The girl, clad in a green-blue cloak, extended her palm to touch the massive dragon before her.
The dragon's entire body was a deep azure, almost mirroring the girl herself, except for a few eerie black markings on its neck and spine.
In the girl's palm, a pure, translucent green energy gathered—like the purest breeze in existence.
Just as her hand was about to make contact with the dragon—
Crack…
Hidden behind the trees, the little witch accidentally stepped on a fallen branch, snapping it.
As her body tilted forward, she instinctively used wind magic to steady herself and avoid falling.
The wind energy spread outward.
The dragon seemed to react to this disturbance. In an instant, its eyes shot open; two piercing cyan pupils, glowing like enormous lanterns.
The next moment, the dragon let out a deafening roar, its terrifying cry echoing throughout the entire forest.
A massive gust of wind surged forth, sending the girl flying.
The girl wanted to step forward again, but the dragon spread its wings.
In the next moment, an even stronger gust of wind surged forth as the dragon soared into the sky, flying toward the distant horizon.
The girl turned back and shot a fierce glare at the little witch before transforming into a gust of blue wind and chasing after the dragon.
The little witch stood frozen for a long while before finally widening her eyes.
"That… that's the Stormterror Dragon!"
In the Mondstadt Library, there were detailed illustrations of Stormterror Dragon.
The little witch had been searching for it for a long time, so she naturally recognized the dragon at a glance.
But who was that girl?
"Traveler, we should return to the Knights of Favonius and report this. That dragon seemed to be heading toward the Stormterror's Lair."
Paimon tugged at the little witch's sleeve as she spoke.
The little witch nodded and quickly rushed back to Mondstadt with Paimon.
Using the Wind Glider, the little witch swiftly flew to Mondstadt's entrance. Before they could enter, they saw Nao Tomori anxiously running out.
"She's a Recon Knight!"
Paimon exclaimed in surprise.
Nao slowed her steps slightly upon seeing the little witch and Paimon, but her expression remained tense.
"Traveler, Paimon, there was a massive storm outside Mondstadt just now. Are you two okay?"
Hearing this, the little witch and Paimon exchanged glances before quickly recounting everything they had just witnessed.
After listening, Nao spoke in a serious tone,
"So it was caused by Stormterror Dragon. But who was that girl? How could she approach it?"
"No, this isn't the time to dwell on that. The storm outside Mondstadt; we need to go help with the rescue effort immediately."
Hearing this, the little witch immediately volunteered to assist.
Meanwhile, in a Foundation facility deep beneath the ocean, outside the island—
"How's the data on Stormterror Dragon and Shiro?"
Haruto asked in a low voice.
The Foundation staff immediately enlarged the surveillance screen, displaying images of Shiro and Stormterror Dragon.
At the same time, they pulled up a set of data.
This Stormterror Dragon was not merely a mechanical creation but a genuine living being.
The Foundation had obtained some dragon epidermal cells from Thor and studied them.
Through cloning and biological cultivation, they had successfully created this Stormterror Dragon.
Of course, this dragon had no connection to Thor.
Thor's cells had been destroyed after the research was completed.
Furthermore, the Foundation's technology was incapable of replicating a Chaos Dragon like Thor.
This Stormterror Dragon, on the other hand, seemed like a degraded version of the Chaos Dragon race.
It was also restricted by the Blacklight Virus, making its every move controllable.
However, at this moment, Stormterror Dragon was flying toward Stormterror's Lair, letting out painful cries.
With each tremor of its wings, storms erupted and spread outward.
This was beyond their control.
Stormterror Dragon's data had undergone a drastic change.
Its body had generated a large amount of wind energy, which it could wield with ease.
Meanwhile, the Blacklight Virus within it had entered a quasi-dormant state.
It was evident that the little witch's deep understanding of Stormterror Dragon had triggered an immense reality distortion upon meeting it.
Despite just one encounter, her abilities had significantly affected the dragon.
On the other hand, Shiro's data had not changed drastically.
Although her body had generated some wind energy, it was not particularly evident.
For now, she still relied entirely on the Foundation's technological means to take action.
This outcome was within expectations.
The experiment continued.
Outside, the little witch and Nao were engaged in storm rescue efforts.
Thanks to the Foundation's meticulous planning, no one had died—only a few people suffered minor injuries.
