Chapter 128. I Will Make a Dish for Him
La Signora died. She passed away on Mondstadt's Starsnatch Cliff.
However, for her, this death was both a judgment and a salvation.
It was a judgment because she had blood on her hands and countless sins, and in the end she met her beloved.
In that sense, it was the most psychologically devastating judgment she could have faced.
La Signora did not deny anything she had done. She believed that everything she did was correct.
She would even mock Venti and say,
"I did it! So what?! Kill me!!! I don't care anyway!"
Yes, at that time La Signora was in such a frenzied state. She did not plead guilty, and after being captured, she had no intention of returning alive.
In the end, the arrival of Rostam, who had died five hundred years ago, directly broke her down.
Because in Rostam's eyes, La Signora had always been that pure girl who loved to sing.
But La Signora herself knew that she was now stained with sin, and facing the gentle gaze of her former lover—
She only wanted to escape. She could not help but escape. She did not want to ruin the beautiful image he still held of her.
That was also why La Signora kept pushing Rostam away. She did not want him to see her current self.
If Venti had been more cruel, he could have refused to restore La Signora's former appearance, leaving Rostam to keep asking her what had happened.
In that case, La Signora would only scream, retreat, and cry endlessly.
However, Venti was still a little too gentle. He directly restored La Signora's former appearance, and this was not some illusion.
To be honest, at that moment Futsu Mitama felt the power of [Time].
At that moment, La Signora may truly have returned to five hundred years ago.
This could be called a miracle, but the price of that miracle was borne by Venti alone.
It was believed that La Signora realized this too.
So, in the very end, La Signora chose to plead guilty, while also praising and glorifying Venti.
All five hundred years of resentment and anger vanished at that moment.
Futsu Mitama even could not help but want to ask Venti whether he needed help saving her. La Signora in that state, after recovering, she was highly likely to believe in Barbatos again and later become part of Mondstadt's protectors.
From a utilitarian standpoint, keeping La Signora alive was more valuable than letting her die.
But... Venti did not do that.
He merely watched quietly as La Signora died, letting the wind carry away her final traces.
At that moment, Futsu Mitama and Nahida understood what "an Archon's love for humanity" meant.
Barbatos was kind.
His method of judgment was very gentle: he made La Signora plead guilty, allowed her to see her beloved, and granted her liberation through death.
That was a manifestation of an Archon's love for humanity, and it was also the reason Nahida and Futsu Mitama gained enlightenment.
"Alright, La Signora is dealt with."
After finishing his cider, Venti also smiled.
Looking at Futsu Mitama and Nahida not far away, he said,
"Next, it should be that one, right?"
As he said that, Venti blinked and chuckled.
"I'm very curious what kind of judgment he will face. To be honest, he's much more miserable than La Signora."
Nahida nodded in agreement.
Although La Signora had done many wrong things, there was one point Scaramouche could not compare to.
At least those things had all been done by La Signora of her own free will. She was very clear about what she was doing and what she was bearing.
For the Cryo Archon and everything she had lost, La Signora was willing to dirty her own hands and become a sharp blade of the Fatui.
If Venti had not used a "miracle," La Signora probably would not have repented in the end.
Scaramouche was different. Everything he had done had been manipulated by others.
Dottore had killed his friends, Pierro had recruited him at the right time, and the Fatui became his only refuge.
Although he had once possessed Archon-level combat power, with the removal of shouki no kami, and Futsu Mitama's recovery of the Electro Gnosis, he had lost everything again.
In short, everything in Scaramouche's life now had become a joke.
Venti and Nahida were both very curious about how Inazuma would judge Scaramouche next.
"That, let Ei worry about."
Futsu Mitama still maintained his usual demeanor.
Looking at the Chat Group, he slowly said,
"Because this is her matter. We can be bystanders, but we cannot directly interfere."
Yes, that was also Raiden Makoto's idea.
Ever since she had "died once," she had constantly been finding things for Raiden Ei to do.
Otherwise, with Raiden Makoto's personality, she would probably have already come up with a bunch of solutions and let Ei choose one to carry out.
"Oh my, how wonderful."
Venti said with a hint of envy.
"Inazuma is truly prosperous. It has Baal for culture, Beelzebub for martial arts, and now you, Futsu Mitama, who excels in both, as the next Raiden Shogun. Unlike my Mondstadt, which has no talent at all, and my strength as the Anemo Archon is also lacking."
