"That is indeed my wish, but I dared not ask."
"Heh, that line sounds just like an old man. You imitated it well."
Jack smiled and raised his cup.
Venti also smiled and clinked glasses with him.
The two of them drank together, polishing off half a bottle of wine with only Mondstadt's wind as their music.
Then Jack got to the point.
"Venti, how much do you actually know about the Eye of God?"
"Hmm… a little, but not much. Are you asking about that two-colored Eye in your hand?"
"Yes. Yesterday, during battle, I accidentally awakened its second attribute."
Jack unhooked the Eye of God from his waist and held it up.
A dividing line ran down the center: the left side bore the Dendro symbol, while the right glowed with the Pyro emblem.
Venti examined it for a moment before shaking his head. "This Eye of God carries no trace of Celestial power. Where did you get it?"
"Let me think about how to answer that…"
Jack tentatively opened his system interface.
As expected, Venti didn't react to the glaring, translucent screen hovering in front of him.
"It probably comes from another world—a world that's highly inclusive. After analyzing Teyvat's elemental system, it created this Eye of God as a replica. That's how I came to possess it."
Venti raised his brows, clearly not expecting such an explanation.
He had thought it would be something similar to an Evil Eye produced by some laboratory.
"Can you show it to me?"
"Please."
Venti, like other characters, was a character Jack had maxed out to Friendship Level 10 in his game.
Currently, it seemed their relationship was that of old friends, more like confidantes than opposite-sex partners.
This discovery made Jack breathe a sigh of relief.
Venti took the bi-colored Eye of God and closed his eyes.
A pure wind gently brushed over every corner of the Eye.
After more than ten seconds—
Boom!
The Eye of God suddenly flared, slipping from Venti's hand before flying back on its own to Jack's waist.
"Are you alright?!"
Jack quickly cast a healing spell.
It was hard to imagine that such a small flare-up had left countless fine cuts across the Wind God's hand. Golden blood trickled down.
"I'm fine, Traveler." Venti's expression was more serious than ever. He looked intently at Jack. "Could I ask you to channel your elemental power again—this time skipping the Eye of God, and drawing it out directly by instinct?"
Jack didn't know what he was planning.
But Venti was one of the only two remaining original gods among Teyvat's Seven Archons. No matter how carefree he usually appeared, when he wore such an expression, it meant something truly serious.
So Jack opened his palm.
He reached out to that unknown energy within him.
Gradually, green and red light flickered into being.
Like smoke, they twined into a double helix in Jack's palm.
"Just as I thought!"
"What's wrong, Venti? Is there something wrong with my elemental power?"
"No. Your power isn't wrong—it's too right. Or rather, too pure. It's not something humans should be able to wield. It's a radiance even purer than what we gods possess."
Venti's gaze flicked toward the Eye of God resting quietly at Jack's waist. "I've only ever seen a power like yours from one other being."
As he said this, his eyes drifted upward, toward the sky of Teyvat.
The Heavenly Principles?
Understanding dawned, and Jack felt it was both shocking and strangely reasonable.
After all, Teyvat had seen many rulers. The Seven Dragon Sovereigns had long since given way to the current Seven Archons. With the division of authority, his elemental power—one that mirrored the primal power of the world itself—would naturally be different from the diluted elements of today.
"So you're saying I can't use elemental power in this world?"
"No. You can use it just fine. If I hadn't probed your Eye of God up close, I wouldn't even have noticed. The Eye acts like a filter, converting your primal power into the elements of this age."
"Oh… so that explosion earlier—"
"Was your primal power retaliating when I tried to undo that conversion."
"Interesting. Thanks, Venti. Seems I came to the right person. Here, this half-bottle is my thanks."
"Haha, how could I accept such a generous gift?"
Venti immediately took the bottle of Dandelion Wine. Then, a glimmer of mischief passed through his eyes. In his usual sing-song tone, he added, "Since your power is of the same essence as that one's, why not try becoming the Heavenly Principles yourself?"
…
On the road from Mondstadt's Windrise statue to the Knights of Favonius headquarters, Jack mulled over the bard's final words.
Him, as the Heavenly Principles?
He and Zhongli must have already struck some kind of understanding with the Cryo Archon—the one preparing to challenge Celestia itself.
But the Heavenly Principles and the Seven Archons each had their own secrets. No one could say who would prevail in the end.
Perhaps they saw in him a force akin to "creation" itself, and now wanted to draw him into their alliance to tip the balance.
"Great. I only came to recruit them to fight the Ender Dragon, and somehow I end up getting coaxed by a drunk bard into usurping the seat of Heaven."
Jack's expression twisted wryly. At the time, he neither agreed nor refused.
The Cryo Archon had her own long game. By the time her five- or ten-year plan came to fruition, Jack might already have mastered the authority of "creation and destruction," just as the Gatekeeper had once hinted.
By then, a mere Heavenly Principles would be no obstacle.
"Traveler, is that you?"
A cheerful voice pulled Jack from his thoughts.
First appeared a pair of rabbit-ear hairbands, then a lively, flaxen-haired girl skipped into view.
"Amber? Long time no see."
"It really has been! Where are Lumine and Paimon? Weren't they looking for you all this time?"
"Yes, thank you for asking. We've already reunited. Lumine and Paimon are resting in the Serenitea Pot right now."
Since the Teyvat Gate was anchored in that subspace, it wasn't a lie.
"Oh, I see. That's wonderful. I hope they get plenty of rest… Traveler, are you here today to see Acting Grand Master Jean?"
"Yes. Why? From your look, she isn't in Mondstadt?"
Amber tucked a strand of hair behind her ear and lowered her voice. "Yesterday, when Eula came back to report, she said a surge of high-level monsters appeared in the Whispering Woods. Acting Grand Master Jean left with Kaeya and the others at first light to deal with it."
"Cough… cough… As expected of Jean. She's as diligent as ever."
Jack's expression tightened slightly.
After all, that was a mess his second wife had stirred up. He'd just have to find an excuse to help clean it up later—consider it part of covering for Lumine.
But before he could offer a solution, Amber's face suddenly turned crimson. Her eyes darted left and right before she awkwardly whispered:
"Um… Eula also said that the Traveler seems to have… an improper relationship with Lumine and Miss Keqing of the Liyue Qixing. Is that true?"
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