Original God, But Chat Group

"If you're really here to help, then it's our duty as the Knights of Favonius to host you."

Kaeya said, glancing at Lumine and Paimon, who had been silent all this while.

"You two should come along too. The Acting Grand Master saw this Traveler fighting the Dragon just now, and she's quite interested in both of you. She'd like to meet at the Knights' headquarters."

"Of course, Mr. Li Yue, please join as well."

"No problem."

Since he was already in Mondstadt, he had to meet the Mondstadt characters from his memories—otherwise, what would be the point of coming?

The group followed Kaeya into the Knights' headquarters. As soon as he entered, Kaeya raised his hand and greeted with a smile.

"Acting Grand Master, I've brought the people. And here's a surprise—besides the one you were looking for, there are two more!"

"Two more?"

Acting Grand Master Jean looked curiously behind Kaeya. Sure enough, besides the blondie girl, there were two others.

"And these are?"

"I'm Li Yue, from Liyue. This is my daughter, Nahida."

"Mm... Huh?"

Jean was momentarily thrown off by Li Yue's name, since "Li Yue" sounded close to "Liyue," just with a different tone.

"Sorry, I didn't catch that at first."

"Welcome to Mondstadt. Unfortunately, the current situation in Mondstadt City doesn't allow us to host you properly. Please forgive us."

"Acting Grand Master, don't worry about that. Among these guests, two are here to find Lord Anemo Archon, and the two from Liyue want to pick a fight with Dvalin."

"I can understand looking for Lord Anemo Archon, though he hasn't appeared in a long time. But picking a fight with Dvalin..."

Jean looked at Li Yue. From Kaeya's expression, she understood that these two were the ones here to fight Dvalin.

"That's right. I came to fight Dvalin, and it'll help Mondstadt relieve the pressure from his attacks, won't it?"

"I see. Thank you."

Though the goal sounded strange, it was at least helpful to Mondstadt. Maybe it really could make a difference.

"Speaking of which, I haven't introduced myself. I'm Acting Grand Master Jean, and this is Librarian Lisa."

Lisa, who had been introduced, nodded with a smile, then began explaining in her sultry, lazy tone.

"You've come at a bad time. Since Dvalin awakened, he's been active around the city, causing chaos. Mondstadt's elemental flow and Ley Line circulation are now tangled like a ball of yarn a cat's been playing with. For a mage, this is the worst-case scenario... It ruins your skin and your mood..."

"That's the situation. Please stay in Mondstadt for now, and let the Knights of Favonius work on solving the problem."

After Jean and Lisa finished speaking, Paimon chimed in.

"We can't just leave it all to the Knights. Paimon and the Traveler will help."

Kaeya's eyes lit up immediately.

"Then let's decide on a battle plan!"

Seeing that the blondie girl was about to become a blondie fool bossed around, Li Yue quickly raised his hand.

"Great. Since you're all ready to make a plan, I'll take my leave. Can anyone tell me where the inn in Mondstadt City is?"

"Huh?"

Paimon stared at Li Yue in surprise.

"Aren't you going to help?"

"Of course not. I'm just here to fight Dvalin, not to join the Knights of Favonius."

"Is... that so?"

Paimon seemed shaken, hesitating.

"That's right. That's how it is."

Li Yue nodded firmly, then looked at Kaeya.

"Captain Kaeya, could you show me the way? Take me to a tavern or inn in Mondstadt City."

"Ah... Huh..."

Kaeya had just been thinking about getting Li Yue to help out, and now he was the one being asked to guide him. He looked at Jean, waiting for her decision.

Faced with Li Yue's request, Jean could only nod.

"Kaeya, take Mr. Li Yue there first. We'll discuss things when you get back."

"Fine."

With no choice, Kaeya followed orders and led Li Yue and Nahida out of the Knights' headquarters.

"Captain Kaeya, where's the most famous tavern in Mondstadt City? Just take me straight there."

As soon as they stepped out the door, Li Yue asked about the tavern.

"Mr. Li Yue, are you looking for a drink?"

"That's right—Mondstadt's wine industry is thriving. Since you're here, you absolutely have to try some of Mondstadt's fine wines."

"In that case, follow me. I'll take you to the biggest tavern in Mondstadt."

Kaeya led Li Yue and the others to Mondstadt's largest tavern, Angel's Share—Diluc's establishment.

As soon as they entered, Li Yue and Nahida spotted a figure clad in green with white stockings. The man noticed them too—or more precisely, he noticed Nahida at Li Yue's side.

The two locked eyes and froze on the spot.

Chapter 23: Are All Seven Archons This Eccentric?

"Hello there, unfamiliar faces! I'm Venti, the best bard in all of Teyvat. Pleased to meet you."

