Night fell quickly over Liyue Harbor. As soon as the sun sank below the horizon, lights came on throughout the port.
Even though the Moonchase Festival was over, many Xiao lanterns still rose into the sky, seemingly left over from the festivities.
Lin En pushed open the door to the inn and set the rations and cold-weather clothing he had bought on the street on the table, checking them one by one.
"Warm clothes, tinderbox, rations, waterskin... Oh, right, and this."
He took the Delusion from inside his robes. Although he didn't want to use it, what if he ran into an emergency? It was better to bring it along.
Ronava liked sitting by the window. Her gaze rested on the Xiao lanterns, and the night breeze gently stirred her silver hair.
"Dragonspine has wind and snow all year round. Those supplies of yours won't last long."
She looked away, took out a pale yellow crystal, and placed it on the table.
"This is from Snezhnaya. It can keep you warm. Carry it with you."
Lin En picked up the crystal. After he held it for a while, warmth spread through his palm.
"When did you..."
"Earlier."
Ronava's answer was brief.
"I bought it while I was out."
"Thanks, Ronava."
Lin En tucked the crystal close to his body, then put the talisman paper in his inner pocket as well.
"Which route are we taking tomorrow?"
"North from Liyue Harbor, through Mingyun Village and into Mondstadt, then south toward Dragonspine."
Ronava had already planned the route.
"About three days on foot."
"Why go through Mondstadt? Wouldn't it be faster to go straight there from Mingyun Village?"
"The mountain paths from Mingyun Village are steep, and the temperature is lower. You wouldn't be able to handle it."
Lin En thought about it. She was right. There was a direct path up the mountain from Mondstadt, but it would take three days to get there. He made an offhand complaint.
"It's even farther than the Chasm."
"You can stay here."
Ronava made the suggestion.
"What are you talking about?"
Lin En tied his bundle tight and tossed it onto the bed.
"You've already been with me for half a month, and now you want me to stay here?"
"Suit yourself. But if something happens, I won't split my attention to save you."
"I can handle myself too."
Early the next morning, the two left Liyue Harbor.
The morning mist had yet to clear, and the fishing boats in the harbor were just raising their sails. Distant mountains appeared and vanished in the haze.
Lin En looked back at the bustling port city one last time.
"The next time I come back, it'll probably be after the Moonchase Festival, I guess."
He muttered to himself.
Seeing the reluctance on his face, Ronava couldn't help asking,
"Don't want to leave?"
"A little."
Lin En smiled.
"After all, this is where I've spent the most time since coming to this world."
Ronava didn't reply. She simply quickened her pace, and Lin En hurried to catch up. The two followed the main road north and soon left the area under Liyue Harbor's jurisdiction.
Mingyun Village was even quieter than Lin En had imagined. Most of the mines had been abandoned, and only a few families remained in their old homes.
After they passed through Mingyun Village, the terrain rose and the temperature dropped noticeably. They could already see the whole of Dragonspine.
That evening, the two camped beside a cliff. Lin En built a fire and toasted their rations while Ronava leaned against the tent with her eyes closed, resting.
A question suddenly popped into Lin En's head, and he wanted to ask Ronava about it.
"Ronava, if you fought Phanes at your peak, what would your chances of winning be?"
Ronava fell silent for a moment at the question.
"Phanes's power is far beyond what you can imagine. Even if I regained all my authority, I still wouldn't be able to do her any meaningful harm."
Lin En took a bite of his rations and spoke indistinctly.
"Then why are you still-"
"That's why I need a descender's help."
"Descenders have a special status and aren't bound by the rules of the Heavenly Principles. With a descender, our chances would be a little better."
"How much better?"
"Less than ten percent."
"That low?"
It seemed there was still a long way to go before they could truly defeat Phanes. But it was fine. Time was the one thing they weren't short of now.
The night was very quiet, apart from the crackling of the fire outside.
The next day, the two entered Mondstadt.
Dragonspine's outline began to appear on the horizon. The mountain, covered in snow all year round, glimmered with a cold white light in the sunlight. Everything above its halfway point was shrouded in clouds and mist, hiding it from view.
