Night fell.
In the backyard of the Wangsheng Funeral Parlor, Zhongli was drinking alone under the moon when a verdant breeze blew towards him.
"Morax, drinking by yourself again? You're far too boring. How about you let me join you?"
As the shadow of the wind coalesced, a smiling Venti appeared before Zhongli.
He was holding not only wine but also fragrant grilled meat, which he had presumably bought on his way over.
"So it's you, Barbatos. Mm, I've been in a good mood recently. Sit."
Seeing that his old friend wasn't chasing him away for once, Venti smiled very happily.
"Ehe, that's more like it! Come on, try this. It's a hundred-year-old vintage I buried at Windrise. The taste is amazing."
"Mm, it is indeed excellent." Zhongli raised his cup and took a sip.
It was indeed much better than the wines of the mortal realm. The flavor was mellow, and the aroma was rich. A truly rare treasure.
Seeing that the atmosphere was good, Venti took the opportunity to ask, "On my way here, I saw that city in the Guili Plains. I really didn't expect you to allow them to research technology."
Ever since the Khaenri'ah incident, all the nations except Snezhnaya had been, consciously or unconsciously, suppressing the power of technology.
But the most stubborn of the Archons, the Geo Archon, was actually allowing his people to develop it. This was truly astonishing.
Zhongli explained, "Liyue's technology is only for serving the people and improving their livelihood. It does not involve warfare. That being the case, why should I stop them?"
"So that's how you think. Alright then. In that case, on account of the wine I brought you, could I ask you for a favor?"
"Mm, let's hear it."
"Well, could I borrow that thing from The Chasm for a bit? Dvalin's situation has been getting a little bad recently, and I want to use it to purify him."
He had spent the entire day visiting many places in Liyue, which was why he had only come over at night.
Among the things he saw, what surprised Venti the most was the treasure in The Chasm. It could actually suppress the power of the Abyss. With it, perhaps Dvalin could be saved.
Zhongli shook his head and refused. "I cannot help you with that."
"Huh? Why not? Aren't we friends?" Venti was getting a little anxious.
He drank my wine, and now he won't even do me a favor? How could he be like that?
Zhongli just looked at him and said calmly, "That is not my property. It is Su Han's treasure. If you wish to borrow it, you should ask him."
"But isn't Su Han your subordinate? All you need to do is give an order…"
"No, you are mistaken. Su Han is not my subordinate; he is my friend. It is precisely because I respect him that he is willing to stay in Liyue. If you wish to borrow the Dragon Veins, you should go and discuss it with him. I can make the introduction for you."
Looking at Zhongli's serious eyes, Venti knew he wasn't lying. Morax never lied, nor did he deign to.
But to make him, an Archon, go and beg a mortal? How humiliating would that be?
Maybe I should try to steal it? he thought. I'll just return it after I'm done. It should be fine, right?
Zhongli, who knew the Anemo Archon's personality very well, immediately warned him, "I advise you to dismiss such thoughts. Once Su Han finds out that Mondstadt has stolen the Dragon Veins, the consequences will be very severe. I think you know what happened a few days ago to those who kidnapped the people around him."
Venti blinked, stammering, "He… he wouldn't attack Mondstadt, would he?"
"That is not clear. He is currently the National Treasure of Liyue, with a status far above that of the Qixing. He would only need to say that the Anemo Archon stole the Dragon Veins, and a war would be foreseeable. At that time, you and I might have to face each other."
Although the Seven Archons had a good relationship, they had fought each other before for the sake of their respective nations. If a war really broke out, he would fight for Liyue.
Looking at the old man's unfriendly expression, Venti quickly waved his hands. "Alright, alright, you've really scared me. I won't steal it, okay? When can I meet him?"
"It is already late. Tomorrow."
"Fine. I'll come find you tomorrow morning." With that, Venti vanished.
The next morning, Su Han was woken up by a message from Zhongli in the group chat.
Sensing him get up, Shenhe also woke up. Compared to the past two days, she seemed even more gentle. This time, she even took the initiative to get Su Han's clothes and hand them to him.
"I have to go out for a bit. Are you coming?"
"Mm." Shenhe nodded lightly while tying her red ropes. Wherever he went, she would go.
Half an hour later, Su Han arrived at the backyard of the Wangsheng Funeral Parlor. Hu Tao was still at the Guili Plains and had not yet returned. That girl had completely lost herself in fun yesterday and had no desire to come back.
