"Thanks for the drink, warrior."
Venti finished his apple cider with a satisfied smile.
"If fate allows, I'll repay your kindness someday with a poem."
"No need to be polite. If you really want to repay me, you might as well fight me," Jia Changjiang waved a hand casually.
"And unless something unexpected happens, I'll be staying in Mondstadt for a while."
"Whenever I come drinking at night, I'll come listen to you play."
He patted Venti on the shoulder and laughed heartily.
"You play really well. I'll treat you to drinks next time too."
"Let's just call it making a drinking buddy… you won't refuse that, right?"
"A drinking buddy who buys me alcohol?"
Venti's eyes sparkled.
"For such a wonderful proposal, how could I possibly refuse?"
"Then let's start with introductions."
Jia Changjiang raised his glass.
"Jia Changjiang. You can also call me Jax–Lancelot. A weapon master."
"Venti," Venti replied, clinking glasses with him.
"A humble bard. From afar, O warrior—may the gentle winds protect you."
"No," Jia Changjiang said seriously, lifting his cup.
"I'd rather face a storm."
"Though… for safety's sake, maybe not."
They clinked glasses again.
"Cheers! Tonight's on me!"
Jia Changjiang couldn't remember how many drinks he'd had.
He only knew that most of the Mora he'd earned from all those commissions earlier that day… was gone.
Cup after cup went down his throat—perhaps as a way to wash away that lingering sense of distance from his old world.
What truly shocked him, however, was that Venti drank even more than he did.
More than half of the night's tab had gone to the bard alone.
As Jia Changjiang staggered out of Angel's Share, swaying toward his inn, he muttered under his breath:
"Hmph… drinking so much on my tab… I have to fight you someday."
Long after Jia Changjiang disappeared into the night, Angel's Share—nearly closing—welcomed another guest.
"Captain Kaeya? You're here pretty late today."
Charles immediately began mixing a drink.
"The usual. One Death After Noon,"
Kaeya said as he sat at the bar.
"I had some things to take care of. By the way, Charles—did a dark-haired man in foreign clothes come by tonight?"
"You really do hear everything," Charles replied while working.
"Yes, there was such a guest. Drank quite a lot—and even treated a bard to several rounds."
"Oh?" Kaeya raised a brow.
"And did they say anything interesting while drinking?"
Charles was about to answer—
When the tavern door opened.
He immediately stopped speaking.
"Go on, Charles."
This time, the newcomer was the owner of Angel's Share—master of the Dawn Winery himself:
Diluc.
"Didn't expect to see you here today," Kaeya smiled.
"What, has the owner of the Dawn Winery taken an interest in a foreign traveler too?"
"I'm only concerned with what happens in my tavern," Diluc replied coldly, arms crossed.
"Asking my staff for reports is well within my rights."
"A foreigner arrives in Mondstadt and immediately challenges the Acting Grand Master."
He snorted.
"Can the Knights not even refuse such a thing?"
"Between the Fatui, Stormterror… and now even outsiders can provoke the Knights of Favonius."
His words carried undisguised disdain.
"Haha, that's a bit harsh. We should have faith in Acting Grand Master Jean," Kaeya replied calmly.
"But I'm surprised—this has already spread through Mondstadt? Even you've heard of it?"
"I have my sources," Diluc said flatly.
"And I won't allow something that damages Mondstadt's dignity to spread unchecked."
"If she loses that challenge, Mondstadt will only look weaker in the eyes of the Fatui."
Kaeya turned to Charles.
"Well then, Charles—why don't you tell us what that foreigner said?"
"Seems even your boss is curious."
"Yes, Captain Kaeya."
Charles glanced at Diluc, then continued.
"After drinking quite a bit, he said he wanted to fight all kinds of strong people in Mondstadt."
"He called himself a weapon master—said he knew how to use every kind of weapon."
"And anything else?" Kaeya pressed.
"Did he mention any other goals?"
"Other goals… no," Charles shook his head.
"But he did say he'd be back tomorrow—and that he made plans to drink again with that bard."
"The rest was just drunken boasting."
Charles slid the finished drink over.
"Your Death After Noon."
Kaeya and Diluc both fell silent.
From Charles's perspective, it was clear—
The two brothers were thinking very different thoughts.
For the next week, Jia Changjiang's life became remarkably simple.
He had no idea when the Traveler would arrive in Mondstadt—there wasn't even the slightest hint yet.
What mattered to him now was far more practical:
How much stronger could he get before fighting Jean?
Every morning, he bought food and water for the day at Good Hunter, then headed straight to the Adventurers' Guild to take commissions.
Any commission.
He took them all.
He quickly noticed that once he accepted a commission, it would also appear as a system quest.
The rewards weren't huge—
But there were lots of them.
For someone like Jia Changjiang—who had always skipped story to grab quests—this was paradise.
And best of all?
One commission, two rewards.
He was making a killing.
Mornings were for commissions.
Days were for fighting.
Evenings were for taverns—listening to veteran adventurers get drunk and boast.
It might've looked like a rather degenerate lifestyle—
But over that week of tavern nights, Jia Changjiang gained a rough understanding of the world he'd previously rushed through.
He learned what Visions truly meant.
What kind of status they held.
"So that's how powerful Visions really are…"
Jia Changjiang lifted his beer mug, eyes gleaming as he stared at the glass orb hanging at Venti's waist.
"Which means, Venti—you're definitely strong."
He slammed the mug down.
"Fight me!!!"
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