Back when Koji saw Jean, he also mentioned Venti, though he didn't outright reveal that Venti was the Anemo Archon.
Sorry, Venti, I half-exposed you.
"The Venti you mentioned—I've heard of him too. The Knights can't trace his origins. He's a very mysterious person." Jean said thoughtfully.
If she wasn't mistaken, eight or nine out of ten he had something to do with the Anemo Archon.
She could even accept the idea of the Anemo Archon being a drunkard. After all, Mondstadt was full of drunkards—so it wasn't strange if their Archon was one too.
"His Vision is fake, and he can still use Anemo. Think about that."
Venti, it's time to work. The Knights need their Archon.
"Even if he isn't the Anemo Archon himself, he must be connected." Jean nodded seriously.
Without a Vision, an ordinary person couldn't control elemental power. Only gods or their direct kin could.
As for otherworldly travelers like Lumine—it wasn't like Teyvat was crawling with them.
"Thank you, Koji, for your information."
If Venti was truly the Archon, then they'd ask him directly what to do about Dvalin. If not, but still closely tied, he could at least tell them where to find their Archon.
"..."
From within the wind, Venti overheard their entire conversation. This brat Koji might as well have said I AM the Anemo Archon.
Forget it—Jean and the others already suspected him. If pressed, he had no plans to hide it.
Adventurers' Guild
"To the stars—"
"Excuse me, we'd like to register as adventurers. Could you handle that for us?"
Koji cut Catherine off mid-greeting. As a Genshin player in his past life, he would never let her finish that line.
(The full line: To the stars and the abyss! Welcome to the Adventurers' Guild. But who really listened to that before clicking for primogems?)
Lumine blinked in surprise. Stopping someone mid-chant like that was… oddly satisfying.
"Very well."
Catherine showed no reaction. She wasn't human anyway—just a Fatui-built automaton.
Every nation had its own Catherine.
Koji couldn't help but wonder if this Catherine had true self-awareness. (The one in Sumeru didn't count—Nahida directly controlled her.)
Catherine quickly confirmed their eligibility: both had fought Dvalin in the skies. They easily met the requirements.
"Adventurers, huh? That's not too different from being a traveler." Lumine looked over the proof.
Adventurers roamed endlessly, earning through commissions and selling monster drops. Travelers did the same.
The Good Hunter
"Excuse me, what dishes would you recommend?"
It was dinnertime, so Koji and the others headed to the Good Hunter restaurant. They asked waitress Sara for advice.
When in Mondstadt, one had to try local cuisine.
Besides, with Jean's money in their pockets, eating out was a must.
"The specialties here are medium-rare venison steak and 'Satisfied Sara.' We also serve sweet Madame chicken, mushroom skewers, and mint jelly—all with fresh ingredients."
Sara spoke warmly, confident that the Good Hunter was Mondstadt's most authentic restaurant.
"Then we'll take everything you just listed—two of each."
Koji waved grandly. With money on hand, why not splurge?
The one most thrilled, of course, was Paimon. Everything sounded delicious.
"Wow, so good. I'm so full."
"Burp—Lumine, Koji, why are you staring at me?"
Paimon's face was greasy with oil. Seeing the two of them staring, she flushed with embarrassment.
"Paimon, I've decided… I can't keep you anymore." Lumine said heavily.
Paimon's meals cost tens of thousands of Mora each. That added up to three or four hundred thousand Mora a month—completely unsustainable.
A bottomless pit.
"Eh?!"
Paimon panicked, eyes wide with tears. Nooo, don't abandon me!
She could eat less! Really!
"Lumine, I'll cut back, I promise. Just don't throw me away!" She fluttered close, pleading desperately.
"You? Eat less? Yeah, right." Lumine looked at her in total disbelief.
Watching them bicker, Koji laughed quietly. He knew Lumine was joking. No way she'd abandon Paimon.
"Koji, what's our next move?" Lumine asked curiously.
Mondstadt didn't have much going on at the moment—the Knights weren't yet ready to face Dvalin.
"Lumine, want to make some real money?" Koji leaned close, whispering while cutting off Venti's eavesdropping with sound-blocking.
"Of course! Tell me how!"
Her eyes practically turned into Mora signs. Who wouldn't want more money—especially with Paimon eating them into poverty?
"They say the Anemo Archon Barbatos buried his personally brewed wine in Windrise. The Windborne Hymn." Koji grinned.
"Wine? Is it really worth that much?" Lumine asked.
"Of course. Mondstadt's rich man Diluc has said he'd pay any price for authentic Windborne Hymn. One jar could fetch millions of Mora—tens of millions even."
Diluc had money to burn. Millions of Mora were pocket change for him.
"Tens of millions?!"
Lumine's breath caught. Her heart pounded as if struck by a hammer.
With that, Paimon's food costs for years would be covered.
"Do it. We have to do it!"
If the Archon had left the wine buried, then it was unclaimed treasure. As cultured people, wasn't it natural to borrow a little from Barbatos?
"And we'll still be helping him with Dvalin afterward. So taking the wine as payment is only fair."
"We'll need good timing. The Archon can't keep watch over his stash all the time." Koji considered.
Like when Signora stabbed him—that'd be the perfect chance.
"Fine. When that happens, I'll finally be rich!" Lumine's eyes gleamed.
Tens of millions of Mora. In all Teyvat, few could casually lay their hands on such a sum.
She was tired of being broke.
(End of Chapter)
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