By morning, the snow outside the cave had eased considerably.
Lin En yawned, then raised both hands above his head and stretched.
"I'm so sleepy. It was so cold last night that I couldn't sleep at all. I really miss my big bed in Liyue."
Ronava had woken up earlier than Lin En. Instead of resting with her eyes closed as she usually did, she had made a pot of something that could probably be called breakfast.
Lin En looked at the strange... meal? beside him and said in disbelief.
"You made this?"
Ronava nodded and explained.
"That saves you the trouble of making breakfast. We'll set out once we've eaten."
Something about that sounded odd to Lin En, but since she had made breakfast herself, surely it wouldn't hurt to try a little.
Lin En ladled a spoonful of the breakfast, which only vaguely resembled porridge, from the pot into a bowl.
The only provisions they had brought were bread, so this must have been made by boiling it. Lin En sniffed it and caught the scent of wheat, then took a sip.
First, warmth flowed down his throat, followed by a mixture of sweet and salty flavors. It wasn't bad, but why was it so sweet?
Puzzled, he asked.
"Why is this porridge so sweet? How much sugar did you add?"
Ronava gently shook a small empty bottle in her hand and said.
"I thought you liked sweets, so I put it all in."
Lin En stared at his now-empty sugar bottle. That was more sugar than he used to eat in a whole week, and she had put it all in!
Lin En took two more bites. When Ronava saw him put down his chopsticks, she assumed he was finished.
"Done eating?"
"No, but I'm full."
That porridge packed a punch. After two bites, Lin En felt as though he could goose-step all the way from the cave to Snezhnaya.
After breakfast, the two continued their climb. The route was much gentler in the second half, and they didn't encounter a single Fatui patrol along the way. They barely saw any Hilichurls, either.
As they rested on a platform, Lin En wondered, Could it be that the Fatui never came to Dragonspine at all? How come we haven't run into a single one?
Around noon, they reached an open area halfway up the mountain. There was a rocky platform here, backed against the mountainside and facing Mondstadt, with an excellent view.
Behind the platform was a modest-sized cave entrance. A few characters were carved into the rock beside it, and Lin En had to lean closer to make them out: "Starglow Cavern."
"This is the only way to the summit."
With that, Ronava stood in front of the entrance and carefully scanned the surrounding snow. She found no footprints.
"Not a single person?"
Lin En was surprised. Hadn't there been reports of strange activity on the mountain? So far, the two of them hadn't encountered anything.
"Perhaps their information was wrong."
There was no relaxation in Ronava's tone. The scheme she had been caught up in in Snezhnaya had made her more cautious.
"But it's more likely a trap. Stay close to me once we're inside."
The two entered the cavern.
It was a little warmer inside than out. A maze of passages ran through it, and looking up from below, they could see icicles hanging from the ceiling, each as large as a person.
Their footsteps echoed through the cavern. The higher they went, the less light reached them, and one wrong step would send them plunging into a bottomless abyss.
After walking for about ten minutes, they came upon several drawing boards and an assortment of medicine bottles. Sketches of various ores and plants were pinned to the boards.
A person stood with his back to them in front of one of the boards, a charcoal pencil in his hand, seemingly sketching something.
Lin En couldn't think of anyone but Albedo who would be in the mood to draw on a snowy mountain.
Hearing footsteps behind him, Albedo turned around.
"Hmm?"
Albedo looked away from his drawing board and studied Lin En and Ronava. Their sudden arrival seemed to surprise him.
"There are actually people coming to Starglow Cavern at this time?"
"Are you two adventurers?"
Before Lin En could answer, Albedo had already walked over to the table and opened a notebook. He warned them.
"If you're here to sightsee, I suggest you head down the mountain as soon as possible. The elemental flow on the mountain has been very unstable these past few days. Avalanches could break out at any moment above the mountainside, and..."
He looked up, his gaze lingering on Ronava for a moment. His brow furrowed almost imperceptibly.
"This lady... doesn't seem to be an ordinary person. I can't help feeling I've seen her somewhere before."
Ronava didn't answer him. She merely turned slightly, her right hand hanging at her side as a faint black light gathered at her fingertips. She wanted to knock Albedo out and head straight up.
Lin En quickly reached out and grabbed her wrist. If he didn't stop her, Ronava would be wanted in Mondstadt again.
"Are you with the Knights? Did something happen up there?"
Although Lin En knew his name, he thought it best to ask anyway.
