"Where did you meet him?"
Jiang Chen asked.
"We chased him to the Statue of Barbatos Plaza. He was performing there. It sounded pretty good."
Lumine replied.
"Still not doing anything useful…"
Jiang Chen sighed.
He couldn't understand what that bard was thinking. Instead of contacting the Knights of Favonius, he was out performing.
"But isn't performing exactly what a bard is supposed to do?"
Paimon asked with a puzzled expression.
"…That actually makes sense."
Jiang Chen paused, unsure how to argue.
He decided not to explain further.
"And then?"
"Then we thought he was suspicious," Lumine said. "He knows a lot about the Anemo Archon and Stormterror, so we want to follow him."
She asked:
"He said he was going to the 'symbol of Mondstadt's hero.' Where is that?"
"It's in Windrise, southeast of Mondstadt."
"There's a giant oak tree there. You should reach it in half a day."
"A giant oak tree?"
Lumine looked confused.
What did a tree have to do with a hero?
Jiang Chen understood her confusion.
"That's where Vennessa, Mondstadt's hero, ascended."
"I see… I'll go then."
Lumine decided to investigate on her own.
She couldn't rely on Jiang Chen for everything.
Otherwise she would just become a burden.
"Buy some Mora Meat on the way."
Jiang Chen reminded her.
"Mora Meat!?"
Paimon's eyes sparkled.
"Is it meat made out of Mora?! That must taste amazing!"
"It's just a meat pie with a Mora symbol on it."
Jiang Chen said.
"There's a shop on the road out of the city. It's convenient food for short trips."
"Lumine, let's go!"
Paimon urged excitedly.
On the Road to Windrise
The two left Good Hunter, scanning the street vendors.
Soon they found the stall.
They bought two Mora Meat pies and headed toward the city gate while eating.
Windrise
Windrise was not only the symbol of Mondstadt's hero.
It was also the origin of Mondstadt itself.
Long ago, Mondstadt had been a frozen wasteland.
Until Barbatos, the Anemo Archon, split open the mountains.
Warm seasonal winds blew through the gap.
The snow melted, creating the pleasant climate Mondstadt enjoys today.
Those "mountains" were originally the terrain of Windrise.
The first breeze entered from here.
That was why the place was called Windrise.
Lumine and Paimon crossed the grassy plains toward the giant oak tree.
Occasionally small Hydro Slimes or Dendro Slimes appeared, only to flee in fright.
Because Windrise was sacred to Mondstadt, the Knights of Favonius regularly patrolled the area and cleared monsters.
At night, stars glittered like fireflies.
Around the giant oak tree, fireflies and Anemo crystalflies drifted through the air.
Beneath the tree stood Venti.
He quietly breathed in the scent of the wind through the branches.
Then—
He opened his eyes.
Something unusual was riding the breeze.
He turned around.
"You came after all."
Since he had already noticed them, Lumine stepped forward openly.
"I want to know more about the Anemo Archon."
"Barbatos?"
Venti raised an eyebrow.
"That guy has disappeared from Mondstadt."
"The Geo Archon of Liyue and the Electro Archon of Inazuma are still around."
"But Mondstadt hasn't seen its god for a very long time."
He spoke without the slightest embarrassment.
"Why are you asking about the Anemo Archon?"
"Does it have something to do with Tvalin?"
Paimon was about to answer—
But Lumine still found him suspicious.
She chose not to reveal too much.
She nodded instead.
"Yes. Someone told me about Stormterror's past."
Venti became interested.
But before he could ask more—
He suddenly looked beyond the oak tree.
Then sighed helplessly.
"It's been a while since I came back here."
"Looks like something isn't very happy about my return."
"The winds changing affect more than just dragons…"
His tone carried no worry.
Suddenly—
A violent gust swept across the plains.
Lumine raised her arm to shield her eyes.
When the wind settled slightly, they saw a monster swirling in the air.
"Huh?"
Paimon looked puzzled.
"How can a monster like that appear on a plain with such gentle winds?"
Then she glanced at Venti hiding nearby.
"Did it chase him here like we did?"
"This green guy seems to have an even deeper connection with Anemo than you!"
Lumine drew the Favonius Sword.
"Let's deal with it first."
Fortunately, Jiang Chen had trained them in Stormbearer Mountains recently.
And Lumine had received a huge power boost.
She felt confident she could handle it.
If Jiang Chen were there, he would have recognized the monster as a Eye of the Storm, only Level 15.
After a short fight, Lumine shattered its core.
Venti's Revelation
"Impressive."
Venti applauded.
"As expected of the Honorary Knight of Mondstadt."
"What?!"
Paimon pointed accusingly.
"You clearly knew who we were!"
"You were pretending to have amnesia earlier!"
"..."
Venti simply laughed and ignored the accusation.
Instead he asked Lumine:
"Earlier you said someone told you Stormterror's story?"
"They said Stormterror changed because of a curse."
Lumine answered carefully, still not revealing Jiang Chen.
"Oh?"
Venti looked intrigued.
"Someone could reach that conclusion?"
He was curious about this mysterious person.
But since Lumine refused to reveal the name, he understood.
He scratched the back of his head.
Then his expression turned serious.
"That person is correct."
"Stormterror's hatred for humanity isn't because people stopped worshiping the Four Winds."
"It's the result of corruption."
"The black blood from the battle with the evil dragon entered his heart."
"It tormented him during his long sleep."
"That's why, when he awakened, the Abyss Order was able to corrupt his mind so easily."