Chapter Summaries

Lin En rescued the gravely wounded Ronava, the Ruler of Death, after using a system gift to heal her enough to survive. Once she awoke in his shelter, Ronava questioned how he knew who she was and what would happen to her, while Lin En hinted that he had seen her in another place and time.

• Lin En found Ronava injured in the sky and gave her a Soul-Returning Pill, but she soon lost consciousness as he caught her.
• Seven days earlier, Lin En had received a system mission to save Ronava and a one-hour Ruler Trial Card, then waited on the Skyfrost Nail until she appeared.
• Ronava awoke in Lin En's shelter, where he offered her grilled fish and asked how she felt.
• Ronava questioned why Lin En had saved her and how he knew her name, and he said she was not a stranger because he had seen her far away and long ago.
• Ronava learned that Lin En had known she would appear and told him she could return to bed without his help.

Lin En followed a system task and fed herbal medicine to the recovering Ronava by mouth, earning a wisp of her Authority and the Improved Delusion. Ronava let him leave but sensed a familiar aura coming from him.

• Ronava collapsed when she tried to stand, and Lin En carried her back to bed and offered her herbal medicine.
• A system task ordered Lin En to feed Ronava the medicine by mouth within three minutes or suffer a lifelong penalty, so he reluctantly passed it to her mouth.
• Ronava swallowed the medicine, then threatened Lin En, who claimed it needed a special method and fled when she told him to get lost.
• The system awarded Lin En a wisp of the Authority of the Shade of Death and the Improved Delusion, and he decided more tasks could help him gain power.
• Ronava touched her lips and noticed a familiar aura coming from Lin En.

Lin En tried to make the wounded Ronava smile and succeeded by praising her beauty, earning another wisp of the Authority of the Shade of Death. As Lin En considered his growing power outside, Ronava sensed the Authority of Death returning to her and renewed her anger at Phanes.

• Ronava recognized the faint aura of death in Lin En and wondered why he had saved her.
• Lin En received a task to obtain a sincere smile from Ronava within an hour and tried unsuccessfully to make her laugh with jokes.
• Lin En praised Ronava's beauty, and she briefly smiled, completing the task and granting him another wisp of authority.
• Lin En left to prepare Ronava's medicine while she watched a silver-gray thread of the Authority of Death gather in her palm.
• Ronava questioned Lin En's secrets and swore revenge on Phanes for reclaiming her authority.

Lin En carried the injured Ronava toward Liyue Harbor as a storm forced them to take shelter in a cave. Ronava developed a fever, and Lin En cared for her while the rain continued.

• Lin En urged Ronava to leave their crumbling hut for Liyue Harbor, and she reluctantly let him carry her.
• Rain soaked them on the mountain path, so Lin En followed Ronava's directions to a nearby cave.
• Lin En started a fire and sat beside Ronava to warm them both.
• Ronava leaned against Lin En, and he discovered that she had a fever.
• Lin En dried his outer garment by the fire, draped it over Ronava, and pinched her cheek.

Lin En cared for Ronava through a fever after they took shelter from the rain, then carried her toward Liyue Harbor. They reached the bustling city, where Ronava insisted he put her down, and Lin En went to find an inn.

• Lin En warmed water and sheltered Ronava, then caught her when she slipped and let her lean against him as she shivered.
• Lin En cooled Ronava's fever with a wet cloth through the night, and she woke the next morning to find him still beside her.
• Ronava offered to repay Lin En for helping her, then accepted a piggyback ride when her legs gave way.
• Ronava threatened to chop off Lin En's hand if he pinched her cheek again, revealing she had noticed him doing it.
• Lin En carried Ronava into Liyue Harbor, where she asked him to put her down so people would not see her being carried.
• Lin En left Ronava on a stone bench and went to find an inn.

Ronava encountered Yue Ning during Liyue Harbor’s Moonchase Festival and experienced the warmth of a child’s kindness. That night, she watched the festivities with Lin En and accepted his lantern, though she had not yet shared what she wished for.

