The five turned toward the source of the voice, and a green figure came into view.
It was none other than the God of Freedom—Venti.
Unlike Furina, he had no diplomatic permission and was essentially sneaking in.
"Shouldn't we be the ones surprised? Why are you here?" Furina asked.
We're both gods, so why are you so free-spirited?
"I'm a bard, of course I travel the world," Venti replied matter-of-factly.
"A poet friend! What a coincidence~" Hu Tao greeted him directly.
Lucian wasn't surprised. Though Venti hadn't appeared in the original storyline, given his personality, Lucian had guessed he'd show up after hearing about this incident.
However, Lucian had assumed that since his identity had already been exposed, Venti would worry about being recognized and lurk in the shadows.
Unexpectedly, he didn't care at all and just swaggered right into the scene.
After introducing him to Navia and Shenhe, Navia deduced Venti's identity, but Shenhe remained oblivious.
"Greetings, Poet," Navia said.
"No need to be so formal. I'm just an ordinary bard," Venti replied with a smile.
Now acquainted, the group stood together, waiting for the scene of the Emperor's death.
"Just standing around is boring. Want some wine?" Venti pulled out a bottle from who-knows-where.
Lucian stepped in front of the girls. "Minors can't drink."
"Huh?" Furina blinked. Me too?
Shenhe and Navia had no reaction—neither of them was fond of alcohol anyway.
"How dull. Guess I'll drink alone then," Venti said, not pressing the issue.
"You… look underage too," Shenhe remarked flatly, reaching out to snatch the wine from Venti.
Junior Brother said minors can't drink.
Strangely, though her hand seemed to grab the bottle, it passed right through.
"I'm not underage. I'm just short," Venti quickly explained.
Shenhe gave him a puzzled look, already sensing that Venti was no ordinary person.
Then she turned to Lucian, silently asking, Is he really an adult?
Clearly, Shenhe still trusted Lucian more.
Shenhe was straightforward—or perhaps just socially unaware. If Venti really were underage, she'd still try to take the wine, no matter how extraordinary he was.
"He is an adult," Lucian confirmed.
Not just an adult—he's practically pickled in alcohol. Even the wind around him smells like wine.
Shenhe nodded and said nothing more.
Venti sighed in relief. He wasn't good at dealing with well-meaning but misguided people.
Incidentally, Venti hadn't bothered hiding his presence when he arrived, so Xiao had already noticed him.
Xiao was now conflicted. The Anemo Archon is my benefactor—shouldn't I greet him?
But Rex Lapis told me to play my part…
If I casually walk over to say hello now, won't people suspect something?
But if I ignore him after noticing him, wouldn't that be disrespectful to the Anemo Archon?
"..." Xiao was at a loss.
"Alatus, what's wrong? Did you notice something?" Mountain Shaper, seeing Xiao staring intently, followed his gaze.
Well, look what we have here—a wild Anemo Archon!
Wait, why is the Anemo Archon in Liyue? And of all times, during such a sensitive moment?
Since Furina was hidden behind Lucian, Mountain Shaper didn't notice the Hydro Archon.
"This Anemo Archon… sigh." Mountain Shaper sighed softly.
After all these years, this god was still as free-spirited as ever.
At least it was unlikely he was the culprit—otherwise, he wouldn't be flaunting his presence so brazenly.
Anyone else would think he'd been invited to a banquet. The man wasn't even dead yet, and here he was already drinking.
And, well, the wine was actually taken from Zhongli—so in a way, it could count as banquet wine.
Zhongli didn't drink much, so he'd given the leftover wine to Venti.
Just then, Ningguang stepped onto the platform, and in the distance, Charlotte raised her camera to take photos.
Turns out she'd arrived early but had been positioned high up to capture a panoramic shot, keeping her far from Lucian's group.
The adepti and the Qixing were on high alert, while the Millelith subtly prepared to form battle formations.
Whatever being could kill Rex Lapis would likely be beyond their combined strength.
But even if it cost their lives, they had to save Rex Lapis! They could never abandon him!
"The auspicious hour has arrived!" Ningguang began summoning the Emperor.
The sky darkened, clouds swirling so thickly that even the adepti's keen eyes couldn't pierce through.
Then—a half-dragon, half-qilin divine body plummeted from the heavens.
Ningguang was stunned. Even after all these preparations, the future didn't change at all?
She looked up. The clouds hadn't fully dispersed, obscuring whatever was above.
The killer left no trace?
Something feels off…
In the book, the lack of clues might've been because no one was on guard.
But now, with everyone so focused, still no one noticed? That made the culprit… suspiciously elusive.
Ningguang was beginning to suspect a certain possibility.
Meanwhile, Moon Carver and Mountain Shaper had already taken to the skies, seemingly chasing after the "culprit."
"The Emperor has been assassinated! Seal the area!" Ningguang ordered.
The lockdown was swift—the Millelith had already surrounded the place.
But in truth, it wasn't even necessary. No one present wanted to leave.
"Your Majesty!"
"Rex Lapis! Waaah—"
The people of Liyue wept, wailed, and tried to rush forward.
Grief, rage, disbelief—the crowd was a storm of emotions.
Thankfully, the Millelith held them back.
Watching this scene, a random phrase popped into Lucian's head:
"Ran-neechan, call the police!"
It was just a meme—he thought no one would get it or care. But someone actually responded.
"Ran-neechan? Are you calling me that?" Yelan spoke up.
Turns out she'd been blending into the crowd, watching Lucian's group the whole time. Her disguise was flawless—Lucian hadn't even noticed.
"As expected of the Prophet. I thought I hid well—when did you spot me?" Yelan asked.
"?" Spot you? Since when? Where'd you even come from?
"Ahem… from the start?" Lucian ventured.
"So that's when… I thought you were just glancing past me, but you'd already noticed back then."
Yelan sighed, lamenting that her skills still weren't sharp enough. Only when I can fool the Prophet will I truly be qualified.
Still, she was grateful he'd spared her dignity by not exposing her outright.
Wait—what if he deliberately didn't expose me so I'd monitor them, proving his own innocence?
The Prophet is truly formidable…
"Mr. Lucian, you're even more impressive than I imagined," Yelan said with admiration.
"..." Lucian stayed silent.
Yelan didn't press further and left.
Lucian's group had done nothing suspicious. If they weren't the culprits, there was no need to keep watching them.
===✧✦✧===
Character Voiceline · Yelan: About Lucian
"Sharp eyes. I wonder when I'll finally be able to fool the Prophet?"