"Merchants gather, ships arrive in endless waves, goods flow ceaselessly—across every sea they travel."
As the Nation of Contracts, Liyue Harbor lived up to its name as Teyvat's commercial hub.
Every day, hundreds of thousands of tons of trade passed through its port.
It was just as Wang Xiaomei had claimed—prosperity beyond measure.
'But… overtime? Impossible. I'll never do overtime in this life.'
'Especially unpaid overtime. Unless Ganyu and Keqing keep me company, no way.'
Nagami nodded along solemnly as that righteous declaration echoed across their mental link.
"But I really didn't expect the price difference between Mondstadt and Liyue to be this huge!"
He handed Lumine a freshly bought street snack, then glanced at the green figure beside him.
"So, Venti, any thoughts?"
"Thoughts? What thoughts could I possibly have?"
In terms of prosperity and economic strength, Liyue left Mondstadt far behind.
Anyone could see that was thanks to the guidance of the wise, ever-diligent Geo Archon.
And what did the Anemo Archon have to say? With no shame at all, Venti answered instantly:
"This has nothing to do with a humble bard like me. I'm just worried that if I show up in front of that old man like this… he'll smack me across the harbor."
As though suddenly remembering something, Venti turned to Lumine with a pitiful look.
"By the way, Traveler… is he still strong? How much of his power does he have left?"
"Bard, why do you sound so nervous?"
Paimon's gaze finally left Lumine and Nagami's joined hands.
Truth be told, she'd long wondered why Nagami would hand over such rare and precious gems to Lumine without asking for anything in return.
But now, the answer was obvious.
It wasn't even surprising.
From the very beginning, Traveler had always talked to herself, only for Paimon to later learn she was speaking with her unseen friends.
Among those, the name she heard most often was Nagami's.
Traveler even called him "big brother."
But looking at things now… he was clearly a different kind of brother.
Paimon might look small, but she knew plenty.
Floating in midair with arms folded, she shot Venti a sidelong glance.
Her cute little face held an expression that could only be described as disdain.
"Sounds like what Zhongli told us was true—you really did forge his signature just to scam drinks."
"Eh-heh~"
Venti chuckled without the slightest shame, tilting his head and winking as if that would make it all go away.
Before Paimon could scold him further, a loud commotion suddenly rippled through the crowd ahead.
"Huh? What's going on?"
Her eyes widened as she turned toward the noise, confusion flickering across her face.
Nagami, meanwhile, lifted his gaze, his sight piercing past the wooden rooftops as though nothing could block him. Beyond the buildings, he spotted a lone white crane.
'That's… Cloud Retainer? Why is she here? And… is she heading toward us?'
Lumine's question echoed directly in Nagami's mind.
"Most likely she just happened to be passing by and sensed Venti's presence," Nagami answered aloud, putting both Lumine and Paimon's doubts to rest.
Venti blinked. "Cloud Retainer? You mean one of Liyue's adepti?"
Though it had been ages since he'd last visited the old man's domain, he still remembered those ancient beings who had survived for centuries.
"That's right. Maybe you shouldn't have stuck with the same disguise forever."
The Anemo Archon's true form was a wind elemental spirit.
During the Archon War, he and an unnamed boy, an unnamed knight, and the archer Amos toppled Decarabian, the tyrant of Old Mondstadt, becoming one of the seven victors of that age.
But the boy perished in that war.
To honor him, Barbatos reshaped his own form in the boy's likeness and took the name Venti.
In other words, ever since the Archon War, Barbatos had used this same face and name. No wonder he stood out so much among gods.
That was exactly how La Signora found him so easily.
The Cryo Archon only had to give her a name or a picture, and she could walk straight up to Mondstadt's resident bard and take his Gnosis.
Even Jean had once managed to connect the bard with the Anemo Archon through his statue—proof enough of how recognizable he was.
On that note, Barbara deserved some serious criticism. How could one of Barbatos' most devoted believers fail to notice the resemblance at all?
Well, maybe it was simply that Venti's lazy posture and unreliable antics made it impossible for anyone to think of him as an actual god.
"Is it really you, Ba—cough, I mean… Lord Barbatos? Why are you here? And with the Traveler, no less?"
Unbothered by the excited uproar her appearance caused among the people, the adeptus with feathers of emerald and white landed gracefully on the rooftop.
Her voice carried faint respect, though it shifted to puzzlement when her eyes fell on Lumine.
Liyue's adepti had always held Barbatos in decent regard, even if the Venti before them hardly looked the part of a deity.
"Ah! It's that woman!"
Paimon leaned back in shock, eyes bulging as she pointed at the great bird.
This rude little mascot!
If it weren't for the Anemo Archon standing right there, Cloud Retainer would have definitely shouted "Insolence!"
"Long time no see, Adeptus."
Lumine rubbed her cheek with her delicate, pale hand, making herself look a little more naïve as she greeted politely.
Of course, Nagami could clearly sense what was going through the seemingly innocent girl's mind—she was actually wondering how tasty this bird's meat might be.
"Hello there! Actually, I am—"
Before Venti could even finish, Lumine cut him off with a sharp elbow to the stomach.
He doubled over, clutching his abdomen with a pained groan, then glanced back at the traveler's sweet, innocent face.
He caught her warning look telling him not to say anything unnecessary.
…But was this really about keeping secrets, or was she just taking revenge for that time he stole her wine?
Hiss… she didn't hold back at all. That really hurt!
"I'm only here to share a drink with the old man," Venti said through the pain. "I don't suppose you know where he might be?"
"The old man… I thank you for remembering him. But unfortunately, Lord Rex Lapis was assassinated not long ago."
Realizing instantly who Venti meant by "old man," Cloud Retainer paused before replying with a heavy tone.
She, of course, knew full well that the Geo Archon wasn't dead at all.
He was alive and well, living among mortals in the guise of a man named Zhongli, conducting… ahem, "field research."
After the Archon incident, Morax had informed the Adepti of his survival through dreams—though he had been vague about the details.
At the very least, they all knew the name of his current identity.
Well, everyone except poor Wang Xiaomei, who had been pulling all-nighters and missed the dream entirely.
Cloud Retainer knew the Anemo Archon wouldn't believe her words, but with so many Liyue citizens gathered around, she had no choice but to keep up the act.
"I see. That's a shame," Venti said with a small smile, showing not the slightest trace of grief. "In that case, I'll simply treat this as traveling with friends and stay in Liyue for a while. You needn't worry about me."
Polite and well-mannered, as always.
"Friends, hm?"
The crane's sharp eyes slid toward the blonde girl. Almost imperceptibly, she nodded.
The Traveler truly was remarkable—connected not only with Rex Lapis, but apparently with the Anemo Archon as well.
As for the unfamiliar dark-haired boy standing beside Lumine, she barely spared him a glance before dismissing him as just another ordinary human.
Most likely another of the Traveler's many companions.
"In that case, I won't intrude any longer. Farewell—and Traveler, until we meet again."
With the crowd swelling around them at the sight of an Adeptus, it was best to leave before things grew chaotic.
"What a creature of the wind… coming and going just like the breeze. A fairy… no, a crane," Paimon murmured in awe as she watched Cloud Retainer spread her wings and take flight.
"Eh? Lumine? What are you doing here?"
A gentle voice drifted over, carrying with it the fresh, faint fragrance of Qingxin flowers.
A girl with flowing ice-blue hair stepped into view, the golden bell at her chest jingling softly with each step.
But the moment Ganyu's violet eyes fell on Lumine and Nagami's joined hands, her gaze narrowed ever so slightly.
For just an instant, Lumine felt the temperature around her drop.