After Lumine and Su Bai finished thawing the ice on the Nail fragments, a tremor ran through the mountain as the pieces slowly drew together and reassembled into their original form.
"Wow, I didn't expect it to look like this. It looks extraordinary."
The Skyfrost Nail rose slowly, releasing a wave of energy that spread across the entire mountain. Albedo tensed warily, but aside from the burst of energy, nothing unusual happened.
"We should leave this place. Since Su Bai's back down, let's head to my camp to rest."
No one objected. Only Hu Tao stared at the Nail with a troubled expression. It might have been her imagination, but after the fragments merged, she thought she saw countless restless souls trapped within it. She wondered what the Nail was really for.
Though curious, she doubted anyone around her knew anything about it. Maybe she could ask Zhongli when she returned to Liyue Harbor. He might have some answers.
Unaware of her thoughts, the others followed Su Bai and Albedo to his camp.
"Albedo, I didn't know you liked the 'thieves who trashed the place' style. Very unique."
"Paimon, you idiot. This place has clearly been robbed."
Lumine sighed, pointing out the obvious. Albedo scanned his camp and quickly noticed that his alchemical notes were missing.
"So they did come. Impatient, aren't they?"
"Albedo, should we track down the thief? Stealing from you is outrageous!"
"No need. It's just a notebook. In a few days, they'll regret taking it."
Paimon flew around indignantly, but Albedo just shook his head with a smile. Now wasn't the time. When the moment came, the culprit would come to him.
"For now, the priority is to assemble another prototype and contact Amber and the others at the foot of the mountain."
Albedo busied himself at the alchemy bench, and Su Bai cooperated by handing him a talisman and a drop of blood. Seeing this, Shenhe's brow furrowed in anger. She grabbed the stone pedestal she had been carrying and raised it over Albedo's head. Su Bai barely stopped her in time and explained that this was necessary for the device. If he hadn't, Albedo might have needed immediate repairs.
Lumine winced at the sight. Shenhe truly was as fierce as she looked. Su Bai breathed a sigh of relief as Shenhe lowered the pedestal. If she had actually hit Albedo, he would have needed a full overhaul—and considering the factory that made him no longer existed, there might not have been anywhere to send him.
Over the past few days, Albedo had told Su Bai that he was an artificial human. He had expected Su Bai to distance himself, but instead, Su Bai had simply asked if he could create another artificial being to handle administrative work. The question had caught Albedo off guard—that was well beyond his current abilities.
But it did give him a new research direction. Perhaps he could create an intelligent being to assist people in their work. Not that he'd ever make one for those nuns in Mondstadt—they were already busy enough, and that Rosaria still found time to keep an eye on him.
At that very moment, a certain nun teaching Barbara how to deal with monsters in the wild sneezed. Facing Barbara's worried gaze, Rosaria finally understood why she was so beloved in Mondstadt. Who wouldn't like such a kind-hearted girl? Though she'd be happier if Barbara didn't keep an eye on her too.
"Trying to harm our Chief Alchemist right under the nose of a Favonius Knight? I'll remember this grudge!"
Shenhe glanced at Eula, who was posing with her hands on her hips. For some reason, the more she looked at her, the more Eula resembled one of those tsundere supporting characters from light novels—and in those stories, ninety-nine percent of such characters ended up as losers.
A faint smile tugged at the corner of Shenhe's mouth. Lumine, who had just been marveling at Shenhe's no-nonsense demeanor, nearly fell off her chair when she saw that smile. Good heavens—Shenhe had actually smiled!
"By the way, Bennett, now that you've found Eula, shouldn't you head down the mountain?"
"With your luck, staying on this mountain could be dangerous. It's far riskier than most places."
Hu Tao's suggestion earned nods from everyone. The mountain was far more perilous than other areas, and Bennett was more likely than anyone to run into life-threatening trouble.
"Everyone, I've finished assembling a simple device. Come take a look."
Bennett was about to respond when Albedo's voice interrupted from the alchemy bench. Curiosity piqued, the group crowded around. Even Bennett joined in.
On a small glowing screen, Albedo's words appeared: How's the situation down there? After a brief pause, text flooded the screen:
The Whopperflowers at the foot of the mountain have been dealt with. How are things on your end?
Brother Albedo! Sister Mona is taking a bath. Klee and Qiqi are playing!
Klee! Don't send random messages with that device! Amber can see them too!
What? Mona's taking a bath? I want to bathe too!
Amber, don't come over here!
Let me see!
Awkward silence fell over Albedo's camp. It seemed the situation down the mountain was under control, but the device was a bit too sensitive—it had transmitted even their inner thoughts.
"Ahem, this is just a prototype. There's still room for improvement."
Albedo cleared his throat awkwardly. Paimon, however, was fascinated by the device. She held it dreamily and said:
"If Katheryne had one of these, Lumine wouldn't have to run back and forth to pick up commissions every day."
"Lumine could finish one commission and accept the next right away. Then she could do way more commissions every day and earn so much more Mora!"
The more she spoke, the brighter her eyes became, already envisioning a world where she became Teyvat's richest person. Lost in her fantasy, she failed to notice Lumine's face darkening. Lumine gritted her teeth and squeezed out:
"Paimon, do you think I'm a mule that doesn't need rest? I think it's time I reminded you who's in charge! Everyone, Paimon and I have some private matters to attend to. Don't wait up."
"Huh?! Su Bai, save me~"
"Paimon, may Rex Lapis watch over you."