The continuous days of the Lantern Rite Festival did not become boring with the passage of time; instead, new joys could be found in many places.
During this time, Lumine and Paimon were actively participating in the Lantern Rite Festival activities, striving to win the prizes of the Lantern Rite Festival.
Without their knowledge, Venti and Miss Durandal were intimately interacting. Occasionally, Miss Durandal, due to Venti's excessive enthusiasm, would deliberately separate from her for a while, hoping to cool her enthusiasm by being aloof.
But no matter how aloof she was, Venti's enthusiasm never waned. She would always sit obediently nearby, looking at her with extremely gentle eyes, which made Miss Durandal want to hit her.
Once, she almost couldn't resist the urge to strike, yet Venti had an expression that seemed to say, "As long as you want to, you can hit me however you like," which completely extinguished Miss Durandal's desire to discipline her.
After a few days of observation, even Lumine, as oblivious as she was, noticed the unusual behavior between Miss Durandal and Venti, but she didn't believe her discovery was correct.
But... how should I put it? Their interactions lately truly had a different flavor, a different atmosphere.
With such an atmosphere, no matter how much Lumine wanted to deny her observations, she couldn't, which plunged her into a state of panic.
No way, really? Was she 'home-wrecked' without even noticing?
Anything but that!
The next day, at Zhongli's invitation, Venti finally left Miss Durandal to keep her appointment, which made Miss Durandal sigh in relief.
This person... although usually clingy, it had never been as severe as it was recently. This time, it was truly so severe that she was a bit fed up.
The Fully Furnished Co. is a high-end restaurant in Liyue Harbor. Although expensive, many people still reserve tables there.
In a private room, Venti and Zhongli were dining together. No one knew that the two people gathered there were the two great Gods, the Anemo Archon and the Geo Archon.
Zhongli sat quietly, drinking tea, and looked at Venti, who hadn't touched her cup but was instead holding her face, a silly smile on her face, and he raised an eyebrow.
This wasn't his first time dining with Venti. In the past, when he dined with Venti, she would either eat a lot or constantly drink alcohol; in short, she couldn't sit still.
But this time, she was behaving very unusually. This was not the boisterous Barbatos he remembered. The only thing that could explain her current state was the recent events.
"It seems those recent rumors are true. Your intimate actions with Miss Durandal are not just simple interactions between friends, are they?"
"Huh? You noticed? Old man. And rumors? What rumors?"
"Miss Durandal's friend from Mondstadt came to Liyue—that's the main content of the rumors. Some people noticed your intimate behavior, suspecting you are very good friends. Some busybodies also think your relationship is not that simple. I originally thought it was just a rumor, but now it seems this rumor is highly credible."
Zhongli was originally on the side of disbelief, but seeing her current expression, he knew that this situation was very likely true.
Indeed, upon hearing Zhongli say this, Venti broke into a brilliant smile and excitedly stood on her chair.
"I also didn't expect to have such feelings. I always thought I would forever be an observer, but I didn't expect that one day I would also be immersed in it."
"Oh? So how do you feel? The taste of being immersed in that feeling."
"Indescribable. I never thought that just looking at someone could make me so happy."
The poet's nature allowed Venti to vividly describe her feelings. Zhongli sat there quietly listening, looking at a Venti he had never seen before, and he couldn't help but think of someone.
That close friend who accompanied him during the Archon War, who might have formed a good bond with him, but ultimately fell.
"Guizhong..."
Even he, when thinking of this person, couldn't help but let out a sigh.
Venti, in her excitement, didn't notice Zhongli's unusual behavior. It wasn't until she spoke to the point of being a bit parched that she picked up the fine wine on the table and drank it.
"What's wrong, old man? Your mood seems a bit off. Did something unhappy come to mind?"
"Nothing. I just feel sentimental seeing that drunkard become like this, and I also didn't expect you to make such a choice."
"Actually... I also didn't expect myself to make this choice. Initially, I approached her only to confirm if she posed any danger. But during our time together, I gradually realized she was actually a very lovable person. I just couldn't help but want to be friends with her."
Life is truly unpredictable, but she doesn't dislike this development.
Even if she developed feelings for a human, the other party wouldn't be able to accompany her for too long. After all, her lifespan differs too greatly from humans. Even if they experienced decades of happiness together, they would eventually part ways.
But Miss Durandal is different. She is also a long-lived species, and she can also deal with the problems caused by erode. It can be said that she is the ideal companion for long-lived species like them.
