The people of Liyue Harbor all think I look quite nice like this. It's just that I often run into young people who want to pinch my cheeks. I don't bother arguing with them."
"To you, pretty much everyone in Liyue counts as young," Lora said helplessly.
"Yes, that's true. Quite nice," Zhongyue nodded.
"But putting that aside, why did you come to Liyue?" Lora continued. "'Traveling all the way from your own nation to another just to celebrate the Lantern Rite'—that doesn't seem like something you'd… wait, no, that actually does sound exactly like something you'd do."
"Hm… While that is indeed something I'd do, this time I didn't come just for that," Venti said with a smile, then continued to Lora and Zhongli. "Mondstadt's Windblume Festival is approaching."
"Oh? Did you come to invite us?" Zhongyue asked.
Venti shook his head.
"To be precise, I came to find that Traveler."
"Find Lumine? Why?" Lora asked, puzzled.
"On her way back to Mondstadt, she'll encounter an astrologist. The name's a bit long—I didn't quite remember it," Venti explained. "That astrologist's master is a member of the Hexenzirkel."
"The Hexenzirkel?" Zhongli and Lora echoed the words in unison.