At Angel's Share tavern.
At this moment, Jean, Lumine, Paimon, Diluc, Lisa, and Kaeya, five people and one emergency food, were gathered here.
Dvalin's situation had been resolved; now it was time for serious matters after the banquet.
As for why they weren't discussing serious matters at the Knights of Favonius headquarters,
Diluc didn't care for the Knights.
Venti gulped down a cup of sake and shouted:
"Charles! Quickly, quickly! More, more!"
Everyone was already familiar with their Anemo Archon's mischievousness, so they naturally didn't pay much attention.
Only Lumine and Paimon looked at him worriedly.
Taking advantage of no one noticing, Lumine whispered:
"Venti, are you sure you're alright? Your Gnosis…"
"Ehe!"
Venti blinked.
"Don't tell anyone about this! Besides, that thing, there's no need to care about it at all!"
Seeing this, Paimon grumbled in dissatisfaction.
"He's such a slacker; can he really brush off something like that so lightly?"
Lumine pursed her lips, saying no more.
She wasn't stupid; looking at Venti, she had already guessed.
Venti was doing this on purpose.
Otherwise, putting aside how much power he actually possessed, with that blink-of-an-eye speed from Mondstadt City to Windrise,
It would be a miracle if La Signora could have stopped him.
This guy was acting!
Lumine understood in her heart but didn't say much.
Venti's Gnosis was still taken by Rosalyne.
But it wasn't when he was returning the Holy Lyre der Himmel.
Because the butterfly effect from Liyue made Rosalyne anxious to go to Liyue, she ambushed Venti just as he had sent Jean and the others back to report to the people of Mondstadt.
Venti took that slap fair and square.
But Lumine now recalled carefully.
When Rosalyne hit him, there was indeed a hint of guilt and relief in Venti's eyes.
It was as if…
He was relieved after a naughty child paid the deserved price.
Connecting it with what Rosalyne and Venti said during their exchange, it seemed there was some enmity between them.
However, Lumine still really wanted to complain.
No matter what, for a god to be so humiliated was too absurd!
Was this freedom?
His own nun couldn't remember his name, calling him Barbatos, and he didn't care.
Someone slapped him, and he still didn't care.
Even when his friend Dvalin was in trouble, this guy was acting.
The free wind was truly unpredictable.
However, having such a person as a friend would indeed be very happy; at least, he was good at livening the atmosphere.
"Lumine."
While she was deep in thought, Jean suddenly walked over and gently said to her:
"After this, you should be setting off for Liyue, right?"
Lumine hadn't answered yet, but Paimon's little head nodded furiously!
"That's right! Lumine and I are going to eat Adeptus' Temptation! To eat Golden Shrimp Balls! To eat Crystal Shrimp!"
"You rascal! Try to act more like a guide!"
Lumine angrily pinched Paimon's cheek.
"Why is it all about eating and drinking! And, we don't have that much Mora!"
"Ouch, ouch, ouch!"
Paimon struggled free from Lumine's hand and floated aside, looking aggrieved.
"But delicious food is also a characteristic of a nation!"
"We have serious matters! Serious matters!"
"I know! I won't forget! But it doesn't hurt to enjoy good food!"
"I said we don't have Mora!"
"We can pick it up along the way! Paimon will help you!"
"Help me fight?"
"Eh?! How mean! Paimon only has one-fifth the combat power of a wild boar!"
"Who's being meaner now?! You, who only hides in your Dimensional Space when there's a fight!"
The two little darlings, one big and one small, bickered, amusing everyone.
Lisa, leaning on the counter, exuding a lazy, captivating aura, chuckled softly.
"Oh my… such delightful little darlings…"
"If little Paimon asks older sister nicely, older sister wouldn't mind giving you some Mora, you know!"
"Really?!"
Paimon's eyes immediately widened, and she quickly flew to Lisa's side.
"Older sister Lisa, please, Paimon knows you're the best and love us the most…"
After a sweet plea, Lisa smiled and handed her a pouch of Mora.
Roughly estimated, it was at least five million.
But Lisa was wealthy, so it was nothing to her.
Besides, the Knights of Favonius had no money to thank Lumine, so she had to save face for her good friend Jean.
Jean looked at Lisa gratefully.
Then, she gently said:
"Since Lumine is also heading to Liyue, why don't you all come with us?"
"The road to Liyue is very long; it will take at least one or two months to get there, and we can keep each other company."
Hearing this, Lumine immediately smiled.
"Really? That's great! We can all go together!"
After all, Lumine was just a young girl and naturally feared loneliness.
Jean and the others were her new friends, and going with them would mean more people to chat with on the journey.
Jean nodded and turned around, saying:
"This time, Diluc and I will go to Liyue under the name of the Knights of Favonius Procurement Department and the Mondstadt Merchant Guild. We probably won't be back for three or four months."
"In that case, Mondstadt will be left to you, Lisa and Kaeya."
No sooner had she spoken than Lisa chuckled and shook her head.
"Let Kaeya handle it. I'm going with you too."
"Hmm?"
