Yae Miko stood frozen, staring blankly at the sight before her — the girl Venti had suddenly turned back into… well, Venti.
Just as she was about to speak, her gaze was drawn to the man standing beside him.
A tall, elegant stranger with refined features held a wine glass as he drank with the Anemo Archon, the two chatting like old friends reuniting after centuries.
His every gesture was composed and graceful — not as if he were trying to impress, but as though sophistication came as naturally as breathing.
Miko was certain she'd never seen this man before, yet something about his dignified, almost divine presence felt oddly familiar.
And seeing him drink so casually with the Anemo Archon…
Didn't that already give away who he was?
"Geo Archon… Morax?" she murmured.
Tilting her head slightly, Miko shot a meaningful look at C.C. Though phrased like a question, her tone left no room for doubt.
C.C. smirked. "Mhm~ With them around, you can relax, can't you?"
With that, she strolled forward with her usual effortless confidence, the Fox Lady following her gracefully.
"It's an honor to meet you both, Lord Barbatos and Lord Morax," Yae Miko said warmly, bowing with perfect poise. "I apologize for not greeting you properly upon your arrival in Liyue."
While she could be casual with Raiden Ei, whom she called a dear friend, Archons from other nations still deserved a measure of formality.
"You must be the little fox who used to curl up in Ei's arms," Venti said, his usual lazy grin playing at his lips. "Didn't expect you to be walking around like this now."
Despite his teasing words, he looked anything but Archonly — lounging about with a carefree grin and sipping wine as though he hadn't a single divine duty to worry about.
'Should I ask Dvalin to take human form too?' he thought suddenly.
Of course, it'd have to be as a cute girl — fair skin, long legs, slim waist, gorgeous figure — otherwise, what's the point?
It wasn't fair that those two troublemakers got turned into beautiful girls while he couldn't even the score!
He'd love to retaliate… but doing so would probably earn him a one-way ticket to a divine beating.
Still, maybe if he had someone to suffer with him, he'd feel a little better.
Definitely not Zhongli though — he didn't want to test the limits of Planet Befall firsthand.
Now that he thought about it, Yae Miko might be the perfect companion for his misery~
"No need to be so formal," Zhongli said kindly, setting his glass down. "We're no longer Archons right now — just ordinary mortals. Please, call me Zhongli."
"Yeah, same here!" Venti added cheerfully. "Just call me Venti!"
After draining the last drop of wine, he licked his lips in satisfaction, then splashed some warm water into his palms.
In the blink of an eye — much to Yae Miko's confusion — Lady Venti was gone, replaced once again by the carefree bard himself.
While the Archons and the shrine maiden chatted pleasantly, Lumine took the fried tofu C.C. had conjured, waved it temptingly in front of Yae Miko's face, then awkwardly pulled it back when Miko's expression didn't change.
Changing her target, she knelt down to tempt the tiny, chibi-sized fox spirit — who looked more like a collectible figurine than a living creature — and the two of them trotted off toward Paimon.
'Hmm… fried tofu and Paimon stew — I wonder what that'd taste like?' Lumine thought mischievously.
"Lumine! You were just— Wait, huh!?"
Paimon, who'd flown off from Lumine's shoulder for a bit, waved happily as she zipped toward her friend — only to stop dead in midair when she noticed the little creature floating beside Lumine.
The small fox, cheeks puffed with food like a squirrel, froze mid-bite upon spotting the floating girl, her chewing gradually slowing to a halt.
"Ehehe~ Paimon! I brought you a side dish— ah, no, wait— a new playmate!" Lumine grinned. "This little one's called Flying Fish Ball!"
Truth be told, Lumine kind of treated Paimon like a daughter.
Her teasing was, in its own way, affection.
"It's Higokumaru, not Flying Fish Ball!" the tiny fox huffed, shaking Lumine's scarf in protest before stamping her tiny feet in the air.
Lumine just shrugged, unfazed.
Higokumaru pouted, turned away dramatically, and floated right up to Paimon, blinking her big eyes adorably.
'Wow… what a strange creature,' Paimon thought, marveling.
Of course, the irony was lost on her — she looked far stranger to most people than the little fox did.
Still, Higokumaru waved a tiny paw in greeting, utterly fascinated by this "otherworldly" being before her.
