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[Genshin Impact] Chapter 324: Brother (2-in-1 Chapter)
🕑 Added 2024-11-12 14:30:03 +0000 UTCDragonspine.
As the tremors from where the dragon’s heart was located continued, it was no surprise that an avalanche began to cascade down the nearby mountains, rolling down like a tsunami from the heavens.
“Not good, there might be adventurers exploring nearby!” Eula said with concern as she and Albedo joined Nolan, watching the scene unfold.
“Don’t worry, I’ve scanned the area with my mental threads. Anyone within the avalanche’s range has already been rescued,” Nolan replied with a reassuring smile.
With his current abilities, he could summon mental threads within a fifty-kilometer radius, each capable of exerting up to twenty-five tons of force.
With power like that, without elemental energy to strengthen one’s body or special talents, most people or monsters wouldn’t stand a chance.
On the other hand, without using mental threads, his mental reach was only about a kilometer.
“That’s a relief!” Eula raised her right hand, which had been hanging by her side, and rubbed her temple with her index finger before glancing around. “Where’s Amber?”
“We had a confrontation with ‘The Doctor’ earlier. To avoid her getting caught in the crossfire, I sent her to a safe place for now,” Nolan explained, mentioning Amber’s current status in the “Wonderland.”
Given that they might soon face Durin, the shadow dragon, he decided to keep her there for her safety.
“Hmm, I was worried something unexpected had happened when I couldn’t see her,” Eula said, patting her chest lightly, a look of relief spreading across her face.
[Eula Has Developed Good Feelings Towards You, Obtained 300 Affection Points. Current Affection Level: Lv.6 (405/600)]
“Heh, of course. Even if I got hurt, I wouldn’t let a single scratch come to her,” Nolan said with a smile.
Amber was Eula’s best friend, and if she had an affection level for Amber, it would probably be maxed out. If Nolan failed to protect Amber and she got hurt, Eula’s affection for him would likely drop a bit.
After all, Eula’s affection for him wasn’t maxed out yet.
She wouldn’t be so forgiving as to overlook everything; she would hold him accountable if needed.
“Hmph, you’d better know that! Otherwise, I’d have to add it to my list of grievances!” Eula crossed her arms under her chest, tilting her fair chin slightly in an expression of playful defiance.
“All right, stay on guard. Durin is about to emerge,” Albedo said calmly as he glanced at the two, then shifted his gaze forward.
The tremors persisted, and the thick snow on the ground began to melt under the intense heat emanating from beneath, forming trickles of water that flowed to lower areas.
Soon, the water reached their feet.
Nolan summoned Anemo energy to gently blow the water away, preventing their shoes from getting wet.
Suddenly, the ground split open with a violent crack. Dirt and debris were sent flying as a black figure burst from the ground, hurtling skyward with tremendous force.
The shadow halted mid-air and let out a roar that echoed across the sky, as if proclaiming its return to the world.
“So that’s Durin, the shadow dragon? But why does it seem a bit strange?” Eula said, gripping her greatsword tightly, her tension mingled with a hint of confusion as she looked at the shadow in the sky.
It did seem strange.
Nolan frowned as he watched the dragon.
The dragon that had once battled Dvalin was black, but compared to Dvalin’s size, it seemed disproportionately small.
Its wingspan appeared to be only about seven or eight meters.
Compared to Dvalin, it could easily be mistaken for a juvenile dragon.
Clearly, such a small dragon couldn’t have fought Dvalin at his peak. Was this because it had just been reborn?
[Level: 95]
Despite its juvenile appearance, its level was formidable, reaching 95—on par with an adeptus. No wonder "The Doctor" had chosen to flee.
And this wasn’t even its full power.
With his defensive measures, Nolan could hold his own, but “The Doctor’s” clone likely couldn’t.
“Be careful; it’s strong,” Nolan warned.
Although he himself couldn’t win alone, with the "Lumine's Sword God," Albedo, and the equally formidable Eula by his side, there was still a chance of a fight.