• Yue Ning praised Ronava’s hair, warmed her cold hand, and offered her candied fruit, stirring memories of Ronava’s past.
• Lin En returned and found Yue Ning with Ronava; Yue Ning mistook them for a couple, and both denied it.
• Lin En took Ronava to an inn, where she rested while he brought her medicine, food, and clothes.
• After Lin En left, Ronava watched the Moonchase Festival fireworks and lanterns from the inn window and felt unexpectedly happy.
• Lin En returned with a paper lantern and invited Ronava to release it with him, and Ronava accepted it.

Lin En took Ronava to the Moonchase Festival night market, where he bought her a silver rose hairpin and told her he had saved her because he did not want her to die. Back at the inn, Ronava kept the hairpin in her hair but said she preferred Liyue’s spider lilies to roses.

• Ronava released a paper lantern into the night sky, then agreed to walk through the festival with Lin En.
• At a quiet jewelry stall, Lin En bought a silver rose hairpin and placed it in Ronava’s hair.
• Lin En complimented Ronava’s appearance, and she called him an idiot before continuing through the night market.
• On a stone bridge, Ronava asked Lin En why he had saved her, and he answered that he did not want her to die.
• Back at the inn, Ronava examined the hairpin, said she preferred spider lilies to roses, and put the hairpin back in her hair.

Lin En risked a dangerous journey to gather a red spider lily for Ronava, but Hilichurls attacked him and crushed the flower before Zhongli rescued him. The flower was restored when Lin En returned to the inn, where Ronava cared for his injuries, and completing the quest earned him a Geo Vision.

• Lin En left a note for the sleeping Ronava and set out from Liyue Harbor to find a red spider lily near Wuwang Hill.
• Lin En found a blooming flower, but Hilichurls chased him and crushed it after knocking him to the ground.
• Lin En used the Authority of Death to kill one Hilichurl before Zhongli arrived and drove the others away.
• Zhongli arranged treatment for Lin En's injuries and told him the flower's sentiment would matter even if it was ruined.
• Lin En returned to the inn, where the red spider lily had been restored, and Ronava applied ointment to his wounds and placed the flower in a teacup.
• The system announced that Lin En had completed the quest and granted him a Geo Vision.

Lin En and Ronava went out during the final night of the Moonchase Festival and encountered Zhongli and Hu Tao, whose funeral package pitch nearly exposed Ronava’s identity. Ronava suspected Zhongli was waiting for her to pledge herself to Liyue, but she remained focused on Phanes and reflected that she preferred her quieter life with Lin En.

• Lin En tested his new Geo Vision, then took Ronava out to enjoy the last night of the Moonchase Festival.
• Ronava recognized Zhongli at a tea stall and tried to leave, but Hu Tao intercepted them to promote Wangsheng Funeral Parlor’s services.
• Zhongli recognized Ronava but politely treated her as Lin En’s companion, and Lin En hurriedly led her away from Hu Tao’s pitch.
• Ronava told Lin En that Zhongli had known she was in Liyue and was waiting for her to make a promise, but she said her only target was Phanes.
• Lin En suggested visiting Wangsheng Funeral Parlor, and Ronava agreed that it was their only option for now.
• That night, Ronava reflected on Lin En and her recent everyday life, realizing she preferred it to her former burdensome existence.

Ronava told Zhongli that she intended to reclaim her power from the Chasm, and he allowed her to go, giving Lin En a Geo talisman as a gift and a contract. Ronava and Lin En reached the Chasm and jumped into its lower depths together, where Lin En woke to find her beside him.

• Ronava told Zhongli she had no designs on Liyue and planned to reclaim her power from the Chasm; Zhongli accepted her explanation and gave Lin En a Geo talisman.
• Zibai saw Ronava and Lin En leaving Wangsheng Funeral Parlor, while Hu Tao returned with tea after they had already gone.
• Ronava explained that Zhongli's talisman was a contract, and she and Lin En set out from Liyue Harbor for the Chasm.
• At the Chasm, Ronava took Lin En's hand and jumped with him into the depths; Lin En passed out during the fall.
• Lin En woke in the Chasm and immediately looked for Ronava, who reassured him that she would stay with him.

