"I can't believe it, is this really a tree?" Kaeya exclaimed, his face filled with shock as he gazed at the enormous tree that filled his entire field of vision.
Although he had estimated the size of the Golden Tree from Sanka, when he finally reached the summit and saw it up close, Kaeya still couldn't believe his eyes.
The trunk of the Golden Tree before him nearly occupied the entire mountaintop of Dragonspine. All the thick snow and solid rock had vanished from sight.
As far as the eye could see, there was only golden light. Around the golden light, the ground was a brownish-black, unlike anything Dragonspine had ever seen—the soil around the Golden Tree's trunk seemed to have been thoroughly churned by something.
The pervasive smell of earth, the soft ground. If Kaeya hadn't climbed up from the base of Dragonspine, he probably wouldn't have imagined that this was once the Dragonspine that countless people avoided.
"Hmph—the power of a god is incredible." Acting Grand Master Jean extended her hand. The wind on Dragonspine was no longer as biting as before; though still cold, it was within an acceptable range.
Whether in myths or ancient texts, there were countless poems recording gods shaping the land and changing the climate.
When Acting Grand Master Jean witnessed this scene with her own eyes, the shock in her heart was still irrepressible.
"You can marvel whenever you want, but for now, let's figure out how to call them over."
Diluc looked up at the brilliant canopy that seemed to cover the entire Sky, the shimmering golden light like a vast, eternal galaxy of stars.
But Diluc wasn't here to be amazed; he was simply looking for Yu Jin's whereabouts.
There were no signs of human activity around the trunk, so Yu Jin was likely on one of the Golden Tree's branches.
Although Diluc's physical capabilities were much higher than an ordinary person's, trying to pierce through thousands of meters of foliage and search for a group of people amidst such dazzling golden light was still a challenge for him.
Diluc rubbed his aching eyes; besides a sea of golden light, he found nothing.
However, he wouldn't have to search for long.
"Ah—"
A slightly familiar scream came from above them, followed by several shadows appearing in the Sky, gradually growing larger.
"Whoosh!" A louder whoosh of wind, more resounding than the scream, suddenly appeared, enveloping all the falling shadows.
Then, the huge white figure landed—it was Lanssangx in her dragon form.
"Paimon, aren't you capable of flying? Why are you always so noisy?" Yu Jin jumped off Lanssangx's back and complained to Paimon, who was tightly clutching Lumine.
Paimon could fly on her own, so why was her reaction always so exaggerated whenever they flew or landed?
"Is that how you land? You threw me down before I was even ready!" Paimon recalled the scene of Yu Jin carrying her and dropping her from the Golden Tree, and her heart still pounded.
If she wasn't so outmatched, she would have been throwing Yu Jin around by now!
"Wasn't I in a hurry? We couldn't keep the Knights of Favonius waiting too long, could we?" Yu Jin skillfully shifted the blame, placing the responsibility squarely on the Knights of Favonius.
Venti listened to Yu Jin's words and couldn't help but twitch the corner of his mouth. Good, that was very much Yu Jin's style.
He stepped forward, looking at Yu Jin and the Golden Tree behind him, and asked in his usual casual tone:
"So, Great Adventurer Mr. Yu Jin, could you tell me the origin of that big tree behind you? So I can find some inspiration for my new poem."
To Venti's surprise, Yu Jin shivered. He quickly waved his hands at Venti, saying, "Venti, listen to my advice. Don't write poems; you'll starve."
"It's none of your business; I enjoy writing poems!" Venti pressed down Yu Jin's rapidly waving hands, staring at Yu Jin as he said,
"Don't change the subject. Quickly tell me what's going on with this big tree?"
"Don't worry so much, it's just a tree. It's no big deal," Yu Jin whistled, looking at the distant scenery.
After hearing Yu Jin's words, the first one to lose her composure wasn't Venti, nor Acting Grand Master Jean, but Lisa.
She walked up to Yu Jin, her face full of disbelief, and said, "This is what you meant by 'don't worry'? You'd explain everything?"
"Of course! But obviously, my plan to muddle through failed," Yu Jin nodded, saying earnestly.
Lisa covered her face; she shouldn't have trusted Yu Jin. She must have been blinded by Yu Jin's confidence when he was discussing the Akademiya.
In fact, Lisa was right. Yu Jin's confidence was boundless when it came to things that could be solved with fists.
But if it involved human relations, then don't blame Yu Jin for causing trouble. What was getting along with people? Did stuffing them into his body count?
Venti looked at Yu Jin, who was as unyielding as a rolling stone, and he really wanted to blow him to the Dark Sea with a gust of wind.
However, Venti ultimately suppressed his inner impulse. Because he thought that if he really did that, Yu Jin would throw him into the Dark Sea before he could even blow.
Seeing everyone's gaze converge on him, Yu Jin couldn't help but sigh, "Don't be so nervous; it really is just a tree."
"Really?"
"Really!"
"Except it has consciousness, can bestow blessings, absorb souls, improve the climate..." Yu Jin rattled off a long list of the Golden Tree's characteristics, then concluded:
"Aside from those tiny differences I just mentioned, it's just an ordinary tree."
At this point, not only the Knights of Favonius, but even Venti looked at the Golden Tree behind Yu Jin with wide eyes.
From Yu Jin's description, the Golden Tree sounded like a wish-granting machine; it could do anything? From birth to death, it arranged everything for you.
By the end, Yu Jin himself felt a bit surprised. So the Golden Tree was so useful? Then why did The Lands Between become such a mess?
Oh, it was the Law's fault, then never mind.
"What's more, the tree has already been planted, haha, it's too late, everyone!" Yu Jin laughed without any sign of remorse.
The Golden Tree had already been planted and had grown so large. Trying to cut it down again, it wasn't impossible, but it was as difficult as ascending to the Sky.
Because Yu Jin wasn't sure if Teyvat had flames on the level of the Frenzied Flame. The Golden Tree's eternity could only be harmed by something of the Frenzied Flame's caliber.
To be precise, the Golden Tree, like Irminsul, was not essentially a tree; it merely manifested as a tree.
"Come on, everyone, come over here. I'll show you where I once ran a marathon." Yu Jin suddenly remembered something and enthusiastically beckoned everyone to walk towards the Golden Tree's massive trunk.
"Marathon?" Lumine asked, looking at the unusually enthusiastic Yu Jin, puzzled. Yu Jin would participate in sports competitions? What would be the point then?
"Yeah, it nearly killed me back then," Yu Jin said with a sigh, recalling the battle with the Elden Beast inside the Golden Tree.
As the personification of the Law, what the Elden Beast left Yu Jin with wasn't its eternal gold, nor the sharp edge of its divine body transformed into a sword, but the fact that this guy could really run!
The space within the fully-formed Golden Tree was infinitely vast, and the Elden Beast could traverse it at will.
When it realized it couldn't defeat Yu Jin, it activated its shameless hit-and-run mode.
Nine-tenths of the entire battle was wasted on running. It almost exhausted Yu Jin to death.
"Hehe, we're here! It might be a bit small, but it should be enough." Yu Jin extended his hand and touched the Golden Tree, which was now within arm's reach.
Under his touch, the Golden Tree's initially somewhat woody bark gradually dissipated, replaced by incomparably transparent golden light.
Just like it had been underground.
"Let's go, let's go inside and see." Yu Jin nodded his head towards it, then led the way in.
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