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Ninguang's plans for rebuilding the Jade Chamber attract a small crowd even without forewarning. She enlists the merchants' help through artfully given promises and leaves them to ponder her offer.
With all of her undying enthusiasm, Paimon cheerfully proposes, "Let's join the contest!"
Venti has one baffled question. "Why?'
The traveler stays silent, but their expression matches Venti's own well enough.
Undeterred, Paimon just as cheerfully adds, "So we can help Ninguang! And, of course, don't you want that prize?"
"No? Again, why?" Venti can't even hope that Paimon is joking. She never is. "What would we even ask that she wouldn't tell us as is regardless? And how are we supposed to find building materials? We know almost nothing about that."
Please let logic work. This once, let Paimon accept logic.
"But we could ask about their sibling! Oh, and Paimon could ask how to run a business. We'd never run out of money!"
Venti turns to Lumine, wordlessly begging for some support. They shrug, corner of lips quirked up. "It seems like most of these traders also have no idea what those materials are."
"No. You are not on board with this. It makes no sense for us to join this contest and you know that."
Lumine grimaces and says, "well... It's Paimon."
Met with that argument, Venti doesn't have much to retort. He tries one last time, for the sake of it. "She won't have any new information on your brother, or she would've told you."
"I know."
Paimon bursts in excited sparkles. "C'mon, let's go talk to Ninguang! Maybe she can tell us where to start looking."
Venti and the traveler sigh in unison and go to follow Paimon.
The giant raging kind-of dragon whipping its head above the sea explained well enough Venti's bad feeling in Liyue of the past weeks.
A partner of Osial, the last standing soul behind the angry vanquished god, Ninguang tells them, impassionate. Venti restrains his wince, looks around to find their preparations, not to avoid the sea's gaze.
The blur of the land underneath them changes into blue, the Jade Chamber casting its shadow on the harbor. It's almost funny in its familiarity.
The sea serpent roars, and the battle begins.
It's impressive, Liyue's people's plans. The traveler stays beside Ninguang, quickly giving him an excited hidden grin. It's not their fight, so they can enjoy the show. Shots from the Ballista come from all around, and Venti has to admit it's beautiful, if not quite as all encompassing as the first fight was.
She roars again, her loss clearly inevitable, many injuries showing through her translucent skin. The air suddenly feels heavy and humid, the water churns, recedes, and raises above all of them in an impossible, crushing wave heading for the people on land.
Venti can see on the island Ganyu prepare a shot; she hasn't been interfering up until now. This wave, he realizes, is beyond what they've prepared for. It won't lose them the battle, only cost them more casualties, crushed and flattened to the uneven edges of Guyun Stones.
The traveler acts before Ganyu. Venti snaps his attention back to her, admires her smooth movements. The jump, perfectly calculated, brings her head to head with the goddess' remains, sword at the ready.
The traveler's body gets thrown away in a blink, flight abruptly interrupted by a hard rock spear. Venti startles as Shenhe gasps and desperately launches herself towards Lumine before she even touches the ground.
To be fair to their newest friend, Shenhe has no idea how strong Lumine actually is. Inhuman. This hit, while unpleasant, wasn't anything remotely threatening. The sea serpent hadn't even used much magic, most of it imbued within the ongoing wave. One would require a lot more force to really harm the traveler.
Right? What if he's wrong, what if he missaw, misunderstood, made a mistake again, overestimated and it's too late now they will stay still forever eyes closed, limbs limp, what if-
Getting to the island is a matter of seconds with the glider and a convenient storm all around them. Shenhe leaves Lumine behind; she looks truly angry, scowl more real than anything Venti ever saw on her face.
He calmly crosses the few steps to Lumine, still on the sand, crouches beside her and waits ( please please please please pleas -) a second for her to wake up.
She groans and sluggishly facepalms. "This," she bites out with a hoarse voice, "never happened."
Venti teasingly smiles ( thank god, thank celestia, you knew she was alright ), helping her up, says, "sorry, but pretty sure everyone saw that. Center-stage of the fight and all."
"My reputation is ruined," she laments, leaning with her forehead on his shoulder. Venti soothingly pets her, amusement clear in every movement.
Behind them something resoundingly cracks under pressure. Venti gives himself a moment to remember that, oh yeah, they're still not done with the big fight, and turns around, Lumine sliding off him to stand by herself.
The wave, frozen to its core, shatters apart, elemental magic heavily layered around it. The pieces heavily fall into the water, a couple of splashes reaching them. The droplets are cold enough to feel burning where they reach the skin.
"Nice," the traveler approves. They spot Shenhe heading past the hail.
On unanimous decision, Venti and the traveler run towards the shore and further, jumping on the bigger pieces of ice. It's hard to keep the balance in the storm and more natural but still imposing waves, but a burst of air there and there and they manage to dance through the sea. Venti hears amidst the water's howl Lumine faintly laughing and, as something finally relaxes in him, joins her.
They jump in the vortex a second after Shenhe, wind blowing away the sound of their approach and smoothing their landing.
The ensuing fight is short, most of time wasted by the sea serpent hiding in water, where wind couldn't reach yet. Shenhe blends in with them well enough once she stops throwing confused and wary looks at Lumine. Venti's pretty sure he catches Lumine heartfeltly smack one of the heads with her bare hands instead of the sword, an expression of pure pettiness on her face. At least it wasn't with her head, he shakes his own and blows away the water construct into millions of droplets, rainbow suddenly streaming through them.
Osial's wife roars, wails one last time and finally retreats. Venti only starts thinking of how they're gonna get out of here when, without her influence, the vortex collapses and the walls of water swallow them immediately.
Damn, and he'd managed to remain relatively dry until now.
They're left to victoriously swim back to the nearest shore in frigid cold water. Of their trio, Lumine is affected by the cold the most, but even for her it's mostly just annoying and unpleasant, as evidenced by her speeding up and leaving them behind.
Thankfully, one of Millelith's boats fits them in for the ride back to mainland. Once there, Ninguang takes pity on their soaked puppy look and lets them go, everything postponed until at the very least after they've dried.
The trek to the end of the city is a tad too long in wet clothes, and by the time they make it into the room they've been staying at the past few days the feeling grows from slightly unpleasant to downright awful. Still, they laugh and smile, still buzzing with remnants of the experience.
A sparkling fire and a few hours later, they're both dry, comfortable and, in Venti's case, free to overthink.
Lumine takes one long look at him and tugs him away from his head, into the night streets and out of the city, higher and higher until they're standing on the peak of the mountain facing Liyue Harbor. From here, he can see the calm waters of the sea, bright points shining over the dark surface that he knows to be the Crux Fleet. The city itself shines just as bright, full of life.
To their right, slightly higher, the restored Jade Chamber glows, warm orange lanterns in every corner.