The afternoon sun was dazzling over Liyue Harbor.
After half a month of rest, Lin En's injuries had mostly healed. Although the scar on his arm remained and his chest still ached faintly when he took a deep breath, he could at least accompany Ronava on a walk through Liyue Harbor's streets.
During those two weeks, Ronava had barely left the inn. Most of the time, she sat by the window reading ancient texts, occasionally looking up at the crowds outside.
"We're leaving for Dragonspine tomorrow?"
Lin En held out a freshly bought skewer of candied fruit.
Ronava glanced at it, took it, and bit off one piece. She frowned.
"Too sweet."
"It tastes good because it's sweet. Would you eat it if it were bitter?"
She made no further comment, holding the skewer without eating a second piece.
The two walked west along the harbor. As they passed a Xiao Lantern stall, Lin En was wondering whether to buy a couple when he caught sight of a familiar golden-haired figure out of the corner of his eye-the Traveler.
The golden-haired figure stood by the harbor, gazing out at the sea with Paimon, seemingly waiting for someone.
Lin En instinctively looked at Ronava beside him. She had already stopped, and her eyes held an icy killing intent.
"Ronava, don't get worked up. Calm down."
At Lin En's words, she calmed down somewhat. Now that her authority had been reclaimed, and her target was Phanes, perhaps she could make use of the Traveler.
Just then, Lumine seemed to sense something and turned around. Her gaze passed over Lin En with a trace of confusion before landing on Ronava.
In that instant, Lin En saw Lumine's pupils contract sharply.
"-!"
Paimon clapped her little hands over her mouth and darted behind Lumine.
"Ro-Ro... Ronava!!!"
Lumine reacted even faster. In an instant, the Sword of Descension appeared in her hand, its tip pointed straight at Ronava. Killing intent filled the air, and a fight seemed ready to break out.
"How are you here?"
Lumine's voice was low and cold. She knew Ronava had escaped, but she had never found out where she had gone. Now, of all places, she had appeared in Liyue.
Those golden eyes, usually so gentle, were now filled with hostility. Lin En could even see the hand holding her sword trembling slightly.
"Ruler of Death, you're still alive?"
Startled by the sudden pressure, pedestrians at the harbor hurried out of the way. Several soldiers dressed as Fatui also stopped and looked over warily.
Ronava stood where she was, neither retreating nor making any move to defend herself. She merely stared coldly at Lumine.
"It's been a long time, Traveler."
Her tone was mild, as if she were greeting an ordinary acquaintance, but to Lumine, that indifference clearly only made her anger burn hotter.
"A long time?"
Lumine gave a cold laugh.
"You know perfectly well what you did in Snezhnaya."
Lin En stood between them, caught in a difficult position.
"Wait, we can talk about this!"
"Step back."
Ronava's voice brooked no argument.
But Lin En didn't step back. He stepped forward, blocking the space between them, and raised both hands, forcing a smile.
"Traveler, my name's Lin En. Ronava is traveling with me now. She means no harm. Could you calm down first? Then we can have a proper talk?"
Lumine's gaze shifted from Ronava to Lin En. The killing intent in her eyes eased for an instant, only to sharpen again.
"Are you one of hers?"
"No, no, I'm... how do I put it? I'm her traveling companion? Her friend? Anyway, we're not on the same side-no, we are, but not in the way you're thinking..."
The more Lin En spoke, the more tangled his explanation became.
"Do you know she nearly... Paimon..."
Lumine interrupted Lin En, never taking her eyes off Ronava.
"Get back. She's dangerous!"
Ronava took a step forward. Lin En felt the hairs on the back of his neck stand on end, but he didn't move aside.
"Ronava, don't move yet."
He lowered his voice.
"Let me talk to her."
Ronava gave him a warning.
"With your current strength, you can't stop her."
"I know."
Lin En turned to Ronava.
"But I said I'd protect you."
Ronava looked at him. A faint flicker passed through her golden eyes, and she calmed down.
"Traveler."
Ronava finally spoke, her voice almost cold.
"I had no intention of killing Paimon. What happened in Snezhnaya was dictated by the rules. Her existence touched on certain things that should not have been touched, so I was required to act."
"So you were going to kill her?"
Lumine's voice trembled, holding back anger and fear. He had felt the same way when facing the Ruin Serpent in The Chasm.
"I didn't kill her."
Ronava explained, but the tip of Lumine's sword didn't waver. Facing the Ruler of Death, she didn't dare let her guard down for a moment.
"That's because The Jester stopped you. If it weren't for him..."
"Even without him, I still wouldn't have killed her."
Ronava cut her off.
"Rules are rules. I only meant to retrieve her. As a creation of Celestia, she should return to Celestia."
Lumine fell silent, her gaze moving over Ronava's face as if searching for a flaw.
Lin En seized the opening and hurriedly spoke up.
"Traveler, I know you don't trust her, but could you do me this favor?"
After he said that, the standoff resumed.
"Do you know who she is?"
"I do."
Lin En nodded.
"The Ruler of Death, the shadow of the Heavenly Principles, a being who wields the authority of death. But the one she's after now is Phanes. That doesn't conflict with your goal."
Lumine's frown deepened.
"She's going up against Phanes?"
"It's a long story."
Lin En scratched his head.
"Anyway, she's gathering power scattered across Teyvat, preparing to settle things with Phanes. Don't you want to settle your own score with the Heavenly Principles? The enemy of your enemy is a friend, at least for now, right?"
Lumine was silent for a long time. She stared at Ronava for a while, then finally put away her sword.
"I won't trust you."
She spoke to Ronava.
"I don't need your pathetic trust."
Ronava's tone was as lofty as ever.
"All I need from you now is to get out of my way."
Lumine's expression shifted slightly. Lin En noticed her fingers tighten, then relax again. She seemed to weigh something before finally turning sideways and stepping half a pace aside.
"You'd better remember what you said today."
She stepped forward and walked between Lumine and Paimon.
Lin En hurried after her. As he passed Lumine, he lowered his voice and said, "Thank you," then quickened his pace to catch up.
After walking a dozen or so steps, Lin En couldn't help looking back. Lumine was still standing there, her gaze fixed on Ronava's retreating figure.
Lin En turned forward and hurried after Ronava.
Paimon watched the two walk away and spoke, still shaken.
"Traveler, you just let her go?"
"We still don't know how strong Ronava is right now. It's better to be careful."
The Traveler answered truthfully. Besides, she had never seen the person with Ronava before. She would have to be on her guard from now on.
"Then do we need to tell Snezhnaya?"
"Yeah. Looks like we need to go back to Snezhnaya first."
Meanwhile.
"Just our luck. How did we run into the Traveler?"
Lin En grumbled, but then he realized it made sense. It was the Moonchase Festival, so it was natural for the Traveler to come to Liyue for the festivities.
Hearing Lin En grumble, Ronava asked,
"You know them?"
"A little."
"It seems we need to move faster. We're going to Dragonspine tomorrow."