"Hello, I'm Higokumaru. Should I say it's nice to meet you as a Herrscher… or as a human?"
"'Herrscher'? 'Human'?"
The first word meant absolutely nothing to Paimon. And the second—seriously? Human?
Completely confused, Paimon still extended her tiny hand politely.
"I'm Paimon! Just… Paimon!"
After all, Paimon's race was simply "Paimon."
It was supposed to be a normal introduction, but the sight of two small, overly cute beings shaking hands was almost comical.
Lumine couldn't help smiling softly at the scene, amusement flickering in her golden eyes.
Maybe it was because they were both tiny, or maybe it was because they shared the same fate of being called "emergency food," but Paimon and Higokumaru became fast friends.
Before long, the two were holding hands, whispering about all the ways Lumine and Nagami had bullied them, and soon they were plotting together — forming an "Anti-Bullying Alliance" to fight back!
Meanwhile, Lumine rested her chin on one hand, her gaze drifting toward Nagami, who stood a short distance away with Kurumi and Seele at his side.
"Binding one's consciousness to their blade and using meditation to escape the chaos of the world… by reason alone, that is indeed an effective way to prevent erosion," Zhongli said calmly.
With his left hand clasped behind his back, he extended his right, catching a few drifting sakura petals before letting them slip through his fingers.
"However…" he continued, voice steady, "this path toward eternity — is it not somewhat misguided?"
His sharp, perceptive eyes saw clearly what others could not: Ei's path had strayed.
Perhaps her original intention truly was to resist erosion — but now, she had entrusted Inazuma entirely to a puppet that pursued "eternity" above all else, and even enacted the Vision Hunt Decree against her own people.
It was clear she had lost her way.
Normally, the Archons of Teyvat followed an unspoken rule: not to interfere with one another's nations.
By that principle, Zhongli had no reason to involve himself.
This was, after all, a trial of Ei's own will — and if she could find enlightenment on her own, her spirit would surely transcend its current limits.
But if she continued down this path without turning back, then Inazuma's downfall would only be a matter of time.
Still, since C.C. had chosen to step in, Zhongli saw no reason to object.
The Raiden Shogun's martial prowess was not to be underestimated, yet the power emanating from C.C. rivaled that of Nagami himself — a pressure that even Zhongli could not ignore.
If Ei chose to invoke her Gnosis in full, perhaps she might hold her ground.
Otherwise…
His thoughts were interrupted when Yae Miko took something from her sleeve — a small, purple chess-piece-shaped object that shimmered faintly.
"In that case," she said with a sly smile, "our deal is complete. This… is the Raiden Shogun's Gnosis."
Both Venti and Zhongli blinked in mild surprise as Miko handed the divine relic to the golden-eyed witch.
"Hehe~ a pleasure doing business."
C.C. took the Gnosis casually, her golden eyes glimmering as she examined it — the very proof of one of the Seven Archons' authority.
As the core of the world's governing system, it pulsed faintly with the power of the Void Laws.
Even without her "Alpha Stigma Eyes," C.C. — as the Herrscher of Reason — possessed an extraordinary ability to analyze and deconstruct anything she touched.
"'Deal'?" Venti asked, raising an eyebrow.
He exchanged a glance with Zhongli, interest lighting his emerald eyes.
"C.C., what do you want with a Gnosis?"
"Oh, nothing serious," she replied lightly. "It's just… there are only seven of these in existence, right? Quite the rare item. Makes a good gift."
She smiled playfully, spinning the Gnosis in her hand.
"I came here in such a hurry, I didn't bring a proper present for Lumine — so this will have to do."
Of course, that was just an excuse.
The matter of "alternate selves" wasn't exactly top-secret, but there was no need to broadcast it either.
"Besides," she added with a smirk, "I've always been curious about these things. I was going to borrow one to study, but you guys just gave it away — how could I refuse?"
Her eyes gleamed as she continued her analysis.
The Gnosis really was like a divine terminal — capable of controlling the distribution of Visions within its domain.
It could even store something akin to faith energy, connected to the hearts of the people under the Archon's rule, amplifying the Archon's power in battle.
"As for the Anemo Gnosis…" she mused, glancing at Venti, "…yours is probably running on empty by now, huh?"