"A Fatui Harbinger?! They dared to attack Ba—uh, Mr. Venti!" Acting Grand Master Jean gripped the hilt of her Favonius Sword, her voice filled with anger. Attacking the Anemo Archon within Mondstadt—how audacious of the Fatui! Were they declaring war on all of Mondstadt?
"Mr. Yun Fan, is the Traveler injured? And where is Venti now?" Jean turned to Yun Fan, who was holding Lumine, and asked urgently.
"Lumine's fine. She just fainted. As for Venti… well, he's right here," Yun Fan stepped aside, revealing the ice wall behind him. Venti was embedded in it like a relief sculpture.
"..."
The flower of hope, the bonds that connect us,
Now reside within our hearts,
Never to scatter…
After a brief silence, Jean's voice, tinged with despair, echoed across the Anemo Archon Statue Plaza: "Mr. Venti!!"
After a chaotic scramble, the Knights of Favonius finally managed to extract Venti from the ice wall. However, the process was a bit rough. Since he was embedded so deeply, they eventually decided to "pry" him out.
Yes, with a crowbar!
"Mr. Venti, Mr. Venti…" Jean gently shook Venti, trying to wake him up.
"The energy used to construct these ice walls is unlike anything I've ever seen," Albedo, who hadn't participated in rescuing Venti, walked up to the ice wall and examined it closely. Unlike ordinary ice, the wall was more translucent and emitted a faint blue glow.
Albedo reached out and touched the wall, feeling the biting cold. He seemed deep in thought before turning his gaze to Yun Fan, who was still holding Lumine.
"You must be Mr. Yun Fan. Thank you for taking care of Klee," Albedo said, expressing his gratitude. He had heard about Yun Fan from Klee, though they had never met before. From Jean's earlier conversation, he had deduced Yun Fan's identity.
"Mr. Albedo, it's an honor to meet you," Yun Fan replied politely. He would have returned the gesture, but his hands were currently occupied.
"Mr. Yun Fan, the energy used to construct these ice walls doesn't seem to be elemental energy from Teyvat. Could you enlighten me?" Albedo asked, his curiosity piqued by this unfamiliar energy.
"Ah, you can call it Honkai energy," Yun Fan didn't plan to hide it. Even if he told Albedo, it was unlikely the alchemist would fully understand it. In fact, Yun Fan was curious to see if the Chalk Prince could uncover the essence of Honkai energy through his intellect.
"Honkai energy?" Albedo murmured, searching his memory for any related information. Unfortunately, he found nothing.
"Thank you for the explanation, Mr. Yun Fan. May I take some samples of this ice for research?" Albedo politely requested.
"Feel free. But let's leave this section intact. If possible, consider it a piece of art," Yun Fan gestured to the part of the wall where Venti had been embedded.
"Understood."
Albedo began working on extracting samples from the towering ice walls. He would have a new research topic for a long time. The feeling of exploring the unknown and turning it into knowledge was something he hadn't experienced in a while.
"Ugh, what happened?" Lumine, lying in Yun Fan's arms, finally woke up. She shook her heavy head, trying to clear her mind.
"You, you, you!" Lumine opened her eyes and realized she was being carried by Yun Fan in a princess carry. Perhaps because she had just woken up, her senses were heightened, and she could even feel the veins on Yun Fan's arms.
"Put me down!" Lumine struggled out of Yun Fan's arms, her face flushed and her breathing uneven. Had this guy taken advantage of her while she was unconscious?
"Traveler, you're finally awake!" Paimon, who had been hiding somewhere, flew over and hugged Lumine tightly, much to Yun Fan's envy.
"Alright, alright, I'm fine. Paimon, let go! You're getting drool on me!" Lumine grabbed Paimon and wiped her face, though she couldn't hide her smile.
"Hehe, I'm just glad you're okay, Traveler," Paimon giggled.
"What a harmonious scene," Yun Fan thought to himself, hoping that Paimon would never become his or Lumine's enemy.
Meanwhile, Venti, who had been unconscious for a while, finally woke up. His first words were: "Yun Fan, you tricked me!"
This startled the Knights. Wasn't Venti attacked by a Fatui Harbinger? How did Yun Fan come into the picture?
"Huh? When did I trick you? Listen, you can eat whatever you want, but don't spout nonsense. If you ruin my reputation, I won't let you off easy!" Yun Fan feigned innocence. When it came to lying with a straight face, he was unmatched.
"You…"
Seeing Yun Fan's shameless act, Venti could only swallow his frustration. After all, Yun Fan had dirt on him too.
"Ugh, I don't know who knocked me out, but I'll make them pay!" Lumine rubbed her sore neck, her voice tinged with annoyance.
"Who knows? Right, Venti?"
Venti looked up to see Yun Fan smirking at him. So, this guy had been watching the whole time. He had seen through Venti's act.
"Yeah, who knows which scoundrel attacked our dear Traveler," Venti forced a smile, his eye twitching. What else could he say? Life was hard, and even the Anemo Archon sighed.
"The Fatui Harbinger's blatant attack in Mondstadt cannot go unpunished. I will investigate this thoroughly!" Jean declared, her voice firm. She planned to launch a full-scale purge of the Fatui within Mondstadt.
"Count me in. I've been resting for too long. It's time to stretch my legs," Lisa chimed in, her voice as lazy as ever.
"Haha, I guess I'll… definitely fulfill my duty!" Kaeya laughed nervously, initially trying to avoid the task but quickly changing his tone under the others' intense gazes.