"Lord Noah is right."
Could Venti, Jean, and Lisa dare to say otherwise? Of course not—they all nodded firmly.
"Ah?" Diona was dumbfounded. Her two cat ears twitched, unable to believe these were words spoken by the great gods of her own Mondstadt pantheon.
"Hahaha… Alright, I won't tease you anymore. If I actually scared you, that wouldn't be any fun." Noah nearly burst out laughing, finally releasing Diona's tail.
"Mrrhhh!" Diona came back to her senses, grinding her teeth. "So it was just to tease me! And the lot of you teamed up to do it! Lord Barbatos, Captain Jean, Librarian Lisa—you're all awful!"
She made up her mind: from now on, whenever she mixed drinks, she would add the spiciest chili in all Teyvat. Let's see how they liked it then!
And that hateful man named Noah too!
But still, she didn't dare to actually plot mischief against him. After all, if even Lord Barbatos couldn't provoke him, then he was far too dangerous. Fine—she would just ignore him from now on.
Yet, for some reason, as she thought this, that lingering comfortable sensation returned in her mind.
If it wasn't a curse… then that hateful scoundrel's touch had been far too pleasant…
Fine, fine—at most, she just wouldn't let that hateful guy touch her tail again.
If he insisted on stroking her ears… well, maybe… maybe that wouldn't be impossible.
"Alright then, little kitty, pour me the drink you think tastes best." Noah stretched out his hand, scratching her chin like one would a kitten.
Diona's anger melted away instantly, replaced by a feeling of ease. Still, she kept her expression fierce, gritting her teeth. "I'm not a cat-demon, and I'm not called 'little kitty'! My name is Diona! Even if you're some big shot even Lord Barbatos can't handle, I'll still bite you." She bared her small fangs.
"Alright, alright, Diona." Noah stopped teasing—if he pushed further, she might actually explode.
"Hmph!" Diona snorted. "The best-tasting drink, right? Let me warn you—the best-tasting drinks are very expensive. Even a God-King might not afford them, even if he sold everything he had."
She wasn't just making this up to get back at him. As the Supreme God of Wine, her most expensive drinks used the rarest ingredients in all Teyvat, and were mixed by her own hand. Poorer God-Kings truly couldn't afford them.
Even great gods of pantheons could only drink a few cups before going broke.
Back then, Odin of the Norse pantheon had only managed to afford one cup every few decades.
Her brews were so potent that a single cup could accelerate one's ascension, even spark insights into Truth itself.
Since Odin had ascended to Almighty God, the number of deities lining up for her drinks could circle the Main Universe a dozen times over.
But since she hated alcohol, fewer than five hundred had ever tasted her hand-mixed drinks.
In ten thousand years, only that many. Yet nearly all who had drunk them had gone on to become great gods of their pantheons.
This only raised her reputation further. Her name was renowned across the myriad worlds, and even in Pan-Human History, the archetype of the wine god had been modeled after her.
Though she disliked cultivating her own strength, if she had truly applied herself, she could have matched Captain Jean by now.
But even without effort, she had already become a Supreme God. That alone was enough—among the myriad worlds, a Supreme God was already a mighty existence.
"Oh~ so I can't afford it?" Noah chuckled, patting his pocket with a troubled look. "Ah… I really don't have any Mondstadt coins. Looks like I'll just have to put it on Barbatos' tab."
Diona puffed her cheeks, then glanced at the stiff-faced Barbatos. "Fine, then put it on Lord Barbatos' account."
Though she despised his drunken ways, deep down she still respected him greatly.
While he had occasionally drunk on credit here, most of the time Barbatos had paid honestly.
Barbatos' expression froze. He slapped his chest with a flourish. "Leave it to me!"
Meanwhile, he was crying inside—his inner self wailing miserably.
Never mind that he was Mondstadt's supreme god. As the God of Freedom, he neither ruled nor interfered with his people. His purse was nearly empty…
In order not to trouble his people, he never accepted their wealth. At most, he would take their offerings during festivals.
But most of what they offered could not be sold. If he truly tried, those who didn't recognize him might even throw him into the divine prison.
So most of his income came from little side jobs as a wandering bard—helping out struggling minor gods or earning from performing in marketplaces.
Don't be fooled by how often he drank at Diona's tavern. What he ordered was always the cheapest kind.
Yet no matter how cheap it was, once it passed through Diona's hands, it became fine wine.
