"Haha~"
Holding his wine cup, Venti looked thoroughly pleased. Still, when faced with Jia Changjiang's challenge, he waved it off with a smile.
"Fighting and all that—let's skip it. I'm just a bard with a Vision, that's all."
This wasn't the first time Jia Changjiang had challenged him over the past few days, and it genuinely puzzled Venti.
No matter how one looked at it, his appearance hardly screamed combatant.
"Hmph… you know how many people out there would kill to have a Vision…"
A drunk adventurer nearby hiccupped and slurred his words.
"A Vision of Anemo… that's amazing. To be noticed by Lord Barbatos and granted a Vision—that's an honor, right?"
"I'd want a Pyro Vision!" another adventurer chimed in, tongue thick with drink.
"The Darknight Hero of Mondstadt uses Pyro, doesn't he? Pyro Visions have crazy attack power!"
"Oh right, and Amber from the Knights—she's Pyro too!"
"Electro Visions are strong as well!" someone else added enthusiastically.
"Every time I walk past the library with Lisa nearby, I feel all tingly!"
"Get lost—that's because Lisa's gorgeous!"
The tavern erupted into noisy, drunken debate about Visions—what element they wanted, what it meant to receive one, and how glorious it would be.
Jia Changjiang drank quietly at the side, listening intently, but offering no opinion of his own.
"Jax, aren't you going to join them?"
Venti asked, a little tipsy.
"Talking about Visions and all that."
"Visions…" Jia Changjiang mused, swirling his drink.
"Come to think of it, Acting Grand Master Jean also uses an Anemo Vision, right?"
He frowned slightly, deep in thought.
"How should I fight her tomorrow…"
"Hm?" Venti looked at him, surprised.
"Jax, don't you want a Vision?"
"A Vision…"
Jia Changjiang stared into his cup, silent for a moment, then spoke slowly.
"Didn't they just say that a Vision is proof that someone's ideals and ambitions were acknowledged by the gods? A kind of external organ that lets people control the elements?"
"Yeah, that's right," Venti replied, tilting his head.
"Why?"
Jia Changjiang's expression was different now—more serious than before.
"Then why would I need one?"
Venti blinked, momentarily thrown off.
"Why would I need the approval of gods I've never even met?"
"Well… with a Vision, you become stronger," Venti said carefully.
"And you've always said you want to become stronger, haven't you?"
"Becoming stronger is my business," Jia Changjiang waved it off.
"What does that have to do with gods?"
Then his eyes lit up.
"Speaking of which… Visions are granted by the Seven, right?"
He leaned forward, interest clear in his voice.
"Are the Seven strong?"
"Venti, you're a bard—you must know stories about their power, right?"
"Ahaha…" Venti laughed awkwardly.
"Among the Seven, there are indeed extremely powerful gods. The Geo Archon, Morax, was once known as the God of War. The Pyro Archon is also said to be a battle maniac—very strong."
"Honestly, none of the Seven are weak."
He silently added in his heart: …except maybe me.
"Why do you ask?" Venti tilted his head.
"Trying to figure out which god's Vision would be strongest?"
"No."
Jia Changjiang grinned, teeth flashing.
"I want to know whether I'll be able to fight them someday."
"Beat them."
"And claim victory for myself."
There was no reverence in his words.
Only raw excitement and anticipation.
"Isn't that…" Jia Changjiang said, voice rising,
"…an unbelievably thrilling thing to look forward to?!"
These words—borderline heretical on the continent of Teyvat—were spoken without hesitation.
And yet, the excitement on his face was unmistakably genuine.
Venti glanced around. The surrounding adventurers were all far too drunk to be paying attention.
Lowering his voice, he asked,
"Legends say that those with Visions may one day ascend to Celestia… even gain the qualification to become gods themselves. Doesn't that tempt you at all?"
"Not really."
Jia Changjiang took a deep gulp of wine.
"Vision or no Vision—it doesn't really matter to me. I don't think any god would acknowledge me anyway."
"Besides—"
He set his cup down and slammed the table with a heavy bang.
"Who says you need a Vision to become stronger and fight?!"
"I want strength. I want to battle the strong."
"Visions are proof of faith bestowed by gods—fine."
"Then those gods must be strong, right?"
"Defeating them with nothing but pure strength…"
His laughter rang out.
"That's the kind of thing that gets the blood boiling!"
"Hahaha… fighting is supposed to be fun in the first place."
"I've got full confidence in myself."
"Cheers!"
He clinked his cup hard against Venti's.
"To battle!"
Venti looked at him, helpless.
Someone like Jia Changjiang was truly rare.
Perhaps what Venti should be grateful for was that, at the very least, this man wasn't evil.
Venti shook his head and muttered softly,
"If you'd appeared in an earlier era… you might've caused something truly outrageous."
"…What a pure warrior."
At the Knights of Favonius headquarters, Jean finally finished a long day of paperwork and lifted her coffee to steady herself.
"Ah… that foreigner…"
Suddenly, she remembered that a week ago, she had agreed to a duel with someone calling himself Jax–Lancelot.
Tomorrow was the day.
A faint headache crept in.
"Acting Grand Master, something on your mind?"
Kaeya stepped into the office, noticing her troubled expression.
"Kaeya… I was just thinking about how to handle tomorrow's challenge," Jean sighed, rubbing her temples.
"He's a foreigner, and he doesn't even have a Vision, so I was wondering if I should—"
"If you're thinking of holding back," Kaeya interrupted calmly,
"you shouldn't."
Jean frowned. "Why?"
"Based on our observations, if you hold back, Acting Grand Master, you'll only anger him."
Kaeya spread his hands.
"Besides… I don't think he's someone you can defeat even if you hold back."
Jean froze.
"…Is he really that strong?"
She looked up, stunned.
"Do I really need to fight him at full strength?"
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