Liyue Harbor at night was brightly lit, as if the stars from the sky had descended upon this bustling city.
Zhongli walked on the stone-paved roads of Liyue Harbor, feeling the gentle night breeze brush his cheeks, bringing with it a hint of coolness.
He looked around, seeing people coming and going on the streets, a lively and bustling scene.
Vendors hawked various goods, and street performers put on wonderful shows, attracting the attention of many passersby.
Adults sat in teahouses listening to stories, while children played happily in the streets.
"It seems the era of human rule is approaching quickly," Zhongli thought to himself, deciding to end the era of divine rule at this Rite of Descension.
Looking back, thousands of years of contracts, he felt he had fulfilled them.
Zhongli looked up at the starry sky, the moon bright and solitary, as if echoing his current mood.
Despite the lively surroundings, Zhongli felt a wave of loneliness wash over him.
"I wish to buy osmanthus and share wine, but I wonder when my old friend will be seen again."
He murmured softly, sighing at the passage of time.
He was starting to feel nostalgic again, truly being eroded. Perhaps he should visit Osial and Azhdaha sometime.
...
Meanwhile, in distant Mondstadt, at Angel's Share.
At this moment, Venti, one of the Seven Archons, similar to Zhongli, sat at the bar, full of gloom.
The reason was simple: he had just spent the wine money he had painstakingly earned on a book, a book claiming to be a prophecy.
This meant he had no money for wine!
"How long have I been asleep? How can such bizarre things appear?"
Venti recalled the book's opening lines, which spoke of the Sustainer of Heavenly Principles, and sighed inwardly.
Although the Hexenzirkel's prophetic abilities were already very high, they only knew a vague outcome; the process was very difficult to predict.
Was this book perhaps too detailed?
Venti even suspected that if the author wanted to, he could write down the color of his underwear that day, though that was just his jest.
Even if Lin Qiu truly had such an ability, he wouldn't want to know Venti's underwear.
Speaking of which, predicting him, the Anemo Archon, was one thing—he'd admit he was weak—but predicting the Traveler and the Sustainer of Heavenly Principles, was that not a bit excessive?
One must know that matters concerning the Traveler are not recorded on Irminsul.
Predicting a short-term itinerary was fine, but how could it predict such detail? It was as if it were writing out history.
Most importantly, Venti felt that his plan to give away his Gnosis had probably also been predicted, and he definitely didn't want such an embarrassing thing to happen!
Dvalin, stop going crazy, come look at God with me.
Diluc looked at Venti, who was sprawled like a salted fish on the bar, and fell into thought.
He always felt that the person in front of him might very well be the green-clad youth from the book, which is to say, the Anemo Archon.
But he had no evidence, only this intuition. His intuition told him that this person was unusual and he should be careful.
Even if the other party wasn't the Anemo Archon, he was certainly no small figure.
Venti naturally noticed Diluc's gaze, lifted his small head, and pitifully called out, "Master Lu."
Then he extended a finger and said, "Can I get one drink on credit? Just one! Please? Please?"
The times have changed, but only good wine remains constant.
Seeing Venti like this, Diluc was somewhat swayed. If he really was the Anemo Archon… he hesitated for a moment.
Ultimately, Diluc chose to stick to his principles.
"Small business, no credit," Diluc said flatly.
He wasn't worried about Venti causing trouble. First, in his opinion, Venti wasn't that kind of person.
Even if Venti did cause trouble, he wasn't afraid, because if Venti was the Anemo Archon, he couldn't possibly attack Diluc.
If Venti wasn't, Diluc didn't think he would lose.
"Eh!? How can this be!?" Venti drooped even further.
"Then... I can be a resident singer. I'm the best Roving Bard in all of Teyvat."
"Just one drink as payment, okay? Okay? It's a great deal."
"I'll even tell two stories then, two stories for one drink!"
"Once upon a time, there was a..."
Unable to completely resist Venti's nature, Diluc finally relented and said, "Only one drink. After you finish, go home and sleep."
"Ehe." Venti revealed a cunning smile, having gotten his way.
Also in Mondstadt, but this time outside the city.
"Phew~, we finally made it out of this forest! I feel like I haven't seen the sun in days!"
The Traveler trio emerged from the Whispering Woods, and Paimon was the first to speak.
"But little Paimon, it's nighttime now, so there's still no sun," Amber said.
"How can this be! Have we been abandoned by the sun?" Paimon looked disheartened.
"It's alright, you'll see it tomorrow. Let's set up the tent and prepare to spend the night," Amber said, pulling out camping gear from her Vision.
As an Outrider, camping in the wild was already commonplace for her.
Lumine nodded.
Just as the trio was about to set up their tent, an unexpected blue figure approached from a distance—Eula.
"Eula? What are you doing here?" Amber asked, surprised.
"Amber?" Eula also didn't expect to meet Amber here.
"Stormterror appeared in this area, and the Fatui sent people here. I was worried about what they might do, so I followed them."
As she spoke, Eula's gaze fixed on Amber as she asked, "Did you come out of the forest? Did you encounter any dangers?"
"I'm not worried about you, I just won't be able to get my revenge if you get hurt."
As if afraid Amber might 'misunderstand' that she was worried, Eula added this line.
"Don't worry, I'm fine, and you don't need to go into the forest anymore, because Dvalin has already left."
Amber said with a smile, already accustomed to Eula's way of speaking.
"Oh, right, let me introduce you. These two are the Traveler Lumine and Paimon."
"That's good to hear."
Eula breathed a sigh of relief, then turned to the Traveler and Paimon and said,
"Hello, I am Eula… Lawrence, the Spindrift Knight of the Knights of Favonius."
Lumine nodded.
"Hello, Eula~!" Paimon, on the other hand, loved making friends.
Neither of them knew anything about Lawrence, so they naturally had no reaction to Eula's surname.
"Calling me by my name directly? How rude. I'll remember this grudge!"
Eula tilted her small head back, not letting anyone see her happy expression at that moment.
"Eh? Was I rude?" Paimon was deeply struck.
"Oh, don't mind it, don't mind it. When Eula says she'll remember a grudge, it almost means she wants to be friends with you."
Amber translated from the side.
"Hmph, twisting my words. I'll remember this grudge too."
"So she's a person with a twisted personality," Paimon understood.
"Paimon, if you say she has a twisted personality, she'll remember that grudge too," Lumine quipped.
Unexpectedly, Eula didn't mind Paimon's words; instead, she looked at Lumine.
Seeing Eula look at her, Lumine knew she was about to be remembered. Oh no, it's coming for me!
Sure enough, Eula opened her mouth and said, "Do you think I'm petty? I'll remember this grudge."
After saying that, she looked at the tent the Traveler trio had set up and the campfire they had lit.
"Camping? I'm quite good at outdoor cooking. I'll let you all have a taste."
She was indeed very skilled, because before she joined the Knights of Favonius, Mondstadters were unwilling to do business with her.
She almost always cooked her own meals by making fires and hunting in the wild.
Lumine and the others did not refuse Eula's kindness and all helped her out.
"Oh, right, Eula, have you read that book?" Amber asked.
"Book? Are you referring to the one Kaeya sent?"
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Character Voice Line · Venti: About Books
"What a miraculous power! I wonder what changes it will bring. I hope it doesn't affect Mondstadt's wine supply."