Nahida said nothing.
She absolutely did not believe Venti's performance just now, pretending his strength was lacking.
Archons were different from one another, and Nahida had deeply realized that.
Futsu Mitama also smiled and looked at Venti with a rather subtle gaze.
He did not say much more, because if one were to look at the current foundations of the four nations, then aside from himself and Aila, Inazuma was not actually that impressive.
Mondstadt would be the second-ranked nation if not including Sneznayha.
Whether in terms of the people's happiness or the strength of its power, it was excellent especially , if those in expedition could come back.
Mondstadt was not the one playing the victim; Sumeru was the one that should be playing the victim the most.
The Akademiya Sages had played with Sumeru for five hundred years. Not only had the nation remained stagnant, but it also had almost no strong individuals.
Yes, even on paper, Sumeru's strongest person, Cyno, probably could not even take down Kokomi.
Although that might sound a little exaggerated, it was a fact.
If Kokomi had the advantage of timing, people, and terrain, she could even contend with Archon-level combatants.
Even in places without water, Kokomi could stir up massive waves and let people experience the terror of the ocean.
On top of that, the strength of Tighnari, Faruzan, Alhaitham, and the others Futsu Mitama had seen was not very impressive either.
Faruzan could not fight. Tighnari could not beat Kuki Shinobu. Alhaitham might be able to fight Kuki Shinobu to a draw.
Then there were the Matra and the Thirty, who were specifically responsible for military force. Their overall strength varied greatly.
Just one Shenhe could probably wreak havoc among them.
Of course, Sumeru was known as the Nation of Wisdom, so they did not speak with strength, but with "wisdom." It was normal for their overall strength to be a bit weaker.
Inazuma, on the other hand, was rather miserable.
Not only had it not remained stagnant, it had regressed by who knows how many steps.
The Tenryou Commission and the Kanjou Commission had squandered countless talents.
The Sakoku Decree and the Vision Hunt Decree had caused a severe shortage of talent in Inazuma.
If Futsu Mitama and Aila were excluded, then the only people in Inazuma who could stand up and speak now were Kujou Sara and Kamisato Ayato.
Yes, just those two.
It was strange, but only those two could speak up.
Yae Miko was the Guuji of Narukami Shrine.
Sangonomiya Kokomi was the Divine Priestess of Watatsumi Island.
Kuki Shinobu was the second-in-command of the Arataki Gang.
Kamisato Ayaka, meanwhile, could not appear publicly in an official capacity.
That was also why Azhdaha kept mentioning Raiden Makoto and Raiden Ei in the Chat Group, saying that the only people from Inazuma worth mentioning were Futsu Mitama and Aila.
But coincidentally, the former's ancestors were from Liyue, and the latter was from Liyue too!
That made Raiden Ei, Raiden Makoto, and Yae Miko extremely angry.
Now, Venti's act of playing the victim was a little amusing, because among the six nations, Liyue was developing the best, and Mondstadt ranked second, Natlan and Fontaine being equal in military powers with Pyro Archon and Hydro Dragon as their pillar.
Mondstadt's military development was very good. Grand Master Varka even led a large number of elite Knights on an expedition.
In terms of military strength, Acting Grand Master Jean, Eula, Amber, Master Diluc, Kaeya, Rosaria, Lisa, and Klee could all be counted.
In terms of culture, Acting Grand Master Jean, Kaeya, Lisa, and the others could also handle things.
The darker and more tiring tasks were handled by Master Diluc and Rosaria.
There was even an idol, Barbara, to stabilize public sentiment.
Even so, Mondstadt still had hidden methods of its own, such as Albedo and Klee's mother.
Albedo, needless to say, was Mondstadt's first alchemist. The power within him made Futsu Mitama feel a chill.
If he fully mastered the hidden power within him, entering the Demon God Realm would be as easy as eating and drinking.
But for some reason, Albedo was always so wary of that power, always using alchemy and never the power itself.
Klee's mother, even more so, definitely possessed Archon-level combat power. Her only drawback was that she had gone off wandering somewhere.
It could be said that Mondstadt was truly full of talent, excelling in both culture and martial arts, and even having an idol.
As for Liyue... it was better not to mention it.
That place was not a matter of talent or lack of talent.
Seemingly sensing the emotions in Futsu Mitama's subtle gaze, Venti smiled faintly, looked toward Mondstadt City in the distance, and said,
"By the way, can you grant me a small request?"
