After finishing their meal with Lucian and touring Liyue, the third act of Mondstadt's story and Jean's story quest were finally released.
Lucian had come to Wanwen Bookhouse to submit his Liyue stories, saving the Steambird from having to send someone again. But seeing the long queue now, it seemed he would have to wait for next time.
Next time would be fine—after all, he could teleport and come anytime.
Fortunately, Charlotte had only revealed Lucian's name publicly, not his photo, so he hadn't been recognized.
Furina, though also a big star, wasn't very well-known in Liyue. With a change of clothes, no one could recognize her.
Thus, the god and the prophet quietly walked past the crowd unnoticed.
Back to Mondstadt—the people already knew that the Anemo Archon had resolved the dragon crisis, so their focus was on the story after its resolution.
The opening showed Venti returning the Holy Lyre der Himmel, though unfortunately, it was broken.
["Ah—! Lord Barbatos, even if Barbara spends the rest of her life atoning, it wouldn't be enough, would it?" Barbara knelt on the ground.]
Seeing this scene in reality, Barbara deeply related. Thankfully, the future had changed, or else her life would have been spent in the confessional.
Wait… hadn't she heard someone say this before…?
Then Barbara saw Venti, unable to bear her distress, restore the Holy Lyre to its original state.
"Lord Barbatos, you… you would even forgive me for this?" Barbara clasped her hands together.
Rosaria pretended to close her eyes for a nap, but inwardly thought: Wasn't it Barbatos who broke it in the first place?
As for Venti claiming he used an illusion to repair the lyre?
Barbara didn't believe it at all—why would the Anemo Archon lie to her?
If anything, the fact that Lord Barbatos was right in front of her, using divine power to restore the Holy Lyre, and she hadn't even recognized him, proved how lacking her faith was!
Tonight, she had to reread the tales of Lord Barbatos several times!
Returning to the story's plot—the group rushed out of the church, only for a freezing wind to blow Paimon away and freeze the Traveler and Venti solid.
[Signora: "Ah, Mondstadt's rodent ruler in the flesh."]
["Scurrying through the streets looking for leftovers… Mondstadt Calls this a God."]
The "rodent" Signora referred to was none other than Venti.
[Venti: "Resident rodent… beats invasive Vermin."]
Signora pinched Venti's chubby, soft cheeks.
["You don't get to speak now, insolent bard!"]
Seeing this, the people of Mondstadt were furious—how dare the Fatui treat their god like this!
Barbara, who rarely felt anger, was incensed. The Fatui had insulted her god—she hadn't even touched His face!
Jean, meanwhile, was puzzled—Where am I? Where are the church's guards?
Wasn't I just by Venti's side? Where am I?
Jean felt this was likely part of the god's plan—she had seen Venti's power firsthand.
Besides, at that distance, even if she hadn't been following them, she could have arrived immediately. The fact that she didn't appear now probably meant the Anemo Archon had arranged it.
Lord Barbatos must have his reasons for doing this.
After obtaining the Gnosis, Signora left with her subordinates, leaving only the unconscious Traveler and the others behind.
Some time later, the Traveler slowly woke up, and the first thing she said was:
["Where… what planet is this?"]
Having traveled through too many worlds, she was momentarily confused.
[Paimon: "Seems like I need to water you more to wake up your brain."]
Paimon thought the Traveler was just spouting nonsense again.
Barbara treated the Traveler's injuries while explaining what had happened to Venti.
[Barbara: "That bard woke up first, but strangely, my healing had almost no effect on him."]
Learning that Venti had already woken up and left, the Traveler asked where he had gone.
Barbara replied: "The Symbol of Mondstadt's Hero."
Under the great tree, Venti was already waiting for her.
The conversation that followed was packed with so much information that all readers sat up straight.
["Every Vision bearer is someone with the potential to ascend to godhood—hence they are called 'Allogenes,' those with the right to ascend to Celestia."]
Every Vision holder's mind raced—We can all become gods?
They knew of Celestia—it was right above them, after all—but they didn't understand what ascending there would entail.
["Hehe, this is a secret only true gods know."] Venti sounded a little proud.
Too bad this secret was about to become common knowledge.
The Traveler then asked about Signora's identity, giving everyone insight into the source of the Fatui's power.
After the Traveler finished inquiring about the Fatui and the Tsaritsa, Venti made a suggestion—he recommended that the Traveler's next destination be Liyue.
Because the "Rite of Descension" was about to take place, and it would be a shame to miss it.
The Traveler accepted the suggestion and turned to leave.
["Wait a moment, 'The Outlander Who Caught the Wind.'"] Venti called out to Lumine.
["Are you talking to me?"] Lumine was puzzled by the title.
["Indeed."]
Only then did everyone remember the title of the book's first act: "Prologue: Act I - The Outlander Who Caught the Wind."
["Traveler, when you set off on your journey again, you must remember the meaning of the journey itself."]
["The birds, the poetry, and the cities of Teyvat—the Tsaritsa, the Fatui, and the monsters—they are all part of your journey."]
["The destination is not everything. Before you reach it, take the time to see the world with your own eyes."]
This was the Anemo Archon's advice.
At the end of the story, there was one more passage:
[The dragon who had guarded the city of freedom for millennia finally began to question what freedom truly meant.]
[Can freedom commanded by the God of Freedom truly be called freedom?]
This last passage wasn't spoken by any character. Everyone guessed it was Shikikan's summary of Mondstadt's story.
Lucian had placed this line at the very end to make people take it seriously.
Later, when he moved it to the front, they could guess for themselves what was true and what wasn't.
Mondstadt's story had ended, but at the conclusion, there was a small extra story.
Its title was—"The Four Winds."
["The story I wish to tell began a thousand years ago." Venti narrated.]
["The 'Lionfang Knight' drove out the nobility."]
["The 'Falcon of the West' took its first form."]
["The 'Wolf of the North' returned from wandering and settled in Wolvendom."]
["The Four Winds shifted, and the reborn City of Freedom began anew."]
The people of Mondstadt immediately understood—this was their god telling them the history of old Mondstadt.
People from other regions were also interested. After all, this was a story told by a god—at the very least, they could learn about Mondstadt's past.
Surely, there must be a deeper meaning behind a story told by Lord Barbatos himself?
With this thought, Jean sat up straight and read carefully.
The Lionfang Knight from a thousand years ago—wasn't that Vennessa? She was someone Jean admired, her role model.
Would Venti mention Vennessa?
===✧✦✧===
Character Voice - Jean: About the Anemo Archon's Gnosis
"Hmm… I believe this must all be part of the Anemo Archon's plan. He must have his reasons for doing this."