Venti had been invited to Inazuma. As he liked to say, stories brought on the wind will bloom into legends in due time.
The wind had already carried Inazuma's stories to Mondstadt—he had heard of Yae Miko succeeding as the third Electro Archon, and had all but guessed the news of Beelzebul's death.
But what he didn't understand was why Beelzebul had died.
So, taking advantage of Inazuma hosting the "Irodori Festival," he—known as the greatest bard in the mortal world—came along with other invited bards, intending to gather some information.
Because Kujou Sara had died, the Watatsumi Army had temporarily taken over the duties of the Tenryou Commission, so this time it was Gorou who stopped Venti.
The reason he was stopped was the same as in the original tale.
Only this time, Venti wasn't drunk—he had simply fallen asleep in a warehouse on Ritou.
And why was he still stopped? Pure coincidence—the books stored in that warehouse had been stolen, and Venti had been there overnight…
In the end, it was Lumine and Paimon who cleared things up for him, allowing Venti to walk free.
The two girls bore him no ill will, so they exchanged some brief pleasantries.
As in the original story, Venti also found a slip of paper in the warehouse with a story titled "Green Light."
But right now, he couldn't care less about the Five Kasen. His main objective was to find Shao Yun and ask exactly what had happened.
…
After parting ways with Lumine and Paimon, Venti went through all manner of trouble and effort…
In the end, it was a kindly captain of the Watatsumi Army who told him Shao Yun's current whereabouts.
Without stopping, he hurried to the Overseer's Office, where, upon entering, he found Shao Yun sitting leisurely on the other side of the "New Electro Archon" Yae Miko, calmly reading a light novel.
It was worth noting that before Venti arrived, Shao Yun had been occasionally taking out a dagger while reading, stabbing into Yae Miko's plate of delicious fried tofu, and unceremoniously helping himself.
The poor Yae Miko could only watch as her beloved delicacy was stolen, unable to complain—her mental state on the verge of collapse.
Five minutes before Venti arrived, Yae Miko, unable to bear it any longer, had ordered Yae Publishing House's editors to bring Shao Yun an entire plate of fried tofu.
At last, she had saved what little remained of her treasured dish. (Naturally—not everyone can make a three-star delicacy…)
At this moment, Shao Yun appeared lost in the world of his light novel—whether he was truly absorbed, or simply using it as an excuse to ignore Venti, was unclear.
Venti stood at the doorway, smiling and waving. "Mister Shao Yun!"
Hearing Venti's call, Shao Yun slowly lifted his head, closed the book, and set it on the table beside him.
His face betrayed no emotion. His eyes, calm to the point of abnormality, fixed on Venti as he said lightly, "Hello."
There was no trace of surprise in his demeanor—if anything, a hint of curiosity.
After all, at this time Venti should have been either savoring Inazuman sake somewhere or helping Lumine search for tales of the Five Kasen. Why seek him out?
More importantly—after the Dragonspine incident, you still have the nerve to face me?
Shao Yun's gaze grew darker at the thought.
Venti cheerfully strolled over, muttering, "Ehe! It's been a long time, hasn't it? How've you been in Inazuma?"
Shao Yun forced a smile uglier than a frown. "Still alive—that's good enough. That's all."
Venti felt a moment of awkwardness, but quickly changed the topic to Beelzebul.
"Uh… so, you and Lumine should have met Beelzebul, right? She—"
The moment the name was spoken, Yae Miko stiffened, her hand frozen mid-turn of a page.
A moment later, her fingers went slack, and the light novel slipped from her grasp, hitting the floor spine-first with a sharp crack.
The sudden sound drew the attention of the surrounding editors.
…
They had already paused at the mention of "Beelzebul," exchanging strange looks. Now, silence fell over the courtyard as everyone glanced between one another, uncertain of what to do.
Venti, baffled, asked, "Uh… what's going on?"
Yae Miko bit her lip, her complexion pale.