"Hey, Zhongli, what's up?"
"Yo, hello there, Su Han! My name is Venti. I'm Zhongli's best friend. I'm the one who wanted to see you this time."
Seeing him arrive, Venti quickly greeted him, even making a point to mention that he was Zhongli's good friend.
The moment Su Han saw Venti, he knew the guy was up to no good.
"Oh? If you have something to say, just say it."
"Ahem, it's like this. I heard you have a treasure in your hands that can suppress the power of the Abyss. I would like to borrow it. After I'm done using it…"
"I'm sorry, the Dragon Veins are not for loan," Su Han said, cutting him off before he could even finish.
The Chasm had only just been stabilized. How could he possibly lend out the Dragon Veins? In his dreams.
With that, he turned to leave, having no desire to deal with this Anemo Archon.
"Wait a moment!" In his urgency, Venti circled around in front of Su Han. Seeing the unfriendly look on Su Han's face, he quickly explained, "You know about the dragon disaster in Mondstadt, right? If I have the Dragon Veins, I can save the Stormdragon!"
"Hah," Su Han sneered, his voice dripping with contempt. "If I lend the Dragon Veins to you and it gets stolen by someone from the Abyss, what will you use to compensate me? The Stormdragon's matter is your own problem to begin with, isn't it, Barbatos?"
"If you weren't lazing about all day, would the Stormdragon have been controlled by the Abyss? Back when Dvalin defeated the evil dragon Durin, he was already contaminated by its blood. But what did you do? Drink all day? Or just wait for death?!"
"The Dragon Veins are not mine; they belong to all of Liyue. If you dare to steal it, I will lead the Millelith and completely destroy Mondstadt City. And I always keep my word."
Shenhe was completely shocked. She never thought this person dressed as a bard was actually Mondstadt's Anemo Archon. And the most ridiculous thing was that he was here, asking for Su Han's help!
"Let's go, Shenhe."
"Mm."
The two of them came and went in a hurry, leaving only Venti standing there, dumbfounded, while Zhongli had watched the entire show without saying a word.
It was only after Su Han had completely left that Venti looked at Zhongli with some annoyance. "Did you tell him my identity?"
"Su Han is a traveler from another world. He knows many things that even I do not. When we first met, he saw through my identity immediately. I am not the least bit surprised that he can recognize you. Perhaps there is nothing in all of Teyvat that he does not know."
Zhongli had long expected this result, because when the two of them had talked in the past, Su Han had complained about Mondstadt's shortcomings more than once.
Venti rubbed his temples, vexed. "Then what should I do? Are you just going to watch me suffer?"
"I think Su Han was right. You've made your bed, now you must lie in it. If you had noticed the abnormality in Dvalin's body earlier, the current situation would not have occurred," Zhongli said, shaking his head. In fact, among the Seven Archons, he wasn't the only one who didn't like Venti. The Raiden Shogun also couldn't stand the Anemo Archon.
"Fine. Since he's unwilling to help, I'll just find another way," Venti said, leaving in dejection. To be lectured by a mortal… he had truly not expected that. But in truth, Venti was also filled with self-reproach. If only he had noticed his companion's abnormality sooner.
On the streets of Liyue, Shenhe suddenly asked, "Was that the Anemo Archon just now?"
"Mm, that was him. Compared to Rex Lapis, that guy is just too lazy. He didn't even think to do anything about what happened five hundred years ago. Now that the fire is burning his eyebrows, he's finally starting to panic and seek desperate remedies. What was he doing before?" Su Han had absolutely no good feelings towards Venti. A completely irresponsible drunkard. It was only through sheer luck that Mondstadt had survived to this day.
Shenhe asked, puzzled, "Aren't you afraid of angering the Anemo Archon?"
"What's there to be afraid of? I'm the National Treasure appointed by the Geo Archon. And that guy can't beat our Archon in a fight anyway. He deserves to be angry. By the way, after we have breakfast, let's start training. How about I teach you how to cultivate Haki?"
"Mm. As you say." Shenhe nodded lightly.
The two of them headed towards Wanmin Restaurant. After enjoying a meal, they began their daily training. It had to be said that Shenhe's comprehension was truly strong, even more terrifying than Keqing's. You only needed to point something out once, and she could follow that line of thought and expand upon it.
Six hours later, a layer of black energy was wrapped around Shenhe's polearm. She had successfully cultivated Armament Haki.
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