After a series of adventures that included foraging berries, chasing squirrels, and gathering mushrooms, the trio finally arrived at the Wind Archon's statue.
Su Mo was the first to reach out and touch it. As expected, nothing happened.
But when Lumine placed her hand on the statue, the result was completely different. The monument responded to her presence with a radiant glow, as if acknowledging her. A gentle breeze wrapped around her form—and in that moment, she gained the power of Anemo.
Seeing this, Paimon nodded knowingly. "Just as I thought. You guys really are different from the people of this world—you can use elemental power even without a Vision!"
She glanced over at Su Mo as well. He too wielded powerful elemental abilities without the help of a Vision—and his strength was clearly far beyond what Lumine had just received.
"Vision?" Lumine echoed, confused.
"Oh, it's this magical item people in this world use to control the elements. You'll understand when we get to Mondstadt," Paimon said casually. "It's the city of wind, wine, and song—and it worships the Anemo Archon."
"If we're lucky, maybe we'll find a clue about your brother there."
"Yeah." Lumine nodded. No matter what, regaining part of her power was a good sign. Though it still paled in comparison to Su Mo's awakened abilities, at least now she wouldn't be a burden anymore.
With that thought in mind, they set off toward Mondstadt.
However, they had barely taken a few steps when Lumine suddenly felt a shadow looming overhead. There weren't any trees nearby, so it couldn't be shade—could it be a cloud?
She looked up.
A massive teal dragon, easily twenty meters long and bearing two pairs of wings, soared overhead with a powerful whoosh. The gusts generated by its wings were strong enough to lift her hair.
"What... is that?" Paimon froze, stunned. "A dragon?!"
Lumine couldn't hide her shock. "Are dragons common in Teyvat?" she asked, turning to Paimon with curiosity. In all the worlds she'd traveled through, dragons were rare and powerful creatures. To think one would just appear like this, flying casually overhead…
"Of course not!" Paimon exclaimed, shaking her head furiously. "There are all kinds of monsters in Teyvat, sure, but something on the level of a dragon? That's really rare!"
"Should we follow it?" Su Mo proposed, watching the dragon's retreating figure disappear into the sky. "Both dragons and gods are beings that transcend humanity. If we follow this one, we might even come into contact with a god."
Of course, Su Mo already knew exactly what dragon this was—Dvalin, the Stormterror and East Wind Dragon, a loyal follower of Barbatos, the Anemo Archon.
He suggested following the dragon not just out of curiosity, but to create a chance to meet Barbatos himself. Though the Anemo Archon came off as carefree and nonchalant, he was actually a deeply enigmatic figure. Whether it was calming Dvalin or the theft of the Gnosis, everything had seemed to unfold just as Barbatos had foreseen.
From the original story, it was clear Barbatos had a fondness for the protagonist. But even then, he kept many secrets close to the chest, often playing the fool to dodge important questions. Compared to him, Morax—the Geo Archon, known today as Zhongli—was also cryptic, but at least he shared more useful information.
Su Mo believed that if they were to unravel the mysteries of this world, both the Anemo and Geo Archons were key. Not that he was looking for a peek at Barbatos in a dress. And certainly not because he wanted to "duel" with a certain someone.
"Follow the dragon?" Paimon looked uneasy. "Isn't that dangerous?"
She could still manage to dodge wild boars or hilichurls by flying out of reach. But a flying dragon? There'd be no escape.
"It is a bit risky," Lumine admitted, tempted but cautious. Even with her current strength, she knew she couldn't handle a creature like that.
At that moment, Su Mo spoke with quiet confidence. "If it's just this dragon, you don't need to worry. If it gets dangerous, I can deal with it."
Though Dvalin was a powerful dragon, his strength wasn't on par with a god. Both the Fatui and the Knights of Favonius had the means to take him down—if they really wanted to. But because he was one of the Four Winds, a guardian of Mondstadt, the Knights had always hesitated to take drastic action.
To Su Mo, a creature of that level wasn't even worth mentioning.
Hearing Su Mo's calm assurance, Lumine and Paimon exchanged glances. If it was truly safe, they too wanted to see what this dragon was all about. And so, the three of them ventured into the forest, following the direction Dvalin had flown.
About half an hour later, they rounded a bend and immediately halted, lowering their bodies to hide.
