In the past, Zephyr had always looked down on this talent. Restoring only 2% of health per second—what was the point? Even Barbara's healing ring was better.
But now… he was crying. Only now did he realize how powerful, how invincible this talent was.
Yet, crying was useless. The talent was still locked.
> Level not reached. Talent not unlocked. <
It was as if the system was mocking him: You used to look down on me, but now you can't even reach me.
"..."
With the battle over, everyone went back to their own business. Lumine felt that this place, filled with the corpses of defeated monsters, was unlucky, so she moved to another spot to continue sleeping.
As for keeping watch, well… it was already 2 AM—Paimon's turn.
---
Early the next morning, as the sky was just beginning to brighten, Paimon woke up both Zephyr and Lumine.
"Wake up! The sun's already shining on your butt!"
Zephyr groggily opened his eyes, glanced at his watch, and muttered, "...Are you kidding me? It's barely 6 AM."
"Exactly! Paimon was supposed to stand guard until 6 AM. What's the problem?"
Forced by circumstances, Lumine had no choice but to wake up.
Human emotions don't connect—I just find them noisy.
Zephyr simply turned off his speakers, letting Paimon continue chattering away.
But suddenly, he noticed Lumine's sharp gaze, as if silently saying: You actually abandoned me and went back to sleep?
"...Alright, alright, I'm up. Early to bed, early to rise—it's good for your health."
Lumine nodded in satisfaction. "That's right. Early to bed, early to rise, good for your health."
Zephyr was speechless. Man, life is tough. I used to be mute, now I'm practically disabled.
---
The group continued on their journey, clearing out a few unfortunate Hilichurls along the way.
Then, out of nowhere, Zephyr discovered a new feature—he could actually insert background music into the game.
"Seriously? That's amazing!"
He selected a song—Let the Wind Tell You.
The moment he confirmed his choice, a familiar melody filled the air.
🎶 When rain suddenly pours from your sky,
That's me blowing away the dark clouds for you.
When a breeze gently ruffles your hair,
That's me, thinking of you from afar. 🎶
Paimon's eyes widened in surprise. "Music? Where's that coming from?"
Lumine closed her eyes and smiled. "It's so warm… This song gives me a sense of peace."
Paimon flew off into the distance, then quickly returned.
"That's weird! The music only plays near you, Zephyr. Once I fly farther away, I can't hear it anymore."
"Is that so? Looks like it's Zephyr's doing," Lumine mused.
"Let's listen to the whole song first," Zephyr suggested.
"Good idea! Good idea!" Paimon agreed enthusiastically.
🎶 Are you still busy,
Or just slacking off?
Oh wow, that's a big one!
Hey, can I borrow it to blow things up? Hehe… 🎶
🎶 Why do you look so down?
Even if I don't know what happened,
At least eat something first before you think about it.
Wait… is this even edible? 🎶
🎶 Troubles, go away! Troubles, go away!
Overtime, go away! Overtime, go away!
Bad luck, go away! Bad luck, go away!
Villains, go away! Villains, go away!
Awkwardness, go away! Awkwardness, go away!
Slimes, go away! Slimes, go away! 🎶
---
The music played on, carrying their journey forward, letting the wind tell their story.
As the song finished, Lumine remained immersed in the melody. "That was wonderful… I've traveled through countless worlds, but this is the first time I've ever heard a song like this."
Paimon nodded excitedly. "Yeah, yeah! This kind of upbeat music is totally new to me too!"
"You know, I think I heard four voices in the song," Lumine mused.
"Mhm, one male, two females, and one… I can't really tell."
"I think that last one's a guy."
"No, I think it's a girl."
"Guy!"
"Girl!"
"Guy!"
"Girl!"
Watching them go back and forth, Zephyr couldn't help but laugh. "Come on, Venti is a boy."
"Yes! I knew it!"
"Tch."
"So, how did you even make this music play?" Lumine asked curiously.
"It's simple. First, you do this, then you do that, and finally, you just do this."
Lumine nodded as if she understood. "Ohhh, I see now."
A drop of sweat rolled down Paimon's forehead. "Traveler's condition is getting worse…"
"By the way, who were the ones singing?"
"The cute boy is Venti, the one who loves blowing things up is Klee, the slightly cold-sounding voice belongs to Qiqi, and the last one is Xiao."
Paimon tilted her head. "Hmm… Yep, Paimon don't know any of them."
Zephyr raised an eyebrow. "You don't know Venti? I thought you were one of Solomon's 72 Demon Gods—how could you not know Venti?"
Paimon sweated nervously. "Uh, well… Even though Paimon is one of Solomon's 72 Demon Gods, Paimon has lost her memory and her power. Right now, Paimon only have about one-fifth the strength of a wild boar… So forgetting things is perfectly normal!"
"Excuses, excuses," Zephyr scoffed.
Lumine blinked. "So… who exactly is Venti?"
"Venti is the symbol of Mondstadt, the embodiment of the Anemo Archon. His real name is Barbatos—he's an actual god."
Lumine's eyes widened. "A god!?"
She was taken aback. No matter what world she had been to, gods were always revered as untouchable beings, far above mortals.
Yet here, the god of this world was… so casual, so approachable—even going so far as to personally sing a song.
"Wait… does that mean the other singers are gods too?" Lumine asked.
"Nope, just Venti."
"Ah… Now I'm confused."
"It's fine," Zephyr shrugged. "He's not the god he used to be. Now he's just a wandering bard—a street performer, basically. You'll probably find him in a Mondstadt tavern."
Paimon deadpanned. "What kind of god is this…?!"
"What about the others?" Lumine asked.
"Klee is the Spark Knight of the Knights of Favonius—though she's really just a little elf girl, only a few years old."
"I know what elves are, but… what's the Knights of Favonius?"
Paimon explained, "They're the protectors of Mondstadt."
"I see… But letting a child become a knight? Well, I guess that fits a city founded by that god…"
"What about that girl named Qiqi?" Paimon asked.
"Qiqi is a zombie."
"…A zombie!?" Both Lumine and Paimon were startled.
"Relax, she's harmless. She died by accident and was resurrected by an adeptus. She's never harmed anyone and doesn't even have the power to do so."
She's just a tiny healer… The only thing she's ever 'killed' is fatigue. People even call her the 'True Lord of Healing.'
"And what about the last one, Xiao? His name seems—kinda strange."
"Xiao is a Yaksha, a general under the Geo Archon of Liyue."
"Geo Archon? An adeptus!?" Both of them were shocked again.
Paimon had more questions, but Zephyr cut her off. "Alright, that's enough. Liyue is too far away—let's just talk about Mondstadt for now."
"Hmph, I think you're just trying to brush us off."
"It's a shame, though," Lumine sighed. "Since Qiqi and Xiao are from Liyue, we probably won't be able to meet them anytime soon. But at least we can see Venti and Klee in Mondstadt."
"Yeah!"
"Hey, don't ignore me!"
"HMPH…" Paimon puffed out her cheeks. "Paimon is mad! Paimon has decided not to talk to you for the rest of the day!"
...