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

With the help of alchemy and various alchemical potions, Mingguan City has already built up a rough and magnificent prototype in less than a month.

Several key passes and canals located on major transportation routes were completed ahead of schedule thanks to the cheerful and relentless bombardment by Klee, the Spark Knight, and are now ready for use.

Currently, the city's trade mainly revolves around Liyue and Fontaine, so the commercial areas along these main routes are all designed around the styles of these two countries.

As Akalion flew closer, he saw Acting Guild Master Jean reprimanding Klee with a stern expression. It wasn't about work, but rather her artistically destructive act of frying fish, the effects of which had somehow reached the borders of Liyue.

"Klee, do you know that because you were blasting fish, the Thousand Rock Army of Liyue has sent us a strongly worded diplomatic protest! What if someone gets hurt?" Jean's voice was full of helplessness as she rubbed her aching temples.

"Hmm... But Klee specifically chose a secluded spot to fry the fish, and those fish were really delicious! Jean, would you like to try some?" Klee wiggled her long ears and took out a golden sea bass that was fried until crispy on the outside and tender on the inside from her clover-shaped backpack.

This conversation made Akalion, who had originally intended to step in and mediate, silently quicken his pace.

Instead of working properly, she dares to go fishing and fry fish?! What an outrageous act! But then again, given Klee's age, she's practically a child laborer... Oh well, if even Captain Jean doesn't care, it shouldn't be a big problem. It'll also help burn off Klee's energy and save her from frying fish everywhere.

Although most of Brightcrown Mountain had already been cleared by Akalion and Dvalin, the number of Hilichurls attracted by the continuous delivery of supplies was increasing.

Dvalin would occasionally come to clean up a wave of enemies, but his main focus was on the eastern border of Mondstadt, especially the Dadaupa Valley.

Therefore, Cavalry Captain Kaeya, along with the men sponsored by Lord Diluc, continued to maintain vigilance along the trade route.

"Captain Kaeya, a small Hilichurl camp has been discovered 300 meters ahead. Should we clear it out?" A Legionnfender guard respectfully reported to Kaeya.

“No need, let them gather more.” A playful smile curved at the corner of Kaiya’s lips. “Perfect, it’ll also give the brothers some exercise.”

He maintained a fairly harmonious relationship with these subordinates who were not directly under his "elder brother's" name.

Listening to their conversation, Akalion was fairly satisfied with Mondstadt's current performance. He flapped his wings and soared over Brightcrown City, ready to inspect the construction progress. However, the scene before him stunned him; the city wasn't a bustling construction site, but rather… a concert?!

He quickly transformed into human form and landed beside Ying.

Before she could even stand still, Ying, ignoring Paimon's presence, pounced into Akalion's arms like a fledgling swallow returning to its nest. To avoid standing out, Paimon followed suit, rushing into the embrace as well.

The sweet aroma of milk and the fragrance of Intiwat flowers flooded his heart, causing him to quickly reach out and hold the two pendants, one large and one small, in place.

"What are you doing?"

"It's a celebration!" Ying rubbed her cheek against his warm chest and said contentedly, "The workers have been working for so long, they need to relax too!"

After explaining the reason, Ying revealed a malicious smile again. She took out the small Dust Song Pot and waved it at Akalion.

"Paimon, keep an eye on the pot, make sure no one touches it. Akalion and I are going in for a fight!"

"That's not a good idea!" Paimon immediately waved her little hand. "It's still broad daylight."

“No.” Akalion refused without hesitation, looking at Luminous seriously. “Now is not the time to do this. Besides, this is not the Dark Space. With your current physical strength, you will really break down.”

“But I think—” Ying clung to Akalion’s arm, pleading in a sticky, affectionate tone.

This made him unable to bear it any longer, and just as he was about to fight without regard for anything else, Paimon's panicked voice suddenly rang out.

"Luminous! Akalion! Miss Barbara, she's here!"

Akalion and Luminous's movements came to an abrupt halt.

They quickly straightened each other's clothes, which were slightly disheveled from their earlier intimacy.

After confirming that there was nothing amiss, Paimon, blushing, floated to Akalion's side and whispered a reminder:

"Akaglion, you...you...how will you cover this up!"

However, at this crucial moment, Barbara walked over with a smile. She looked at Luminous and Paimon, who were standing in front of Akalion with somewhat strange expressions, and asked curiously:

"Luminous, Paimon, what are you doing?"

"We are...admiring Duke Akalion's magnificent attire, so full of Liyue flair!" Ying replied quickly and cleverly.

“I see.” Barbara nodded in understanding. She was silent for a moment, her face slightly flushed. “Your Grace, the workers’ fatigue has reached a critical point. Through the power of the Eye of God, my singing can transform into a healing voice to soothe their fatigue, allowing them to recover quickly and return to their work with greater efficiency.”

