"Not your subordinate?" Venti was stunned, then his expression changed. You sly old fox, Morax! You let an uncontrollable variable into my territory. You're fine with it, but what about me?!
If Yun Fan decided to do something that threatened Mondstadt, not only would Venti have to deal with him, but the aftermath of their battle alone could reduce Mondstadt to ruins.
Zhongli glanced at the sky outside the window, then at the empty wine bottle. He picked up the teapot, poured himself a cup of tea, and then poured one for Venti.
Venti took the cup, looking at the tea that was nearly overflowing, his face darkening.
The old man was clearly trying to kick him out. He had just finished drinking, and now he was being shown the door! Couldn't he at least stay for a meal? How heartless—no, how godless!
"Alright, old man, I'll take my leave," Venti said dejectedly, walking to the door. He turned back, his voice pitiful. "Are you really not going to ask me to stay?"
"No."
Venti: ...
"Lady Signora, the Debt Collector we sent out hasn't returned. It seems he's been killed," a Fatui diplomat reported respectfully, standing behind Signora in the top floor of the Goth Grand Hotel.
"Oh? What a waste. He couldn't even handle a mere merchant relying on a divine artifact," Signora sneered. She had seen Yun Fan repel Stormterror that day, but due to the vast difference in power, she couldn't sense the immense Primordial Force within him. Thus, she mistakenly believed he was just an ordinary person who had obtained a divine artifact.
Bang!
Signora slammed her wine glass on the table. Killing her subordinate was a slap in her face, and with her pride, she would never let this slide.
"Take two squads and come with me to the Knights of Favonius tomorrow," Signora stood up from her seat and walked to the floor-to-ceiling window, looking down at the night scenery of Mondstadt.
"Since they've touched my people, the Knights of Favonius must give me an explanation," her icy voice sent shivers down the diplomat's spine.
"By my calculations, Amber and Lumine should be arriving soon," Yun Fan muttered boredly, staring at the large table of food in front of him. He occasionally tapped the table with his fingers, producing a crisp ding-ding-ding sound.
Kalpas, after devouring enough food to feed a dozen people, had returned to the mask. He wasn't interested in anything outside of battle.
The reason he ate so much was probably because he hadn't tasted real food in tens of thousands of years in the Elysian Realm.
That's right—the Kalpas Yun Fan summoned was the consciousness from the Elysian Realm after its collapse, intercepted by the Primordial Code and given a physical form through Yun Fan's energy when summoned.
Knock, knock, knock.
The sound of knocking snapped Yun Fan out of his thoughts. He cleared his throat.
"Come in."
"Mr. Yun Fan, we're here for the dinner!" The door opened, and Paimon flew in first, her eyes sparkling like gold as she hovered over the table.
Seeing this, Yun Fan couldn't help but chuckle.
"Don't be shy. If you're hungry, go ahead and eat. By the way, where's Amber?"
"Really? Then Paimon won't hold back!" With that, Paimon grabbed a knife and fork and began devouring the food like a whirlwind.
Between bites, she said, "Amber got called away for a mission, so it's just the two of us."
"Paimon!" Lumine's face flushed with embarrassment as she watched Paimon eat like a starving ghost. This little glutton was such an embarrassment!
"Haha, it's fine. Paimon must be really hungry. Miss Lumine, please have a seat," Yun Fan didn't mind. With Paimon busy eating, he could focus on building a rapport with Lumine.
"Thank you," Lumine sat down gracefully, her hands folded on her lap. Her eyes occasionally darted toward Yun Fan, as if she wanted to say something but hesitated.
Yun Fan: !
The Lumine in his memory wasn't this refined and ladylike. Had she taken the wrong medicine today?
"Miss Lumine, is there something you want to say?" Yun Fan guessed she wanted to ask about Aether. Since he also wanted to get closer to her, he decided to play along.
"Mr. Yun Fan, do you have a Vision?" Lumine wanted to confirm. If he did, it would be awkward to bring up her suspicions.
"No, I don't need something like that," Yun Fan replied calmly. A Vision was an external magical organ granted by the gods. If Celestia ever decided to take them back, even the most powerful Vision holders would revert to ordinary people unable to wield elemental energy.
"Then how can you use elemental energy?" Lumine's eyes lit up with hope as she pressed further.
"I think you already have an idea, don't you?" Yun Fan propped his chin on his hand, looking mysterious.
"So, you're also a traveler from another world?" Lumine stood up excitedly, slamming her hands on the table, startling Paimon, who was busy eating.
"Miss Lumine, calm down."
"Sorry, I got carried away," Lumine forced herself to sit back down, trying to suppress her emotions.
"Mr. Yun Fan, have you seen a golden-haired boy who looks like me, wearing foreign clothes? This is very important to me!"
"Unfortunately, I haven't seen the person you're describing," Yun Fan answered truthfully. While he knew where Aether was, he hadn't actually met him in person.
"Is that so?" Lumine's face fell, her hope shattered. Brother, where are you?
"Do you know a white-haired god? When my brother and I were about to leave this world, she stopped us," Lumine described the god's appearance and features, hoping Yun Fan might have some information.
"From what I know, none of the Seven Archons match your description. The one you're looking for is likely the one seated on the Heavenly Throne," Yun Fan paused, then spoke each word deliberately.
"The Sustainer of Heavenly Principles!"
Hearing this name, Lumine's pupils contracted sharply. The blurred memories in her mind suddenly became clear again.
"The Sustainer of Heavenly Principles, here to end the arrogance of mankind," the cold, queenly voice echoed in Lumine's mind, as if it had just happened yesterday.
"It's her!"
"Mr. Yun Fan, please, you must tell me how to find her," Lumine clenched her fists tightly, her veins bulging, her fingers turning pale.
"Sorry, I can't tell you," Yun Fan refused.
"Why not?!"
Yun Fan didn't answer. In the next moment, he appeared behind Lumine, grabbing her arm with one hand and wrapping the other around her neck. With both hands, he pulled her tightly against his body.