If there were fragments, that meant the Nail could be damaged.
If they could blow it to pieces, removing it chunk by chunk would naturally be much easier.
Bombs?
Jiang Bai found the idea a little too crude—brutal and simplistic.
But... it did sound like it might work.
"Let's give it a shot!"
They didn't exactly have a proper plan anyway. Might as well try—maybe they'd get lucky, and the thing would come loose just like that.
"But to destroy a Nail this big, we'd need a massive amount of explosives. How are we supposed to get our hands on that much?"
Sourcing that many bombs—and getting them all the way up here—that was a real problem.
"The bombs aren't an issue. I've got plenty at home. If I bring everything, it should be enough to level this whole place."
Albedo spoke calmly, as though he'd already considered the logistics.
"But Mondstadt is pretty far from here. And carrying all of that gear... even without stopping, it'd take three to four days to get back to the summit."
Not to mention, there was a certain little someone waiting at home. If she saw him dragging out an entire arsenal, she'd definitely want to tag along. Figuring out how to stop her from following would be a problem in itself.
Jiang Bai waved his hand. "Time isn't the issue. The real concern is Cartis. Can he hold on long enough…"
Time was one thing Jiang Bai never lacked. The real question was whether Cartis's soul could endure until they returned with the explosives.
"No worries. I feel pretty stable for now. As long as I stay here, I shouldn't dissipate anytime soon," Cartis said reassuringly.
His soul was anchored by the chaotic ley energy in this place. Until the Nail was removed, he wouldn't disappear.
But even with that assurance, Jiang Bai—who had spent time working at the Wangsheng Funeral Parlor—knew better. Souls couldn't remain in the mortal world for too long. If they did, they risked being corrupted, their minds eroded until nothing remained but obsessive resentment. They could become malevolent spirits... or worse, monsters.
Cartis still seemed fine for now, but the longer he lingered, the more his memories and emotions would fade—until only his obsession remained.
Eventually, he might not even remember his name.
"In that case, I'll go get the bombs."
Jiang Bai volunteered readily. He could travel quickly using ley line anchor points. As long as the routes were unlocked, he could be there and back in no time.
"Can you manage it alone? Dragonspine's terrain is complicated. It's easy to get lost," Albedo said, clearly concerned.
"I'll be fine. I can teleport through ley line anchors. There should be one in Mondstadt, right? Once I unlock it, I can come straight back from there."
Jiang Bai hadn't originally intended to reveal this ability. But there was no point keeping it secret anymore—it'd come out eventually, especially with the kind of work he did.
"So ley line anchors have that kind of function too?" Albedo muttered, chin resting in his palm as he sank into thought again.
Jiang Bai knew from experience that Albedo could stay like that for quite a while. He cut him off quickly. "Your house key, please. Also, give me a token or write a note—something to show the people at the city gate so I can find your place. That way, once I've got the bombs, I can head straight back."
Pulled from his reverie, Albedo nodded and took out a badge from his coat. "This is my insignia from the Knights of Favonius. Give it to any guard at the city gate—they'll take you to my place."
"I'll write you a letter as well. Just a moment."
The letter was mostly for Klee. Even though it probably wouldn't help much, he couldn't leave without at least leaving her some kind of explanation.
As he scribbled, he said, "Last night, while I was surveying the area, I found a ley line anchor above us. You should check it out. If you can use that one, your return trip will be a lot shorter."
The Nail had left a huge crater in the terrain, and there were several collapsed structures above.
Jiang Bai looked up—and sure enough, he saw the faint outline of a ley line anchor peeking out from the rubble.
"Well damn, there it is."
That would definitely save him the trouble of crawling through that mountain cave again.
"I'll go check it out."
Leaving the Nail behind, Jiang Bai set off toward the anchor.
He wasn't sure just how much explosive it would take to blow the Nail apart. His Sanqing Bell probably wouldn't be able to hold it all. He'd have to swing by Liyue Harbor first and talk to Hu Tao—if he explained the situation, she might be willing to lend him her mustard seed storage space.
He wasn't sure exactly how big Hu Tao's storage space was, but it was definitely bigger than his.
And even if the bomb idea didn't work, they'd need a backup plan. That meant more time spent here—which also meant Hu Tao might start worrying. She might even come to Dragonspine looking for him. He'd better check in with her first and put her at ease.
The road to the ley line anchor wasn't smooth. Along the way, Jiang Bai saw several ruined Ruin Guards—clearly out of commission, either native to this mountain or brought here later. Now, with their power cores depleted, they were half-buried under snow, only their heads exposed.
But not all of them were fully dormant.
One Ruin Guard, still in hibernation, detected his movement. It stirred—and immediately launched an attack.
Jiang Bai didn't understand why these machines always attacked people on sight, but he'd fought two at once before—dealing with one was easy.
Though the Ruin Guard was soon reduced to scrap, its internal module kept buzzing softly, as if trying to say something.
Maybe it was transmitting something, Jiang Bai thought. But he couldn't make sense of the sound. He couldn't understand it.
Once he reached the anchor, he activated it—and teleported straight back to Liyue Harbor.
His sudden appearance on the street didn't cause a stir. Not everyone noticed, and in Teyvat, strange occurrences were nothing new.
Back in the bustling port, Jiang Bai felt a strange sense of disorientation.
He'd spent the past few days freezing in Dragonspine, bundled up like a dumpling just to survive. Now that he was back, the heat in Liyue was almost overwhelming.
He pulled off his heavy cloak and slipped Hu Tao's directional pointer into the Directional Soul Compass, then made a beeline for wherever it pointed.
"Director! Director!"
Hu Tao had just gotten up and was in the middle of breakfast at Huixian Terrace. When she heard the familiar voice, she almost thought she was hallucinating.
She looked up—and from the crowd, someone wrapped like a dumpling came running toward her.
She set her chopsticks down, rubbed her eyes, and still couldn't quite believe it.
"Jiang Bai?"
It's only been a few days… and you're already back?
Did something go wrong? Are you here asking for help?
She wasn't wrong—Jiang Bai was here for help.
Just... not the kind she imagined.