"Albedo, chief alchemist of the Knights of Favonius. I'm conducting some... mineral research here. But as I said, the mountain isn't very safe right now. The cause is unknown, but I'm preparing to return to Mondstadt. If you need to, you can come with me."
Albedo closed his notebook and put it in his backpack.
"No, no, we'll go on our own."
This was a perfect opportunity. Once Albedo left, they could head to the summit.
"You're going to the summit?"
Albedo seemed to be able to read minds, seeing through their thoughts at a glance.
"No, no. We're just tired from walking all the way here and wanted to rest first."
Lin En denied it. If Albedo found out they were going after the Skyfrost Nail, wouldn't that bring the Knights down on them?
"I advise you to give up."
Albedo fastened his backpack and looked up at them.
"The elemental concentration on the mountain has been several times higher than in previous years these past two days. That's not normal. We currently suspect someone has tampered with something on the mountain, but we haven't determined exactly what. If you go up now, you may be detained as suspects."
Lin En's little expressions couldn't fool someone as clever as Albedo.
At this, Ronava finally spoke.
"You're saying someone went up the mountain before us?"
"To be precise, it wasn't a person."
Albedo picked up an ore sample from the table and held it out for them to see.
"I noticed something unusual three days ago. The elemental flow here has been redirected by special means. The technique was highly skilled, and the power wasn't one humans possess. It was more like... a dragon's?"
Lin En and Ronava exchanged a glance. Ronava's gaze darkened; she seemed to have thought of something.
"Dragons tampering with the Skyfrost Nail? Are they trying to take revenge on humanity?"
Lin En voiced his guess.
"That's possible."
Albedo slipped the ore into his pocket.
"That's why I suggest you go back. If you insist on going up the mountain, at least wait until I bring the Knights of Favonius here. That way..."
Before he could finish, a low rumble shook the ground beneath their feet.
Before Lin En could react, the layer of snow and the slab of rock beneath him seemed to lose their support, and the whole section of ground collapsed with a crash.
"-!"
All three fell at once.
Flying snow and rubble filled Lin En's vision. His body went weightless for an instant before he landed heavily on a soft bed of snow. Fortunately, the snow was thick enough that, aside from having a little trouble catching his breath, he wasn't hurt.
Ronava was still standing in the snow, apparently unharmed.
Albedo also climbed out of the snow and brushed himself off. He showed no sign of panic; instead, he was calm, as though this had confirmed his expectations.
"Seriously, why aren't either of you panicking?"
Lin En complained as he looked at the two of them. After such a huge collapse, they were acting as though nothing had happened.
"It seems the elemental anomaly has also caused changes to the geological structure."
Albedo looked around.
"Now you know how dangerous it is, don't you?"
Lin En got to his feet and looked up. The opening they had fallen through was at least a dozen meters above them, and the surrounding walls were covered in ice. Climbing back up was almost impossible.
He looked down at the snow beneath his feet and discovered a smooth stone floor beneath it. Intricate patterns were carved into the slabs, glowing faintly in the gloom.
"This is..."
Albedo had already crouched down. He ran his fingers along the patterns in the stone, a flicker of excitement in his eyes.
"The entrance to a domain."
He looked up at the rock wall ahead. A massive stone door stood there, carved with the same patterns as the floor. They were slowly lighting up, as though their weight had activated some mechanism.
"To think there's an undiscovered domain beneath Dragonspine."
Albedo stood up, excitement in his voice. Domains were, after all, remnants of ancient civilizations, and discovering one would surely benefit historical research.
The stone door slowly opened, revealing a deep passage. The light inside was dim, and they couldn't see the end of it, indicating that the space within was vast.
Albedo looked at the stone door, then at the opening overhead, weighing his options for a few seconds.
"I'll go up and bring the Knights of Favonius here to deal with this."
He said.
"You two..."
"We'll go in first."
Ronava spoke up. Lin En glanced at her but didn't object.
Albedo frowned.
"As I said, the mountain is dangerous right now. We don't know what this domain holds. If there's something inside..."
"We know."
Ronava interrupted him.
"But we're in a hurry."
Ignoring Albedo's hesitation, Ronava had already started toward the stone door. Lin En shrugged at Albedo, made an apologetic gesture, and hurried after her.
Albedo stood where he was, watching the two walk away. If anything happened to them, the Knights of Favonius would hold him responsible. He sighed and settled his backpack on his shoulders again.
"All right."
He muttered to himself.
"If I leave you alone and something happens later, the Knights of Favonius will have to write a report."
He hurried after them.