At the heart of the Dandelion Sea.
Teyvat's two oldest gods sat drinking together.
In the distance, beneath the "Small Lamp Grass," Noelle, Fischl, and Sucrose gazed at the three people seated in the Dandelion Sea.
Ellin had told them that important guests would be visiting today and that they must not disturb them.
So they could only watch from afar.
Even without Ellin's warning, they could have sensed that the two guests seated in the Dandelion Sea were unlike ordinary people.
Venti, whom they remembered as frivolous, now radiated a profound sense of age and wistfulness.
The guest named Zhongli carried an even deeper air of age. His gaze was sharp, and one glance was enough to reveal the weight of experience he bore.
The presence the two exuded as they sat there inspired involuntary respect in the girls, as though they were looking at gods. They dared not show the slightest disrespect.
A reunion after hundreds, even thousands of years should have been a joyous occasion, yet Zhongli and Venti could not help feeling melancholy.
They talked as they drank.
They talked for a very, very long time, while Ellin sat beside them like an enormous third wheel.
But Ellin did not mind. She did not want to interrupt these old friends as they caught up.
Or, more precisely, their reunion was the most beautiful sight in her eyes.
"Speaking of which, you donned your crown three times in these past few months. What prompted that?"
Zhongli set down his cup and looked at Venti.
"Oh, that!"
Venti took a swig of wine and cheerfully told Zhongli how he had donned his crown three times.
After finishing his account, Venti asked, "Speaking of which, old man, what's going on with you?"
"As far as I remember, you're