Everyone's gaze immediately turned to Lisa.
This person was the genuine Witch of Purple Rose, who rarely moved and was extremely lazy.
Because the distance from her home to the library exceeded five minutes, she simply set up an alchemy workshop in the library to rest.
Her trips outside Mondstadt City were few and far between.
Coupled with her physical problems…
Jean was a little worried.
"Lisa, you…"
"Oh dear, little Jean's concern truly touches me."
Lisa blinked, a flash of electricity seemingly passing through her eyes.
"But this time, I must go… there might be the only chance…"
Speaking, Lisa paused for a moment. Her physical condition, or rather, her lifespan problem, was already very serious.
That was why she constantly needed to sleep, to prolong her life.
She also researched alchemy for this very reason.
But now, she didn't have much time left. Lisa had originally thought she would probably bid farewell to Jean and the others in a few years.
But she saw new hope.
Taking out a potion from her Vision space, Lisa's eyes lit up slightly.
"This is…"
Diluc was a bit confused and glanced at Lisa.
"A new potion you researched?"
Lisa shook her head.
"It's a new potion, but it was sent from Liyue…"
"Liyue? But I remember…"
Before Jean could finish, Lisa said:
"Liyue doesn't have powerful alchemists, that's right, but… this potion is too strange."
"That Tianquan wrote that this potion can temporarily boost an ordinary person's strength to be even greater than an Archon's."
"With no side effects."
Upon hearing "strength," Diluc's eyes immediately blazed with fire.
"How confident are you?"
Lisa shook her head slightly.
"One hundred percent…"
"Before you came back, I tried it. I gave another Strength Potion to that little girl, Eileen."
"I took her out once, and she… shattered a Ruin Guard with a single sword strike, and cleared seventeen Hilichurls, including two Mitachurls and one Hilichurl Shaman, in less than a minute."
Upon hearing this, everyone's pupils constricted in shock.
Diluc immediately reached out to take the potion.
"Ten million Mora, sell it to me!"
Lisa looked at the eager Diluc with a knowing smile, currents of electricity crackling around her.
"Do you think I lack Mora? Or are you trying to snatch something from me, Master Diluc…?"
Diluc fell silent.
He had to admit that Lisa could overpower him.
But the alchemy potion…
He needed power for revenge!
Moreover, it was something without side effects; otherwise, Lisa wouldn't have given it to Eileen.
Lisa waved her hand gently, saying:
"Don't dwell on it so much. Since Liyue can send this, it means it can definitely be mass-produced. If you want to buy it, go discuss it over there."
"My purpose in going this time is also to meet that alchemist. Perhaps he can…"
"Heh…"
Lisa said, giving a self-deprecating laugh, and gently added:
"In short, this thing is very peculiar, not like something from Teyvat."
No sooner had she spoken than Venti, who had been quietly drinking by the side, suddenly said softly:
"It's not just 'not like it'… this thing, its fundamental laws are completely different from Teyvat. In fact, all the resources you've traded with Liyue recently…"
"Iron ore, ingredients, Lapis Lazuli… although they all carry traces of the old man's divine power, I can feel that none of them belong to this world."
"I can't say more, or the old man might seal me up without hesitation."
"It might involve Liyue's secrets, and you wouldn't want to see me suppressed by the mighty Rex Lapis, and Mondstadt blockaded by Liyue, would you?"
Everyone fell silent.
Venti's words had given them much to ponder, but they couldn't think any further.
Otherwise, it was hard to say if Rex Lapis wouldn't truly get angry.
Lisa looked at Venti, solemnly asking:
"So, there's a chance, right?"
Venti shrugged and said softly:
"Probably, but either way, we have to go there first. This time, I'll go with you and take you there."
"Hmm… it's been a while since I last saw the old man too."
Venti was also eager to know what he was up to.
Everyone understood that Venti had other intentions but didn't ask further.
These were matters between gods; their only contact point was Liyue.
"In that case…"
Jean paused, looked at Lisa, and gently said:
"Kaeya, I'll leave the rest to you. We need to depart for Liyue immediately!"
Kaeya smiled and waved his hand.
"Although being suddenly burdened with such a huge responsibility is tricky, I wish you all a safe journey."
"Ehe!"
Venti leaned over and winked.
"You can go against the wind too."
Kaeya rolled his eyes and said nothing more.
"Do we need to pack luggage?"
Jean turned to look at Lumine, Diluc, and the others.
Everyone immediately shook their heads.
"No need."
If it were before, they would definitely make all preparations first.
But now, the situation was different; whether it was Jean's concern for Lisa's condition or Diluc's need for power,
They were all eager to depart immediately.
Lumine herself had no luggage; bringing Paimon was enough.
Jean nodded and gently said:
"Then, I'm counting on you, Venti."
Venti stretched, and a verdant current of wind enveloped everyone.
"Be ready, you know, the wind… is very fast!"
The next moment, a strong gust of wind arose, and their figures vanished without a trace.
Kaeya looked out at the clear sky, sighing softly.
"It's an eventful autumn…"
"Teyvat, it seems a storm is brewing."
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