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Venti couldn't quite wrap his head around what he was hearing. Why would this resident be so insistent? At first, he thought the man might be rambling about the Holy Lyre der Himmel, the ancient instrument that sat enshrined in the deepest, most protected part of the Favonius Cathedral. But that was a holy relic, a physical symbol of the Anemo Archon's grace. It wasn't something a random drunkard should be bringing up in a tavern over a mug of cheap dandelion wine.
The man was so intoxicated that his words were slurred and messy, making it hard to catch every detail. However, as soon as the mysterious topic was broached, the energy in the tavern shifted. The people surrounding him seemed to catch a second wind, leaning in with excited expressions and adding their own frantic details to the conversation. Some of the patrons grew red in the face as they argued over the specifics, their voices clashing until the tavern sounded more like a crowded marketplace than a place of rest.
Hearing the snippets of their debate, Venti felt even more bewildered. He listened as they described a legendary treasure designed for two users, an artifact that supposedly contained the concentrated power of the Anemo Archon and allowed the wielders to transform into a legendary knight. A knight of the wind? It sounded like a tall tale from a distant land, yet these people were discussing it as if it were a matter of historical fact.
The descriptions grew even more outlandish as the night went on. They spoke of smaller wind treasures that allowed a person to switch between various elemental manifestations at will. According to the crowd, this power could do anything from granting flight and the ability to traverse the oceans to creating massive wind fields, granting extreme speed, and summoning localized tornadoes or sandstorms. On the lower end of the spectrum, it was said to be capable of wiping out entire camps of hilichurls with a single blow. On the high end, it was the ultimate weapon against those who dared to wield the cursed power of ancient demon gods.
Venti had to suppress a laugh. Were the people of modern Mondstadt really so bored that they had started believing in such ridiculous rumors? It was almost charming in a way. He found their innocence adorable, but he was the one person in the world who could say with absolute certainty that no such secret treasure existed. He had never made such a thing, and he certainly hadn't left it lying around for two teenagers to find and use to play superhero.
He shook his head with a light chuckle, feeling a strong urge to simply burst out laughing at the absurdity of it all. He decided to try and bring a little bit of reality back to the table, hoping to steer his beloved citizens away from such obvious fiction.
"Now, now, don't get your hopes up too much," Venti said, raising his hands in a placating gesture. "How could such a mysterious treasure of the wind actually exist? In reality, the Anemo Archon didn't leave behind many physical objects that contain his direct power. The Holy Lyre der Himmel is easily the most significant and obvious treasure he ever bestowed upon the city. There really isn't anything else like what you're describing."
As he spoke, the residents began to explain the source of their conviction, and Venti finally understood the root of the confusion. It wasn't a legend passed down through generations or a secret uncovered in an ancient ruin. It was because of a recently published and incredibly popular novel titled Detective Fengdu.
The setting of the story was a place called Fengdu, but any resident of the City of Freedom could tell that it was a thin veil for Mondstadt. The plot followed two young people who discovered a mysterious wind treasure and used its power to fight against a shadow organization known as the Museum. In the story, this museum extracted the power from the remains of dead demon gods to create specialized props, which they then sold to unsuspecting people to collect data on the effects and make further improvements to their dark technology.
The concept of the detective was simple enough for anyone to follow. It was a story of wits and courage, where the protagonists had to gather information, track down murderers, and engage in high-stakes battles. Even Venti had to admit that the author had a real talent for storytelling. The plot sounded genuinely interesting, filled with resourcefulness, clever intelligence gathering, and a wide variety of fascinating treasure settings. It combined the familiar power of the wind with the terrifying legends of demon gods in a way that was undeniably eye-catching.
The author had filled the pages with enough bluffs and creative flair to keep anyone hooked. Venti was impressed by the imagination required to come up with such a fancy treasure system. It was no wonder the book had become a sensation. After all, what Mondstadt citizen wouldn't enjoy a story about the power of the wind triumphing over the remnants of evil gods? It tapped into their sense of national honor and their devotion to the Anemo Archon.