When it came to alcohol, as Mondstadt's supreme god he was never lacking. But as a god of transcendent rank, drinking the offerings of lesser gods was no different from drinking plain water—he could taste nothing.
The stronger he became, the higher his standards for wine rose.
And so, though once wealthy, he slowly became poor again.
Thus, to this day, Barbatos remained the poorest supreme god among all the pantheons. No contest.
Noah patted Venti's shoulder with a smile. "Don't worry, I won't make things too hard for you."
Venti was just about to feel relieved when he heard Noah's next words:
"Diona, serve every guest in the The Cat's Tail a glass of the most expensive wine, and tell them it's Barbatos' blessing."
Crack!
Barbatos froze like stone.
Meanwhile, Diona pouted, then began mixing. She had never tried making this much at once. And today the tavern was fairly busy, with several hundred guests.
But those who could come to The Cat's Tail were all high-ranking great gods of their pantheons or figures of immense prestige.
Noah took his own glass and headed toward a card room, not sparing a glance for the petrified Barbatos.
From inside the card room came bursts of laughter.
"Self-draw kong! Hahaha, I win!"
"Lost again! Ah, no surprise—it came from Celestial Jade, after all."
"Hehe, not to boast, but Mondstadt's card games wouldn't be this fun without my improvements."
"I must say, I, Qingque, absolutely love Mondstadt's atmosphere. It's simply a paradise for card games!"
Venti's eyes turned hollow, muttering under his breath.
"Hundreds of glasses of the most expensive wine… one glass already costs me a hundred, maybe two hundred years of busking. For hundreds of glasses… I'd need tens of thousands of years… and without food or drink…"
Jean and Lisa exchanged helpless looks.
"Lord Barbatos, the Knights of Favonius will reimburse you."
Barbatos snapped back to his senses, but only sighed and waved his hand. "That won't do. I'll just keep singing for coin. At worst, I'll mine some rare materials in the cosmos."
With that, he clutched his own glass tightly.
After spending so much, if he didn't at least drink this one himself, he really would cry.
Venti was not the sort of god who failed to see the bigger picture. Though this was a bit of trouble for him, in truth it was nothing serious.
He understood perfectly well: Lord Noah only wished to have some fun at his expense. Naturally, he was willing to play the fool.
In fact, all the gods were grateful that, until now, Lord Noah had not changed in essence—still so full of feeling. If the day ever came when he grew so powerful that even emotions were lost, as once happened to Phanes, then they would truly live in terror.
Cradling the wine so costly he himself could scarcely bear to drink it, Venti followed Noah into the card room.
The place was lively.
Thanks to Mondstadt's leisurely and carefree atmosphere, it had become the top divine realm for travel, retirement, and settling down. Thus, one could meet all manner of great figures here.
Even encountering high-ranking leaders from other pantheons was not unusual.
This was also why, as God of Freedom, he hardly interfered—Mondstadt was truly free. As long as one obeyed Mondstadt's order, no one cared what purpose had brought you here.
Of course, there had once been reckless gods who tried to cause trouble. But they were swiftly blown all the way to the edge of the universe by the thousand winds.
Mondstadt's order was also the absolute protection guaranteed to all who came.
Recently, many visitors from sequence universes had arrived in Mondstadt.
Sequence universes were still part of the great universe. Thus, they did not hold much reverence for the Main Universe—at most, they marveled at its vastness and might.
He remembered: this girl currently playing cards, Qingque, came from the Star Rail Universe. She had even brought with her the game called Celestial Jade.
In the Main Universe, this game had long existed under many forms—known as mahjong.
But Celestial Jade carried a novelty that mahjong lacked, and so it quickly became popular at the Cat's Tail Tavern.
This girl, though only of Middle God rank, had managed to captivate so many Primary Gods and even God-Kings through this game.
After all, such games relied on pure chance and randomness.
And in the Cat's Tail Tavern, even Supreme Gods could not use divine power to cheat.
"I win again! Pay up, pay up—no excuses allowed!"
Qingque revealed her tiles, eyes shining brightly, excitedly pushing them forward.
Timaeus groaned: "How did I lose again? Impossible! I was sure my hand was good."
Marjorie spread her hands helplessly. "What can I say? To have such bad luck four rounds in a row…"
Wagner shook his head. "If not for the rule against cheating, I'd suspect Miss Qingque of trickery."