The moment the two gods met, they recognized each other's identities. To prevent Nahida from blurting out his true nature, Venti seized the initiative and struck first.

Is the Anemo Archon hiding his identity, just like me?

Nahida gave a slight nod toward Venti, signaling her understanding.

"The best bard in Teyvat?"

Li Yue grinned as he watched Venti rush to declare his surface identity.

"I've never heard of that. Do you have any credentials?"

"Uh..."

Venti was caught off guard. He scratched the back of his head awkwardly, then tilted it.

"Ehe~"

Ehe~ te nandayo!

If Paimon were here, she'd probably be shouting that right about now.

"Trying to weasel your way out, huh? Fine, I'm not from Mondstadt anyway."

Li Yue shrugged nonchalantly.

"I'm Li Yue, from Liyue. This is my daughter, Nahida."

"Daughter?"

Venti stared at Nahida in shock. As the Anemo Archon, he knew her true identity was the Dendro Archon. Seeing her walk in, he assumed she was also hiding her identity—but this was taking it too far. The Dendro Archon of Sumeru, playing daughter to a Liyue native? One dared to offer, and the other dared to accept—absurd!

"Hello, I'm Nahida."

Nahida cooperated with Li Yue, introducing herself to Venti.

"Your daughter is adorable."

Despite his shock, Venti kept his composure on the surface.

"So, you two are travelers from Liyue?"

"That's right. We're from Liyue. We heard Mondstadt is suffering from a dragon disaster, so we came to check it out—and maybe cross swords with the legendary Stormterror."

"You two want to fight Stormterror?"

Venti was a bit surprised. He glanced at Nahida again. Did the world change too much while I was asleep? You're a Dendro Archon, not staying in Sumeru, but running off to Liyue to get adopted—and now you want to pick a fight with my familiar?

Though the Dendro Archon wasn't a god known for combat, her authority was still something Dvalin couldn't withstand. Especially since, due to Venti's slumber, Dvalin had lost the power of the Anemo Archon's blessing and was much weaker than before.

"Are you two hoping to boost your reputation by defeating Stormterror?"

"Not at all. We just heard about the dragon disaster in Mondstadt and came for some fun. Fighting Stormterror is part of that fun."

"So your real goal is to spar with Dvalin?"

A smile spread across Venti's face.

He'd initially worried the Dendro Archon had some agenda, but now it seemed Li Yue was the one calling the shots between him and Nahida. And Li Yue just wanted to fight the dragon for kicks—if that was the case, there was plenty of room to maneuver.

"Dvalin?"

Li Yue pretended to catch the key detail, looking at Venti with curiosity.

"That's right. The Stormterror's name is Dvalin."

Venti's lips curled upward. He'd deliberately let the name slip, and sure enough, Li Yue had noticed. With a casual flick of his hand, a lyre materialized out of thin air.

"Would you two travelers care to hear a story?"

Without waiting for an answer, he began to play and narrate.

Venti recounted the tale of Dvalin and Durin, dwelling especially on how Dvalin, upon waking from his slumber, found himself forgotten by the people, corrupted by poisoned blood, and driven mad into becoming Stormterror.

"So the so-called Stormterror is actually the East Wind Guardian, Dvalin?"

"Exactly. But now, Dvalin has lost his reason due to the poison in his blood. If we cleanse the tainted blood from his wounds, he can regain his sanity."

Venti set down his lyre and answered with certainty.

"Interesting. I never expected Stormterror to have such a backstory."

Li Yue looked impressed, stroking his chin and nodding. Venti, meanwhile, extended his right hand toward him.

"So, in appreciation of that wonderful story, could you spare a little tip? Nothing much—just enough for a glass of Apple Cider."

Nahida looked at Venti with some surprise—was this Anemo Archon actually asking Li Yue for a tip? Seriously?

"Here!"

And Li Yue actually pulled out some Mora and handed it over.

"Nice!"

Venti turned and strode to the bar, slapped the Mora onto the counter, and grinned at the red-haired man behind it, who wore a sour expression like a grumpy cat.

"Master Diluc, a glass of Apple Cider, please!"

"One moment."

Diluc reached out, took the Mora, then turned to pour the drink.

Venti's movements as he turned to buy the drink were so practiced that Nahida, standing nearby, had her little mouth hanging open without realizing it. Li Yue found it thoroughly amusing.

"What's wrong, Nahida? Why that look?"

Nahida shook her little head.

"Nothing. I'm just surprised by the story he just told."

"Come on, let's head over too."

Li Yue led Nahida to the bar.

"New guests. What would you like to drink?"

Diluc asked flatly as he poured.

"Two glasses of juice."

"One moment."

Even though they were in a tavern, Li Yue had no intention of drinking alcohol.