At the summit of Dragonspine, Aether finally caught sight of the so-called Skyfrost Nail.
Though at this point, it might be more accurate to call it "Skyfrost Fragments."
Numerous shards, both large and small, floated haphazardly in midair. From a distance, they looked like scattered debris drifting through the sky.
Below was a huge crater formed by a violent explosion, now blanketed by thick snow, making it seem like it had always been this way.
Curious, Aether approached the fragments and reached for one of the blue shards drifting closer to the ground.
It came loose with ease. Perhaps because of the mountain's frigid air, the shard was icy-cold in his hands, but otherwise unremarkable.
"It looks nothing like what the book described," Paimon sighed in disappointment.
If she had to describe it, it felt like meeting your online date in person, only to realize reality fell far short of expectations—utterly disillusioning.
"If you had come last year," Albedo said with a faint smile, "perhaps you would've seen the Skyfrost Nail still embedded in the earth."
"Last year, I didn't even know where I was," Paimon replied, shrugging dramatically.
She floated around the area briefly, accomplishing her personal goal of sightseeing, then drifted back to Aether's side.
"By the way, the Rite of Descension in Liyue is starting in seven days. We'd better hurry there first. We can come back and explore here thoroughly after meeting the Geo Archon."
Aether nodded and turned to Albedo. "See you later."
"See you," Albedo waved gently, watching them leave for the nearest teleport waypoint.
After Aether and Paimon vanished at the waypoint, Albedo rested his chin thoughtfully, murmuring quietly to himself.
"Travelers from beyond this world can use teleport waypoints due to their elevated nature… But how does Paimon manage it?"
"And when she disappears and reappears at will, where exactly does she go?"
There were simply too many mysteries about Paimon—perhaps even more so than about Aether himself.
Teyvat held countless secrets. Although Albedo had studied under his master for centuries, his research had primarily focused on alchemy, leaving many of Teyvat's hidden truths unknown to him.
But the arrival of Jiang Bai, Aether, and Paimon had sparked his curiosity anew.
"When I return to Mondstadt, I should apply for access to the restricted section of the Knights' library," he decided.
...
Aether teleported directly to the waypoint at the base of Dragonspine—far faster than trekking down from the summit.
"Paimon, do you think Jiang Bai's back in Liyue already?" Aether asked.
Paimon considered the question. "Probably. Even if he's not yet back in Liyue Harbor, he should at least be on his way. Otherwise, he'll miss the Rite of Descension."
Even with his injured leg, Jiang Bai could easily hitch a ride with a merchant caravan back to Liyue Harbor.
"Then let's head straight to Liyue."
Aether had originally thought to check if Jiang Bai was still in Mondstadt City, but now it didn't seem necessary.
He unfolded his map, searching for the quickest route to Liyue.
Paimon hovered thoughtfully, pointing at the map with her tiny hand. "We can cross this mountain here, stop by Diluc's Dawn Winery, then follow the main road through Stone Gate, stop at Wangshu Inn, and after that, Liyue Harbor won't be far."
"Alright." Aether folded the map, satisfied.
Though he could teleport via waypoints, he still needed to unlock each one by visiting them first.
---
Unaware that Aether was already en route to Liyue, Jiang Bai would not have shown much reaction even if he knew.
Having recovered enough to abandon his wheelchair, he was currently enduring devilish training under Hu Tao's strict supervision.
True to her word, Hu Tao made him run a full lap around Liyue Harbor each morning, followed by martial arts training until midday, and finally monster-hunting in the afternoon.
Although Jiang Bai wielded a weapon nearly tantamount to cheating, martial skill was still vital. If he relied solely on elemental power without training himself physically, he'd be helpless if his elemental energy ever ran dry.
Thus, every day, Hu Tao mercilessly dragged Jiang Bai out of bed at dawn to run laps around the harbor.
After the run, they'd eat breakfast, rest for an hour, then she'd haul him to the training grounds to drill basic stances, sword swings, and combat maneuvers, ending with thirty minutes of sparring before lunch.
In the afternoons, they hunted monsters in the outskirts of Liyue, fighting to the limit.
After two grueling days, Jiang Bai felt thoroughly drained, eyes sunken and spirit broken, as if a fox spirit had sucked out his very life essence.
He sprawled across the soft grass of Mt. Tianheng, basking in the sunlight, unwilling to move an inch.
Hu Tao's face abruptly blocked out the sun above him. Hands on her hips, she frowned in confusion. "It's only been two days. How are you this drained already?"
They had undergone the same training. She felt mildly fatigued at most, yet Jiang Bai looked half-dead.
Trembling, Jiang Bai weakly raised a finger, pointing to a barren rocky mound nearby, devoid of vegetation.
As Hu Tao stared, puzzled, the entire mountain suddenly dissolved into elemental particles and vanished.
Hu Tao: !!!
She finally understood why he'd been so lethargic—he'd been maintaining a massive elemental construct this entire time!
She plopped down beside him on the grass, patting his head approvingly. "Not bad! At this rate, with six months' training, you might actually be able to challenge that La Signora."
With the mountain gone, Jiang Bai instantly felt half his strength return. He sat up with renewed vigor, chin raised in arrogant pride. "Challenge her? She'll become my defeated subordinate!"
"Wow, such spirit! In that case, let's continue!" Hu Tao jumped to her feet, enthusiastically pointing toward a nearby hillside. "There's a Fatui camp just over there—come on, let's go beat them up!"
Hearing this, Jiang Bai promptly collapsed onto the grass again, drained. "Just... give me a moment longer."
Hu Tao folded her arms, staring down speechlessly at the young man who had just moments ago proclaimed his invincibility.
"Fine. Ten more minutes."
Immediately, the vanished Geo mountain reformed at Jiang Bai's silent command.
He fell face-first into the soil, once again utterly spent.
"Director… You should also practice increasing your elemental power," Jiang Bai groaned feebly.
"You think I don't?" Hu Tao lifted her chin proudly. "Where do you think the flames in Wangsheng Funeral Parlor's crematorium come from?"
Hu Tao's method differed from Jiang Bai's. She prioritized raw elemental intensity.
She constantly maintained intense flames capable of reducing corpses to ashes in mere moments.
Those flames had burned ceaselessly since the moment she'd received her Pyro Vision, never once extinguished.
After years of sustained practice, she could effortlessly produce flames intense enough to instantly incinerate a large Hilichurl, performing a complete cremation and scattering the ashes in one seamless motion—leaving no trace behind.
Jiang Bai's eyes widened in astonishment. He'd never even noticed before.
The Director truly lives up to her title—I've underestimated her all this time!
---
T/N:
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