Lin En protected Ronava while she absorbed the power of the Nail of Retribution, but a Ruin Serpent pierced his chest before she could finish. Ronava destroyed the serpent and carried him to Zhongli, who revealed that Lin En had only fainted and that their contract kept him from entering the Ley Lines.

• Ronava began absorbing the Nail of Retribution's power while Lin En stood guard.
• A Ruin Serpent attacked, and Lin En used his Geo Vision to draw it away from Ronava as she continued absorbing the Nail's energy.
• After enduring the serpent's attacks for seven minutes, Lin En stepped in front of Ronava and was pierced through the chest.
• Ronava unleashed her power to destroy the Ruin Serpent, then carried the wounded Lin En out of the cavern.
• Zhongli told Ronava that Lin En had fainted from exhaustion and that their contract would keep him from entering the Ley Lines.

Lin En woke in Liyue Harbor after Ronava saved him from a Ruin Serpent, and learned she had stayed by his side while he recovered. Ronava planned to travel to Dragonspine to investigate its nail, but agreed to wait until Lin En had healed enough to join her.

• Lin En woke after three days unconscious and learned Ronava had stayed with him and given him medicinal soup.
• Ronava asked why Lin En had saved her, and he explained that he did not want her sacrificed to the Heavenly Principles.
• Hu Tao, Zhongli, and Zibai visited Lin En with a medicinal meal, and Zhongli praised his courage.
• Ronava said she would go alone to Dragonspine because Lin En was injured and she had regained only a tenth of her power.
• Lin En asked Ronava to wait for him, and she agreed to leave for Dragonspine with him in half a month.

Lin En and Ronava encountered Lumine and Paimon in Liyue Harbor, where Lumine confronted Ronava over what happened in Snezhnaya. After Lin En explained Ronava’s plans against Phanes, Lumine let them pass, and Ronava urged Lin En to hurry to Dragonspine.

• Lin En and Ronava walked through Liyue Harbor and spotted Lumine and Paimon by the sea.
• Lumine drew the Sword of Descension and confronted Ronava over the incident in Snezhnaya.
• Lin En stood between them and asked Lumine to hear him out, while Ronava explained she had intended to retrieve Paimon for Celestia rather than kill her.
• Lin En told Lumine that Ronava was gathering power to oppose Phanes, and Lumine lowered her sword and let Ronava pass.
• Lumine told Paimon they should return to Snezhnaya, while Ronava told Lin En they would leave for Dragonspine the next day.

Lin En and Ronava traveled from Liyue Harbor toward Dragonspine, where they learned the Fatui were active near the mountain’s ruins. They began climbing by a southern detour, but Ronava warned that a confrontation with the Fatui or their Harbingers could force them to flee.

• Lin En packed supplies for Dragonspine, and Ronava gave him a warming crystal before they left Liyue Harbor.
• Lin En and Ronava passed through Mingyun Village and discussed their slim chances of defeating Phanes with a descender’s help.
• At the camp beneath Dragonspine, adventurers warned Lin En and Ronava about worsening storms and Fatui activity near the ruins.
• Lin En and Ronava chose to avoid the main route and climb the mountain’s southern side instead.
• As they climbed, Ronava said they would reach the ruins the next day and would flee if they encountered the Fatui’s Harbingers.
• Ronava speculated that Snezhnaya would try to capture her for information if it discovered she was alive, and Lin En resolved to get stronger.

Lin En and Ronava climbed Dragonspine and encountered Albedo in Starglow Cavern, where he warned them that a powerful elemental anomaly had destabilized the mountain. After the ground collapsed and revealed an ancient domain, Ronava and Lin En entered it, and Albedo followed.

• Ronava made Lin En an unusually sweet breakfast, and the two continued climbing Dragonspine without encountering Fatui patrols.
• At Starglow Cavern, Lin En and Ronava met Albedo, who warned them about unstable elemental flows and suspected a dragon had redirected them.
• The ground collapsed beneath all three, dropping them into a hidden space where Albedo discovered an ancient domain entrance.
• Ronava and Lin En entered the domain despite Albedo's warning, and Albedo followed to keep them from facing danger alone.

