We traveled through time together, but I'm the only dragon? The others are all beautiful girls?

"And this one, also a kind and powerful traveler from beyond the world—Luminous, and her most reliable and most adorable guide—Paimon!"

Jean stepped forward, gently placing her right hand on her chest, offering herself, and all of Mondstadt's highest respect, to the silent, imposing dragon who was watching everything, and to the dignified and elegant blonde girl beside him.

"Let the wind guide you. On behalf of all the people of Mondstadt, I extend my sincerest and deepest gratitude to you who have come from another world."

"The kindness you extended in your time of crisis has surpassed the scope of any words."

"From this day forward, the gates of Mondstadt will forever remain open to you two. All the people of Mondstadt will regard you as their most honored and most reliable friends!"

"May the glory of the wind god forever protect you."

Barbara's voice, filled with the purest kindness and blessings of a young girl, followed immediately.

"I really like Mondstadt, I can't just stand by and watch everyone die like this, can I?"

A gentle and sincere smile appeared on Ying's face. Although her plan was indeed to use the Dvalin incident to gain fame and benefits for herself and Akalion in this land, the words she spoke at this moment also came from one of her true thoughts.

"Moreover, if it weren't for Akalion, I probably wouldn't have any good solutions on my own."

With her current power, even with her aptitude increased fourfold, she could probably only resolve this dragon calamity little by little, following the original trajectory of her destiny.

Unfortunately, her awakening period was too short—she could obtain the elemental power of the Teyvat world through resonance with the Statue of the Seven, but that would also require a long period of cultivation to fully utilize it.

Unlike Eleanor, she cannot rapidly strengthen herself by consuming souls.

At her current level of power, she is at most on par with the young master, the last chief executive officer of the Fools from the Winter Kingdom at this point in time.

"Humph!"

Paimon flew out from behind Luminous with a smug look on her face, her proud little face making Luminous almost unable to look at her directly.

"You should really thank Akalion! Without him, Mondstadt would be in real trouble today!"

"Mondstadt, I will never forget your help." Jean looked at Akalion and Luminosity with utmost seriousness. "And I will never forget it either."

We have received all your gratitude. I look forward to—

Akalion's thunderous voice resounded deep within everyone's soul, instantly plunging the scene into a sacred silence. Halfway through his sentence, he and Wendy, standing beside him, both turned their gazes in the same direction.

The difference is that the former's gaze is completely undisguised, while the latter's is very well concealed.

"!"

Ying followed Akalion's gaze, but there was nothing there.

"Don't worry, he's not your brother." Akalion's deep voice resonated directly in Ying's mind. Through his psionic abilities, he could easily establish undetectable mental links between dozens of people. "Just a laughable clown, don't bother with him."

"Is she the 8th Executive of the Fatui, 'Lady'?" Ying asked in her mind, following the link. But before Akalion could answer, Wendy suddenly clapped his hands, drawing everyone's attention back to her.

"Heh heh! Now that this solemn meeting, brimming with heroic spirit, is over, it's time for a celebratory feast!"

"I imagine our great savior, and their adorable little guide who's been starving for ages, must have been waiting for a long time, haven't they?"

"That's right! I'm starving!" Paimon looked at Wendy with a "you're so perceptive" gaze, seemingly having completely forgotten his true identity as Barbatos, the Anemo Archon. "Chairman Jean, hurry up and take us to eat!"

“Akkarion, you should transform into human form too. After all, with your size—” Paimon gestured with his own body to compare with Akalion's hill-like figure, then moved to Jean's side. “—There's absolutely no space in Mondstadt where you can move around freely!”

"Please rest assured, Mr. Akalion." Jean looked at Paimon's adorable appearance, and the corners of her mouth couldn't help but curve slightly. She raised her head and looked at the pure white dragon that was full of holiness and majesty. "The Knights and the Church have already built an open-air banquet venue in the square behind the West Wind Cathedral for everyone, which can accommodate tens of thousands of people."

