Caelus did not set off immediately. Instead, he planned to wait until it became a bit darker before going to a tavern in the city to gather more information. At the moment, he was sitting in a restaurant. Although he could not taste anything, he was savoring the taste of other people's food.
Do not misunderstand. Caelus was using the Eater of Emotions Mask to devour the joy people felt after eating delicious food.
Through this method, although he could not taste the food directly, he could indirectly perceive the joy brought by the cuisine, which was quite a pleasant experience.
"The happiness brought by desserts like cake is high, and the satisfaction brought by people eating greasy, salty meat is even higher. Why do children feel pain when eating vegetables? Is it because they dislike them? This will not do. Wasting food is bad."
Caelus looked at the child who was trying to secretly spit out the vegetables while hiding it from his parents. The bloody maw carved into his mask opened slightly, then he suddenly tore off a piece of something.
The child, who had originally been about to spit out the vegetables, suddenly changed expression. He hurriedly chewed the vegetables he had already chewed several times and swallowed them, then began to wolf down the food he had not wanted to eat at all, even finishing the vegetables his parents had placed in his bowl.
His parents, however, immediately became worried, thinking that something might be wrong with their child.
"It's nothing... chew, chew... hmm, I just feel so hungry."
The child, who had originally not wanted to eat this meal because it was mostly vegetables he disliked, had been planning to throw a tantrum and go home to eat snacks. He thought snacks would fill him up anyway, so why eat food he did not like?
But just as he was about to spit out the vegetables, he suddenly felt as if he were about to faint from hunger. His stomach felt as if it were collapsing inward. An intense hunger surged up, making the child unable to control himself as he swept the table clean, even eating the vegetables he usually refused to touch.
Caelus watched the child devour the food and nodded. Wasting food was not good, and since the child was still growing, being a picky eater was not a good habit either.
Caelus's benevolence surged, and he ate the child's desire for snacks and reluctance to eat the meal. Immediately, the child no longer wanted snacks. Instead, he felt his stomach empty and began eating frantically.
"Although being a picky eater and wasting food are indeed bad habits, your method of correction seems a bit too extreme, does it not?"
A voice suddenly sounded. Caelus turned his head and looked at the opposite seat. A youth dressed in green was sitting there, looking at him with a smile.
Caelus saw the vast energy within the other party, as well as the traces left by extremely long years of memories. After thinking for a moment, he asked, "Are you the Anemo Archon of Mondstadt, Barbatos?"
"Yes, but I go by Venti now, the best bard on this continent."
Venti said with a smile, then continued.
"Out of courtesy, since you already know my name and recognize me, may I get to know you?"
"My name is Caelus, a Traveler from beyond this world."
"What a coincidence. Not long ago, Mondstadt was able to overcome a disaster because a Traveler from afar helped. I did not expect another Traveler to arrive here. However, while Mondstadt welcomes any Traveler, barging in as you did, altering other people's memories and spirits, and taking what you want on your own initiative seems a bit inappropriate, does it not?"
"Hmm, you are right. That was indeed my mistake."
Caelus admitted his mistake very directly, which surprised Venti. He had thought that, based on the abilities the other party had displayed, he would try to brush it off with various excuses.
"I specifically asked. To borrow books from the Mondstadt library, one only needs to provide identification information. However, due to the disaster that just passed, this process is very troublesome and would waste a lot of other people's time, so I decided to skip the procedure and read the books I wanted."
"As for affecting other people's minds and tampering with their memories, I am very sorry. I only need to slightly use my ability, and my presence becomes concealed. People within a certain range will not notice or observe me. Even if I break this state to communicate with others, they will only subconsciously answer my questions, then react after I leave, as if someone had spoken to them."
"Then, before long, because my presence disappears, these people will have no impression of me at all and will forget that they had communicated with me."
"If this caused any harm to those involved, I am deeply sorry. If you strongly require it, I can kneel before those involved, tearfully recount my sins, repent, and then beg for their forgiveness. Or, to make it more ceremonial, do you want me to take off my shirt, put on a crown of thorns, and parade through the streets?"
When Caelus said this, he glanced strangely at the system screen in front of him. Although these words sounded very humble, why did it feel inexplicably provocative when he actually said them?
Venti, sitting opposite him, listened expressionlessly. He did not feel any humility at all, and instead vaguely felt that the other party was provoking him.
"You... never mind. Although what you said later sounded extremely punchable, I have not reached that level of extremity. However, if you want to know anything, you can simply ask me. As the best bard in all of Teyvat, my sources of information are quite extensive."
After observing Caelus for a moment, Venti was certain that this Traveler who had just arrived in the world was not a bad person, but he was definitely not a good person either.
Moreover, although Venti had not figured out the exact situation, he vaguely sensed that if he truly fought the person in front of him, he might not die, but he would certainly pay a painful price from the very beginning.
"Thank you. I want to learn about Mondstadt's past. Although the history books contain detailed records, many parts are vague. As someone who experienced those events personally, you should still remember those heroes, right? I want to focus on learning about the heroes who resisted the storms and pursued freedom."
"Oh my. That was truly a very long time ago."
A nostalgic look flashed through Venti's eyes. He then picked up his lyre and said to Caelus with a smile.
"For such an ancient story, how can it not be accompanied by wine? Come, let us go drink together."
"Hmm... but I do not have any Mora."
"Ah. Really? Your strength does not seem weak. If you do a few Adventurers' Guild commissions, you should be able to earn quite a bit of money, right?"
"I only arrived not long ago. I have not looked into it yet."
Yes, Caelus did not have a single Mora on him. He was even poorer than the bard in front of him, and even poorer than the loafer next door.
So, Caelus is poor.
(To be continued.)
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