Venti, who had gone to the restroom to check and confirm he was truly fine, walked out, letting out a long sigh of relief.
Meanwhile, opposite him, Lumine and Paimon were laughing so hard they were practically wriggling like maggots.
"Hahahahahahahahahahaha Orion, they actually suspected you of pulling strings! Hahahahaha!"
"Hahahaha Orion, I'm going to give you an interesting nickname. Let's call you 'The Man Behind the God!'"
Veins popped out on Orion's forehead: "Anyone who insults a god will only find cabbage in their treasure chests."
"We're sorry."
Paimon's expression changed instantly, and Lumine also gradually stopped laughing.
Only Skirk opened her eyes, glanced at everyone, and then closed them to continue meditating.
Venti slowly walked over and sat on the bed, greeting everyone a little awkwardly: "My apologies, I was having a stress reaction just now. Let me reintroduce myself. My name is Venti, the best bard in Mondstadt."
Lumine and Paimon looked at Orion.
Orion sat next to Venti, slinging an arm over his shoulder, and said: "Buddy, I already told them you're the God of Wind. Let's stop hiding it. Look, how many Teyvat locals are in this room?"
Venti didn't answer directly, just smiled: "I don't know what you're talking about. I am a devout believer of the God of Wind. You mustn't spread rumors about our deity, okay?"
Paimon also put her hands on her hips: "I knew he wasn't the God of Wind! What kind of god goes out without money and gets drunk in a roadside bush? If Skirk hadn't said he had that thing—the remains of the Third Descender..."
Venti: Shocked!
Lumine, Paimon:... Paimon flew in slightly, expressionless: "You're not really him, are you?"
Venti and Paimon stared at each other. After a long moment, he raised a hand to tap his head, closed one eye, and stuck out his tongue: "Ehe~️"
"What does 'Ehe' mean, 'Ehe'!"
Finally, under pressure, Venti had no choice but to admit it: "Sigh~ I didn't expect things to become so complicated after waking up this time. Alright, let me reintroduce myself."
Venti stood up, his body slightly floating. As a fierce yet gentle breeze blew past, the oversized pajamas Orion had put on him vanished, replaced by a set of pure white garments.
Beneath the white shorts, one leg wore a white stirrup stocking, while the other was bare, adorned with cyan patterns.
The chest-covering garment on his upper body was connected to a hood, and from behind the hood, a pair of pure white wings emerged.
Venti hovered on his tiptoes just above the ground and said to everyone: "Barbatos, the God of Wind of Mondstadt, extends cordial greetings to all."
"Ooh!" Paimon and Lumine clapped. This transformation drama was really interesting!
Venti sat back on the bed, crossed his legs, and gave Orion a wink: "How about that? Cool or not?"
Orion looked him up and down: "More like a little cross-dresser."
Venti: "..."
Venti changed back expressionlessly.
He rubbed his forehead and spoke: "I've figured it out. You guys clearly—oh no, *you*! You clearly identified my identity and deliberately brought me back. The power you displayed last time Dvalin came was also proof. What is your goal?"
Orion pointed his chin toward Lumine: "See? My apprentice. She's looking for her brother."
Seeing Orion hand the conversation over, Lumine quickly chimed in: "I want to ask about... a strange god, and things related to my brother!"
Next, Lumine recounted the content of the opening animation. Venti listened and nodded: "Lumine, right? I understand your situation, but as you just saw, I am not the deity you encountered.
My power, as you can see, is merely that of a God of Wind who can summon gentle breezes in Mondstadt City; I am nowhere near capable of stopping you from traveling across the heavens."
Lumine's expression was visibly disappointed. The excitement she felt when Orion suddenly captured the wild God of Wind for her was equaled by her current disappointment.
"However," Venti suddenly continued, "the wind carries the seeds of stories, and time makes them sprout. We sense the confusion and bewilderment in your heart, but since you have arrived in Teyvat, follow the direction of the wind and take a look around. Perhaps you might find other gains while searching for clues about your brother?"