Qingque laughed as she counted her winnings. "A bet is a bet, losers must pay. Playing Celestial Jade takes plenty of skill, especially in the shuffle, the draw, and the read. Every move can affect the outcome of a round."
Coming to Mondstadt had truly been a wise choice.
She had spent years here, and at last, Celestial Jade had spread far and wide. She herself had become its card queen.
Just recently, she had even beaten a Supreme God.
Her purse was now overflowing. She could live in Mondstadt for thousands of years without lifting a finger.
As for the assignment Master Diviner had given her to complete in Mondstadt? Hah—work could wait. Cards were far more important. When it was time to report back, she would just improvise something.
Wagner sighed. "Enough, I'm done. I have to get back to the forge."
"Eh? You can't just quit! Without you we're one short—the game won't go on!" Qingque called after him.
"Oh~ someone's leaving? Then how about I take his place?"
Qingque turned to look, only to see the man who had been watching her game. Her eyes lit up at once, her smile curling into delighted crescents.
"Of course! This player looks like an experienced hand."
Whether he truly was or not—well, it didn't matter. Words of flattery never hurt.
Marjorie smiled. "I thought the game was over. Very well, let's continue."
Timaeus said, "Naturally! I must win at least one hand. I refuse to believe my luck is this bad."
Noah sat down, handling the tiles with practiced ease, smiling as he glanced at Marjorie and Timaeus.
He knew them well enough—Marjorie was the leader of the With Wind Comes Glory Community, a trading collective dealing in rare treasures. It was a commercial community, and she herself was of God-King rank.
Timaeus had once been an alchemy apprentice under Albedo. Now, he was a teacher at Mondstadt's Magic Academy. Its dean, of course, was Albedo himself, who had reached the Primordial God level. Timaeus was now a God-King.
The one who left the table, Wagner, was Mondstadt's God of Forging. All the standard divine weapons of the Knights of Favonius were forged by him. He too was at God-King level.
The original natives of Mondstadt had worked hard. Still, only a few lucky ones remained, all of them great figures by now. More than ninety percent of the original inhabitants had already exhausted their lifespans before attaining godhood, and thus entered reincarnation.
Those who had reincarnated had long since scattered into various lower universes.
Upon entering reincarnation, memory, personality, fate—everything would be wiped clean, leaving only the most primal spirit to cycle once again.
Only those who had performed great deeds but had not attained godhood—those with immense merit—were granted special favor.
The crisp clatter of Celestial Jade tiles filled the air, a sound pleasing to the senses.
But what was most delightful was the sight of the young girl's eyes widening in disbelief.
"Impossible! How could I lose so fast? The game hasn't even gone twenty rounds yet!"
Noah smiled serenely. "I've never lost at cards. And I never will."
"Remember, you said it yourself: no giving up midway, no cheating, the game must be played to the end, Miss Qingque."
Qingque crossed her arms proudly. "It was just one round. You got lucky. Let's keep going. And when you lose all your god-coins, don't expect me to show mercy."
Jean and Lisa exchanged glances, realizing what was happening. Lord Heavenly Principle was simply teasing this young girl, just as he had teased Diona.
Meanwhile, off to the side, Lord Barbatos was drinking and boasting with a group of bards, even playing drinking games.
Did all great gods enjoy disguising themselves as ordinary gods in this way?
Come to think of it, back in Liyue they had seen Lady Hu Tao and Rex Lapis behaving much the same, living as though ordinary, without a trace of divine dignity.
Could it be that the stronger the god, the more ordinary they appeared?
"No way! This can't be!" Qingque's eyes nearly popped out at the sight of Noah's winning hand. Suspicion filled her face. "You—you must have cheated!"
Noah chuckled. "Just luck. How could I cheat?"
But Qingque wasn't the only one suspicious. The other players around the table muttered as well.
"Seriously, could this be cheating? It's too outrageous."
"I've never seen such an absurd winning hand!"
"It's like the tiles are transparent to him."
"Hey, cheating is against the rules. The punishment is harsh."
"That's right. The fairness of the game must be sworn before the God of Games."
"Yes! We must verify fairness!"
Because of the Gift Game system, even in mere entertainment games, everyone tended to swear to the God of Games for fairness.
"That's right! I suspect you of cheating, so fairness must be judged!"
Qingque slapped the table. She had lived in Mondstadt for years, and of course knew all these rules well.
Especially since the God of Games, Tet, was a super-divine being on par with the Aeons, sovereign over all realms of games.
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