Just twenty meters ahead, they spotted the massive form of the same teal dragon from before—now crouched on the ground. In front of the dragon's enormous head stood a person dressed like a bard, with a green hat, soft features, and the appearance of a beautiful girl. The bard was speaking to the dragon, seemingly trying to soothe it.
"He's... talking to the dragon?" Paimon whispered in disbelief.
"Looks like he's trying to calm it down," Su Mo replied. "Judging by the way the dragon's moving, it seems agitated."
In the original storyline, Lumine had just gained the power of Anemo at this point, and the resonance between her new elemental affinity and Dvalin or Barbatos would draw their attention, leading to an encounter. But this time, Su Mo had taken precautions. He activated the authority of the [Sky Sovereign] and suppressed the winds around Lumine, preBarbatosng any unwanted resonance.
At least, that's what he thought.
But for some reason, he suddenly noticed that Barbatos—the bard—glanced toward their hiding spot. Could he have been discovered?
He didn't have to wonder long.
Barbatos murmured something to Dvalin, and the dragon glared at him like an annoyed cat eyeing its owner who refused to play. With a roar of frustration, Dvalin spread his wings and launched into the sky, the downforce of his wingbeats flattening trees around him.
Paimon was nearly swept away by the wind, only managing to save herself by grabbing onto Lumine's hair.
By the time the winds settled, the dragon's silhouette had already disappeared into the clouds.
"Phew, that was close!" Paimon exhaled, patting her chest in relief. "Good thing I grabbed your hair—thanks!"
"…" Lumine gave her a blank stare, raising a hand to feel her hair before letting out a sigh of relief. "At least it didn't come off."
Su Mo chuckled from the side. "If you'd actually pulled her hair out, I think tonight's dinner might've been... Paimon stew."
"Hey! Lumine wouldn't do that!" Paimon snapped, quickly turning to the Traveler. "Right? You wouldn't, right?"
But Lumine said nothing, her eyes darting away as if unsure.
If Paimon had pulled out a chunk of her hair... she wasn't entirely sure she could keep her composure.
"H-Hey!" Paimon stammered, visibly shaken by Lumine's hesitation. "Why are you hesitating too?!"
"Well, hair is super important to girls, after all," Su Mo said, shrugging casually—just as the bard, who had remained behind, began walking over.
Though the dragon had flown off, Barbatos hadn't disappeared with it. Instead, he approached them calmly, an amused glint in his eyes. Su Mo seized the opportunity—this was a perfect moment to make small talk and draw him out.
"Hair is a girl's second life, right?" Barbatos said with a cheerful smile, seamlessly picking up the thread of conversation.
"Is that so? I don't really see it that way," Paimon muttered, still confused.
She didn't think there was anything particularly special about her hair.
"Probably because you're still a kid! You'll understand once you grow up," Su Mo remarked as he gave Paimon's childlike figure a quick once-over, then shook his head. At her current size, even using her as a cup would be a crime.
"Ugh… I feel like you're looking down on me," Paimon puffed up her cheeks after noticing Su Mo's gaze, clearly unhappy. But the moment she said that, something else suddenly struck her.
"Wait, hang on! You're that person who was talking to the dragon… how did you get here?!" Only now did she realize Barbatos was standing right there. She immediately yelped and dove behind Lumine in fright. But even that didn't seem safe enough for her. After a brief pause, she peeked out and quickly scurried behind Su Mo instead, finding a bit more comfort there.
Lumine stared at Paimon's over-the-top survival instincts with a complex expression, like she wanted to say something but thought better of it. Watching this, Su Mo suddenly had a revelation: maybe the reason why Lumine didn't talk much in the original story was because she had long since been rendered speechless by Paimon. Paimon really was the embodiment of chaos.
"Haha, no need to be so scared!" Barbatos smiled warmly, his voice as gentle as a spring breeze, trying to soothe the slightly awkward atmosphere. "As a bard, talking to dragons is just part of the job. After all, the songs I compose aren't just about humans—they're about dragons too!"
He really lived up to his name as Barbatos, the God of Anemo. He had the face of sincerity, eyes full of truth, and words that sounded as natural as breathing. If Su Mo hadn't known better, even he might've been fooled.
Lumine, on the other hand, actually was fooled. Her eyes lit up in surprise. "This world has customs like that?"
Different worlds had different cultures, after all. Maybe bards in this world really did talk to dragons.
"Of course not!" Thankfully, Paimon—resident guide and source of common sense—immediately stepped in to correct her.