Lin En was pulled into an illusion of a family day in Liyue Harbor, where a little girl called him Dad before the vision shattered. He woke in the passage and continued with Ronava and Albedo toward the domain’s core, holding the bell from the illusion.

• As Lin En turned toward Albedo in the mural-lined passage, he collapsed and woke in Liyue Harbor without his gear.
• A little white-haired girl insisted Lin En had promised to take her out, and a gentler version of Ronava joined them.
• Lin En spent the day with the girl and Ronava, then accepted a bell from the child before the illusion broke apart.
• Lin En woke beside Ronava, told Albedo he had forgotten what happened, and concealed the dream’s details.
• Albedo spotted light ahead, and the three continued toward the domain’s core as Lin En wondered whether the bell was real.

Lin En, Ronava, and Albedo confronted an impostor who had reached the blue crystal and triggered a battle with five Ruin Guards. After Ronava defeated the impostor and Lin En secured a blue cube, an aged voice offered Lin En supreme power.

• Albedo, Ronava, and Lin En split up at the fork, with Ronava and Lin En taking the middle passage.
• An Albedo appeared behind them and explained that he had entered the domain after hearing a collapse near Starglow Cavern, leading Lin En to suspect the other Albedo was an impostor.
• The group rushed back through the left passage and found the impostor touching the crystal while five Ruin Guards activated.
• Lin En and Albedo fought the Ruin Guards as Ronava shielded Lin En and killed the impostor with black energy.
• Lin En picked up a pale blue cube after Ronava destroyed the remaining Ruin Guards, then heard an aged voice offer him supreme power.

Lin En and Ronava followed the fake Albedo to Dragonspine's summit, where he revealed himself as a dragon remnant and began stripping the Skyfrost Nail of its runes. Ronava chose to wait rather than stop him immediately.

• Lin En resisted the cube's offer of power, and Albedo took it away for research.
• Ronava told Lin En to carry the unconscious Albedo and revealed that the Albedo who left was a puppet.
• Lin En and Ronava followed the puppet up Dragonspine, leaving the real Albedo at a camp along the way.
• At the summit, the puppet broke the cube into nine fragments and formed an array around the Skyfrost Nail.
• The puppet transformed into a dragon remnant and declared that humanity would pay for the destruction of his civilization.
• As the dragon's array stripped away the Skyfrost Nail's runes, Ronava told Lin En to wait before intervening.

Lin En and Ronava defeated the dragon remnant on the snowy mountain, while the summoned Pyro Dragon Sovereign appeared as a little dragon. After Albedo took the captive to Mondstadt, Lin En and Ronava headed there with the little dragon, and an accidental fall left them flustered by their close contact.

• A portal opened above the platform, and a little dragon with a red bandanna emerged as the dragon remnant realized the Pyro Dragon Sovereign was not what he expected.
• Ronava ordered Lin En to attack, and they struck the dragon remnant with a Stone Stele and bound him with black chains while Ronava absorbed power from the Skyfrost Nail.
• Lin En befriended the little dragon and decided to keep it with him temporarily, then Ronava led them down the mountain with the captive in tow.
• Albedo met them at camp, heard Lin En's account, and took the dragon remnant to Mondstadt for Jean to deal with.
• Lin En denied knowing the little dragon's identity when Ronava questioned him, then slipped on the snowy slope and fell on top of her.
• Lin En apologized and helped Ronava up; she told him to watch his step, while privately feeling unsettled by their close encounter.

Lin En and Ronava reached the City of Mondstadt, where their awkward dinner together deepened their mutual embarrassment. Unable to sleep, Lin En met Venti on a rooftop, and Venti invited him to talk after mentioning that the old man had told him about Lin En.

• Albedo vouched for Lin En, Ronava, and the little dragon, allowing them to enter the City of Mondstadt.
• Lin En invited Ronava to dinner at the Good Hunter, apologized for falling on her on the snowy mountain, and noticed her embarrassment.
• Lin En brought grilled meat and rice to the little dragon, then went to the balcony when he could not sleep.
• Lin En recognized Venti on a rooftop, and Venti invited him to chat, saying the old man had told him a few things about Lin En.