At the Adventurers' Guild camp at the foot of Dragonspine, a swarm of Whopperflowers was inexplicably surging toward the encampment. Despite the adventurers' desperate resistance, their fragile defenses were on the verge of collapse.
"Didn't we send people up the mountain to find Eula and the others? Why haven't they come back yet? If they don't return soon, we'll all be feeding those Whopperflowers!"
"President, the snowstorm on the mountain just stopped. Our people probably won't be back that quickly."
Cyrus let out a helpless sigh. He understood, but he couldn't help complaining. Just a few days ago, the foot of Dragonspine had been a safe zone. How had it turned into a Whopperflower gathering spot so quickly?
He had organized this event hoping to raise his standing among the new adventurers. Now, if these rookies died here, his days as branch president were numbered.
"Even Bennett hasn't sent word? I thought he went up the mountain to look for Amber days ago."
"President, we searched the entire base of the mountain. There's no sign of Bennett. He's probably fallen into another trap somewhere."
Cyrus smiled bitterly. He should never have agreed to let Bennett search for his friends. Now Bennett was missing too.
"Fate has decreed!"
"Everything can be blown up!"
Suddenly, explosions erupted from behind the Whopperflower swarm. Cyrus perked up. That voice—if he wasn't mistaken, it was the Spark Knight, Klee.
Thank goodness. It looked like his position as branch president was safe. Cyrus clenched his fists in excitement, silently vowing never to hold an event on this mountain again. It was far too dangerous.
"Uncle Cyrus, where are the wounded? I've brought a healer."
Amber's voice came from above. Cyrus looked up to see her flying overhead, carrying a small child. Seeing her fly so steadily with a child in her arms, Cyrus silently praised her skills as an Outrider.
Despite his admiration, he quickly directed Amber to land outside a tent. Seeing Amber had arrived, Cyrus finally felt at ease. With Amber and Klee here, those Cryo Whopperflowers wouldn't stand a chance.
On the mountain, Eula gazed worriedly toward the camp below. Though Albedo had assured her that Amber and Qiqi were enough, she still couldn't shake her concern.
"Eula, don't worry too much. Su Bai told me that an astrologist named Mona and Klee have also gone down. With Klee's bombs, there shouldn't be any problems."
Noticing Eula's distraction, Albedo kindly offered some reassurance. Eula merely huffed in response.
"Hmph. Who said I was worried about them? I'm just thinking about how to get revenge if something happens to them."
"Hehe, with Klee around, this director isn't worried about the others. But this young man Albedo, do you have another one of those black boxes that glows and sends messages? Let me have a look."
Knowing Albedo was good friends with Su Bai, Hu Tao was quick to warm up to him. After all, Albedo was Su Bai's friend, Su Bai was her friend, so Albedo was her friend too. The logic seemed sound.
"Um, Director Hu, I'm afraid I'll have to disappoint you. The black box I have is just a prototype. I gave the other one to Amber so she could contact Su Bai. If you want one, you'll have to wait until I make another."
"By the way, Eula, you mentioned seeing another 'me' in the cave. Could you tell me more about that?"
Eula nodded and recounted what she had encountered in the cave. When she finished, Hu Tao added:
"Amber told me she also saw Albedo near one of the avalanche sites."
"I see. So someone's been using my face to cause trouble. How interesting."
Albedo's eyes gleamed with curiosity. He remembered Su Bai asking him an odd question not long ago. Now it seemed that question hadn't been random—Su Bai must have sensed something.
"Let's pick up the pace. Before Amber left, I taught her how to use the prototype to send messages. Once we reach the summit and meet up with Su Bai, you can use his prototype to communicate with her."
"Really? Great! This director can't wait to try it out."
On another path leading to the summit, Lumine glanced worriedly toward the foot of the mountain. When an Adventurers' Guild member had requested help earlier, only Mona and Klee had gone down. She wondered how they were doing.
"Don't worry, Lumine. Mona and Klee will be fine."
"Albedo sent Amber and Qiqi as well. Four of them against a swarm of Whopperflowers is more than enough. Especially since those Whopperflowers are Cryo-aligned."
Lumine nodded slightly. Su Bai had a point. A bunch of mindless Whopperflowers—if Klee had enough bombs, she could probably handle them alone. Four people would definitely be fine.
Su Bai wasn't too concerned either. Before Mona left, he had given her his prototype, telling her to send a message once the camp was secure.
By his estimate, she should be done by now. When they met up with Albedo, they should be able to see the message Mona had sent.
"By the way, Lumine, do you know of anything born from evil forces?"
"Born from evil forces?"
Lumine was stumped. In other worlds, she had seen plenty of things born from evil forces—and killed quite a few of them too. But in Teyvat, aside from Abyss creatures, she couldn't think of anything else. Oh wait, there were also the Delusions used by the Fatui Harbingers. Those were also filled with evil energy.
"Could it be the Abyss?"
"No, the power doesn't seem to come from the Abyss. It feels more... unique than that. And that black figure didn't seem entirely born from evil."
Recalling the feeling the shadow had given him, Su Bai frowned. As a child, he and Itto had ambushed plenty of Abyss Mages. He knew their aura well. The shadow's presence was only vaguely similar to the Abyss.
"Never mind. We'll cross that bridge when we come to it. Since that shadow keeps lingering nearby, it'll show itself again. Next time, we'll just grab it and ask directly."