Lumine looked up, meeting Venti's green eyes, which were alight with a slight smile.
She pondered for a moment, then finally nodded: "I believe my brother will be fine, and I will continue my journey until I find him!"
Venti smiled and nodded, then suddenly changed the subject: "Oh right! Since we're on the topic, I need everyone's help with a small favor. Is that alright?"
After being consoled, Lumine's suppressed worry for her brother eased considerably. Paimon also sensed the change in Lumine's mood, so she said to Venti: "Is there anything you need our help with? You can tell us first."
Venti nodded. Since everyone in the room knew his true identity, he didn't need to hide anymore: "As you can see, Dvalin was originally my Dependant, but for some unknown reason, it has become so violent. I hope that for the sake of the people of Mondstadt, you can help me stop Dvalin's rampage."
Paimon scratched her head: "We all know why it became violent. As the God of Wind, don't you know? Didn't it drink the poison blood of the Dragon of Corruption when fighting Durin with you?"
Venti shook his head: "No, that's not it. Even though Dvalin was originally tormented by the poison blood and was delirious, it could still hear my call and wouldn't truly attack the residents of Mondstadt."
Paimon and Lumine exchanged glances: "Then why?"
Venti sighed: "It all started about a week ago. That day, I wanted to summon Dvalin to Mondstadt to see if I could purify the corruption on it. But suddenly, there was a fierce energy fluctuation from the beach, like space had ripped open and something had fallen out!
Since my power was weakened, I couldn't sense exactly what happened, but Dvalin was scared away!"
Lumine and Paimon suddenly fixed their gaze on Orion. Orion wiped the sweat from his forehead without changing his expression and asked: "If you can summon it, why don't you just summon it again? Or try calling it again later?"
"I wish I could!" Venti lowered his head and sighed: "But that night, the beach area was like a sudden cold snap had exploded—the entire sea seemed to freeze over! I glanced from afar, and the ice stretched for eighty nautical miles! Dvalin absolutely refused to come that day, so I had to make an appointment for the next day."
Orion, Skirk:... The two of them silently shared a knowing look.
"The next day, I finally managed to summon it again, but then the statue of the seven near Starfell Lake suddenly erupted in a massive anemo element disturbance! It nearly formed a huge typhoon! Dvalin thought I was demonstrating power against him, grew completely resentful, and subsequently attacked Mondstadt!"
Lumine, Orion:... Why is it raining inside this room?
Oh, wait, that's just my cold sweat dripping.
Venti suddenly looked up. The usually carefree character from the game rarely showed such a serious expression, and he raised a fist: "Seriously, I must find out who is persecuting me! And then—"
"Venti!" Orion suddenly grabbed his shoulder: "I think that's not important anymore! What's important is how to resolve Dvalin's crisis, don't you think?"
"You've got a point... Huh? Orion, why are you wet? Are you sweating?"
"My hydro element is overflowing."
"But aren't you an anemo element user..."
"It's fine, don't worry about me."
Having calmed Venti down, Orion started the strategy meeting: "First, we still need to figure out how to control the rampaging Dvalin. Come on, everyone, let's brainstorm. Okay, Paimon raised her hand, you go first."
"I suggest deploying Skirk and Orion."
"That's a great suggestion. So, Skirk, what are your thoughts?"
"I can just cut Dvalin down for you. Simple and efficient."
Venti:... Is that right?
Lumine couldn't hold back either: "Sister Skirk, please don't rush to action. Let's deploy Orion instead. Orion, can you easily suppress Dvalin? I mean using your True Ability, not just your anemo element power."
Orion thumped his chest: "Don't worry! I've devoured things several times bigger than it! I'll eat it, refine it instantly inside my stomach, and you can just wait for me to spit out a squeaky-clean Dvalin for you!"
Venti:... Venti weakly raised his hand at last: "How about we try to steal the sky harp instead?"