Paimon held the tiny shovel like it was some kind of foreign weapon.
What were they even doing?
Digging up dirt in the middle of the night?
"Found it," Jiang Chen suddenly called out.
"Follow me."
Paimon's eyes lit up.
"What did you find?!"
If they were handing out shovels, it had to be something important.
"Something good," Jiang Chen grinned. "Whether you'll ever starve or not… depends on tonight."
Paimon froze.
Her survival depended on this?
Suddenly she was more motivated than anyone else alive.
What if this was a treasure stash?
Her eyes turned into little Mora symbols at the thought.
If they got rich, Lumine definitely wouldn't sell her.
With that life-changing realization, Paimon began digging with religious devotion.
They arrived at the spot Jiang Chen had detected.
He gave the exact coordinates and had Lumine and Paimon start digging.
"Lumine, try to feel it," Jiang Chen instructed.
"There are wind-element barriers underground.
Just find them and dig under. You won't break anything — the Knights protected the jars.
Anything without protection is stored in boxes."
He smirked.
"There's a lot down here."
These were all the offerings Mondstadt had buried for Barbatos over generations — dozens, maybe hundreds of jars of premium wine.
Jiang Chen wanted all of them.
He would replace each one with a cheap bottle he bought that afternoon.
Because of the recent Stormterror crisis, wine prices had plummeted.
He bought them for practically nothing.
Lumine quickly caught on and started digging with practiced efficiency.
Jiang Chen lifted the turf carefully so the ground wouldn't look disturbed later.
They worked fast — lift grass, extract wine, bury cheap bottle, cover back up.
Paimon stared, baffled.
"Is this stuff really worth money?"
She had expected a chest full of treasures.
Not… alcohol.
"It's absolutely valuable," Jiang Chen said smugly.
"For example, this bottle here? I could trade it to Mondstadt's wealthiest man for a ridiculous price."
He held up a jar of Windsong Wine — Barbatos's exclusive brew for hosting the Seven.
And now it was his.
Paimon blinked, stunned.
That valuable?!
If Jiang Chen said so, it had to be true.
She continued digging, though her tiny arms quickly gave out.
In the end, Jiang Chen and Lumine did almost all the work.
And Lumine…
Her eyes sparkled with excitement.
She had never expected so many jars buried under Windrise.
They kept at it until long past midnight, emptying every hidden stash.
Once everything was dug up and replaced, Jiang Chen restored the ground perfectly.
Then he and Lumine carried the stolen wines and began heading back to Mondstadt.
"Tomorrow, I'll find someone to handle these," Jiang Chen said.
"For now — wash up and sleep. And Paimon… don't you dare tell Venti."
He stared at her seriously.
"If he finds out, we can't sell anything."
Lumine nodded immediately.
"Don't worry. I'll watch her."
Paimon panicked.
"I won't say anything!! I swear!!"
This was her future food supply — she would sooner die than betray them.
They returned to the city.
At this hour, no one was out except for the occasional night owl.
Their timing caught some attention — including that of Kaeya.
He noticed Jiang Chen, Lumine, and Paimon entering the city from outside.
But he couldn't hear what they were saying from afar.
Still…
Why were the two heroes of Mondstadt out in the wild this late?
Kaeya was intrigued.
He wouldn't ask yet, but he would test the waters tomorrow.
With that thought, he slipped away into the night.
Jiang Chen and Lumine returned to their rooms to wash up and sleep.
Paimon whispered excitedly to Lumine about how much money they'd make.
But Lumine didn't know the prices either — everything was in Jiang Chen's hands.
Once they sold the wine, they'd head to Liyue.
Hopefully Barbatos wouldn't find out.
If he did…
Jiang Chen was finished.
That thought made Lumine secretly smile.
She… kind of wanted to see him get in trouble.
But then again — Jiang Chen was absurdly strong.
He might even beat Barbatos in a fight.
That part was concerning.
Early morning.
Jiang Chen was woken up by Lumine banging on the door.
Meanwhile, in another room…
Venti woke up too.
He blinked at the unfamiliar ceiling.
Where was he?
Why was he sleeping on an actual bed?
He could've spent that money on wine!
Slowly, the memories returned.
He drank with Jiang Chen…
Then blacked out.
Venti sat up, horrified.
He quickly touched himself to make sure nothing had happened.
Everything was intact.
He sighed in relief.
Then he spotted the bottle on the table.
"…Huh?"
"Jiang Chen… left me a bottle?"
"What a good brother!!!"
Venti's entire face lit up.
Without hesitation, he grabbed the bottle, opened it, and started drinking it for breakfast.
A few minutes later — predictably — he passed out again.
Jiang Chen later peeked into the room, saw the empty bottle and unconscious bard, and simply fell silent.
Advance Chapters available on Patreon
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