NCCnovel Chapter 167 A sneak attack meets a counter-sneak attack
Chapter 167 A sneak attack meets a counter-sneak attack
"Hey! You big drunkard, your performance now isn't as forceful as when you said those three words to Commander Qin earlier!"
Paimon looked at Xu Ning, who was swaying behind the group, with a displeased expression.
From the moment they encountered the enemy, everyone noticed that Xu Ning seemed a bit out of sorts.
Until Wendy broke through the storm barrier and searched for the light-guiding mechanism, Xu Ning just stood to the side, constantly chugging alcohol, unconsciously following the others as if he were drunk.
Kong had already dealt with the two layers of protective rings, but Xu Ning was still standing there drinking.
Paimon finally started grumbling in dissatisfaction.
"I can get back quickly via the transmission anchor point, Paimon, let's go finish the last light guide mechanism!"
Kong called Paimon and teleported him directly out, effectively preventing Paimon from continuing to cause trouble for Xu Ning.
Diluc, however, noticed from Xu Ning's occasional glances at Wendy that he was pondering something about the Wind God.
"You seem a little uneasy. Are you worried about the upcoming battle with the Wind Dragon?"
Diluc walked up to Xu Ning and asked.
Xu Ning seemed to only come to his senses at this moment, and laughed: "How is that possible? With this Wind God here, how could he not deal with his own retinue?"
Diluc shook his head slightly, warning, "Don't be careless. Since our Wind God has specifically sought the help of the Void and our power, there are likely dangers here that he cannot handle. Given your current state, you'll probably suffer a great loss if you go in."
Xu Ning shook his head and said, "I've thought things through. I'll prepare well for the next battle."
Just then, Kong and Paimon's figures appeared from the teleportation anchor point on one side.
"Alright, all the seals have been broken. Let's go."
The moment everyone stepped into the radiant ring before them, they were all teleported to a broken circular platform.
Wendy smiled at the sky and said, "Our arrival has probably disturbed Dvalin. It should be here soon."
"I will guide the elemental power of the wind for you, just like last time. All you have to do is break up the purple blood clots on Dvalin's waist and neck. Don't be afraid, the thousand-year-old winds of Mondstadt are with you."
Kong laughed and said, "I knew it was you last time. Come on, I feel like something's about to come out down there."
Sora unfurled her wings of wind and soared into the sky, while at the same time, Dvalin's massive form rapidly emerged from the eye of the storm below.
While controlling Thousand Winds to help Kong fight, Wendy said to Diluc and Xu Ning with ease, "No matter which part of the blood clot Kong breaks, it will cause Dvalin great pain, and may even make it unable to maintain its flight posture and fall down. We must seize the moment when it loses its power, concentrate our strength to deal with the other part of the blood clot, and remove the Holy Nail."
Xu Ning nodded, "Leave it to us!"
As expected, Sky lived up to expectations, shattering the blood clot in Dvalin's ribs. Dvalin roared and plummeted from the sky. Just as he was about to hit the platform, a strong gust of wind suddenly spun between Wendy's hands, catching Dvalin and placing him on the platform.
"It's now."
Wendy stepped forward and hugged Dvalin's sharp beak, once again urging the power of the Thousand Winds to remove the curse from its body.
Xu Ning placed his hand on its neck and poured the strong smell of alcohol into Tvalin's body to prevent it from going berserk due to the impending pain.
Diluc leaped onto Dvalin with his greatsword in hand, striking with just three sword strikes.
He shattered the purple blood clot on Dvalin's neck, and then knocked away the holy nail that was fastened to the wound.
The sudden, intense pain caused Dvalin to tighten its four claws, and the shattered stone platform instantly crumbled into a pile of rubble under its immense force.
Having lost their footing, everyone could no longer maintain their balance in the chaotic storm and fell downwards together, screaming loudly.
Xu Ning put his hand behind his head and listened to Paimon shouting especially loudly. He thought to himself, "Little guy, you can clearly fly, yet you act just like Wendy. On the other hand, Diluc and I, who could have fallen to our deaths, didn't even say anything. I'm really sorry."
Fortunately, the wind dragon, freed from its shackles, remembered its former master and flew up again to catch everyone.
Wendy summoned Dvalin again, granting it the power to be her familiar and allowing it to fly freely once more.
However, Xu Ning did not place the responsibility of protecting the four winds on it again, even though he knew that Dvalin would continue to protect Mondstadt as always.
"The show is getting better and better, and now it's time for the grand finale."
Xu Ning had been lying at the main entrance of the West Wind Cathedral for a day and a night.
The next morning, as the sun rose, Xu Ning once again carefully inspected the main gate.
Then, turning to the man in green with a serious expression, he said, "Let's begin!"
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"Hey? Xu Ning didn't go home to sleep last night?"
Wendy stroked her chin thoughtfully for a moment, then said to the air, "Could it be that he went back to the winery with Lord Diluc to celebrate their victory? Why didn't he take us with him?"
Paimon shook his head and said, "It seems like he was lying in front of the cathedral drinking yesterday. That uncle named Albert said that Xu Ning must have felt God's grace, lingering in the sweet fragrance of the air, and even said he wanted Xu Ning to join his fan club..."
Kong corrected, "It's Barbara-sama's fan club."
Qin chuckled and said, "Xu Ning doesn't seem to have met Barbara yet, so how could he possibly join the support group? But you should see her soon, since she's the one in charge of retrieving the Sky Harp this time."
Upon hearing the mention of the Sky Harp, Sora and Paimon's expressions immediately darkened.
When Dvalin was summoned, the Sky Harp was almost shattered into pieces by the Abyss Mage. If you return something like that, the devout nuns will probably beat you to death.
"Okay, I'll be there for you!"
Wendy, on the other hand, wasn't worried at all and walked into the church with a smile.
Xu Ning leaned against the flowerbed to the right of the cathedral's main entrance, arms crossed. A cloud of misty wine vapor from the dust-concealing gourd hanging at his waist enveloped him, obscuring his figure.
For today's plan, Xu Ning had surveyed every inch of the surrounding land for a whole day and night, confirming that there were no Fools lying in ambush beforehand. Only then, in the dead of night, did he have Qingyi activate an invisibility spell to wait for Wendy and the others to appear.
According to the trajectory of this world, after Wendy and the others return the harp, the Fatui's ambush and the Lady's sneak attack will follow one after another. I must hide myself before all of that happens.
"How much longer? Maintaining this spell is exhausting."
Qingyi couldn't help but stick her head out and complain.
Xu Ning roughly calculated that Barbara was probably already in tears, and Wendy was probably preparing to use her powers to repair the Sky Harp.
"Although Wendy's explanation back then seemed to involve the use of illusion magic, I have never heard of wind elemental power having the effect of illusion magic. The situation at the time was more like Wendy using the power of time to revert the Sky Harp to its undamaged state."
"The entanglement of time and wind seems to be constantly linked. What kind of relationship exists between Barbatos and the god of time?"
However, there isn't enough time right now for Xu Ning to think things through properly.
The main doors of the West Wind Cathedral were suddenly pushed open, and Wendy ran out laughing.
Then suddenly they were attacked by the Fools.