A couple days later, just an hour before sunrise, Morax and Guizhong met me at Liyue Harbor's eastern gate. They were here to see me off, and to give me the relics they had promised to make me. Considering they were both gods, I'd somewhat expected their gifts to be something incredible.
But still, this was-
"This is…" I whispered, staring wide at the two relics I now held in my hands.
[Jade Springtime Crown 5★
A fine piece of jade, meticulously carved into the shape of a young, springtime bird. Molded by Morax himself, his great blessing lies within it, promising safe journeys and strength against all adversaries.
Increases Body by 100%. Reduces all incoming damage by 35%. Dispels outside mental attacks. When the User comes into true danger, this relic will sacrifice itself to protect the User.]
[A Tale of Three Hundred Years 5★
An impossibly long scroll, contained within a strip of enchanted papyrus. Within it is written the tale of Guizhong, the god of dust. Of her beginnings and her present and her future. Crafted by Guizhong herself, in hopes that a bird would forever fly to carve their own across the skies.
Increases Energy by 100%. Increases Elemental by 50%. Reduces User's visibility to Monsters. Causes the User to project an aura of calm and happiness when worn]
Both were incredibly powerful relics, and I had no issue taking off my [Guili Official Hunter Medallion] to make space for the two. The moment I wore them, I felt my strength surge, followed by a burst of wind that gently spiralled around me.
When I regained myself, I smiled at the two gods that'd taken their time to create these two items for me. "Thank you, both of you." I said.
Morax smiled slightly, while Guizhong grinned as she gave me a tight hug. Guizhong quickly gestured for Morax to join the hug, but he only shook his head. She pouted at her partner's usual stoicness, and proceeded to hug me tighter, as if to make up for Morax's failings.
I could only laugh as I returned the hug. Classic Morax; always the blockhead.
We eventually separated, and Guizhong's eyes were blurry as she held my cheeks. "Stay safe, okay?" She whispered, worried and somewhat terrified. "Everything's going to get even more dangerous out there, a-and I know you're pretty strong and cool and all but I-"
Her words stopped when Morax placed a hand on her shoulder. And seeing her fall silent, Morax gave me a small smile. "I pray your journey goes well, Venti."
I smiled. "I'll do my best!" And saying that, Guizhong gave me one more hug before I began my journey. She waved and cheered me on as I walked, and I could only laugh and return the wave as Liyue Harbor slowly got smaller and smaller. Eventually, I got far enough that I couldn't see them both even with my [Hawk Eyes], and I felt my stomach drop a little.
I looked out at the wilderness and frowned slightly. It was hard to feel it back in Liyue Harbor, with how Morax's stone pillars were continuously blessing the lands, but the ground here was practically soaked with karma. It was no surprise that most merchants who often went on foot were now forced to use boats. The wilds were probably crawling with monsters and demons-, oh hey, look at that.
As if on cue, I crossed a hill just in time to see a diverse group of monsters. There were easily twenty monsters just sitting around, and they all turned to me. They quickly rose up and charged at me, eager to kill.
I smirked, notched an arrow made of Anemo onto my bow, and fired. The resulting tornado that spawned from my arrow tore the demons without resistance, and in just seconds the entire group of monsters were down. I carefully maneuvered around their mangled corpses as I continued my journey.
It was not an isolated incident. Even as I trekked towards the village closest to Liyue Harbor, I encountered over a dozen different groups of monsters. They all varied in size, but while they didn't pose much of a threat to me, I didn't doubt that a platoon of Millelith soldiers would struggle against them.
I sped up as I slayed more monsters. I could only worry over what this all meant for those still unprotected.
And I was glad I did, because the first village I came upon was burning. My eyes were wide as I caught the tall flames that rose to the sky; people were running away in terror, while some brave attempted to fight against the demons that chased them down. But they were just villagers, and it was clear they were being overwhelmed.
A halo formed above my head. Sharp winds bellowed around me. A sharp hiss passed through my grit teeth as my knees bent. And the ground below me shattered as I leapt forward.
In a moment's blink, I smashed into the ground between the villagers and the demons. My arrival blew back the approaching demons, and any that were too close were squashed into a puddle of demonic blood. The fires that'd been spreading were swept into the winds spinning around me, dragged away from the village and coalescing together.
To the villagers, it was as if a second sun had suddenly formed before them. Some cowered in fear of burning, but they watched in awe as the fires seemed to dance around them. Protecting them.
