"???"
Lumine and Paimon stared blankly at Rowan, completely confused by how he'd just greeted them.
"???"
They still looked utterly lost as they listened to Rowan's casual words.
Venti?
Venti is the Anemo Archon?
The street bard is the Anemo Archon?
Are you sure you're not messing with us?
That guy who only knows how to busk all day, and as soon as he earns a little money he runs off to Angel's Share to drink himself silly—that drunk is Mondstadt's Anemo Archon?
A god that unreliable actually exists?
If Rowan could hear their inner thoughts, he'd definitely nod in agreement.
Of course.
On the continent of Teyvat, the Seven Archons in charge of the seven nations… very few of them are "proper" in the usual sense.
The Anemo Archon, Barbatos, likes nothing better than slacking off, drinking, and sleeping.
He never does any serious work. His own followers have shouted at him more than once.
The Geo Archon, Morax—total street loafer—loves wandering all over Liyue. If he's not listening to storytellers, he's feeding birds.
The Electro Archon, Beelzebul, is a shut-in girl who just wants to stay inside the Plane of Euthymia. She's basically been socially withdrawn for five hundred years.
The Dendro Archon, Nahida, is locked away inside the Sanctuary of Surasthana. With nothing else to do, she peeps into the dreams of her people for fun. She's a full-on peeping maniac.
The Hydro Archon, Furina, doesn't even need to be mentioned. She's the most textbook case of "not doing proper work" among them.
Not only does she love watching trials for entertainment, she also adores acting in plays and stage dramas.
She's a famous actress in Fontaine—a big star.
Only the Pyro Archon, Mavuika, is slightly more "normal." She's constantly worrying about Natlan's affairs.
As for Snezhnaya, they don't have enough screen time yet to judge fairly.
So saying all Seven Archons are "less than diligent" isn't really wrong.
At least for the first five nations, every Archon is more or less not doing their "proper job."
"Judging from your faces, you've met him already, huh?"
"Well, that's normal. That guy's extremely eye-catching, and he runs all over the place for no reason."
"He just loves slacking off and drinking."
Seeing Lumine's and Paimon's bewildered expressions, Rowan pretty much guessed what they were thinking. He put one hand on his hip and laughed.
"Uh… fine."
"So, going by what you're saying… it really is him, huh."
Paimon had thought it might just be someone with the same name as Venti. But after Rowan listed off Venti's traits, there was no way it wasn't the guy they knew.
Aside from him, there was no second person in all of Mondstadt who matched that description.
"Hey, my friend Rowan, long time no see."
"Want a drink?"
Not long after, a green figure appeared on the great Skyfrost Tree.
He hopped down lightly from above, holding out the wine in his hand toward Rowan.
Rowan didn't stand on ceremony—he took it and downed it in one go.
"This is the Anemo Archon you're looking for. If you have any questions, ask him."
"As long as it's about Mondstadt, he knows everything."
Only then did Venti finally notice Lumine and Paimon standing behind Rowan.
He waved at them with a squinty-eyed smile.
"Yo, Traveler and Paimon, we meet again."
"So, what brings you looking for me?"
Seeing that Venti didn't deny his identity, Lumine knew Rowan hadn't been teasing her.
But at the same time, she also became even more certain that Venti wasn't the god she was searching for.
After traveling with Venti for a while, she knew very well what kind of person he was.
There was no way he was the one who'd taken her brother.
So Lumine told Venti about what had happened to her.
"Venti, I want to ask you something."
"Have you seen my brother?"
Venti scratched his head, puzzled.
"Your brother?"
"You mean a boy who looks just like you?"
"Sorry, I haven't seen him."
"But if you want to keep searching, why not go take a look at Liyue next door?"
"In about a week, it'll be time for the Rite of Descension in Liyue. It's one of Liyue's greatest festivals. On that day, Rex Lapis will descend an oracle."
"It's your best chance to see Liyue's Geo Archon."
"If you miss it, you'll have to wait another whole year."
After hearing what Venti said, Lumine blinked.
Come to think of it, Xiangling had also invited her to attend the Rite of Descension.
She never expected to hear the same news again from Venti.
If she'd known this earlier, she wouldn't have turned down Xiangling's invitation. Now she'd missed out on the chance to return together with Xiangling for nothing.
Aaahhh!
Lumine felt a bit like clawing at her hair.
Paimon, on the other hand, didn't feel the slightest bit upset.
"Wah! How could you sit on such an important piece of info for so long before telling us, you busker!"
"In that case, let's go, Lumine! We've got to move…!"
Mondstadt was very far from Liyue. Even though a smooth cement road had already been paved along the way, and they could rent a carriage to travel as fast as possible…
…just the journey alone would still take at least a week.
In other words, they had to set out for Liyue right now. Otherwise, there was a good chance they'd miss the Rite of Descension.
And then they'd have to wait until next year.
Rowan secretly curled his lip.
No need to wait until next year. Rex Lapis is about to disappear.
If Lumine doesn't go, then next year—forget Rex Lapis—there won't even be a Rite of Descension anymore.
Unless she finds out Zhongli's true identity.
Otherwise, there's no way she'll ever find Rex Lapis.
Who'd have thought that the God of Contracts, Morax, would actually go out without bringing any Mora?
Because of that contrast, when Lumine finally learned Zhongli was Morax, her jaw had nearly hit the floor.
…
Seeing the two of them turn to leave without another word, Venti hurriedly called out to them.
"Wait, Outlander who caught the wind!"
"Hm?"
"Why are you calling me that?"
"Is it because I borrowed the power of the Statue of The Seven without permission?"
Even though Venti hadn't called her name directly, Lumine's intuition told her he was talking about her.
Well of course—she's the only one here with elemental power. If he wasn't talking about her, then who?
Lumine: Shut up, shut up, shut up!
"Haha, don't worry about it. Just use that power with a grateful heart. Of course, if you really feel guilty about it, you could always buy me a glass of Dandelion Wine."
Venti didn't take it seriously at all. He lifted his right hand with a carefree smile.
"Traveler, when you once again set foot on your journey, you must remember the meaning of the journey itself."
"Teyvat's birds, songs, and cities… its people and its monsters… all of them are parts of your journey."
"The destination doesn't mean everything. Before you arrive, use your own eyes to observe this world more."
Lumine nodded solemnly.
"Venti, I'll remember that."
"Then we should get going too."
Venti looked over at Rowan and smiled.
"What, aren't you going to say something to them?"
"Our dear King of Knights is heading to Liyue as well, isn't he?"
"Eh?!?!"
(End of Chapter)
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