Amber looked at Venti, who was already dead drunk on the table, and didn't think much of it.
She had found him drinking in a tavern earlier, after all. And from what she knew, that bard was pretty much a certified alcoholic. Him passing out wasn't surprising in the slightest.
She sat down, took a few bites of dinner, then turned to Jiang Chen.
"Jiang Chen, when are you planning to leave Mondstadt?"
Her tone sounded casual, but she clearly wanted to know something.
Jiang Chen raised a brow.
"Why? Something you want us to do?"
She wouldn't be asking for no reason.
"No, no!" Amber waved her hands. "I'm just curious, that's all. There's nothing urgent anymore."
That was true.
If Dvalin hadn't been dealt with, she would have had a thousand errands for them.
But now? Everything was calm. The Knights had no tasks left that required Jiang Chen-level power.
Jiang Chen nodded.
"We'll leave in a few days. Next stop: Liyue."
Amber seemed relieved and nodded.
"Alright. If you do leave, remember to tell me."
She finished her meal with them, chatted for a bit, and then excused herself.
Once Amber left, Jiang Chen and Lumine looked toward Venti.
The bard was gone.
Not "tipsy."
Not "drunk."
Gone.
Like a corpse that hadn't realized it died.
Jiang Chen grinned.
"Alright. Let's go."
"Dump him in the hotel, then we head to Windrise."
Lumine's eyes lit up immediately — finally, it was time to act.
Paimon blinked, confused.
"Windrise? What are we doing there? Aren't we going back to sleep?! It's the middle of the night!"
She had absolutely no clue what Jiang Chen and Lumine were plotting.
"Got business to do," Jiang Chen said calmly. "If you're tired, you can stay at the hotel and sleep. Me and Lumine can go alone."
Paimon froze.
Stay behind?
Miss the secret mission?
Absolutely not.
"No no no! I'm coming!!" she squeaked.
She didn't know the plan, but curiosity alone could drag her ten miles.
Jiang Chen shrugged.
"Fine. Then stick close. Let's settle this guy first."
He hauled Venti up like a sack of potatoes, dragged him back to the hotel, opened a new room, and tossed the bard straight onto the bed.
Then Jiang Chen placed another bottle of Diona's "special wine" on the table — right where Venti would see it the moment he woke.
He was honestly hoping Venti would stay drunk for several days.
If the bard was knocked out the entire time, he'd have no chance to notice Jiang Chen and Lumine doing… extracurricular activities with Barbatos's offerings.
Lumine looked at Jiang Chen's setup and fell silent.
Everything… was already planned out.
Jiang Chen smacked his hands together.
"Let's go. Time to move."
He led them outside. Lumine and Paimon followed closely behind.
Leaving Mondstadt at night was easy — it was Mondstadt, after all.
Freedom was the law here.
The gate guards were long off-duty.
They sprinted toward Windrise under moonlight.
Plenty of people were still out and about celebrating the end of the Stormterror crisis, so no one questioned travelers on the road.
After a long run, Paimon was completely lost.
"What are we even doing? Running to Windrise at night??"
Her tiny face was scrunched up in pure confusion.
"Don't ask, just move," Lumine flicked her.
"We finish the job and go right back."
Paimon puffed up angrily, but followed anyway.
Soon, Windrise came into view — quiet, open, and bathed in pale moonlight.
Only a few elemental creatures moved in the distant grass.
Compared to the game, the real Windrise was massive.
Jiang Chen's farming instincts instantly kicked in.
"This is a perfect grassland," he muttered. "Not raising cattle here is a crime."
Lumine nodded seriously.
"Right? Wasted land."
Mondstadt was rich in fertile soil, yet almost none of it was cultivated.
Aside from Springvale's boars and the Dawn Winery's vineyards, this entire country practically ran on wine exports.
No wonder Diluc was the richest man in Mondstadt — his wine single-handedly supported the entire economy.
Jiang Chen's thoughts drifted further.
If Liyue ever blitzed Mondstadt and annexed their land…
Just imagine—
Fertile plains, good climate, no monstrous erosion like in Liyue…
The agricultural output alone would skyrocket.
He was practically drooling over imaginary farmlands.
He shook his head to clear away the nonsense.
"Let's go. Under the big tree — that's where the Knights buried everything."
They moved forward, and after ten minutes they reached the enormous oak tree of Windrise.
The wind whistled through the leaves.
Paimon shivered and wrapped her arms around herself.
"C-cold…"
Even the dragonspine winds reached this far at night.
Jiang Chen crouched down and placed his palm on the ground, feeling with his power.
Lumine pulled out several shovels she had bought earlier.
She handed one to Paimon.
Paimon stared at it, stunned.
Advance Chapters available on Patreon
patreon.com/ZoroTL442