"Director, something unexpected happened! Let's find a quiet place to talk!"
Before Hu Tao could react, Jiang Bai grabbed her by the wrist and took off running, leaving her blinking in confusion.
"W-Wait, wait! I haven't paid for breakfast yet!" Hu Tao stumbled after him, flustered, casting an apologetic glance back at the noodle stall owner.
"It's fine, it's fine! I'll put it on your tab!"
The owner smiled kindly and waved them off like it was nothing.
Hu Tao: –_–
I can't believe this is the day Hu Tao ends up eating on credit.
Once they reached a quiet corner, Hu Tao rubbed her wrist with a slightly pained expression and shot Jiang Bai a sharp look.
If he didn't give her a proper explanation, this wasn't going to end well.
"Start talking. What happened?"
Faced with her glare, Jiang Bai chuckled sheepishly. "So… I found Cartis's body, but there's a bit of a situation. His soul hasn't dispersed. And also, we may have stumbled upon a very big secret..."
"Oh?" Hu Tao's interest was piqued. "Tell me everything."
Jiang Bai gave her a rundown of everything that had happened on Dragonspine—meeting Albedo, the history of the mountain, and the mysterious Skyfrost Nail.
After hearing it all, Hu Tao fell into deep thought. This was far beyond what she'd expected—especially that Nail, the thing that had supposedly transformed the mountain into a place of eternal snow.
"So you came back first through a ley line anchor?"
"Yeah, just wanted to let you know so you wouldn't worry. I still have to head to Mondstadt, and honestly, I'm not sure the plan will even work. Either way, I'll probably be stuck on Dragonspine for a while…"
"Well, this Director was a little worried," Hu Tao said, arms crossed, voice unusually proud, "but since you were thoughtful enough to come back and tell me, I'll let this little act of recklessness slide!"
"You promised him, didn't you? In that case, I'm not going to let you take this on alone!"
Hu Tao saw herself as a proper leader—never letting her people shoulder things alone.
Of course, that extra reward? She'd be taking half.
"But this is a pretty serious matter," she added. "I'm going to go ask Zhongli for his opinion. If pulling out that Nail ends up causing something even worse, we'll have gained nothing and caused disaster."
As Wangsheng Funeral Parlor's most learned consultant, Zhongli's role was exactly this—offering counsel when needed.
Hu Tao wouldn't feel right proceeding without his insight.
Jiang Bai had originally only come to borrow her mustard seed storage, so Hu Tao offering to help was a welcome surprise.
He didn't regret promising Cartis… but thinking back, he had agreed to something way too big without thinking it through.
Next time something like this came up, he'd definitely ask Zhongli first.
"Alright then, I'll go tell them, and we'll head over together to ask Mister Zhongli what he thinks."
Jiang Bai did as he said, teleporting back immediately—leaving Hu Tao standing at the ley line anchor, marveling aloud:
"Man, that's so convenient. We really did pick the right person for this job."
...
Back on Dragonspine, Jiang Bai reappeared at the summit and quickly explained the situation to Albedo and Cartis.
"...So that's where we're at."
"You're going to consult Mister Zhongli? Good. I'd like to hear what he has to say myself," Albedo said, clearly interested.
He very much wanted to meet this Zhongli, and even if that wasn't possible, hearing his opinion would still be valuable.
Cartis said nothing.
Now just a soul, unable to act, all he could do was rely on others to fulfill his wish.
Anything that brought it closer—he would support.
"This is my insignia and a letter I've written. If all goes well, you should head to Mondstadt directly from Liyue Harbor afterward."
Albedo paused, then added, "If you run into a little white-haired girl in red clothes and a red backpack at my house, give her this letter."
"She hasn't seen me in a while. She might kick up a fuss and want to come find me. If that happens, take her to the Knights of Favonius and leave her with Acting Grand Master Jean."
If Klee heard anything about blowing up part of Dragonspine, she'd definitely want in. But it was far too cold and dangerous up here. Albedo didn't want to risk bringing her along.
Leaving her in Jean's care was the safest option.
"That's the little sister you mentioned, right?"
"Yeah. Her name's Klee. She's sweet, really—but also a bit of a handful."
Albedo rubbed his forehead, clearly recalling past chaos.
"Best case scenario… she's not home."
But he doubted his luck would be that good.
"Got it. I'll take care of it."
Jiang Bai tucked the letter and insignia away, then turned toward the ley line anchor.
He hadn't been gone long—Hu Tao didn't have to wait long at all before Jiang Bai appeared again.
"Whoa. You're really popping in and out like a ghost."
Ghost? What ghost?
At the mention of the word, a small wandering spirit peeked its head out from her body, looking around in confusion.
Hu Tao smacked it lightly on the forehead, sending it right back in.
Back in the much milder climate of Liyue Harbor, Jiang Bai immediately shed his heavy cloak.
That was the downside of teleportation—going from freezing to warm climates in an instant was always a shock.
"Hehe, it's all thanks to Mister Zhongli. If not for him, I wouldn't even know how to use the ley line anchor system," Jiang Bai said, scratching his head with a goofy grin.
He didn't exactly explain how he could teleport through the ley line network, instead pushing the explanation off on Zhongli.
If Hu Tao was curious, she could go ask him herself. After all, Jiang Bai was just a poor amnesiac sap, right?
What could he possibly know?
Sure enough, Hu Tao didn't pry.
"It's still early. Based on his usual routine, he's probably out in his courtyard feeding the birds. Let's go!"
"Mm."
Jiang Bai was genuinely curious—would Zhongli know about the Skyfrost Nail?
Even Albedo had only learned about it after reaching the summit himself. So it wasn't exactly common knowledge.
Sure enough, they found Zhongli in his courtyard, feeding a flock of birds.
Bright-feathered and elegant, the birds landed delicately on his fingers, pecking gently at the grains in his palm.
They looked serene and obedient.
"Good morning, Mister Zhongli!"
"Good morning."
He looked up with a smile and returned the greeting, gently returning the bird in his hand to its cage.
"You've returned already?"
"There's been a complication..." Jiang Bai began to explain.
"Oh? You discovered a giant nail that fell from the sky?"
Zhongli looked genuinely surprised—as if he truly had no knowledge of such a thing.
"That's right. They say it destroyed a silver-white tree and disrupted the ley lines. That's why Dragonspine is covered in snow year-round. We're thinking of pulling the Nail out—but we don't know if that's a good idea… What do you think, Mister Zhongli?"
Jiang Bai wasn't sure if Zhongli had ever seen such a thing. But his reaction looked sincere—like this really was new information to him.
If even Zhongli doesn't know… then maybe the only option is to take the risk and try the bomb plan.