She paused for a moment, a shy smile appearing on her face.

"I did this because I hoped to take this opportunity to get the attention of the dukes."

"Our attention?"

Paimon flew slowly around Barbara with curiosity, his star-like eyes fixed on her face, making the Mondstadt idol girl a little shy.

"You haven't fallen for Akali, have you? Want to repay the hero who saved Mondstadt with your body?"

These words struck like a thunderbolt, instantly turning Barbara's already slightly flushed face, which was already red from the concert, into a bright red, ripe apple.

"No, no!"

She quickly stretched out her hands and waved them somewhat flusteredly.

“I, I…we just want to ask His Excellency the Duke to allow us to build a temple here for the Guardian of the East Wind.”

"?" Ying took a step back, and only after confirming that Akalion's condition had finally returned to normal did she step forward with relief and say, "But Lord Barbatos, the Wind God, did not want Dvalin to continue to be trapped in the identity of 'Guardian of the East Wind.' Therefore, Akalion did not establish a church area in the initial city plan."

"We Mondstadt people never intended for Lord Windward, who suffered severe injuries for our sake and has slept alone for five hundred years, to continue fulfilling His duties." Barbara's eyes revealed a resolute light at this moment. "We simply... simply want to express our gratitude to Lord Windward, which is five hundred years overdue. This is the only way for us Mondstadt people to express our sincerity to Lord Windward."

"In that case, wouldn't it be possible to plan an area within Mondstadt?"

Paimon reminisced about his usual culinary adventures with Ying during this time, noting that many places in the city were empty.

“We want to build a Cathedral of the East, comparable to the Cathedral of the West, but there’s not enough space in Mondstadt.” Barbara looked earnestly at Akalion, Luminous, and Paimon. “Please! The Church is willing to cover half of the funding needed for Brightcrown City’s construction. I will also hold weekly concerts here to help everyone recover from their fatigue with song, thus completing the city’s construction work faster!”

Seeing that Akalion and Ying seemed to be hesitating, she gritted her teeth, as if she had made up her mind.

"If these conditions are not enough, please feel free to ask. I'm willing to do anything I can!"

Ying turned around and met Akalion's grey-white dragon eyes. Seeing him nod almost imperceptibly, she smiled and replied:

"can!"

"However, it seems a bit strange that the East Wind Cathedral is built in the Brightcrown Mountains west of Mondstadt."

Paimon spread his hands and posed a logical question.

“Whether it’s the West Wind or the East Wind, it’s just a name.” Barbara clasped her hands together in a prayerful gesture, her ocean-blue eyes looking at Paimon as she said, “What truly matters is what people hold dear in their hearts!”

"I don't need you to bear half of Mingguan City's funds." Akalion, feeling his body finally calm down, came to Barbara and wanted to turn back into his original form immediately.

He was too short now, but turning back to his original form would be too much, so he used his psionic ability to temporarily levitate his body and look down at Barbara. "You can only build the East Wind Cathedral on the mountain to the northeast. Whether you build it against the mountain or hollow it out, it's up to you."

Akalion had no desire to change the city blueprints that were already under construction; it was too much trouble.

Volume 1 Snowfield Dragon Lord: 102. Another Request

The northeast direction of Brightcrown City that Akalion mentioned is, to be precise, the mountains located north of Brightcrown Gorge, where the terrain is relatively flat.

Although building a cathedral here would require a huge initial investment, it would undoubtedly be an excellent opportunity for the church to demonstrate its devout faith to the wind god.

More importantly, once completed, this new architectural marvel will be visible from the top of the Cathedral of Favonius in Mondstadt!

Furthermore, this area is also a core hub for waterway transportation in future city planning. The canal in Brightcrown Gorge is already in operation, used to transport goods from Mondstadt, and connects westward to the waterway leading to the Bissil River in Liyue.

As for the canal section leading to Fontainebleau, due to the larger scale of the project and its higher elevation, it will still take some time. After all, most of Brightcrown's supplies are currently transported from the closer Liyue Valley and Azurewater Plains.

“The church can agree!” Barbara nodded quickly, then gently touched her chest, a little embarrassed. “Actually, I have another small request.”

“Tell me about it,” Akalion said gently, glancing at Luminous beside him.

"I...I request that Duke Akalion, Duke Ying, and Duke Paimon attend the upcoming badminton festival celebration!" Barbara's eyes were filled with sincere anticipation.

"This is Mondstadt's grandest annual carnival. This festival commemorates the day when Lord Barbatos, the god of the wind, chose the site of Mondstadt by throwing 'bird feathers'. At the end of the badminton festival, we will select a maiden through poetry, banquets and flying competitions. She will throw a shuttlecock, symbolizing the blessing of the wind god, from a high place. Whoever catches the shuttlecock will have good luck for the whole year."

She paused, a complex expression flashing across her face.