"We have decided to permanently designate this day—the day Mondstadt was able to escape the calamity and once again hear the oracle of the Anemo Archon, which had been silent for five hundred years—as a festival of Mondstadt. This day will commemorate your great achievement in saving Mondstadt, and this day filled with miracles as the Anemo Archon once again bestowed his oracle."

Upon hearing this, Akalion's giant sword-shaped dragon tail twitched slightly at the tip, as if out of control.

"It seems our hero is very satisfied with Mondstadt's response!"

Seeing this, Wendy's face also showed a genuine smile.

"I think we should start celebrating as soon as possible."

Akalion gave the sly, grinning wind god a dangerous look.

"Heh heh!" Wendy scratched the back of her head nonchalantly.

"Please follow me! Heroes who saved Mondstadt."

Barbara stepped forward, her voice, imbued with elemental power and sounding like a hymn, soothing every person present.

"The church has already prepared a place for you to welcome and cleanse yourselves."

———Zephyr Cathedral District, Therapeutic Baths———

Although this bathhouse was not built specifically to entertain Mondstadt's most distinguished guests, it is the largest bathhouse in the entire city, large enough for Akalion's massive dragon body to roll around in.

Moonlight streamed through the glass murals atop the soaring dome, making the entire bath exceptionally bright even without artificial lighting.

"This bathing area is really nice. Is it directly fed by hot spring water?"

Akalion completely submerged his massive, pure white body into the warm pool.

He simply rolled over comfortably, creating a huge wave that nearly blew Wendy, who was resting with his eyes closed, off the stage—if he really was just an ordinary bard.

"Mmm~ Ahhh—"

Wendy's long, flowing, ink-black hair floated gently on the water's surface. Her already otherworldly, youthful face, now radiating a blissful humming sound from the comfort of being drenched in water, stirred all sorts of fantasies.

"Of course. This is directly sourced from the purest leyline hot spring water of the 'Dragonspine Snow Mountain,' and then perfectly preserved in its original 'feel' by Mondstadt's top alchemists using arcane tools."

"...Could you please stop making those strange noises? You are—"

Just as Akalion was about to complain about this unreliable wind god, the bathroom door, made of heavy oak and fine iron, was slowly pushed open.

Several burly, muscular men, carrying various professional cleaning tools, led by cavalry captain Kaeya and Lord Diluc of Dawn Winery, slowly approached Akalion.

"Wait a minute...you're the most professional 'bathhouse scrubbers' the church mentioned earlier?"

"Lord Akalion, please rest assured!" Kaeya patted his muscular chest, a hearty smile of confidence and enthusiasm spreading across his face. Looking at the great hero before him who had saved Mondstadt and the Guardians of the East, he declared loudly, "My men and Lord Diluc's men are among the most capable in Mondstadt! We will absolutely ensure that you, our great benefactor of Mondstadt, experience unparalleled comfort!"

"—"

Looking at the group of muscular men with arms long enough to carry horses, Akalion really wanted to leave this eerie place right now.

He didn't want to be groped all over by a group of burly, masculine men.

However, when he saw Wendy, whose true identity was 'Barbatos the Wind God,' enthusiastically accepting a huge bath towel from the group of burly men—a towel seemingly made of leather tanned from some kind of Teyvat native species—he stopped moving.

Volume 1 Snowfield Dragon Lord: 72. Discussion in the Bathroom (Part 1)

Kaeya wasn't lying; he, Diluc, Diluc's people, and even Venti's skills are all excellent.

Akalion was so comfortable that he almost fell asleep, but would the head of the Legonfend family, one of the three great families of Mondstadt, and his adopted brother come along for such a thing?

"Shall we get down to business, Diluc Legfend?"

“I am honored that Lord Akalion knows my name.”

Diluc maintained his perpetually cold expression, a hint of almost imperceptible warmth appearing on his face. As the richest man in Mondstadt, over 30,000 people worked directly for him, and over 400,000 indirectly.