If things got out of hand, shouting for Xiao in the Mondstadt region might summon the Vigilant Yaksha. If that worked, everything would be resolved, but trying such a thing without an emergency could make him unpopular.
“Hmm.”
Albedo’s gaze was complicated, given that he had a certain connection to Durin, the shadow dragon.
Durin didn’t revel in the sky for long before noticing the group below. It then dove down from the sky and landed on the ground with a loud thud.
Snow scattered in all directions.
Nolan and his companions watched the dragon before them, their expressions becoming more serious.
Yet, Durin did not attack immediately. Instead, it looked at them with curious eyes.
“What’s going on with it?” Eula asked, her voice filled with confusion as she watched the dragon, which hadn’t attacked them savagely as expected.
From what she knew, dragons were highly destructive by nature, attacking without reason, much like the Stormterror that had once assaulted Mondstadt.
“Maybe it’s pondering the ultimate truths of the universe—‘Who am I, where am I, and what am I supposed to do?’” Nolan joked half-heartedly.
He did not sense hostility from the resurrected dragon. On the contrary, there was a hint of confusion in its eyes. Maybe a battle could be avoided.
If possible, Nolan didn’t want to fight such a powerful foe.
“Durin died long ago, and even though ‘The Doctor’ used its heart to revive it, its memory might not be intact. It’s understandable for it to be disoriented,” Albedo mused.
“So, it’s in a state similar to a newborn?” Nolan asked, somewhat surprised.
“Not entirely, but its mind is likely underdeveloped. If we can communicate with it, we might avoid a conflict,” Albedo said thoughtfully.
Both Albedo and Durin were creations of his master, the renowned alchemist Gold, also known as Rhinedottir.
According to what his master had said, Durin’s nature hadn’t been evil at birth. It only lost control and turned into a monstrous dragon due to certain reasons.
The exact cause wasn’t clear, but it might have been due to a flaw in the alchemical creation that impacted its mind, causing it to perceive destroying the world and attacking humans as acts of benevolence.
It was also possible that the power it wielded had influenced it.
If it were the former, Albedo himself might also lose control and become a creature of pure destruction, as he, too, was an alchemical creation. This was something that had always worried him.
If Durin had indeed returned to its benevolent nature due to its resurrection, they couldn’t treat it as a mere monster.
With proper guidance, a dangerous battle could potentially be averted.
After Durin’s initial excitement faded, it sensed a familiar presence descending from the sky. It silently observed Nolan and the others, before finally focusing on Albedo.
Opening its enormous mouth slightly, it spoke in a voice as innocent as a child's:
“You have the scent of Mother?”
“Huh?!”
Eula wasn’t surprised that Durin could speak, as beings of that level, especially ones from long ago, often could. What shocked her was that the dragon seemed to recognize Albedo.
What did it mean? Did Albedo have some connection to Durin’s “mother”?
But dragons in Teyvat were typically elemental beings, born of nature itself. Where would a “mother” come from?
Nolan, like Eula, turned to Albedo with a puzzled expression.
Although he knew from the game that both Albedo and Durin were creations of Rhinedottir, he wasn’t well-versed enough in lore to know more.
“You mean Rhinedottir, don’t you? She’s also my master and ‘mother,’” Albedo stepped forward and spoke to Durin.
When he was created, Durin had already perished in the Dragonspine, so it shouldn’t recognize him.
“Rhinedottir... Mother!” Durin nodded heavily before continuing, “Where is Mother? I want to find her!”
As it spoke, it flapped its wings excitedly, sending gusts of wind swirling around them.
“Hey, Albedo, what’s going on? What do you mean you share the same ‘mother’?” Eula raised her arm to shield herself from the wind and looked at Albedo with an even more puzzled expression.
“Actually, I am an artificial being,” Albedo said, revealing a secret he hadn’t intended to share but felt he couldn’t hide from his companions. He explained the origins of both himself and Durin in brief.
“Well, that’s surprising,” Nolan nodded, not showing much shock.
