While I was in Mondstadt, I never imagined becoming a god.

"Where is he?"

Xu Chuan did not answer immediately.

He looked around, glancing at the fool soldiers huddled in the corner, and then at the closed door behind the woman.

"You don't mean to talk here, do you?"

The woman stared at him for a few seconds, then said, "Come with me."

She turned and walked upstairs, the sound of her high heels clicking on the floor particularly clear in the quiet hall.

Xu Chuan followed her steps, a thousand winds swirling around him, dispelling the biting chill.

Upstairs is a reception room, smaller than downstairs, but more exquisite.

The woman sat down on the sofa and gestured for Xu Chuan to sit down as well.

He didn't sit down, but leaned against the window.

"Tell me, where is Barbatos?"

"Madam, you lack the proper reverence for the gods."

The woman narrowed her eyes again.

Are you kidding me?

"I am merely admonishing you to remain humble when you see the gods."

Xu Chuan turned around, the power of the Heart of the Wind God surging within him, giving people a great sense of oppression.

"Three days later, the Wind God will meet you at the Wind Dragon Ruins. If you behave well, he may reward you with some good things."

Xu Chuan had just finished speaking.

A guy who was lying on a windmill sunbathing suddenly got up and looked in the direction of the Goethe Hotel.

Wendy paused for a moment, then gave a wry smile.

Xu Chuan didn't actually impersonate the Wind God, but he was incredibly adept at using the Wind God's name to fool women.

The woman's smile this time was more genuine, but also colder.

The temperature in the hall dropped a few degrees.

After a long while, the woman looked away.

"I will keep my appointment on time."

Stepping out of the Goethe Hotel, the sun was shining brightly.

Xu Chuan stood on the steps, took a deep breath, and the first step of his plan was complete.

In Mondstadt, he felt just as restricted as Venti, unable to fully unleash his potential.

In the name of the Wind God, they tricked the woman into going to the Wind Dragon Ruins.

In this way, he wouldn't have to be afraid to use lethal force like he was when fighting Dvalin.

Secondly, it was time to test which of the Abyss Princes would shift their attention away from him.

Xu Chuan couldn't help but feel a little excited, wondering what kind of surprise the lady would bring him.

"The eighth seat of the Fatui Executive, I wonder how he compares to Fuma Dragon,"

Chapter Sixty-One: The Nail of Frost

Outside Mondstadt, whispers echo deep within the forest.

A giant blue-green dragon with four wings slowly descended, but the movement was surprisingly small.

The raging wind stirred up by the dragon was quietly neutralized by another force, causing only the treetops to sway slightly and a few leaves to swirl and fall.

Dvalin folded his wings and looked down at the people standing in the open space.

"Xu Chuan, I have come as promised."

Its voice was deep, like the wind rising from the depths of a valley.

After hearing from Wendy that the other party needed help, it rested for a few days and then came.

Although the erosion of the abyss has been cleared, the torment of those years has still left its mark, with dark patterns faintly visible on the wing membrane.

But at this moment, its eyes were clear, and its pupils reflected Xu Chuan's image.

"I'm sorry, my request disturbed your rest."

"There is no need to feel apologetic."

Dvalin lowered his head slightly. "I'm glad I could help you."

Xu Chuan stopped hesitating and leaped onto the dragon's back.

After Dvarin had settled in, he asked, "Where are we going?"

"Dragon Ridge Snow Mountain".

Tvalin paused for a moment.

Five hundred years ago, it and Wendy intercepted the dragon Durin in that sky and finally slew the monster from Canria.

Dulin's final resting place is Longji Snow Mountain.

Those memories are so distant, so distant that it thought it had forgotten them.

But now that the name has been mentioned, those images still come flooding back: black wings covering the sky, poisonous blood raining down, and Wendy playing her piano in the wind.

“Okay,” it said.

The next second, its four wings unfolded, and the powerful shockwave bent the surrounding trees.

Dwarin took off and flew straight into the blue sky.

Xu Chuan lay on the dragon's back, his fingers gripping the gaps in the scales. The wind whistled past his ears, making his hair a mess.

The landscape rapidly shrank; Mondstadt became a pile of building blocks, the trees of Windrise resembled green mushrooms, and Cider Lake looked like a shattered mirror.

Clouds swept past my side, and cool, moist air hit my face.

Flying on your own and riding a dragon are definitely different. This speed is much faster than when he used the Heart of the Wind God.