Otherwise, he wouldn't have been able to maintain his identity as a Night Elf hero under the very noses of the Knights of Favonius, performing acts of chivalry in Mondstadt without the Knights having any legitimate means to reprimand him.

"You are the hero who saved Mondstadt and protected the East Wind. As a Mondstadt citizen, I naturally feel the deepest gratitude towards you, my lord."

Without Akalion's appearance, not only would the East Wind Guardian, blessed with the power of a thousand years of faith from the three temples, be executed by the Wind God himself.

The entire city of Mondstadt will also suffer heavy losses—the underground area of ​​the Cathedral of Favonius can only accommodate up to one-fifth of the city's population, and at best, only about 30% of those who work directly for it can enter.

"Without your intervention, even with Lord Aeolus's protection, Mondstadt would still have suffered heavy losses. Even the Knights of Favonius, whose minds have long been corrupted by a life of ease, can understand this."

"Hey, I'm still right here!" Kaeya gave an awkward smile. "There are still some smart people in the Knights."

“It’s precisely because you’re here that I’m saying this.” Diluc ignored the latter part of Kaeya’s sentence, his brow furrowing slightly. “Has the Knights of Fame become so unreasonable? At such a crucial moment, they can’t even spare a single decent person?”

"Most of the Knights' elite have followed Grand Master Falgar on their long journey to the North. Currently, our primary focus remains on maintaining the long supply line from Mondstadt to the port of Ormus in Mount Meru. We simply cannot spare any more manpower."

Kaeya was also in a dilemma. He knew the situation of the Knights better than anyone. He could squeeze some manpower over, but Grand Master Jean prioritized the people of Mondstadt, so he couldn't say anything. Perhaps Grand Master Jean had placed her hopes on Diluc, the senior member of the Knights, from the very beginning.

"Moreover, there is also the work of maintaining order and reconstruction after the disaster—about two-tenths of the buildings in Mondstadt have been destroyed by that Lord of the East Wind, who was corrupted by the Abyss."

As Kaiya spoke, he increased the pressure of wiping Akalion's scales with his hands.

"We can't let those covetous Fools interfere too much. While we appreciate their help when disaster struck, we absolutely cannot let them overstep their bounds, can we? Lord Diluc, and the future Duke of Brightcrown."

"You probably don't want your future 'Bright Crown City' to be subjected to that pervasive infiltration from the Winter Kingdom, do you?"

“That’s why I said your Knights of Favonius really don’t understand at all.” Diluc’s brows furrowed even more. To be able to completely end the millennia-long pollution from the remnants of the Demon God and open up a brand new living space for the people of Mondstadt to live and work in peace—this value was priceless, and the significance behind it was unimaginable.

Moreover, the mere invasion of the Fools' forces is nothing compared to the reappearance of the Wind God's oracle!

"Lord Akalion, I hope you will not have any unnecessary opinions about Mondstadt because of this. The Knights of Favonius do not represent the whole of Mondstadt."

Listening to the conversation between the two, Akalion glanced at Wendy and saw that the free wind god didn't say a word and was even playing on his back like a slide. Finally, he spoke.

“I understand what you mean. Don’t worry, I won’t ask you Mondstadt to invest in the construction of the ‘Wind Dragon Ruins’ without any limits.”

He slowly spread out his pair of huge, pure white dragon wings so that they could better clean his body.

Although, with that invisible force field present, he wouldn't have gotten that dirty anyway. But scrubbing himself in the bath was really refreshing.

If, at this moment, it were Ying and Eleanor, or even those beautiful elves,... the scene would probably take a completely different turn, full of enchantment and even more interesting.

"So, while maintaining the normal operation of Mondstadt, how much Mora can you contribute to the construction of Brightcrown City?"

Akalion asked the question that concerned him most directly. He himself was quite wealthy, and the treasury of that elven city was rich enough to make any country envious. However, it was ultimately a relic of the previous era that could not be regenerated, and he could not just sit around and do nothing.

Building a brand new territory is an incredibly huge investment.

