"Hope in companionship?"
Dvalin turned his head toward Barbatos. "I get the feeling there's more to your words. Forget about that Gu Sanqiu kid for now. Are you saying that golden-haired one is the 'hope' you're referring to?"
Barbatos immediately covered his mouth, but this reaction only confirmed Aether's uniqueness to Dvalin.
"Hmph. Still trying to hide things from me, you fool."
The Sky King of Mondstadt huffed and turned away in a pout. "Really, Barbatos? Since when did you start keeping secrets from everyone?"
Venti protested, "Hey, hey, just this once! When have I ever kept things from you before?"
Dvalin let out a cold chuckle. "Oh, really? Then what about that time Vanessa asked you that question? Why didn't you answer her?"
Venti instantly feigned ignorance. "Eh? That red-haired big sis asked me so many troublesome questions! How would I know which one you're talking about?"
Gu Sanqiu glanced up at the sky. For a moment, he thought he saw two unidentified figures up there.
Must be my imagination, he thought. With Dvalin back and Venti here, who'd dare make trouble in Mondstadt's airspace?
"Tsk, my dear nephew's sensory abilities are getting sharper and sharper."
Venti waved away the gentle wind barrier he had created and pulled out a bottle of Thousand Suns Soothing Spirit Wine—a gift from Gu Sanqiu—with a grin.
"Well then, Dvalin, let's find somewhere quiet. This stuff is perfect for stabilizing your wounded spirit. That kid really knows his stuff."
Dvalin sniffed at the bottle's contents. "A scent from beyond this world? That Gu Sanqiu kid has access to something like this? Do his elders know about it?"
Venti's tone turned uncertain. "Uh… probably? I think?"
…
Seriously? That tone sounds far from confident.
Dvalin sighed in exasperation. Sometimes, this Archon was utterly inscrutable—an enigma wrapped in layers of whimsy.
And yet, other times—like the occasion when Dvalin was painstakingly stabilizing Mondstadt's climate—Barbatos had done nothing to help, instead choosing to strum his lyre and cheer him on with songs.
That frivolity made Dvalin question whether his assessment of Barbatos as cunning was entirely mistaken—or if his own judgment was simply flawed.
"Hey, Gu Sanqiu, just where are you taking us?"
Paimon stood with her hands on her hips, glaring at Gu Sanqiu. From what Klee had told her, she'd already pieced together the kind of person he was: always smiling, but with something unsettling about his grin. Still, he didn't feel as distant or odd as when they'd first met.
"Hm, good question. Sounds reasonable enough."
Gu Sanqiu looked up at the sky and muttered, "About the right time now, and we're far enough from Mondstadt."
Paimon slapped her forehead. "Ugh, so you're still not telling us what this is about!"
"Hmm? Did I not mention it?"
"Obviously not!"
"Alright, maybe I was being too subtle. Let me explain."
Gu Sanqiu clapped his hands, and pillars of rock erupted from the ground, forming a defensive formation around them.
"This little outing? It's basically a crash course."
His usual expressionless demeanor returned. "I heard later on that this guy's combat awareness is… well, let's just say it's abysmal. Bad enough to make people cringe."
Under Gu Sanqiu's sharp gaze, Aether instinctively lowered his head, looking every bit like a chastised student.
"In simple terms, your battle instincts are downright painful to watch. Today's exercise is to help you improve."
He clapped his hands again. "Of course, a lesson like this wouldn't be fun if it were just you. Klee will be joining in too."
"Hehe! The Spark Knight is here!"
Klee raised her right hand in a peace sign near her face. "I'll do my best!"
Gu Sanqiu gently tapped her cheek with a finger. "Good. Now, Klee, get your newest bombs ready. Go ahead and let loose—this barrier can take it."
With the shield's durability reinforced by his own constant supply of elemental energy, it would take a bomb with power exceeding his own to make a dent.
"Now, as for you…"
Gu Sanqiu turned to Aether, pulling out his spear. After a moment of thought, he put it away and picked up a random tree branch from the ground.
"Use your weapon. Attack me."
Paimon gawked at the tree branch in his hand. "Eh? You're using that to spar with him? Isn't that a bit careless?"
"Not really."
Gu Sanqiu watched as Aether unsheathed his dull blade, his expression solemn. "Besides, he's already agreed, hasn't he?"
"By the way, what's your name? I can't keep calling you 'this guy.'"
The golden-haired youth hesitated, momentarily loosening his grip on his sword. That pause was all it took—before he could react, the tree branch lightly poked him in the chest.
"Remember: in combat, no matter what verbal distractions your opponent throws at you, you must remain focused."
Gu Sanqiu tapped the branch against Aether's chest again.
"Words are weapons. Communication is warfare. A perfectly equal exchange is rare—there's almost always someone taking the lead."
"You don't have to dominate these battles from the start. But you do need to control your own will. Don't let others sway your perspective so easily."
Villains die from talking too much for a reason. Monologuing often reveals critical intel that fuels the protagonist's resolve.
But Aether's mental fortitude in this area was sorely lacking. It was just like in the Golden House fight—he had stood there passively, watching as Childe summoned his Foul Legacy transformation.
If Childe had dared use that form against Gu Sanqiu, and without a defensive buffer during his transformation, Gu Sanqiu was confident the Harbinger wouldn't have even gotten his ultimate attack off.
And during the fight with La Signora, Gu Sanqiu had been trash-talking non-stop while secretly preparing his ultimate move. A classic combatant through and through.
Gu Sanqiu stepped back a few paces. "Let me pose a scenario: you're searching for your sister. If you encounter an enemy who knows her whereabouts, what do you do?"
Aether looked puzzled. Wouldn't you just ask them?
Gu Sanqiu sighed. "This is why I said words are weapons, and communication is warfare."
"Relying on the enemy to answer truthfully is like hoping to stumble upon a pile of top-tier elemental crystals in the wild. Not gonna happen. It's not like a chicken lays a dozen eggs at once, you know."
"Catch them and beat them senseless until they're willing to talk. Simple as that."
Gu Sanqiu chuckled. "If you can't win with words, strengthen yourself in other areas. That's what we call persuading with reason—physical reason."
Aether nodded dumbly, his lips parting hesitantly before he managed to stammer, "My name… i-it's Aether!"
Swish!
Sword gleamed as Aether lunged with his dull blade!
Gu Sanqiu grinned. "Oh? Now that's what I call putting theory into practice."
---
T/N: corruption arc incoming
...
"GACHA!!"
"WOOOO you made it to the end! That's commitment! That's—wait—wait—are you F2P!? Disgusting. Fix it."
"You like words? You like fanfics? You like dopamine without burning 300 quartz and a pack of tissues?? SUPPORT WISE-TL!!"
👉 [patreon.com/WiseTL] (LIMITED TIME BANNER, RATES UP, NO LIES, NO MERCY—OK MAYBE A LITTLE MERCY IT'S HALF OFF RIGHT NOW)
👉 [discord.gg/wisetl] (JOIN. SHITPOST. ROLL. SCREAM. COPE.)
"If you don't click that link RIGHT NOW, I'LL MAKE SURE U ONLY GET BLACK KEYS AND MAPO TOFU. TRY ME."
-Gudako