"Huh? Was it that obvious?" Ellin froze for a moment.
"Of course!" Venti said with a laugh. "You're not good at lying. And remember, I'm a bard! What lie could fool a bard who's sung his way through every human heart?"
"All right!" Ellin blinked. True, Venti might be frivolous, but he was still a god who had lived for over two thousand years. What kind of person hadn't he met?
And how old was she, by comparison? She was still far too green to put on an act in front of Venti.
With someone who had experienced so much, excessive concealment would only put him off. Being honest, on the other hand, could win his goodwill.
Ellin had no intention of hiding anything. Right in front of Venti, she took a bottle of Special Apple Cider out of her system inventory and set it beside her.
"A gift for the esteemed Anemo Archon," Ellin said with a grin.
At the sight, Venti's expression shifted slightly.
"Pulling things out of thin air, carrying three Visions, and knowing my true identity... To think a child who drifted here from another world would have so many secrets!"
This time, it was Ellin's turn to be surprised.
"You even know I came from another world?"
"Naturally!"
Venti smiled.
"The Anemo Archon remembers the name of every one of his people."
"When someone from Mondstadt passes away, the wind guides their soul. A little while ago, the soul of that child named Ellin followed the wind back to the high heavens."
"And at that same moment, your soul arrived here from another world."
Venti regarded Ellin with a deep gaze, as though he wanted to see right through her.
"So, visitor from another world, why did you deliberately lure the Anemo Archon here with fine wine?"
Ellin paused, but soon smiled.
Learning that Venti knew she was from another world surprised Ellin, but did not alarm her. On the contrary, she was rather happy.
She pulled over two little stools and patted one to invite Venti to sit, then took out a plate of apple salad and placed it on the other stool.
"Since you already know, I won't hide anything. It's a long story, though. Why don't you drink while you listen, Lord Anemo Archon?"
"Yes, yes, yes!"
Venti's eyes were glued to the apple salad and Special Apple Cider. As soon as he heard there would be free drinks and snacks, he nodded as fast as Xiao performing plunging attacks during his burst.
Beaming, he bounded over and sat down on the stool.
Then, without another word, he opened the bottle, raised it to his lips, and gulped it down.
Watching the bard beside her drink as though he hadn't tasted alcohol in eight lifetimes, Ellin couldn't help smiling.
She really liked Venti as a character and understood his personality, so she didn't mind him drinking. After all, she had bought the cider for him.
Besides, honestly, seeing Venti enjoy himself so much made her happy too.
Without interrupting his drinking, she told him everything about her previous life and the game Genshin Impact.
Half an hour later, Ellin finished her story, and Venti finished the entire bottle of Special Apple Cider.
"Ahhhh!"
"That hit the spot! I haven't enjoyed a drink that much in centuries! I'm so happy, so moved!"
Venti wiped his face with his sleeve. It was hard to tell whether he was wiping his mouth or his tears.
"All right, my dear subject! The Anemo Archon has received your offering and is extremely pleased!"
"Huh? I count as one of your people too?" Ellin asked with a smile.
"Of course!"
In excellent spirits after his drink, Venti planted his hands on his hips with an air of hearty generosity.
"If you were born in Mondstadt, then you're a Mondstadter."
"Besides, you really enjoy and love your life now, don't you?"
"You already have family and friends in this world, and you've accepted it and come to love it."
"Since you've accepted this world and your new identity, you're someone under the wind's protection, one of the Anemo Archon's people."
"Still, it's truly incredible!"
"To think that both I and this world are just a story someone created."
"I hate the feeling of having my fate controlled. It really doesn't sit right with me... But... Ah, forget it!"
"By the way, you said that old fellow Morax would soon fake his death and step down, then use his Gnosis as a bargaining chip in a contract with the Cryo Archon?"
"The Geo Archon stepping down and returning power to his people... Oh my, it can't have been easy for that old stick-in-the-mud to make that decision."
"But I'm really looking forward to it! Once he steps down, I'll dig up the fine aged wine I buried at Windrise and go share a few drinks with him. Hahaha!"
Venti seemed to have remembered something amusing and kept laughing.
But Ellin rolled her eyes at him. "Have you forgotten how you copied his signature and forged a contract before? If you go see him like that, watch out. He might send you flying."
"Oh, right... I wonder how strong he'll be then, and how much of his power he'll have left." Venti wilted like an eggplant, his cheer instantly fading.
But he soon recovered and turned to Ellin. "So, did you lure me here just to tell me all this?"
"Of course not!" Ellin shook her head.
"Since I've told you all my secrets, I won't beat around the bush."
"To tell you the truth, I... In my previous life... I was a man. I wanted to ask if you know any way to turn me back into one."
"Pfft!"
Venti couldn't hold back his laughter.
"Hahaha... I never imagined you were..."
"Hahaha, sorry, sorry! I didn't mean to laugh."
"But I don't know any way to change your sex. I used to be a wind spirit, but ever since I took human form, I've always looked like this. I've never changed it."
"Besides..."
Venti looked Ellin over, then teased her with a peculiar smile. "Aren't you perfectly fine as you are? You're so cute. I doubt there are many girls in all of Teyvat who could rival your looks."
"I think staying like this would be just fine."
"No!" Ellin shook her head. "I have to become a man again, because... Because there's a girl I like, and I have to marry her!"
"So what?"
"Love is free too! You don't have to become a man to be with the person you love!"
Venti patted Ellin's shoulder and raised his eyebrows with a knowing look. "And that's straight from the mouth of the Anemo Archon, the symbol of freedom!"
"If you insist, there's nothing I can do. But you could go to Liyue and ask that old fellow Morax. He often takes on male or female forms to mingle with the people of Liyue incognito."
"When it comes to changing forms, that old fellow has much more experience than I do."
After saying that, Venti looked at the dejected Ellin and couldn't help feeling helpless himself.
"So, was there anything else you lured me here for?"
Before you continue