Earth.
Sparkle's livestream.
Meta-player Sparkle watched this sword strike.
She almost went.
Almost went to the afterlife.
"So strong, bros. I have to pull for this."
"Feels like this move is just a basic skill."
[Probably is. We've never seen Mu Yang shout skill names before—just one sword strike per small fry.]
[Azure Dragon's Lunge? How does that even work?]
[Don't be ridiculous.]
[Diluc: My moment hasn't even come yet, and I'm already outdated, folks.]
[Not a basic skill, right? There aren't even any special effects.]
[The new character isn't fully designed yet. At least it shows miHoYo isn't cutting corners.]
Back in Teyvat.
The Electro Cicin Mage had no chance to react.
She went down instantly.
Mu Yang unleashed another sword aura.
Slaying one of the Fatui Pyro Agents.
The other one seemed to have slipped into a hidden passage.
His voice could still be heard echoing:
"Don't get too cocky. Just wait until I bring 'The Fair Lady'—you'll regret this."
"'The Fair Lady' will punish you..."
"The bard of Mondstadt will use your fate to compose nightmares that will keep children awake!"
Paimon fired back.
"All bark and no bite, huh? Still ran away in the end."
Mu Yang turned toward the direction of the voice.
"Hah, 'The Fair Lady,' the 8th Harbinger? If the Fatui want to fight me..."
"At the very least, you'd need to bring your 'Captain' along."
Lumine walked over. "'The Captain'?"
"The top-ranked Harbinger." (Correct guess—come see the smugness.)
Just the title of "top-ranked" said it all.
If the 8th could strut around Mondstadt like she owned the place...
Wouldn't the top-ranked one be unstoppable?
The group's understanding of Mu Yang's strength reached new heights.
Of course, they didn't know...
The only reason "The Fair Lady" could act so arrogantly in Mondstadt...
Was because Venti felt he owed her.
Otherwise, she would've been smacked down long ago.
Mu Yang handed the Holy Lyre der Himmel to Lumine.
"Let's get out of this place first."
"Mm."
The group left the Fatui hideout.
On the way, Lumine asked Mu Yang why he was here.
Why he came looking for the Holy Lyre.
This place was so well-hidden.
They'd only found it thanks to Master Diluc's intelligence network.
Mu Yang answered her questions one by one.
Most of it, of course, was made up.
Mu Yang said he'd been at the Cat's Tail.
When he heard commotion outside about the Knights of Favonius.
After asking around, he learned a blonde traveler had stolen the Holy Lyre.
And now the Knights were investigating.
They even showed him a sketch, asking if he recognized the person.
"I knew it was you at a glance."
Lumine was speechless.
How could you tell?
That sketch was so abstract. (Reference: Honkai: Star Rail.)
The only defining feature was the blonde hair!
[Hahaha, look at Lumine's face—she's completely done.]
[LMAO, "I knew it was you at a glance."]
[Bro's using his observational skills in the wrong places, I'm dead.]
[You could tell from something that abstract?]
Even Paimon couldn't hold back her complaints.
"You could actually recognize her from that?"
Mu Yang nodded.
Then, he said he spotted a suspicious figure.
Carrying a lyre that radiated anemo energy.
Probably the so-called Holy Lyre.
"So I followed them."
"Turns out they were pretty alert too—used teleportation and decoys along the way."
"Almost lost them."
Paimon agreed.
That Electro Cicin Mage was fast.
Luckily, Mu Yang eventually tracked them to the hideout.
The rest was history.
Mu Yang, alone with his sword.
Cleared out the entire Fatui base.
After hearing the story, Paimon grinned.
"So this was like, 'seeing injustice and drawing your sword to help'?"
"Hehe, thought you were the type who only moved for Mora. Didn't expect you to be a good guy after all."
Mu Yang replied.
"I was paid. That glass of juice was delicious."
"I figured if I brought back the Holy Lyre, the Knights would lift your wanted status."
When Mu Yang finished speaking.
His gaze met Lumine's.
Under his stare, Lumine's cheeks seemed to warm slightly.
She quickly looked away.
"Th-Thanks."
Lumine's inner thoughts:
'Lumine, what's wrong with you? He's just repaying a favor.'
'It's your own fault for paying for his drink without asking.'
———
Livestream.
Guinaifen asked the chat.
"Don't you guys think Mu Yang talks way more when he's around us?"
"Is this what they call 'secretly tsundere'?"
[He really does. With everyone else, he's practically mute.]
[So stingy with words—won't even ask questions during interrogations.]
[Confirmed smol boy energy—turns into a chatterbox around his crush.]
[Your "smol boy" one-shots Fatui agents, huh?]
[Fatui: Our lives are worth less than a 500-Mora glass of juice?]
[Diluc: So what was I even here for?]
[Master Diluc's just here for the participation trophy.]
———
The group returned to the gates of Mondstadt.
Mu Yang bid them farewell.
Paimon asked him.
"You're not coming with us?"
Mu Yang: "I'd rather not get in that bard's way."
Lumine understood.
"After all, Dvalin is Venti's friend."
Mu Yang: "If you need anything, come find me at the Cat's Tail."
Lumine replied, "Got it."
Then, carrying the Holy Lyre, they returned to the Angel's Share.
To reunite with Venti and Acting Grand Master Jean.
[LMAO, feels like Mu Yang knows Venti's the Anemo Archon.]
[Of course he knows. Threatened to fight his familiar and now he's too scared to show up, I'm dead.]
[If these two fought, wouldn't the destruction be worse than Dvalin's rampage? Could Mondstadt even handle it?]
[It'd be fine if they fought. Have you guys not seen the Mu Yang x Venti fanart?]
[Don't just talk about it—where's the sauce?]
[Spill it, I'm desperate.]
Guinaifen quickly intervened.
"Folks, don't post that stuff in the livestream—the mods will come."
"DM me privately instead."
[You sly devil.]
———
Time flows differently between Teyvat and parallel Earth.
For example, when Lumine rests,
The game just fades to black with a subtitle to skip ahead.
Mu Yang decided to return to the Goethe Grand Hotel to rest.
Even though fighting those small fries didn't tire him out.
There wasn't much else to do right now.
He was just waiting for one last thing.
Then he could leave Mondstadt and start making his presence known in Liyue.
Over the next few days.
Lumine was busy working to purify Dvalin.
First, collecting tear crystals, then purifying them.
Infusing them into the Holy Lyre.
Unexpectedly, when they finally used the Holy Lyre...
It was shattered in one strike.
But the Holy Lyre wasn't Venti's real trump card.
The true key was Lumine.
Because Venti realized the corruption in the tear crystals.
Was the same as the poison affecting Dvalin.
So the group headed to Stormterror's Lair.
Planning to use Lumine's purification powers.
To cleanse Dvalin's mind in his own territory.
The only Knight of Favonius joining this operation was Jean.
But that didn't mean the others were slacking off in the city.
Just waiting for the heroes to return.
Outside the protagonist's perspective.
The Knights had their own duties to handle.
Outrider Amber had long noticed hilichurl camps gathering near Mondstadt.
This was highly unusual.
So Jean ordered them.
While she was away.
To protect Mondstadt at all costs.
If necessary, they could hire Mu Yang.