"I'll head over to the Statue of the Seven first; that's the only place that can heal my injuries…" Venti started to excuse himself.
Barbara hesitated anxiously. "But…"
Jean shook her head. "Let him go…"
But just as Venti tried to slip away, Jiang Bai tightly grabbed his sleeve, glaring daggers at him.
"My leg is broken!"
Jiang Bai repeated himself emphatically.
"My. Leg. Is. Broken!"
His leg got broken because of this irresponsible god, so there was no way he'd let Venti abandon him now!
Guilty under Jiang Bai's accusing stare, Venti sheepishly crouched down. "Then…shall I carry you?"
Jiang Bai might be the first mortal ever carried by the Anemo Archon himself.
Under Jean's bewildered gaze, Jiang Bai painfully stood up with the support of the wall, and slowly climbed onto Venti's back.
Thus began the unusual spectacle of the slim, petite bard carrying the significantly taller Jiang Bai through the streets of Mondstadt, drawing countless curious looks along the way.
The people of Mondstadt didn't know Venti's true identity, and the sight of such a slight figure carrying a larger man looked hilariously disproportionate.
Fortunately, Venti was still a god, so he didn't collapse under the weight.
Aether walked behind them, acting like a cautious protector, ready to lend a hand if Jiang Bai showed signs of falling off Venti's back, potentially worsening his injuries.
Arms crossed smugly, Paimon floated beside Jiang Bai. "You're probably the only person ever to be carried around by the Anemo Archon himself, Mr. Flyer Guy."
"I didn't ask for this. He volunteered." Jiang Bai swatted at her dismissively, as if she were a pesky mosquito.
Admittedly, being carried felt strange—especially by another man.
But considering the one carrying him was a literal god, he figured he could overlook the embarrassment.
After all, this was a story he could brag about forever.
He tugged gently on Venti's braid. "Hey, bard. Since I went to such lengths to save you, shouldn't you offer me some compensation?"
"Uh…how about a freshly-picked apple?"
"You don't have any Mora?" Jiang Bai scoffed disdainfully at the god's evident poverty.
"Do I look like someone who carries Mora?" Venti would have shrugged, except that would've sent Jiang Bai crashing onto the ground.
"You don't have something like Dvalin's feather, then?" Jiang Bai persisted stubbornly. A god should at least possess some divine trinkets, right?
"Uh…nope," Venti started sweating nervously.
He really was just a poor bard who relied on street performances to get wine!
"Then give me a [Vision]!"
He already had a [Geo Vision]. Another one with an Anemo element would allow him to openly manipulate wind!
"Well, mortals believe a [Vision] is bestowed by the gods' gaze, but the truth is we Archons don't actually control their distribution. If you really want, all I can give you is a glass ball." Venti handed him a fake Vision-like glass ball hanging from his belt.
"A glass ball, huh? Well, it'll have to do." Jiang Bai examined the object. It really looked quite convincing.
Zhongli had also given him a fake [Vision]. Now Venti as well… these gods certainly had a knack for producing counterfeit items.
He shamelessly pocketed it. He hadn't truly expected Venti to hand over a real [Vision] anyway.
"Wait, yours was just a glass ball too?" Paimon exclaimed in disbelief.
"Yep. Carrying this helps avoid unwanted suspicion."
"But you gave yours away. What about you?"
"I'll just make another one later."
"Speaking of which, what exactly are [Visions] and [Gnosis]? Is there some connection between the two?" Aether asked curiously.
"Yeah, I wanna know too!" Jiang Bai echoed eagerly.
Venti didn't hide it. "Normally, this isn't a topic meant for ordinary people, but I suppose telling you two won't hurt. [Visions] are external magical organs possessed only by a select few individuals, allowing them to channel Elemental Energy."
"In fact, every [Vision] holder is theoretically qualified to ascend and become a god themselves. Thus, Vision-bearers are called [Genshin]—meaning 'original god'—and have the potential to reach Celestia."
"[Genshin]? That's the first time I've ever heard that term," Jiang Bai murmured thoughtfully.
He suddenly felt like he'd stumbled across some forbidden knowledge.
"This is a secret known only to true gods! In short, we Archons don't need something as basic as [Visions]. Instead, our magical organs resonate directly with Celestia—that is, the [Gnosis]."
"So…without your Gnosis, can you still use Elemental Energy?"
"Of course. The Seven Archons received their [Gnosis] only after becoming rulers of the mortal realm. Before that, the original Archons—known as the old gods or demon gods—could freely wield Elemental Energy without relying on a [Gnosis]."
Jiang Bai sank deep into thought.
So, manipulating elements without a [Vision] wasn't unique. Higher beings could naturally control elements without external aids.
In other words, outsiders like himself and Aether inherently possessed higher status than ordinary people, potentially rivaling even the Archons.
No wonder Zhongli had treated him so specially, explaining so much. Perhaps Zhongli intended to use him as a weapon against the Geo Archon!
But diligent Zhongli was nothing like this lazy bard. He was known as the God of War, after all.
If a Fatui Harbinger empowered slightly by the Cryo Archon could easily defeat Venti, how terrifying would the fully-powered Geo Archon be?
Jiang Bai quickly shook these thoughts away. He definitely shouldn't provoke Zhongli.
The familiar Windswept Hill remained unchanged. Venti gently set Jiang Bai down on the stone steps by the Statue of the Seven, then stood under the great tree, quietly allowing its gentle breeze to heal his wounds.
With each rustle of the leaves, Venti's complexion visibly improved.
Leaning against the statue, Jiang Bai stared thoughtfully at Venti. "If I'm guessing correctly, the one who stole your [Gnosis] was a Fatui Harbinger, wasn't she?"
"Correct. She was La Signora, the Eighth of the Eleven Fatui Harbingers. Each Harbinger, like her, has received god-like authority from the Tsaritsa, the Cryo Archon of Snezhnaya, gaining power far beyond that of ordinary mortals."
"The Tsaritsa…isn't she the Cryo Archon herself?" Paimon chimed in, somewhat familiar with the nation.
Of all seven nations in Teyvat, only Snezhnaya was explicitly a monarchy directly ruled by its Archon, the Tsaritsa.
"Yes, one of the Seven Archons, the Cryo Archon who rules from the Zapolyarny Palace. She's the sole object of devotion for all the Fatui. Although relationships among the Seven aren't always harmonious, I never imagined she would actually start taking other Archons' [Gnosis]." Even Venti seemed unclear about the Tsaritsa's motivations.
Jiang Bai suddenly remembered Zhongli. If the Tsaritsa was after the Archons' Gnoses, wouldn't the Geo Archon also be a target?
Suddenly, Zhongli fit the image of a Fatui Harbinger suspiciously well…
Powerful but enigmatic, critical of the Geo Archon—could he actually be plotting to seize the Geo Archon's [Gnosis]?
But Zhongli had always been a consultant for Wangsheng Funeral Parlor, even before Hu Tao became its Director. He was also clearly Liyue-born. Linking him to the Fatui seemed a bit far-fetched.
Jiang Bai fell into deep confusion.