Anemo Archon: Are You Ronova's Guardian Knight?

As Mo Fan utterly defeated Stormterror, the enormous wind dragon suddenly plummeted from the sky and crashed into the wilderness outside Mondstadt.

The astonishing sight drew the attention of everyone in Mondstadt.

Although the battle had taken place high in the sky, the special nature of the Akasha Terminals had allowed many people to capture it clearly on video.

A heated discussion soon spread through Mondstadt, and immediately across the online networks of all Teyvat.

[Whoa, look what I caught on camera! A mysterious knight fighting Stormterror!]

[Who is this knight? Could he be Mondstadt's Darknight Hero?]

[That can't be right. The Darknight Hero only ever appears at night, so why would he show up in broad daylight?]

[That plain armor and that greatsword... why does he remind me of someone I know?]

[You think so too? He looks really familiar to me, especially that final sword strike that defeated Stormterror. It was just like...]

[The Knight of Boreas! His swordsmanship looks just like the Knight of Boreas's!]

[Oh my god, could he be the Knight of Boreas's successor?]

[Isn't the current Knight of Boreas our Grand Master, Varka?]

[Wait, is it possible he's the Knight of Boreas himself from that earlier video? He's the Knight of Boreas reincarnated!]

As the discussion reached that point, more and more people began to agree that the knight who had defeated Stormterror was the Knight of Boreas reincarnated.

That was based on some speculation, of course, but even more than that, people hoped the Knight of Boreas could have lived into the present age and fulfilled his thousand-year-old promise with the Anemo Archon.

Before long, everyone began to believe the Knight of Boreas had come back to life, and they tried everything they could to find him in Mondstadt.

That scared Mo Fan half to death.

He had chosen to hide in a backwater like Mondstadt precisely to avoid the risk of his identity being exposed.

Now that so many people were looking for him as the Knight of Boreas, how was he supposed to go on living his life?

No, I have to move somewhere else!

As it happened, Stormterror's attack had destroyed the house he had just rented, and it wasn't the only house affected. Finding another place to rent in Mondstadt on short notice would be too difficult, so he might as well go somewhere else and lie low, like Liyue...

With that thought, Mo Fan immediately went to find Ronova at the shelter.

But the moment they met, before he could say a word, she gave him a thorough scolding.

"What were you doing, you idiot? Things were so dangerous just now, so why did you suddenly disappear?!"

Faced with Ronova's scolding, Mo Fan looked utterly innocent.

But to keep his identity from being exposed, he hurriedly made an excuse. "Ahem, well, I really needed to pee, so I went to the bathroom."

"The bathroom? You disappeared just to use the bathroom? Do you know how worried I was about you?!"

Ronova looked frantic, having even forgotten her usual habit of hiding her true feelings behind a prickly facade.

Seeing how much she cared about him, Mo Fan was deeply moved.

But to keep her from noticing what he had really been doing, he changed the subject. "When nature calls, sometimes you don't have a choice. Besides, Ronova, so you were that worried about me? I never noticed before..."

"Wh-who was worried about you?! I was just afraid that if you died, no one would cook for me anymore."

"Right, right. Then I suppose I really can't go dying so casually anymore."

"Of course not. If you died, I'd..."

"You'd what?"

"I'd bring you back to life again!"

"Uh..."

Mo Fan hadn't expected Ronova to say that, and he couldn't keep his expression under control.

But he could also tell she was serious.

If he really met his death again, Ronova might actually bring him back to life at any cost.

And now that she had lost her authority as the Ruler of Death, if she committed such a defiant act again, even her true form might be completely annihilated by the laws of the Heavenly Principles, bringing about her death.

"Looks like I really can't die again."

Mo Fan took a deep breath and silently resolved that this time, he absolutely wouldn't die so casually again.

After that, he also took a look at the situation in Mondstadt.

Mo Fan discovered that although he had defeated Stormterror, the Abyssal corruption afflicting the dragon itself had not been cured.

That was because Mo Fan had no ability to purify the Abyss.

Even after living through a hundred lifetimes, he had never obtained a similar power.

To his surprise, however, the blonde girl who had given him a hand in the air possessed the power to purify the Abyss.

In the end, she took action and purified Stormterror's corruption, truly saving Mondstadt.

To thank her, the Knights of Favonius made her an Honorary Knight, the highest honor bestowed on someone outside the order.

Besides that, the Knights of Favonius also began doing everything they could to search for the hero who had defeated Stormterror.

That was Mo Fan.

Although they didn't believe he was the Knight of Boreas from the video, they didn't think the possibility was zero, either.

And so the entire Knights of Favonius mobilized, doing everything they could to find the whereabouts of the suspected "Knight of Boreas."

All these chaotic developments made Mo Fan realize that Mondstadt really was no longer suitable for him to live in.

The plan to move to Liyue had to be put into action immediately!

With that in mind, Mo Fan suggested going to Liyue to Ronova, and she quickly agreed.

Although Ronova didn't care about her living conditions, Stormterror's attack had left her somewhat traumatized, so she planned to settle down with Mo Fan in a safer city.

The two hit it off immediately and set out for Liyue.

But the moment they stepped out of Mondstadt, an unexpected figure appeared before them.

"Huh? Could you be... Ronova?"

A clear, androgynous voice rang out nearby.

Mo Fan and Ronova looked over and saw an ordinary-looking girl standing not far away, dressed in green clothes and a cape.

An ordinary person might not have understood who she was, but Mo Fan and Ronova recognized her at once.

"Barbatos, you really are carefree, aren't you?"

As the former Ruler of Death, Ronova naturally knew far more about the Seven Archons than most people. She spoke coldly. "You're one of the Seven, yet you don't interfere in the affairs of the nation under you at all. You can't even deal with a mere Stormterror!"

"Oh, that's because no one believes in me, so I lost my power." The Anemo Archon smiled and glanced instinctively at Mo Fan beside Ronova. "But what about you, esteemed God of Death? Why do you look like you've lost your power too, to the point where you have to rely on a mortal for protection?"

"That's because I..."

Ronova was about to retort, but found it too embarrassing to say, leaving her frozen in place.

Mo Fan had no choice but to speak up. "Ronova lost her authority because of me, so I'm taking care of her now."

"Oh? So are you the God of Death's guardian knight?"

"You could say that."

"I see..."

For some reason, the Anemo Archon felt her heart skip a beat at Mo Fan's words.

But she didn't understand where the dissatisfaction in her heart had come from.

So in the end, she said nothing more about it and merely smiled. "Then I wish our esteemed Ruler of Death and her knight a pleasant excursion through the mortal world. Have a safe journey."

"Hmph, I'll take that blessing."

Ronova put on a prickly front, as though she didn't want to talk to her, but she actually accepted Barbatos's blessing.

This was clearly another sign that she was gradually changing, becoming more and more like a human.