Xu Chuan couldn't help but think: When will I be able to have a mount like Dvalin?

Ideally, there should be one each from land, sea, and air; that would start at the level of a demon god.

The thought of that scene is enough to make one's heart flutter.

Tvalin flew at full speed, and the Dragon Ridge Snow Mountain soon came into view.

The white mountain range lay across the land, its peaks shrouded in perpetual storms, the clouds churning and swirling as if stirred by an invisible hand.

Occasionally, flashes of lightning would appear within it.

The closer you get, the lower the temperature becomes, and the water vapor in the air condenses into tiny ice crystals that sting slightly when they hit your face.

"Let's go, let's go straight to the top of the snow mountain," Xu Chuan said.

Dvarin traversed the storm, his wingtips cutting through the clouds, leaving a trail of ice crystals in his wake.

Its gaze fell on the broken object floating in the air, its eyes filled with obvious apprehension.

"That place...it feels very dangerous to me."

Nails of cold weather.

The spear of judgment cast by Heaven has brought down the culprits who destroyed the ancient kingdom of Shar Fendnir.

It hangs above the mountaintop, its broken body encased in solid ice, like a frozen broken sword.

Even though it was already incomplete, the oppressive aura it exuded was still suffocating.

Xu Chuan leaped off the dragon's back, walked on air, and landed on the edge of a large pit at the top of the snow mountain.

The wind surged in from all directions, carrying shards of ice and snow, making clothes flutter loudly.

He steadied himself and looked down at the fragment encased in solid ice at the bottom of the pit.

The fragments of the Frost Nail were covered with a thick layer of ice, and a certain texture could be vaguely seen.

At first glance, it doesn't seem to have anything special about it.

But he knew in his heart how terrifying this thing was.

A fully-formed Frost Spike can alter the climate of an area, turning a prosperous land into a land of perpetual winter.

Even a single fragment contains enough power to make anyone wary.

He came to Dragon Ridge Snow Mountain to test whether his knights could control the fragments of the Frostfire Nail if they didn't die unarmed.

As for a complete nail, he doesn't have that capability yet.

However, once I improve my strength, I will eventually be able to take the entire Frost Nail away from Niu.

He came here to risk taking control of the Frostfire Nail, not for the lady's sake.

That guy's strength wasn't enough to make him wary to this extent.

"Hoo..." Xu Chuan took a deep breath and slowly placed his hands on the fragments of the Frostfire Nail.

hum-

A buzzing sound came from under my palm, as if something had been awakened.

Ripples spread outwards from the center of the Frost Nail, distorting the air and cracking the ice wherever they passed, even halting the massive storm that lingered around the mountaintop year-round.

The power surged from his palm; it was neither elemental power nor abyssal power.

Dwarin gripped the ground tightly, his four claws embedded in the ice, barely managing to maintain his balance.

The energy ripples nearly blew it away, and its wing membrane rattled loudly.

It looked at Xu Chuan, who remained motionless, and felt worried.

The human stood before the shards, his hands pressed against the ice, surrounded by some indescribable aura.

It's something that makes it instinctively uneasy.

"Xu Chuan!" it growled, "How are you? Are you alright?"

Xu Chuan did not answer.

Those forces surged and crashed through his body, as if trying to tear apart every inch of his meridians.

He gritted his teeth, urging the knight not to die unarmed, grasping this power and making it submit.

In the end, the knight's survival of his unarmed nature gave him the upper hand.

The fragments trembled, the ice cracked, and the power gradually gathered in his palm.

Like a tamed wild beast, it gradually quieted down.

He opened his eyes.

The fragment was still the same fragment, but Xu Chuan could sense that something was different.

He let go and turned around.

Dvalin stared at him intently, his four wings slightly spread, ready to pounce at any moment.

"It's nothing," Xu Chuan said, his voice brimming with barely suppressed excitement. "It's just... I need some time to get used to it."

Dvarin stared at him for a long time before finally slowly retracting his outstretched wing membrane.

"The way you looked just now was terrifying."

Xu Chuan smiled and reassured Tvalin not to worry, as he had completely taken control of the thing.

As he spoke, he manipulated the fragment of the Frostfire Nail, turned around, and leaped onto the dragon's back, startling Dvalin.

Fortunately, after observing that the thing was indeed very stable in Xu Chuan's hands, it was relieved.

"Let's go back to Mondstadt."

Dvalin spread his wings and took off.

The Longji Snow Mountain gradually receded into the distance behind us, as if nothing had happened.