"Although this festival was once twisted by the old nobles led by Lawrence into a dark festival that selected a badminton girl and made this poor girl serve the nobles after the celebration, thanks to Lady Vanessa's efforts, it has long since returned to its original purity as a symbol of freedom and blessing."

Lawrence—can these old nobles really survive as free Mondstadt citizens in Brightcrown City? Barbara banished the unpleasant thoughts from her mind and smiled sweetly.

"If the heroes who saved Mondstadt were to participate, everyone would be even happier at this year's badminton festival."

“What about time?” Akalion asked.

“Just three months from now.” Barbara lowered her hand from her chest, walked up to Akalion, and said in a tone full of longing, “The celebration square is spacious enough that even if you and Lord Dvalin descend in the form of true dragons, you can still enjoy the celebration to your heart’s content.”

"Festivals and celebrations—delicious food!"

In an instant, Paimon's mind formed such a simple yet beautiful formula.

"【Savior Dragon】, shall we join?"

She suddenly threw herself into Akalion's arms, nuzzling her little head affectionately against his chest.

"Little Paimon, you eat delicious food every day, aren't you tired of it yet?"

Akalion smiled and hugged her, letting her lie comfortably in his arms without relying on her flying ability. Then he reached out and affectionately pinched her little nose.

"What nonsense are you talking about!" Paimon's eyes suddenly lit up. She leaped out of Akalion's arms, crossed her arms, and retorted confidently, "How can you ever get enough of delicious food!"

"Didn't the Sage Dragon also eat lots and lots of delicious food at the Mondstadt Thanksgiving Feast?" She spread her arms, making a huge circle.

"Heh~" Seeing the adorable Paimon, Ying couldn't help but chuckle. "Akkarion is a dragon, and that night it only ate four-fifths of its own volume in food. But little Paimon, you're almost..."

She pondered for a moment, then stepped forward and pinched Paimon's round little belly.

"...You've almost eaten a meal the size of ten Paimons! It's really strange, how can your tiny stomach hold so much food?"

"Ugh—Paimon's getting angry!" Paimon suddenly flew behind Akalion's head, hiding there, only his eyes peeking out as he glared at Luminous. "Luminous knows perfectly well! I expend a lot of energy flying around every day to be your guide! Of course, I need lots and lots of delicious food to maintain my stamina!"

"Huh?" Ying feigned surprise, as if she were hearing this for the first time. "There's actually such a thing?"

"Gurgle—" Paimon suddenly hugged Akalion's head, grabbed his two dragon horns, and buried his face in his soft gray hair. "So, so Sparkle doesn't care about Paimon at all..."

A faint sob suddenly came from her hair.

Barbara and Akalion both cast reproachful glances at Ying.

Seeing this, Ying quickly apologized to Paimon.

"Alright, alright, Paimon is my best friend, how could I not know? I was just kidding!"

"Of course we'll participate in the celebration!"

"We're going to eat from the beginning to the end!"

"Really, really?"

Paimon immediately stopped crying, poked his little head out from above Akalion's head, and looked at Luminous and Akalion with anticipation.

“Really.” Ying nodded immediately.

"Is it really true?" Paimon asked again.

“It’s really true!” Ying replied again.

"Is it really, really true?" Paimon asked again.

"It really is true!" Ying looked at Paimon helplessly, thinking that she shouldn't tease the little guy so much next time.

"The Duke of Paimon and the Duke of Ying have a really good relationship."

Barbara watched with a smile as she watched the interaction between Ying and Paimon.

"of course!"

Paimon stood with his hands on his hips, sporting a proud expression that said, "I'm so awesome!"

"I'm Ying's best friend!"

“Barbara, you can also call me, Paimon, and Akalion by our names.” Ying said, glancing at Akalion, and seeing that he didn’t object, “Just call us by our names, like Jean does.”

"No, no!" Barbara retorted anxiously, as if she had heard something terrible. "How can I be like my sister—the acting captain!"

"sister?"

Paimon tilted his little head curiously.

"..."

Barbara was silent for a moment. She understood that this "secret," which wasn't really a "secret," probably wouldn't be kept hidden for much longer.

She took a deep breath, and a sincere expression, a mixture of composure and a touch of helplessness, appeared on her beautiful face.

“Yes… I am Commander Qin’s younger sister.” Her voice was soft, but it reached the ears of everyone present clearly. “It’s just that because of some disagreements between our parents, I stayed with our father, while my older sister stayed with our mother.”

Akalion and Luminosity already knew this from the game, so they were unfazed.

"Eh?!"

But Paimon's small body trembled violently at this sudden, astonishing news. She circled Barbara rapidly, like a most rigorous appraiser, searching for commonalities between them as sisters.

"Aside from her temperament, she really does resemble Leader Qin! The same light blonde hair, the same blue-gray eyes, and the subtle curves of her thighs and hips—"