Nicole eyed Venti suspiciously. When she saw the wine bottle in his hand and recalled what Golden Bangboo had said earlier, it all clicked.
This teen with the twin braids—he was the "drunkard" Golden Bangboo had mentioned.
"You're the drunkard Golden Bangboo was talking about, right? You know Sam Li?"
"Of course! We go way back, don't we, old man..."
"..."
"It was you who sent Golden Bangboo and Platinum Bangboo over just now?"
"Sure was. Those two are crazy about money. I figured they'd be thrilled to meet the great God of Wealth."
Venti took a swig from his bottle and let out a loud burp.
Compared to Mondstadt's fruit wine, the alcohol here was seriously strong—it burned like fire going down.
Then he turned and looked around—but didn't see the Bangboos anywhere.
"Where'd those two go? After meeting the great God of Wealth, they ought to be thanking me."
Sam Li was silent.
Nicole coughed awkwardly. "Um... yeah, we already sent them off. Don't worry—they're somewhere safe."
In Nicole's eyes, Golden Bangboo and Platinum Bangboo were the real gods of wealth—they'd just dropped a mountain of Dennies into her lap.
Realizing Venti had helped set the whole thing up, Nicole smiled.
"Thanks for the assist. May I ask how I should address you?"
She had always been in the dark about Sam Li's past—where he came from, who he really was.
This was her first time meeting someone from his past. The guy looked like an old-timey bard—or maybe someone into elaborate cosplay.
Venti smiled. "The name's Venti. I'm a bard from Mondstadt."
Nicole blinked. "Mondstadt?"
Where was that?
She'd never even heard of it—probably just another run-down town on the outer ring or some forgotten city.
Venti's harmless, easygoing look made him easy to trust.
But if he was a friend of Sam Li's, there was no way he was just some regular guy. He had to be someone with serious power.
Nicole smiled. "Well, thank you for helping us catch those Bangboos. Now that things are wrapped up, let's leave C75 Hollow and head back to the city. We can talk more there."
Sam Li nodded. "Sounds good."
Nekomata scooted over to make room. "Hop in! Sit here."
Venti beamed. "What luck—already getting a ride in one of these!"
That just confirmed Nicole's assumption—clearly an outer-ring guy who'd never even seen a car before.
She chuckled. "Now that you're in the city, you'll be riding in cars a lot more."
Venti tilted his head. "So that's what it's called? A car? Interesting."
Sam Li sighed silently.
Nicole smiled. "Buckle up—"
And with that, she hit the gas, heading back to the city with Sam Li, Venti, Nekomata, and Soldier 11 onboard.
...
Throughout the ride, Nicole kept glancing at Venti through the rearview mirror. Nekomata and Soldier 11 were also clearly curious about him.
Meanwhile, Venti had been studying Sam Li since the moment he got in, his gaze full of curiosity.
After a short pause...
Venti suddenly said, "Old man, you've gotten younger."
Sam Li's expression twitched slightly.
It figured—Barbatos. Even when he'd met Azhdaha, the old dragon hadn't noticed Sam Li's disguise. But Venti saw through it instantly.
To ease Venti's doubts, Sam Li stayed calm and replied evenly:
"When one finds peace and lets go of burdens, the heart lightens—and youth follows."
For an ordinary person, that might sound like nonsense.
But for gods, the body was just a reflection of their state. Too much wear and tear, and it aged. Less damage, and it stayed young...
Compared to the former Morax, the current Sam Li had almost no wear. Naturally, he looked much younger now.
Hearing the exchange, Nicole, Nekomata, and Soldier 11 all looked intrigued.
They had always felt Sam Li seemed strangely old—way too somber and world-weary for someone his age.
And now Venti was saying he looked younger?
Also... Sam Li was only in his twenties. Why was Venti calling him "old man"?
It was baffling.
Nicole smiled. "Mr. Venti, since you're Sam Li's friend, how long have you two known each other?"
Venti chuckled. "Oh, not long. Just... a thousand-something—er, a few decades... or, like, ten-something years. We've known each other since we were kids."
If he said "over a thousand years," he'd scare them all stiff.
He was going to say "several decades," but even that felt like too much—so he settled on "a dozen years."
Nicole nodded in realization. "That explains how close you two are."
Just then...
The car in front of them braked suddenly. Nicole reacted late and nearly rear-ended it.
"Nicole!" Nekomata yelped. "Watch the road—you almost hit that car!"
Nicole cleared her throat and played it off. "Don't worry, I've been watching the whole time."
They soon overtook the vehicle.
Nekomata peered out the window. "Nicole, I think that was a Victoria Housekeeping van. I just saw a huge shark tail."
Soldier 11 mused aloud. "Victoria Housekeeping? So they're here too."
Nicole grinned. "Let them be. We already caught Golden Bangboo. They can keep chasing shadows."
Then she stomped on the gas.
They sped down the road, quickly clearing the C75 Hollow.
Venti, sitting in the back, was amazed by the speed. "In this city, everyone gets to feel the wind's speed. Wonderful…"
If he had a car like this in Mondstadt, he could tour the entire continent—it'd be incredible.
...
As they drove into the city, the scenery changed again.
The desolation of the Hollows gave way to a lively urban landscape—towering buildings, bustling traffic...
Venti turned to Sam Li again.
"Old man, what happened to you? Your power… it's so much weaker than it was."
It had only been a year since they last met.
Now, sitting beside Sam Li, Venti could clearly sense it—"Morax" was far less powerful than he had been before.