The fact that the novel was written by a famous member of the Knights of Favonius, specifically the one known as the Wind Knight, only added to its prestige. This bit of information caught Venti's attention. He wondered if the knightly order had always harbored such creative minds. It was a very interesting development for the current era of the city.
Venti understood why the people were so willing to believe the treasure might be real. On one hand, the Wind Knight's reputation was sterling. If an ordinary citizen had written such a thing, it would have been dismissed as a fairy tale, but coming from a hero of the city, it carried weight. However, there was something else that made Venti's face twitch with concern.
When the people described the evil god props used by the villains in the book, Venti recognized the inspiration immediately. As Barbatos, he was well-informed and kept a close eye on the goings-on across the continent. He knew exactly what those fictional items represented: Delusions. The dark technology of the Fatui was all too real, and its effects were just as devastating as the novel described.
It was no wonder the readers felt the descriptions were so realistic. The sense of oppression and the lingering dread of the demon god's power were likely drawn from real-world encounters. The author must have described the characteristics of a Delusion with such accuracy that it made people break out in a cold sweat. It wasn't just nonsense or creative writing; it was based on a terrifying reality.
This realization pointed toward an amazing fact about the Wind Knight. For him to write about such things with that level of detail, he must have faced the power of a Delusion firsthand. He might have even fought against someone wielding that cursed strength and lived to tell the tale. Since the villains' weapons were clearly based on real objects, it was a small jump for the drunken patrons to assume that the heroes' weapons were real as well.
Add a few rounds of heavy drinking to the mix, and it was easy to see how a popular novel could be mistaken for a hidden history. Venti, however, had overlooked the sheer stubbornness of a Mondstadt citizen's faith. After he claimed that the wind treasure didn't exist, a scholar who looked quite refined and scholarly stood up from his table. The man looked genuinely offended by Venti's dismissal.
"You're just a wandering bard! What could you possibly know about the true extent of the Anemo Archon's power or his hidden treasures?" the scholar shouted, his voice thick with emotion. "Young man, you're still far too green to be speaking on such matters with such authority."
Venti stared at the man, completely dumbfounded. He managed a strained smile as he tried to respond. "Wait a second, how can you dismiss a bard's knowledge so quickly? Bards are the keepers of history and song! Is it possible that I actually know the power of the wind god better than anyone else here?"
The scholar's face turned a deeper shade of red as he glared back. "Do you think you understand the Wind God better than I do? I am a dedicated scholar! I have spent years studying the history of Lord Barbatos in great depth. My research leads me to believe that such a treasure is not only possible but very likely to exist."
The man continued his tirade, his voice gaining strength as he spoke to the entire room. "Don't you dare underestimate the mighty power of Lord Barbatos. The only reason we in Mondstadt can enjoy these beautiful, free days is because his divine power continues to protect us. So, even if the specific treasure in the book is a work of fiction, it is entirely possible that the Wind God left behind other similar items for us to find. As a citizen of this city, how can you lack such trust in our protector?"
"He's right!" another drunkard cheered. "Lord Barbatos would never leave us empty-handed!"
"The scholar is right!" shouted a third. "The treasure is out there!"
All of a sudden, the entire tavern erupted in a chorus of agreement. The drunken residents shouted their support, their voices booming through the room and spilling out into the night air. The scene was so earnest and absurd that Venti could only scratch his head and offer an embarrassed, helpless smile.
"Hey, well, when you put it that way, maybe there is something like that out there," Venti conceded, realizing there was no winning an argument against an entire room of inspired drunks. "You're absolutely right."
Seeing the bard back down, the scholar's expression softened. He offered a satisfied smile and took another long gulp of his drink, muttering something about how everyone in the city was a child of the wind. The tension broke, and the tavern returned to its usual state of boisterous celebration.
Venti leaned back, a small smile playing on his lips. This trip to Mondstadt was certainly proving to be more interesting than he had anticipated. If the people truly believed there were secret treasures hidden in the wilds, it might just spark a new wave of adventure and exploration across the land. He watched them continue their drinking, wondering what the Wind Knight would think if he knew his stories were nearly causing riots in the local taverns. Happy reading every day during the Spring Festival. Recharge now and get your VIP coupons. Immediate recharge available during the activity period.