“So, this dragon, Durin, is your ‘brother’?” Eula was more astonished.
“If alchemical ‘creation’ can be acknowledged under human moral and ethical standards, then yes, we are ‘brothers,’” Albedo considered before replying.
“Yes, brother! Where is Mother? Take me to find Mother!” Durin said, staring at Albedo with its large dragon eyes, full of excitement.
There was no mistaking the scent of Mother. This small figure was definitely its brother!
“I’m sorry, but I don’t know where she is either,” Albedo shook his head. His master had long disappeared. “I’ve searched for her for a long time without finding any clues.”
“What? Mother is missing?” Durin’s head drooped, and its massive wings folded slightly, showing its dejection. “I want to find Mother…”
Then it quickly lifted its head and said:
“No, I must find Mother now!”
Just as Durin was about to take flight, Albedo quickly called out:
“Wait, you don’t know where she is either. Searching aimlessly is just a waste of time. Why don’t you come with me? We can find a way to look for ‘Mother’ together!”
Albedo couldn’t allow Durin to roam freely.
Though Durin was not out of control at the moment, its immature mind made it far too dangerous to let it roam freely. It could easily recreate the disaster that once struck Mondstadt.
They needed to find a way to keep it occupied for now.
“Brother, come with me to find Mother. Let's go now!” Durin said happily.
“Not now. Finding ‘Mother’ isn’t something that can be done in a day or two. I’ve been searching for many years without success.
“So, let’s go get something to eat first. We need energy to look for her,” Albedo tried to shift Durin’s attention.
Children were easy to distract, and since Durin’s only thought upon sensing his mother’s presence was to go find her, diverting its focus might keep it from acting impulsively for the time being.
“Food, food! I’m hungry, I want to eat!”
As expected, Durin became excited at the mention of food and readily agreed to Albedo’s suggestion.
After all, it had just “come to life” and hadn’t eaten anything yet. It was indeed a bit hungry.
“Good,” Albedo said, relieved as he saw Durin agree. He then turned to Nolan and Eula. “Could I trouble you two to catch a few snowboars? I’ll take Durin back to the camp first.”
“No problem!”
Nolan glanced at Eula, and when she remained silent, he nodded in agreement.
“Thanks!” Albedo expressed his gratitude before leading Durin away. Interestingly, the shadow dragon, seeing Albedo walking on two legs, mimicked him and walked on two legs as well.
It completely forgot it could fly.
After they had walked some distance, Nolan turned to Eula and asked, “What’s on your mind? Is something bothering you?”
“That dragon once brought a great disaster to Mondstadt. Is it really safe to let it go like this? What if it…,” Eula’s fair face showed her concern.
“According to Albedo, Durin has likely lost most of its memory and only remembers ‘Mother.’
“And with a mind as childlike as that, as long as Albedo keeps an eye on it, there shouldn’t be an issue.
“If we try to do anything to Durin and accidentally provoke it, it could revert to its destructive nature. That would only create more trouble for everyone,” Nolan explained his perspective.
“That makes sense,” Eula said as she returned her blue greatsword to its place near her Vision, sighing.
The Grand Master had taken many of Mondstadt’s elite on an expedition, and the current high-ranking power of the Knights of Favonius was limited. They might be able to defeat Durin, but it would undoubtedly come at a great cost.
Then there would be the Abyss Order and the Fatui to deal with—both waiting for any opportunity. Only calling upon Lord Barbatos could ensure a resolution without casualties.
For now, they had to settle with this.
“Let’s go. It’s getting late, and who knows if we’ll even find any snowboars at this hour,” Nolan said, glancing at the darkening sky.
“Mm.” Eula nodded. She hadn’t expected that she’d ever be doing chores for a dragon, she thought wryly, before looking at Nolan as if remembering something. “Oh right, hurry up and let Amber out.”
She almost forgot that her good friend Amber was still stuck in whatever space Nolan controlled.
“Oh, right!”
Nolan had almost forgotten too, thankful for Eula’s reminder.
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(End of Chapter)
