Chapter 223: Venti: You Must Have Good News!
Seeing the thoughtful silence that had fallen over the group, Aglaea offered a gentle smile. "You have all worked tirelessly today and endured a harrowing battle. You must be exhausted, both in mind and body. Perhaps we should set these complex matters aside for now."
"Okhema has prepared comfortable rooms for each of you," she continued, her voice soothing. "Please, rest well. If you find yourselves with the leisure to spare tomorrow, it will not be too late for us to discuss everything together then."
Her words were a balm to their frayed nerves. The moment their tense focus slackened, a deep exhaustion washed over them like a relentless tide. Thinking back, from setting out for the Hanging Edge City that morning to the successive battles, the mind-bending puzzles, and the final confrontation with Nikador, the long day had indeed consumed a staggering amount of their energy.
"She's right!" Stelle was the first to agree, letting out a jaw-cracking yawn. "My brain feels like it's turned to mush. Anything important can wait until tomorrow! The world is big, but sleep is bigger!"
With that, the group decided to stop dwelling on the mysteries of the Chimera's evolution. After offering their thanks to Aglaea and Trinnon, they excused themselves and followed the waiting attendants to their respective rooms.
Although Dan Heng still harbored his own doubts, he understood this was not the time for a deep investigation and departed with the others. Zhongli gave Aglaea a slight, courteous nod before he too took his leave, his departure as unhurried as ever.
As per their prior agreement and the remaining activity time allotted by the system, the five visitors from other worlds decided they would return to their own realms to handle personal affairs after a brief rest in Okhema.
Lumine and Paimon activated the Chat Group's function, and in a familiar shimmer of light, they returned to the continent of Teyvat.
"Phew—we're finally back!" Paimon stretched dramatically, her little limbs splayed out in the air. While the air in Amphoreus had been just as fresh, there was something about the breeze of Teyvat that simply felt like home.
"We still have over an hour before we're supposed to meet up with Zhongli and the Captain," Lumine noted, glancing at the sky. "Let's use the invitation first."
The chosen candidate was the one they had already decided on: the Anemo Archon, Barbatos—a certain bard who rarely did any proper work but was unfailingly reliable when it truly mattered. Venti.
Not long ago, Venti had relentlessly pestered Zhongli, managing to wheedle the promise of the very next invitation slot out of the old blockhead. If they dared to skip him this time and invite someone else—like Inazuma's Raiden Shogun, Sumeru's Nahida, or even Fontaine's Furina…
Lumine and Paimon had no doubt that the next time they visited little Klee in Mondstadt, they would be ambushed and tormented to no end by a certain bard's endless stream of impromptu poems, all sung in the most "plaintive" and guilt-inducing tone imaginable.
As for why she didn't invite her own blood relative, Aether… Lumine's gaze dimmed for a fleeting moment.
How could she not want to add her brother to the group immediately? To have a chance to just chat with him, even if only through the system's interface?
But she worried. Given Aether's current stubbornness and his deep entanglement with the Abyss, she feared he might just refuse the invitation outright. If that happened, not only would a precious, irreplaceable slot be wasted, but she would be forced to confront the sting of his rejection all over again.
She clenched her fist, a silent promise to herself. 'It's okay. With the Chat Group's help, I'm getting stronger, and fast... One day, I'll be strong enough to find you myself. And then I'm going to give you a good beating!''And after that,' she thought, the fire in her heart softening into a familiar ache,'I have to find out... what are you really planning with the Abyss Order? Why… why do you always refuse to see me?'
Pushing the tangled thoughts aside, Lumine turned to Paimon. "We still have time. Let's go to Mondstadt and explain this to Venti in person. We don't want that unreliable bard getting too excited after receiving the invitation and accidentally wasting the opportunity, or saying something completely out of line after he joins."
"Okay, okay!" Paimon nodded vigorously. "We need to give him a good talking-to!"
The two used the Teleport Waypoint, materializing directly at the top of the Knights of Favonius Headquarters. The location was high, offering an open view of the city, and was rarely visited by anyone, making it the perfect spot for a private conversation.
Paimon cupped her hands around her mouth and shouted into the wind-swept sky of Mondstadt, "Venti~! Come out, come out, wherever you are! We need you!"
Her voice had barely faded when a gentle whirlwind, carrying the sweet fragrance of Cecilias and… a faint, tell-tale hint of dandelion wine, swept across the tower.
The bard in his signature green hat and clothes appeared as if carried on the breeze itself. He landed lightly on the stone railing of the tower's edge opposite them, sitting down and swinging his legs with a playful air.
Venti's cheeks were flushed with a faint rosiness, but his eyes were bright and clear. He had clearly just started drinking and was in high spirits.
He grinned, his voice full of cheer. "Aha! My dear Traveler, and the best guide in all of Teyvat, Paimon! To summon Mondstadt's greatest bard with such urgency—you must have brought some devastating good news, right? Right?"
His eyes widened with theatrical hope. "Is it… is it that amazing 'Chat Group' that connects all those worlds? Is it finally my turn to go in and take a look? Is that it, is that it?"
He leaned forward, practically vibrating with excitement. "I didn't hesitate for a second! I abandoned the exquisite dandelion wine that Master Diluc so graciously invited me to sample today and rushed right over! You wouldn't disappoint me, would you? You've absolutely brought good news, haven't you?"
He rattled off the string of questions in a single, breathless rush, his expectant, emerald eyes—which seemed to hold their own starry sky—fixed on them. It was a look that made it impossible for anyone to utter a single "no."
Lumine and Paimon were so bombarded by his verbal assault that they couldn't find a single opening to interject, simply waiting for him to finally run out of steam.
Paimon put her hands on her hips, flew a little closer, and got straight to the point. "You can consider yourself lucky, Tone-Deaf Bard! We completed a super-duper difficult mission and got an extra invitation as a reward! It lets us bring one person into the group! So here, this spot is for you! You absolutely, positively must not refuse!"
"Really?! That's fantastic!" Venti was so happy he nearly toppled backward off the railing, a brilliant, unrestrained smile spreading across his face.
"Thank the Anemo Archon—ah, no, thank you two! You two are truly the best! I knew you wouldn't forget about me!" He was so excited he almost pulled out his lyre to compose a hymn of praise for them on the spot.
Lumine quickly cut him off before he could start his impromptu performance, her tone stern. "Venti, listen carefully. The Chat Group is a place where everyone helps each other. We live in harmony and unity."
"The members are all very easy to get along with," she continued, fixing him with a serious look. "But after you join, you must abide by the group rules. Watch what you say and do, and don't go offending people with your random jokes."
Paimon chimed in, nodding emphatically. "Right, right, right! And especially don't go around trying to trick… uh, Paimon means, trying to get everyone to treat you to drinks!"
Venti immediately raised a hand in a solemn swearing gesture. Though his smile remained relaxed, his eyes took on a much more serious light. "Don't worry, don't worry! I pledge on my honor as a bard that I will get along wonderfully with everyone, abide by all the rules, and absolutely will not bring shame upon you two!"
Seeing him agree so readily, Lumine nodded. "Good. Then wait a moment. I'll go into the group and let everyone know, then I'll pull you in."
She closed her eyes, her consciousness sinking into the Chat Group interface that bloomed in her mind.
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