She slowly rose, bent down to pick up the fallen book, and set it on the table.
Expressionless, she beckoned to Venti and said evenly, "Let's talk somewhere else. This isn't the place for such matters."
Venti looked around, noting everyone's reactions—he realized Beelzebul's death had become something of a taboo topic in Inazuma.
"Alright—your call."
Yae Miko turned her gaze to Shao Yun. "You come too."
Why me again? Shao Yun thought.
Rising, he walked over and muttered low enough for only her to hear, "Why am I involved? I told you already."
With a troubled expression, Yae Miko replied, "It'll be more convincing coming from you."
Shao Yun groaned. "So, this is Beelzebul's revenge? It's been a month—still not over?"
"Is a month long?" she countered.
Shao Yun's eyes grew distant as he looked at Venti. "From a certain angle, I have a peculiar ability—to make a week feel like seven years."
…
Yae Miko led them into the Overseer's Office, eventually reaching an unremarkable break room.
Despite its plainness, the soundproofing was excellent. More importantly, the entire building had been taken over by Yae Publishing House—no Tenryou Commission personnel in sight. Ideal for serious discussion.
Closing the door, Yae Miko turned to Venti.
"Before we begin, allow me to introduce myself. I am Yae Miko—formerly Guuji of the Grand Narukami Shrine, now both Guuji and the third Electro Archon of Inazuma."
At the words third Electro Archon, Venti felt a jolt of disbelief, but quickly masked it with a smile. "Pleasure to meet you. My true name is Barbatos, the Anemo Archon of Mondstadt. But these days, everyone just calls me Venti."
Then, frowning, he asked, "Back in Mondstadt, I heard about this third Electro Archon. It felt… off. So, I came during the festival to find out. Tell me—what happened to Beelzebul?"
Yae Miko lowered her head and forced out the words. "She's dead."
Venti flinched. "How? Why?"
Yae Miko looked to Shao Yun. "Ask him. I'd rather not relive that day."
Venti turned to Shao Yun, who rubbed his forehead and sighed. "Ah, not again… Fine, but this is the last time."
He recounted Inazuma's events, especially his reason for killing Beelzebul.
"In short—she injured Lumine, and I killed her. Pure revenge, nothing more. I'd prefer never to tell this story again."
Afterwards, Yae Miko explained how she came to wield the Electro Archon's power.
Venti rubbed his temples. "So, her body was destroyed, but the Archon's authority remained?"
"Exactly," she said, touching the Electro sigil on her back. "So, I took it—and became the third Electro Archon."
Venti sighed. "Ah, my dandelion wine… how did it all go so wrong?"
Shao Yun frowned. "What do you mean, 'wrong'?"
"Nothing," Venti said quickly. "I just didn't expect you to fight her. I thought you might be friends, like in Mondstadt and Liyue."
This struck a nerve. Shao Yun jabbed a finger at him. "Let's be clear—since Dragonspine, we've not been friends. The only reason you're alive is because you and Morax never posed a real threat to Lumine. And second—I agreed to this journey, but that doesn't mean I'll cozy up to the Seven. Don't flatter yourself."
Venti raised a placating hand. "I know—you never said otherwise."
Shao Yun scowled. "Anything else? If not, I'm going back to my free books." He shoved the door open and left.
…
Once he was gone, Yae Miko peeked out, confirmed the hallway was empty, and shut the door again.
"Actually," she told Venti, "Shao Yun left something out. Raiden Makoto spoke to him—this shouldn't have happened."
She described the vision she'd seen under the Sacred Sakura—Shao Yun's conversation with Makoto.
Venti listened, baffled. "You mean… he refused her offer to use Istaroth's power to change the past, because of that mysterious entity?"
Yae Miko nodded. "Yes. His stated reasons made sense—but without that being's influence, I think he might have agreed."
People believe what they wish to believe. Yae Miko told herself Shao Yun's explanation was enough—but in her heart, she had already decided the true culprit was that nameless being.