Venti was somewhat surprised. In truth, he had already suspected who had taken Lumine's brother. After all, in all of Teyvat, only the Sustainer of Heavenly Principles could wield spatial manipulation to such an extent. However, since this matter involved Celestia, any direct involvement from him could bring disaster to Mondstadt. As the Anemo Archon, he couldn't afford to take that risk.
"I'm sorry. If you want to find the Sustainer of Heavenly Principles, you can try asking the old man," Venti said, attempting to redirect her to Zhongli.
"The old man? Who's that?" Paimon asked, confused.
"That's the Geo Archon of Liyue. The Geo Archon, Rex Lapis, has ruled for thousands of years. He's the oldest and strongest of the Archons."
"Is he stronger than the Sustainer of Heavenly Principles?"
"Well…" Venti hesitated.
"Alright, how do we find Rex Lapis?" Lumine, sensing Venti's awkwardness, decided to move on. How reliable is this guy, anyway?
"In about half a month, it will be the Rite of Descension in Liyue. It's an annual event where the Geo Archon descends to issue divine decrees. If you miss it, you'll have to wait another year," Venti explained truthfully.
"Half a month… I see. By the way, how's the repair of the Holy Lyre der Himmel coming along?" Lumine suddenly remembered something. Venti had said he would repair the lyre, so it hadn't been returned to the church yet.
"Uh… it should be almost done?" Venti's gaze shifted uncomfortably. After resolving the Stormterror crisis, Diluc had invited everyone to a celebration at Dawn Winery. In his drunken state, Venti had vaguely promised Yun Fan that he would repair the lyre. He hadn't actually planned to do it, but now that Lumine was asking, he had to come up with something.
"Almost done? Do you even have the lyre, or have you not repaired it at all?" Lumine looked at Venti suspiciously, making him break out in a cold sweat.
"Give me three more days. I'll definitely have it repaired by then, and we'll return it to the Church of Favonius together," Venti declared loudly, drawing the attention of the other patrons.
"Alright, I get it. Keep it down," Lumine said, gesturing for Venti to lower his voice.
She had always been concerned about the Holy Lyre. After all, she had been involved in stealing it. If it wasn't returned, she would feel uneasy.
You were the one who just slammed the table! Venti silently complained in his heart.
"Then we'll take our leave. See you in three days," Lumine waved goodbye to Venti and left, carrying the drowsy Paimon.
"What a hassle. Charles, bring me five more bottles of Dandelion Wine," Venti shook his head and ordered more drinks. He planned to drown his sorrows in alcohol today. As for the Holy Lyre… he'd just use an illusion to fool them when the time came!
"Traveler, when do you plan to head to Liyue?" Paimon, now awake, asked about their earlier conversation.
"I plan to ask Yun Fan. As a merchant from Liyue, he might know more about Rex Lapis and the Rite of Descension," Lumine said. She wanted to confirm Yun Fan's opinion since they were traveling companions. She couldn't make decisions unilaterally.
"That makes sense," Paimon nodded. Plus, she was hungry, and it was almost time for dinner.
Creak~
"Hi, Yun Fan, we're back," Paimon greeted Yun Fan.
"You're back? Dinner's almost ready. I've already asked the kitchen to prepare it," Yun Fan smiled as Lumine and Paimon walked in.
"Huh? What's this? Such a beautiful flower!" Paimon flew over to Yun Fan, eyeing the exquisitely crafted flower in his hand.
"This? Just think of it as a flower. Lumine, come here," Yun Fan chuckled and called Lumine over.
"Yun Fan, what is it?" Lumine sat down beside him, puzzled. They were close, only about two fists apart, and she could faintly feel the warmth radiating from him.
"This is for you."
Yun Fan brushed his hand over the flower, and a golden feather separated from it, gently floating into Lumine's palm.
"What's this?" Lumine asked curiously. The feather felt warm, almost like the care her brother used to give her.
"You can think of it as a piece of armor. However, it protects your soul and consciousness, not your body."
After hearing Yun Fan's explanation, Lumine was tempted but handed the feather back to him.
"This is too precious. I can't accept it."
"Haha, it's not that precious," Yun Fan shook his head and snapped his fingers. Instantly, the delicate flower scattered into thousands of identical feathers, drifting through the air in the small room.
"This…" Lumine was stunned. She had thought such a divine artifact would be incredibly rare, but Yun Fan had just produced thousands of them. How could she not be shocked?
"So, just take it. Consider it a gift for a fellow traveler," Yun Fan offered the feather again. This time, Lumine didn't refuse. She wasn't one to be overly sentimental.
After accepting the feather, Lumine closed her eyes, sensing an inexplicable call. She pressed the feather to her forehead.
A soft glow flashed, and the feather from the Fenghuang Down merged into her mind.
"How does it feel?" Yun Fan asked curiously. This was the first time he had bestowed a feather on someone.
"I…" Lumine felt a wave of dizziness and leaned back, startling Yun Fan. He quickly reached out to steady her.
Checking her breathing, Yun Fan sighed in relief when he realized she had just fainted. This was beyond his expectations. In theory, this shouldn't have happened.
Yun Fan activated the Fenghuang Down's main body, carefully sensing the feedback from the feather he had bestowed.
"So that's what happened," Yun Fan understood. The feather, following his automatic protection directive, had clashed with the power sealing Lumine's memories the moment it entered her mind, causing her to faint.
"I forgot about that."