Afterward, the little witch and Nao returned to Mondstadt together.
"Stormterror Dragon has appeared and is now heading toward Stormterror's Lair. I must report this to the Knights of Favonius and prepare for a subjugation mission!"
Nao declared firmly.
But the little witch quickly interjected:
"Nao-nee, maybe there's a way to purify Stormterror Dragon. It's only been corrupted."
"Stormterror Dragon has protected Mondstadt for so long. Killing it like this is too pitiful!"
Nao hesitated upon hearing this.
"But… is there a way to cleanse its corruption?"
The little witch recalled the information she had read in the library.
"If we use the Holy Lyre der Himmel, we should be able to purify Stormterror Dragon!"
Hearing this, Nao took the little witch to Mondstadt Cathedral.
When the two arrived at the cathedral, they found a girl already arguing with Sister Rosaria.
"Please, I just want to see the legendary Holy Lyre der Himmel! Sister, I beg you!"
Her long, snow-white hair and slender figure—
Even without the green-blue cloak, now dressed in a medieval bard's outfit—
The little witch instantly recognized the girl as the one who had tried to approach Stormterror Dragon in the forest.
Following the usual script, Sister Rosaria refused the girl's request.
Helpless, the girl turned to leave—only to meet the little witch's gaze.
The little witch hurried forward and asked:
"Who are you? Were you trying to approach Stormterror Dragon just now?"
The girl shrugged and motioned for the little witch to speak in private.
By now, the little witch had a strong suspicion.
A girl who could approach Stormterror Dragon, knew about the Holy Lyre, and could wield wind energy—
Even though the Wind God statue and records never revealed the Wind God's appearance—
The little witch couldn't shake the feeling that this girl might be the legendary Wind God.
Once they were alone, the girl's first words only reinforced the little witch's belief.
"You must be a traveler from another world."
The little witch nodded and tentatively asked:
"In the forest earlier… were you trying to purify Stormterror Dragon?"
The girl nodded.
"Unfortunately, it has been so thoroughly corrupted that even I can't get close to it."
Hearing this, the little witch felt guilty.
"It's my fault… I disrupted your purification."
The girl simply waved her hand dismissively.
"I might not have succeeded anyway. The corruption runs deep—it might require some external aid."
"That child?"
The little witch caught onto the strange way she phrased it and asked nervously:
"You… are you the Wind God?"
Who else would refer to Stormterror Dragon as "that child"?
The girl paused for a moment before smiling wryly.
"Ah, I've been found out. But keep it a secret, okay? Don't tell anyone."
"For now, call me Shiro. I'm just a wandering bard."
Upon hearing this, the little witch was ecstatic.
She was about to ask how to return to her own world—
But then she remembered the storm-ravaged villages and the wounded people. Perhaps she should purify Stormterror Dragon and resolve Mondstadt's crisis first.
So, she approached Nao.
Together, they sought out Sister Rosaria to request the Holy Lyre.
The result?
She agreed!
Yes, she actually agreed.
Unlike other travelers who had to go through hardships to steal the Holy Lyre—
The Foundation decided not to lead the little witch astray, so they simply lent it to her.
The Holy Lyre der Himmel was brought forth.
It was a magnificent harp, its strings resembling clouds in the sky, radiating an extraordinary presence.
But after obtaining the Holy Lyre, the little witch had no idea how to use it.
Well, since the Holy Lyre was a divine artifact granted by the Wind God—
Why not just ask the Wind God herself?
The little witch, cradling the Holy Lyre, sought out Shiro again.
"You came to ask me? How sly… Fine, fine!"
Shiro plucked the harp strings lightly.
The next moment, waves of blue-green energy spread outward from the Holy Lyre.
A gentle breeze lifted the instrument, its strings glowing with an ethereal light.
"All right, it's up to you to purify that child now!"
Shiro handed the awakened Holy Lyre to the little witch with a smile.
The little witch was stunned and tried to refuse, but Shiro patted her shoulder and gave her an inspiring pep talk.
Meanwhile, within the Foundation's facility, Shiro's data began to undergo massive fluctuations.
With the little witch now fully aware of her identity, all the legends of the Wind God she had learned before—
Had now taken shape within Shiro.
At this moment, Shiro's internal magic levels were skyrocketing.
A true God was awakening!