Lucas was puzzled.
How exactly could Raiden Mai extract "that" without exposing it to air?
"Well then, I won't disturb you further, Master" Raiden Mai said, her steps noticeably lighter as she headed toward Ursa's room. "I want to conduct an analysis on the target you revived."
"Analysing her is fine..." Lucas blinked slightly. "But put down the dropper and the test tube first. Most of it will probably be consumed by Ursa before you can extract anything."
After confiscating a variety of lab tools from Raiden Mai, Lucas let her into the room.
As he turned to leave, he noticed a head quickly ducking behind a corner.
"No point in hiding," Lucas said with a smile. "Your tail's already showing."
Sure enough, the silver tail sticking out gave away Kisara, the owner of the Blue-Eyes White Dragon. She stepped out with a somewhat sulky expression and said, "I've been waiting out here forever."
"I was only healing Ursa," Lucas quickly explained.
"Oh? Just healing?" Kisara raised an eyebrow, circling behind Lucas. She leaned close, sniffed his neck lightly, and whispered, "I smell… mating."
"T-That's part of the treatment for her amnesia!" Lucas stammered. "It's… a kind of stimulus therapy."
Kisara froze, then lowered her head in silence.
Confused, Lucas gently nudged her shoulder. "What's wrong? Are you okay?"
Kisara suddenly stepped back two paces, staring at Lucas with a mix of panic and confusion. "Who are you? I don't recognize you."
Lucas rubbed his temples, exasperated. "Even if you're pretending to have amnesia, I'm not using the same therapy on you."
"I'm not pretending!" Kisara protested, sweat forming on her brow. "I really can't remember who you are!"
"Really?" Lucas squinted at her with a sly smile. "What a shame. I was planning to reward you handsomely for your recent contributions. But if you don't remember me, I suppose I'll have to skip it."
"Nooo!" Kisara clung to Lucas's arm, pouting. "What kind of reward?"
Lucas whispered a few words into her ear, causing her face to flush bright red.
"T-Then it's settled!" she stammered, her expression full of anticipation. "You're not allowed to back out!"
"Of course not," Lucas said, tousling Kisara's silver hair with a smile. "But I'm too exhausted today. Another time, alright?"
"Okay!" Kisara nodded eagerly. "Another time—no, wait, some other day—"
"Master!"
Before Kisara could finish, a gust of wind blew her back a few steps as a green-haired girl barreled into Lucas, wrapping her arms around him tightly.
The newcomer was, of course, the newly awakened Dvalin. Unlike Kisara's elegance, Dvalin wasted no time enthusiastically licking Lucas's face like an oversized, overzealous puppy.
In her human form, Dvalin appeared to be in her early teens, looking younger than Kisara. Her emerald eyes glowed faintly, bearing an uncanny resemblance to Venti's.
"Alright, alright!" Lucas wiped the saliva off his cheek, his expression a mix of amusement and awkwardness. "Do you remember me?"
"I do!" Dvalin nodded vigorously. "You are the Great Lord of Tempests, the God of Storms, and my master, Decarabian!"
"And Barbatos?" Lucas asked. "Do you remember him?"
"Not… not really," Dvalin admitted, shaking her head. "Sounds like the name of a prisoner."
As expected…
Lucas suspected that memories from the simulator had influenced Dvalin.
Unlike others whose simulator memories were limited to dreams, Dvalin had been trapped in a chaotic, maddened state for years, so the blending of two timelines' memories wasn't entirely surprising.
In any case, since Barbatos himself didn't seem to mind, Lucas decided it wasn't a problem.
"That doesn't matter anymore," Lucas said gently, pinching Dvalin's cheek. "I'm here now."
"But what about everyone else?" Dvalin asked, her face confused. "I remember the tower being lively, with the knight who drank a lot, the god who made salt, and the one who cooked terribly…"
To Dvalin, the time spent atop the tower with her companions as Decarabian's Four Winds was the happiest period of her life.
But that was from a different timeline.
In this world, the Storm God had been overthrown long ago, and none of those events had taken place.
"I'll… find them all," Lucas said soothingly. "See? I already found you."
Dvalin didn't seem to catch on that Lucas's words were mere comfort. Her eyes sparkled with excitement. "Once everyone's back, we can conquer Teyvat again, spreading your mighty storms across the world!"
Dvalin didn't fully understand the concept of "world conquest." She only knew it was her master's wish, and thus, it was hers as well.
Hearing this, Lucas felt a twinge of guilt.
This was outright treason!
But faced with Dvalin's hopeful gaze, Lucas couldn't bear to disappoint her. He nodded and said, "Once my strength is fully restored, we'll pursue our ambition."
Unbeknownst to Lucas, his offhand comment had inadvertently planted another seed of destiny.
...
"Cheers!"
To celebrate the successful resolution of the Stormterror crisis, Mondstadt—fresh off its Windblume Festival—dove into yet another round of revelry.
Even Captain Jean, usually strict, permitted the Knights to host a party within their headquarters.
As one of the main contributors to the victory, Lucas was, of course, invited along with the others.
Only Diluc outright refused Jean's invitation without a second thought.
The campaign had been a resounding success, with only minor injuries sustained by some members in conflicts with the Abyss Order.
"Ugh! I missed the final battle entirely!" Eula complained, a large beer bottle in hand. She drunkenly jabbed a finger into Lucas's chest. "This grudge… hic… I'll remember it!"