The demons weren't so lucky. They screamed as their bodies began to burn from the intense heat and were cut by my winds. But with their intelligence minimal due to the corruption that'd taken hold of them, they did nothing else but charge at me. The only thing that did was burn them to a crisp.
Eventually, their instincts seemed to return, and some finally began to run away.
As if I'd let them escape.
I pulled on my bow's strings, and the cocoon of winds and fires around me broke down as they condensed into a single arrow. An elemental arrow, burning bright like a lantern's flame. I narrowed my eyes at the retreating demons, and with a hiss, I let the arrow fly.
The arrow blurred forward like a falling star, and then the world went white as a giant fireball erupted, hurling burning chunks of dirt and stone into the sky. I formed a quick barrier of winds around the villagers to protect them from any falling debris. They all watched me in awe and wariness, no doubt questioning who I was.
At least, until a woman stepped up and knelt before me, much to the other villager's surprise. "I-I greet thee, L-Lady Venti." Many recognized me after they heard the woman's words, and they too knelt before me, heaping thanks and gratitude.
I didn't really hear their words. For my attention was instead taken by the ruined village I'd come to. At the burnt houses and ruined fields, at the corpses so mangled and burnt I could hardly recognize them as people had it not been for my [Hawk Eyes].
I squeezed my eyes shut.
"Is this…everyone?" I eventually asked, still not facing the villagers I'd saved.
"Yes…?" A man answered back, and I took a tired breath. I'd hoped that my senses had been wrong, but I wasn't so lucky. From what Guizhong told me, this village once housed over a hundred people. But the villagers I'd saved numbered only around twenty, with half of them being children.
"I cannot bring back your homes. Nor those you have lost." I finally turned to face them, and I forced a kind smile onto my lips. "But I can present you a new home to build."
"D-Do you mean Liyue Harbor, my Lady?" The woman that first knelt before me asked.
I shook my head. "Unfortunately, the roads are far too dangerous. But no worries, I have another solution." I pulled out my [Serenitea Pot] from my Inventory, and I smiled as the villagers stared curiously at the teapot I seemingly pulled out of nowhere. "Within this lies a new world, ripe to be cultivated."
Their eyes went wide, and it didn't take long before they agreed to the idea I presented to them. And seeing that, I gently lifted the teapot's lid.
The moment I did, a great white cloud rose from within, quickly surrounding me and the villagers. A feeling of weightlessness took me then, before it vanished just as quickly as it came. My vision returned, and I found myself back in my Personal World, standing on the floating island with the lake.
Many gasps rang out behind me, and I grinned as I saw the people's awe. "Welcome to my world." They turned back to me, awed and reverent. "This shall be your home, if you wish it to be, of course."
No one disagreed. After all, they were just peasants, and they'd been blessed by an adepti with an entirely new world. What sane individual would ever reject such grace? The shade of their previous home still hung above them, but their excitement and gratitude easily overpowered it.
Seeing their agreement, I began showing them around. I introduced Chubby to them, and how they could exchange Mora for certain items he sold. Some asked me how they'd gain Mora, and I then brought them to another island. This one was filled with all the Generators I'd bought in preparation for this, and the [Mora Exchanger] nestled in the middle of the island. "These materials could be used or sold for Mora." I told them, waving my hand at the various small piles of materials building near each Generator.
Lastly, I showed them the flattest island currently in my Personal World. One that was perfect for a new village to be built. "Unfortunately, I have yet to prepare homes for you to rest within. And for that, I apologize." I said with a wry smile. It was something I forgot while I was buying all sorts of Generators for this world. "But those Generators I showed will provide you with an infinite amount of materials you could use."
The villagers understood. Naturally, none blamed me for it. After all, the adepti had done so much for them already; it would be wrong if they demanded more. Lady Venti had provided them with what they needed—it was time for them to rebuild their home!
Seeing their enthusiasm, I eventually bid them farewell and returned back to Teyvat. When I did, I stored my teapot back into my Inventory and sighed. It was still harrowing to know that I hadn't saved this village in time. Dozens of people, their names and lives forgotten to time.
I clenched my fists. There was no more time to dally.
A halo formed above my head. Winds blew around me. And the ground below me shattered as I leapt into the sky. And as I ascended, wings of light formed behind me, ethereal and wisp-like.
Now high up in the sky, I locked right onto the closest village I could see and began gliding towards them.