"Then are you planning to join their team? In your current state, you seem unwilling to be separated from her."
Venti is clearly in the throes of a new romance. Lovers in this state constantly wish to be with their partner and are unwilling to be separated.
Judging by her reaction, she wants to join Lumine's team and travel with them, doesn't she?
Venti's movements paused, and the expression on her face gradually returned to normal. She shook her head, raised her wine glass, and took a sip.
"No, I'm not planning to travel with them. I will stay in Mondstadt City and await their return."
"Oh? Why?"
"If I were just an ordinary person, I could unhesitatingly choose to travel with them. But I cannot. Although I don't appear much, I am still the Anemo Archon of Mondstadt; I am Barbatos. I need to guide the residents of Mondstadt when it is in danger and protect them from DMG."
The Fatui and the Abyss Order are the main reasons Venti is unwilling to leave Mondstadt.
She and Miss Durandal can quickly return to Mondstadt City through their abilities. If Mondstadt City encounters any danger, they can rush back as soon as they receive the news.
But by the time they arrive, the situation might very well have reached a very dangerous point.
Someone must stay and watch. As the Anemo Archon, she has this responsibility, and she believes Miss Durandal would not allow her to neglect her duties for the sake of emotion.
"Responsibility... is it? I understand. That is indeed a reason not to leave Mondstadt for a long time."
"Hmm, and meeting is actually quite easy. I think with Miss Durandal's methods, she should be able to allow us to communicate long-distance."
She still remembers the little bird Miss Durandal gave to Klee. Those bird could allow Miss Durandal to communicate with Klee, and they usually communicated through them.
If Miss Durandal could also give her something similar, they could also communicate long-distance, so she wasn't afraid.
Even if she couldn't suppress her desire to meet, she could transform into a gust of wind and rush to meet her. Don't forget that wind is everywhere; as long as she is willing, she can quickly reach any place on the Teyvat continent.
Zhongli shook his head. He no longer knew whether to call Venti diligent or not diligent.
However, she was still the same slacking Anemo Archon he knew, the only difference being that she was in love.
Still, this was quite interesting. He could see what direction things would take next.
"By the way, since your relationship is so good, has she helped you eliminate the 'erode' on you?"
"What do you think, old man?"
Venti didn't answer but instead smiled and countered with that question.
Needless to say, Zhongli already understood Venti's answer. It seems... he could also try to contact Miss Durandal and ask if she could remove the 'erode' from him.
——————
On the other side, on the streets of Liyue Harbor.
Miss Durandal was accompanying Lumine and Shenhe, enjoying the atmosphere of the Lantern Rite Festival. Without Venti in the group, it was a little quieter, but it also gave Miss Durandal extra time to look around.
Lumine and Shenhe were secretly observing Miss Durandal. Lumine wanted to ask Miss Durandal about her situation with Venti, while Shenhe was looking for an opportunity to interact with Miss Durandal.
It wasn't until their lunch break that they took the food they had bought and found a quiet place to sit down.
Ignoring Paimon, who was happily munching on snacks nearby, Lumine hesitated for a moment, then finally made up her mind and asked.
"Durandal, you... has something happened between you and Venti recently?"
Shenhe suddenly looked at Lumine, thinking, "You finally noticed! I thought you only cared about the festival and Mora. So you can still notice things, huh?"
"Something happened? Something certainly did happen. What exactly are you referring to?"
Lumine took a deep breath. Something certainly did happen? In other words, her fears had come true?
The unease in her heart grew stronger and stronger, so much so that the smile on her face could no longer be maintained.
She tried hard to make her smile look more normal and spoke again: "It's just... I can't quite explain it, what's the most impactful thing she's done to you recently? Do you know?"
Durandal tilted her head and thought for a moment. The most impactful event was what Venti did to her that night, using the excuse of letting her experience the emotions of the male and female protagonists in a book.
To help Lumine understand better, Durandal took out the book she was reading that night and handed it to her.
"That night, she came to find me. I was reading at the time, and she saw that I didn't understand the emotions between the male and female protagonists in this book, so she wanted me to experience it thoroughly."
Lumine took the novel, looked at the very obvious title, swallowed, and asked bitterly,
"Then... how did you two experience it?"
Durandal didn't answer. She looked at the people walking by nearby. Under Lumine's gaze, she extended her index finger to touch her lips, making a certain gesture.
Lumine understood, Lumine completely understood! That slacker! That slacking Anemo Archon, actually... actually took advantage of her inattention!
"Venti!!!"
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