To see tangible benefits, we'll have to wait at least five years.

Of course, this amount of time is nothing to a dragon, but Akalion has only been a dragon for less than three months. He still habitually measures everything with the human sense of time—a sense of brevity and preciousness.

I guess it won't be able to be changed in the future, right?

"I personally, along with the Legonfind United Merchant Guild, can immediately provide 37.46 billion Mora in working capital. As for the follow-up..." Diluc put down his cleaning tools, a shrewd businessman's eye flashing in his sharp red eyes. After a moment, he replied in a deep voice, "In the follow-up, under normal circumstances, the Legonfind United Merchant Guild can steadily invest over 10 billion Mora into Brightcrown City each quarter. This is to avoid inflation caused by large-scale construction and to maintain the most prudent level of current construction efficiency."

"..."

This is probably no longer just the funds of the United Merchants Association, but all of Diluc's personal assets... Kaeya stared at Diluc in silence for a long time before slowly revealing a serious expression full of businesslike intent.

"Mondstadt is constrained by the need to maintain that long supply line from Jingfu Port to the far north, and the maximum amount of funds it can currently provide is 30 million Mora."

This supply line directly consumed more than half of Mondstadt's revenue. In order to maintain sufficient supplies, it consumed more than 16 billion Mora, accounting for two-thirds of the total expenditure for the year, which severely squeezed the budget of other areas. Otherwise, the Knights Order would not have been so passive in the face of the chaos caused by the Abyss Order.

"Next quarter, the amount can be increased to between 100 million and 300 million. This support will continue until 'Mingguan City's' tax revenue reaches a positive level."

He feigned an envious expression, looked at Diluc, and said in a half-joking tone:

"This can't compare to our Mondstadt's richest man—Lord Diluc Legnfender! After all, the Legnfender Merchant Guild's total wealth accounts for more than half of Mondstadt's entire wealth!"

"Heh, if the Knights can be more useful, I won't be stingy."

Diluc let out a cold chuckle, completely unwilling to look at Kaeya's face again.

"But now, the Knights Order can only maintain that already fragile order, barely enough to justify the taxes that I and all my employees contribute to Mondstadt every year."

Kaeya responded sarcastically, "Oh dear, so the uncrowned king of Mondstadt, Lord Diluc, does know that it is the Knights of Favonius who are maintaining order in Mondstadt."

"..."

Diluc ignored Kaeya.

"Will the prices of the supplies I need to buy be within the original price range?" Akalion's oppressive voice suddenly broke in, as he keenly noticed this crucial loophole.

“…This is something I can’t control.” Diluc paused for a moment, then chose to be honest. “It’s normal business practice; the price of building materials will definitely rise.”

"I can only guarantee that my Leggenfende United Chamber of Commerce, and all its businesses, will provide the best service to 'Mingguan City' at the original prices."

Akalion asked again.

"Your Mondstadt's three great noble families, who have been passed down through generations, should still have geographical data on the entire Wind Dragon Ruins in their libraries."

“Hmm…” Diluc pondered carefully, “It is true. However, with the pollution from the Demon God’s remains over the past thousand years, and the fact that the ‘Spark Knight’s’ mother, Lady Iris of the Witches’ Guild, bombed the entire Wind Dragon Ruins, some ancient geographical data are certainly no longer accurate.”

"If you want to build 'Brightcrown City' according to the old Mondstadt city plan—although that plan is still relevant even by today's standards—some of the most crucial technologies, such as the barrier technology called [Light Guide Rail], have long been completely lost, and the entire city has no external planning whatsoever."

"There's no need for that, I'm not a retro enthusiast."

It seems that I will have to draw a completely new map of that land myself.

After confirming that his scales were now practically shimmering, Akalion ended the respectful service offered by the "bathhouse attendants."

"Now we're going to talk about another, more important issue."

He looked at Kaiya.

"Just how many Abyss Orders are still entrenched in those three 'Guardians of the Four Winds' temples?"

"This... Knights Order, it's really like... clones—"