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One Piece Breaking the Gene Lock
Genshin Impact: I am King Arthur
Naruto: Reviving the Fourth Hokage from the Start
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"Still, I hope you can decide soon!"
"Mondstadt is really beset within and without right now."
Venti knew he was asking a lot, so he didn't press Rowan.
"Relax—it won't be long. A month at most."
"I need to properly survey Mondstadt, then think about how to change it."
Rowan understood Mondstadt's situation and the urgency in Venti's heart.
But what you see on a screen and what you see in real life are two different things.
He had to see with his own eyes what Mondstadt truly was.
"Seeing is believing; hearing is uncertain."
Old words, but true.
"Right, I don't even know your name yet. I'm Venti—the best bard in Mondstadt—no, in all of Teyvat!"
Relieved, Venti nodded and sat beside Rowan under the ancient tree, tilting his face with curiosity.
He really had been a bit rude.
Rowan had chatted so naturally from the start that Venti forgot to ask his name.
Couldn't be helped—Rowan's familiarity felt like catching up with an old friend after a long separation.
"I'm Rowan Galehart. Just call me Rowan."
"Venti, I'll be in your care."
Rowan extended his hand with a smile, introducing himself.
"Mm. Then Mondstadt's in your hands, Rowan."
Venti didn't quite know what the hand gesture meant, but he reached out and shook it anyway.
Probably a custom from Rowan's homeland.
Sitting with Venti beneath the sky-piercing tree, taking in the surroundings for a while,
Rowan noticed something different from the game.
The real Teyvat was magnitudes larger than its in-game counterpart.
In the game, Windrise was about the size of a neighborhood.
From what he saw now, the real Windrise covered at least a whole university town—if not more.
Which made sense; to save on modeling and memory, the game had trimmed the unnecessary.
It ran across three platforms—phones just couldn't store that much.
So compressing content was normal.
After a short rest, Rowan figured it was time to do what he needed to do.
One problem remained.
He stood, looked at the seated Venti, and smiled.
"Venti, since you want me to take over Mondstadt, I've hit a small snag."
"As my first friend in Teyvat, you're obliged to help me out, right?"
Venti had a bad feeling, like his little stash of Mora was about to take flight.
But he forced a smile and asked,
"What snag? If I can do it, I'll help."
"Simple—and you'll definitely mind it: Mora!"
When you're home, you lean on family; when you're out, you lean on friends.
He'd just arrived in Teyvat and only knew Venti—so he could only lean on Venti.
Hearing Rowan's answer, Venti's smile deepened—and then froze when Rowan spoke the words that changed his face.
People liked to joke that the Seven couldn't scrape together a single Mora.
But it was just a joke.
In truth, among the Seven, only a few couldn't produce a coin.
Venti definitely had Mora—he had to buy wine.
As a bard, when idle he performed in Mondstadt City; the Mora he earned all went toward drink.
Sometimes he ran tabs—especially at Uncle Lu's Angel's Share.
But that didn't mean he had no Mora—he just liked doing things that way.
Venti's face turned a little ugly; he hesitated, unwilling to take out coin.
"Uh…"
"My dear wind god—don't tell me you have no Mora."
"Then answer me this—when you drink in Mondstadt… do you not pay?"
"..."
Venti fell silent. He wanted to brazen it out,
but the truth said otherwise.
"No. Most of the time I pay off my tabs by busking."
"And I slept for so long—I only woke up recently. I don't have much on me."
He was angling for a compromise—at least keep a little.
"Fine. Then give me whatever you have."
"I'm not asking for millions. I just need a little to get by in Mondstadt."
"I need start-up funds."
Rowan knew Venti wouldn't hand over everything—that was normal.
They weren't that close yet.
"…All right. Is a thousand enough?"
After a moment's hesitation, Venti pulled a pouch from his chest and handed it to Rowan.
Seeing how smoothly he produced it, Rowan knew this wasn't Venti's limit.
Otherwise, why hand it over so readily?
But Rowan had no idea about prices in Teyvat—especially Mondstadt—nor what a thousand Mora could buy.
A thousand sounded like a lot; if it matched RMB one-to-one, that'd be great.
If not… maybe not much.
When you don't know, ask—Rowan asked on the spot.
"I don't know Mondstadt's prices. Will a thousand Mora cover two days of food and lodging?"
"Uh… probably?"
Venti scratched his head, a little guilty.
He didn't really know inn rates. When sleepy, he either crashed at the tavern or curled up in a tree.
Why would he book a room?
So he wasn't sure about inns—but for food, a thousand was more than enough.
And handing over that thousand already hurt; if Rowan asked for more, he'd refuse.
Rowan eyed the guilty-looking Venti, shrugged, and let it drop.
"Then I'll trust you this once. If it's not enough, I'm coming after you!"
"In that case, we part ways here. See you in a month!"
Pocketing the Mora, Rowan hoisted the Sword of Promised Victory and waved as he left Windrise.
Venti stood, eyes fixed on Rowan's receding back, and murmured:
"Mm. See you in a month—
my Knight-King!"
(End of Chapter)
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