15 The World's Uneven Disparities

Diluc stood at the doorway, arms crossed, nodding inside to signal that she could enter.

Without the door panel in the way, the younger sister went in, but soon came rushing out again, her expression grave.

Noticing something was wrong, Diluc grew a bit anxious. “What’s the matter?”

The younger sister said, “For some reason, she’s running a high fever. Her forehead feels as hot as if you could fry an egg on it! It’s quite serious!”

Diluc was speechless for a moment.

He recalled the sneeze she had during dinner and fell silent.

But even so... for an ordinary person without a Vision, catching a fever just from wet hair and cold wind seemed extreme.

He couldn’t help but think of those around him who had been drenched by Hydro Slimes, frozen into blocks by Cryo Slimes, scorched by Pyro Slimes, or stunned by Electro Slimes—or even shocked by comrades—and yet, all were still lively and well. None had been rushed to the infirmary so easily.

Besides, someone crying in distress just from a fever? That suggested something was wrong with her spirit. Even if she were a fragile embodiment, a strong person would still have their pride.

Right now, he desperately wanted to find the Anemo Archon and ask if there had been some mistake.

He pinched the bridge of his nose and sighed. “Send someone to fetch a doctor—the best one. Then take my token to the Cathedral of the Favonius and ask Miss Barbara to come.”

“Also, send someone to look after her.”

With a constitution like that, he was afraid even mediocre medical skills wouldn’t suffice.

“Yes, master!” The younger sister dashed downstairs. Diluc hesitated but didn’t go inside.

He rubbed his forehead, sighed, and returned to his temporary room. Sitting at the desk for a long while, he took out paper and pen, expressionless, and began making a list.

‘Warm lamp, heater, cloak, medicine box, thermos...’

He wrote down everything he could think of, whether necessary or not, listing them one by one.

No matter what her true nature was, since her embodiment was so weak, he would treat her as such.

#Already a father at a young age#

#Giving you a baby’s experience#

For him, anything solvable with money wasn’t a problem.

So... where exactly are you, Traveler?

As for the Traveler, he was climbing the snowy mountains through the night with Paimon.

---

The Traveler was not irresponsible and wouldn’t abandon others in trouble.

He hadn’t been idle.

Diluc only helped care for her half a day before understanding just how troublesome it was to tend to such a delicate flower. The Traveler would know even better.

Previously, when Paimona was injured, it was mainly because he had grown used to the hardy people of this world and didn’t believe that someone from another world could be so fragile. He hadn’t reacted in time.

After adjusting his perspective, the Traveler, having journeyed through many worlds and gained vast experience, stood out for his insight.

He almost foresaw that this would require great care. Like leaving an orchid and a cactus to grow wildly together—the cactus thrives, but the orchid will likely die before your eyes.

The locals were like those tough cacti.

It wasn’t that the young lady was overly delicate, but rather a matter of environment and race. A summer-loving flower simply couldn’t survive in a harsh winter.

Therefore, solving the environmental incompatibility was the top priority.

So how to address this inevitable “environmental mismatch”?

That required asking the “miraculous Albedo.”

Who was Albedo?

He was an alchemist known by name but rarely seen, said to turn decay into wonder, seemingly all-powerful.

Rumor had it he could even grant life to inanimate objects—quite extraordinary.

The Traveler didn’t know much about him and had never met him. He only knew Albedo was the chief alchemist of the Knights of Favonius, living in seclusion on Dragonspine Mountain.

He was an inventor, a craftsman; his combat ability was unclear, but Mondstadt quietly spoke legends of the “all-powerful Master Albedo.”

A fragile orchid couldn’t survive in a harsh desert, but if a wealthy patron built a suitable ecological environment there, then the orchid could coexist with the cactus.

The Traveler sought Albedo to help create such a “protective shield.”

However, Albedo had long secluded himself in Dragonspine Mountain, and the Traveler hadn’t yet unlocked the teleport waypoint there.

This was a painful predicament.

The Traveler and Paimon had to first get Albedo’s address from the Knights of Favonius, then climb Dragonspine Mountain overnight to find him. This was also why he left without looking back.

(Of course, there was another unmentionable reason—this was his test.

Paimona repeatedly said she trusted him not to betray her, but who knew if that was true? Was that just sweet talk from someone with nowhere else to go, afraid he might silence her? She was weak and couldn’t stay with him every moment; could he watch her constantly? A backstab would be effortless.

His departure was an opportunity to observe. If Paimona couldn’t withstand the pressure and betrayed them easily...)

---

He didn’t mind caring for a useless flowerpot. As Paimona had said before, “If there’s anyone in this world who, like you, firmly believes your sister is gentle and kind, even if she is the Abyss Princess... I guess that would be me.” Even if it was just a slight psychological comfort amid universal hostility, he was willing to look after her. But he absolutely could not keep a venomous snake nearby.

The sooner he found Albedo, the sooner the problem could be solved. As for the “delicate flower,” he trusted the calm and reliable Diluc.

...Little did he know that after just one day, the steady and reliable Master Diluc was nearly killing his “orchid.”

Even more unexpectedly, he had gotten lost.

At this moment, he was still amidst the vast snowfields, braving the piercing, howling cold wind, climbing steep peaks, struggling to discern direction.

Albedo was a technical genius, passionate about research, and choosing to seclude himself in the rarely trodden Dragonspine Mountain, clearly not wanting to be disturbed. It was nearly impossible for ordinary people to obtain his address or find him for help.

Helping an ordinary girl create daily necessities was clearly beneath Albedo’s talents and status—like asking a Chinese Academy of Sciences academician to do home decorating.

—A bit ungrateful, really.

But the Traveler was an honorary knight of the Knights of Favonius, friend of the Anemo Archon Barbatos, a hero who helped Mondstadt overcome the Dragon Crisis, and half a colleague to Albedo—in short, quite respected in Mondstadt.

So he still managed to get Albedo’s address.

That was only the first step of difficulty; the real torment was how to find Albedo in Dragonspine Mountain.

Dragonspine Mountain was a vast snow-covered range stretching between Mondstadt and Liyue, covering about a quarter of Mondstadt’s territory, serving as the natural border between the two regions.

Legend said that five hundred years ago, a fierce dragon was born, later buried in the mountain, giving the range its name “Dragonspine.” The snow never melted, the cold was extreme, and the dragon’s poisonous blood corrupted the land, turning local creatures into vicious monsters. On top of that, the East Wind Dragon, Dvalin, who fought the dragon, left behind chaotic wind patterns—blowing horizontally, vertically, diagonally, twisting, with some forming a massive, smooth, endlessly circulating wind ring in the air.

The chaotic winds of Dragonspine Mountain were notorious, and as the wild winds stirred the snow, countless flakes whirled chaotically, forming a pure white curtain.

Anyone inside would feel only one thing—boundless whiteness.

White sky, white ground, as far as the eye could see—a wall of snow.

Want to see distant peaks? Want to find direction?

Ha.

Besides losing one’s way, the mountain’s temperature was strangely eerie—unnaturally cold. Though the Traveler was physically robust, even he often felt bone-chilling cold, numbness, and a soul-freezing numbness there. Was this normal? Could there really be a curse of the evil dragon?

In short—the harsh environment, vicious monsters, and the indistinguishable paths amidst the endless white snow all combined to make the Traveler’s quest a perilous ordeal.

He did not dare use the teleport waypoint to return to Mondstadt, because if he went back before finding the next waypoint, all the progress he had made would be wasted.

He could only trust Diluc and find Albedo as soon as possible.