"Speak."
Futsu Mitama looked at Venti with some vigilance, feeling that the other party had ulterior motives.
"Don't be so wary~ I just want to have a drink with you."
Venti blinked, casually tossing out a wine bottle, and chuckled,
"After all, it's been over half a year since we last drank together. Let's celebrate your entry into this realm. How about we find time to have a drink together?"
Then Venti looked at Nahida not far away and continued,
"If you're interested, you can come drink with us too."
Nahida blinked.
She was a little tempted, but soon shook her head slightly and said,
"I'm afraid I can't. Sumeru still has too many things to handle. But I can look forward to Liyue's Rite of Descension."
Venti glanced at the Teleportation Scepter in Futsu Mitama's hand, then winked at Nahida.
It was only Nahida's polite refusal.
The God of Wisdom had seen through it. Venti was just inviting Futsu Mitama for a drink.
So she very consciously did not get involved.
But her mention of Liyue's Rite of Descension was also an invitation to Venti, implying that the drinking party could be held in Liyue.
"Then we'll be leaving first. Ei said she's almost arrived in Inazuma."
Futsu Mitama tacitly agreed to drink with Venti after the matter was resolved.
But before that, Scaramouche's matter had to be resolved first.
As for Sumeru's affairs, they would naturally be left entirely to Nahida.
While they were judging the Fatui Harbinger, Raiden Ei and Zhongli were probably also done with Snezhnaya's affairs.
The two Archons returned to their respective nations.
"Bye-bye~"
Venti waved at Futsu Mitama and Nahida, signaling that he would see them next time.
The next second, Futsu Mitama and Nahida disappeared from where they stood, apparently having returned to Sumeru.
"A check-in item really is amazing."
Venti sighed.
As if by magic, he pulled out another bottle of wine and slowly drank it while gazing at the high sky, lost in thought.
—
On the other side, Futsu Mitama and Nahida, who had returned to Sumeru, took Scaramouche, who was still sealed.
However, this time Nahida did not go to Inazuma with them.
Because with the judgment of the Fatui Harbinger, Venti tacitly allowed an audience to watch.
As for Scaramouche, it was tacitly an internal Inazuma matter, and it was not appropriate for her to go.
So Nahida stayed in Sumeru. Futsu Mitama took the Teleportation Scepter and Scaramouche to Tenshukaku.
Inside Tenshukaku, Yae Miko and Raiden Ei had been waiting for a long time.
They looked at Futsu Mitama and the unconscious Scaramouche as they arrived, and both of their expressions were rather strange.
"Ei, I'm back."
Futsu Mitama smiled at Raiden Ei, then threw Scaramouche onto the ground.
"Mmm."
Raiden Ei nodded calmly. Her gaze shifted from Futsu Mitama to Scaramouche, her expression serene.
"Finally, he has fallen into our hands."
Yae Miko looked at the unconscious Scaramouche with a mischievous smile.
"To be honest, I can't wait to see how he feels when he wakes up and sees us."
Yae Miko still held quite a grudge against Scaramouche.
That guy had once said he would take her down.
In a physical sense.
Yae Miko admitted that Scaramouche's strength at that time was indeed greater than hers, and it was not impossible for him to have taken her down.
If Futsu Mitama had not been quite a fighter back then, she really would have been at risk.
So Yae Miko held a grudge.
If Ei and Futsu Mitama were not nearby, she would probably have gone up and kicked him a few times.
"Have you discussed the outcome?"
Futsu Mitama asked, quite curious about how Ei would judge Scaramouche.
After witnessing Venti's judgment of the Fatui Harbinger, Futsu Mitama was somewhat curious how Raiden Ei would judge Scaramouche next.
As for Raiden Ei asking Yae Miko for help, Futsu Mitama thought that was normal.
After all, her external brains were Raiden Makoto, Yae Miko, and himself.
After getting Aila and Kuki Shinobu, Futsu Mitama also often gave up thinking.
After all, giving up thinking was truly satisfying!!!
"I want to make him a dish."
Raiden Ei said very calmly, then walked toward the kitchen without looking back.
"Ah?!"
Futsu Mitama was immediately stunned.
Then he looked at the unconscious Scaramouche on the ground with deep pity.
All right, no need for judgment anymore. He can just be carried away and buried.