Formulating a Strategy

After leaving the valley, Lu Chen and Venti visited four more regions affected by elemental anomalies.

One of the areas had an extreme Pyro imbalance. When the secret realm appeared, they easily dealt with a rampaging Pyro Regisvine.

As expected, the dense aura of the Abyss surfaced again.

This left the two of them in silence on the way back—there was no doubt the Abyss Order was preparing something big.

High above the clouds, Lu Chen was swept along by the breeze Venti conjured, floating tens of thousands of meters in the air. Looking down, the cities and farmlands beneath the drifting clouds looked no larger than ants.

His thoughts swirled. Glancing at the wind encircling him, he suddenly asked, "How much of your strength have you recovered?"

"What?"

"What did you say?"

Maybe the wind was too loud, or maybe Venti had zoned out—he didn't catch it.

Lu Chen repeated himself.

"My strength, huh..." Venti's face faintly appeared in the wind. He didn't answer directly but instead asked, "Why are you asking?"

Lu Chen smiled. "I was just thinking... If the forces of the Abyss try to break through the Gate of Teyvat and invade this world, can we stop them?"

The Abyss Order was indeed troublesome, with numerous Abyss Heralds, the remnants of Khaenri'ah's technology, and even the mysterious and powerful "Prince of the Abyss" leading them.

Still, Lu Chen wasn't lacking in power either.

He had three gods from Teyvat on his side.

The problem was, none of them were at full strength.

One had been coasting for years, lacking faith to empower her. Another spent her days drinking tea and taking leisurely strolls—she hadn't fought a real battle in thousands of years.

The last one, Ei, at least trained daily in the villa's backyard and had recovered roughly half of her former strength.

"Are you worried the Abyss Order will harm this world?" Venti asked.

"It's not just that..." Lu Chen thought for a moment and slowly shared his concerns. "If this were just a war, we could fight it head-on. But I feel like the Abyss Order is after something more…"

"If it's only the Abyss Order, they wouldn't dare go too far," Venti said calmly. "They're all remnants of Khaenri'ah. Even that ancient kingdom, which once scorned Celestia, was destroyed in the end. Now, the Abyss Order can only lurk in the shadows, out of the gods' sight, scheming in secret…"

There was a light, confident tone in Venti's voice.

Carried by the wind, they gently descended. After traveling thousands of miles in a day, they returned to the coastal city on the third day.

Looking out over the horizon where sea met sky, Venti continued, "What we really need to be wary of is the Abyss itself—the true Abyss."

Lu Chen remained silent. That was what concerned him the most as well.

The Abyss Order was merely the surviving faction of Khaenri'ah.

But the Abyss—it was something ancient, eternal.

It was destruction, chaos, madness beyond comprehension.

Wherever it went, it corroded the very foundations of the world.

...

Back at the seaside villa, everything was calm and peaceful.

Watching Qiqi and Hu Tao bicker over the TV remote, Lu Chen felt all the lingering gloom in his heart melt away. A smile crept onto his face.

Ei approached with concern, while Zhongli set down his teacup and gave them a questioning look.

The Abyss Order had always schemed to overthrow the Seven Nations of Teyvat, so it was only natural that the archons took an interest in any news related to them.

Venti plopped down on the couch and, as if by magic, pulled out a bottle of wine. Lu Chen casually grabbed a cup of tea from Zhongli. After resting for a bit, he recounted their journey and discoveries to everyone.

When he mentioned the Abyss Order possibly having "ulterior motives," Ei's brows furrowed in concern. The power of the Abyss still haunted her.

"Five hundred years ago, the dark calamity from Khaenri'ah swept across the continent. Those black miasmas and abyssal beasts nearly swallowed all of Inazuma…"

Lu Chen nodded. That same calamity had claimed the life of Kitsune Saiguu, who sacrificed herself to protect Narukami Island.

Seeing Ei's worried expression, Lu Chen tried to ease the tension.

"Well, there's good news and bad news. The bad news is, the Abyss Order has discovered this world. But the good news…"

He gently took her hand and smiled reassuringly. "They can't breach the Gate of Teyvat. I've confirmed it."

"But it's only a matter of time before we have to face them." Ei pulled her hand back, stood up, and walked toward the backyard.

"Where are you going?" Lu Chen asked in surprise.

"To train."

With that, her figure vanished in a flash of purple, appearing instantly at the backyard training ground.

Lu Chen chuckled and shook his head. Ei wasn't wasting a second—she was determined to restore her strength and prepare for battle.

Moments later, the clanging of metal echoed from the backyard, and traces of Electro filled the air.

The lights in the entire house flickered...

Hu Tao and Qiqi had been watching Animal World when the TV screen suddenly flashed and went dark.

Venti glanced toward the backyard, then gave Lu Chen a helpless look. "You should tell her to tone it down. We don't want lightning bolts falling out of a clear sky…"

"I know..."

After repeatedly reminding the ever-eager Ei to hold back, Lu Chen went to find Diluc and Barbara.

Now that the Archon Quest was nearing 50%, he figured the system would soon roll out updates—maybe even introduce some new tricks.

The thought made him genuinely excited.

With three Archons fully invested, he needed to push the mission forward as fast as possible.

He had to keep control of the Gate of Teyvat in his own hands.

After handing the brewing ingredients he'd collected to Diluc, the red-haired man handed him a stack of documents.

"What's this?"

Lu Chen took a closer look and was stunned—it was all the paperwork needed to run a winery: licenses, lease agreements, and more.

Turns out, while he was away, Diluc had been running around handling everything. He had finalized two business deals, and even settled the locations for the winery and the bar.

Lu Chen gave him a silent thumbs-up. He'd nearly forgotten—this was Lord Lu, the sharpest business mind in Mondstadt, running the city's biggest enterprise...

"You really outdid yourself..." With everything in place, all that remained was to brew the wine and pick an auspicious day to open.

On the other side stood the fresh-faced Barbara, now glowing with renewed charm. Lu Chen hadn't paid close attention earlier, so he took a better look this time.

"Well?" Barbara struck a pose, hands on hips, showing off her new look after her company's rebranding.

As expected from someone trained professionally under Starlight, Barbara now exuded the aura of a polished idol. Her every gesture was captivating.

Of course, Barbara had always been beautiful—but now she had that refined, star-quality charm.

She spun around confidently, then made a peace sign near her cheek and playfully raised her other hand, miming a microphone.

Lu Chen rubbed his chin and nodded in approval.

"Yeah… you've got the look."

"Mina-san..."

"I want to be everyone's beloved idol—standing on stage all sparkly and kirakira~!"

Barbara had officially become a "trainee" idol—and now, she was about to take on her first job.

She would be the female lead in Venti's new music video.