The temperature plummeted. Lin En kept the crystal Ronava had given him close to his body, and warmth spread from his chest to his limbs, so he didn't feel quite so cold.
On the evening of the third day, the two finally reached the camp at the foot of the snowy mountain.
Several adventurers were resting at the camp. When they saw Ronava and Lin En approaching, one wearing a red headscarf waved enthusiastically.
"Hey, are you two here to climb the mountain too? A word of advice: things haven't been peaceful up there these past few days. The storms are much worse than in previous years. We just came down from up there."
"Not peaceful?"
Lin En asked. As he remembered it, Durin, the dragon of the snowy mountain, had already merged with Little Durin from the fairy-tale town. Why would things still be unsettled?
"You bet."
Another adventurer came over and lowered his voice.
"There's been strange activity near the ruins halfway up the mountain lately. Some say it's a Ruin Guard moving around, while others say the Fatui are conducting some kind of experiment. Either way, we don't dare go any farther up."
Lin En and Ronava exchanged a glance.
"Thanks for the warning."
Lin En nodded and pulled Ronava over to the edge of the camp.
"The Fatui? Could they be after that nail too?"
"Possibly."
Ronava looked up toward Dragonspine, its towering peak standing before them.
"The Tsaritsa's power alone certainly isn't enough to deal with Phanes. Studying the Skyfrost Nail is a good idea."
"What do we do now?"
"Take a detour and climb from the south side of the mountain. The terrain there is steeper, so there should be fewer troops stationed there."
"Are you sure?"
Ronava tilted her head and glanced at him.
"If you want to force your way through head-on, I have no objection. They're only ants taking orders from others."
"Forget it, forget it. Let's take the south side."
Lin En immediately rejected her dangerous idea. If they fought the Fatui now, what would Snezhnaya think?
If Snezhnaya sent a few Harbingers to hunt them down, the two of them, with their current strength, would be unable to beat them or escape!
They couldn't do that, then. At least, not now.
Wind and snow howled down from the summit of the enormous mountain shrouded in clouds and mist, like some ancient warning.
Lin En retied his bundle tightly.
"Then we'll take the detour. Dragonspine, here we come!"
Early on the fourth morning, the two set out from camp and climbed along the ridge on the south side of the mountain.
The path was even harder than Lin En had imagined. Thick ice coated the steep rock face, and he had to carve out a foothold with his shortsword for every step. Ronava, on the other hand, seemed perfectly at ease.
The wind and snow grew fiercer, and visibility dropped sharply. Frost soon formed on Lin En's eyelashes, and all he could see was a vast expanse of white.
Ronava walked ahead. Every now and then, she stopped and reached out to pull Lin En up a steep slope. Her movements were brisk and efficient, and she offered no unnecessary words.
By evening, the two stopped to rest in a cave sheltered from the wind. Lin En built a fire and propped his soaked coat beside it to dry, his teeth still chattering.
"How much farther?"
"We should reach the ruins halfway up the mountain by noon tomorrow."
There was no emotion at all in Ronava's eyes as she spoke calmly.
"But if the Fatui are stationed near the ruins, there'll be a tough fight."
Lin En rubbed his hands together and held the crystal in his palm.
"Can't we go around them?"
"That's the only way through. I could find a way around them on my own, but not if I'm bringing you along."
Ronava seemed to have concerns. She added,
"But a few of their Harbingers are troublesome. My strength is impaired right now, so I wouldn't stand a chance against them head-on. If we run into them, we leave immediately. There's no need to waste time on this."
Lin En nodded and added a few more pieces of wood to the fire. The flames crackled, and the surrounding snow melted.
He asked,
"What happens if Snezhnaya finds out you're still alive?"
"I have a lot of useful intelligence, and I'm seriously injured now. Rather than kill me, they'd probably prefer to capture me alive and extract information from me."
Ronava voiced her speculation.
Her guess shocked Lin En, but on second thought, it seemed plausible.
"Then if that happens, you... I hope that day never comes."
If Ronava really were captured by Snezhnaya, trying to save her with his current strength would be no different from throwing his life away. No, I have to hurry and get stronger!