Then, he spoke slowly: "I am the bard, Venti. accurately speaking, the three-time consecutive champion of the 'Most Popular Bard of Mondstadt' award."
"Huh?"
Paimon was stunned.
Obviously, she didn't expect Venti to say such a thing suddenly.
Lumine couldn't help but twitch the corner of her mouth, her tone helpless. "What does this have to do with the question we just asked?"
Venti shrugged as if it were a matter of course. "Of course it matters. Because bards are storytellers, and stories always contain some mysterious plots that everyone likes to hear, right?"
Paimon widened her eyes, opening her mouth.
Finally, she hugged her head abruptly, looking annoyed. "I seem to... understand, but also seem to not understand at all!"
Seeing this, Venti smiled. "What do you need me for?"
"Since you recognized us, there's no need to explain, right?"
Hearing Venti's words, Paimon let go and looked at Lumine. "Of course it's about Stormterror."
"Traveler, can you show him that?"
"En."
Hearing Paimon's words, Lumine nodded.
She immediately took out the red crystal.
Only, the crystal had turned white.
"Oh! This is—"
Seeing this crystal, Venti realized.
Paimon exclaimed in surprise, "Eh? The crystal was purified? When did that happen?"
"Strange."
Lumine was also surprised. "I don't know how it became like this."
It was still red when she took it out at the Knights of Favonius Headquarters not long ago.
"This is a tear crystal shed by Stormterror out of pain."
Venti sighed softly.
While sighing, he took out another Teardrop Crystal and handed it to Lumine. "Here, try pouring your power into it."
Hearing Venti's words, Lumine did as told immediately.
This red crystal instantly turned white.
Paimon widened her eyes at this scene. "Eh??"
"You really possess incredible power..."
Venti sighed with emotion. "Someone like you is destined to ascend into the poems sung by bards."
"Standing in the sun, one must achieve heroism; standing in the shadow, one may also guide disaster..."
"Ah... But I don't have time to compose a new song for you right now."
"Even if Dvalin is not subjugated, his vitality will flow away rapidly..."
"He will burn himself out in anger..."
Saying this, Venti sighed softly.
Lumine asked hesitantly, "Is there anything I can help with?"
"Purifying the Teardrop Crystal is already a help. I am very grateful. But now, I have a plan of my own."
"Hmm? What is your plan?"
Paimon looked curious.
Venti said slowly, "Seeing the Dragon's Tear, I remembered an old friend..."
"Old friend?"
"Hehe, then I'll excuse myself first."
Venti didn't answer. Instead, he chuckled and ran into the distance.
Seeing this, Paimon widened her eyes. "Hey, where are you going?"
"To the Symbol of Mondstadt's Hero. Bye-bye."
Venti spoke without looking back. A gust of wind wrapped around him, and he vanished from their sight instantly.
"Umm, Traveler, what do you think?"
Paimon scratched her head, looking at Lumine. "Is he really the Anemo Archon Barbatos?"
"He's a strange person. Need to observe."
Lumine scratched her head. "But he just said the Symbol of Mondstadt's Hero? Where is that?"
"I know this. It must be that big tree."
Paimon narrowed her eyes. "It's that ve~ry conspicuous big tree at Windrise! You must remember it too, right?"
"Then let's go now."
Lumine said without thinking, "If we come back fast enough, maybe we can still catch Kael's meal."
Saying this, Lumine immediately urged Anemo power, speeding up, running quickly toward the streets outside Mondstadt.
Paimon, originally floating in the air, was gently lifted by Anemo power.
Feeling the flowing aura around her, Paimon sighed helplessly and complained, "Sigh, if only Kael were here..."
"He can increase our speed greatly. We wouldn't have to hurry so slowly."
As soon as her voice fell, Lumine's steps paused slightly, seeming to be reminded by this sentence.
Lumine looked up, her eyes lighting up slightly.
She said decisively, "Right! Why don't we go find Kael?"
"Anyway, Good Hunter is also in Mondstadt. It's not too late to go to Windrise after finding him for help."
Paimon clapped her hands excitedly. "Right, right, right! In that case, we can rush over faster. Maybe we can even mooch a meal?"
Lumine couldn't help laughing, shaking her head, but didn't refute.
Mooching a meal is fine.
But we can still grab a rice ball or something to eat on the way.
Thinking of this, Lumine immediately strode forward, leading Paimon rapidly toward Good Hunter.
Anemo power flowed by her side, making her speed much faster than ordinary people.
Paimon simply floated in the air, her small figure swaying, her tone full of expectation. "Speaking of which, what do you think Kael ordered this time? There should be ready-made delicious food waiting for us to grab, right?"
Lumine ran while thinking: Should be. Even roasted meat would be done by now.
Just as they mentioned roasted meat, the two smelled a faint aroma of barbecue carried by the wind.
It was evening now. Many people were cooking and eating.
Many people in Mondstadt ate roasted meat.
Some even treated roasted meat as a staple food.
So this smell wafted from the surrounding streets.
Making Paimon sniff her nose uncontrollably.
"Wah, smells so good!"
Paimon floated beside Lumine with an intoxicated face, licking the corner of her mouth. "If Kael really has roasted meat ready, we can eat it immediately. Preferably a bit cooler, not too hot."
"Mm-hmm."
Lumine's eyes shone. Her pace didn't stop, rushing toward Good Hunter with a clear goal.
Inside Good Hunter.
The aroma of charcoal fire filled the hall.
Faint charcoal smoke lingered in the air, intertwined with the smell of roasted meat, whetting the appetite.
Sara carried a plate of freshly roasted skewers, walking briskly toward a table in the corner of the restaurant.
That was the seat Kael usually took.
The view was wide, able to see the entire entrance and exit of the restaurant.
Occasionally, one could see the crowd in the square through the window.
She wore her usual gentle smile and said, "Kael, your skewers are here. Today's meat is the freshest, paired with secret spices. Guaranteed to make you want more—"
But when she walked to the table, she froze abruptly.
"Eh? Where is he?"
Sara frowned slightly, looking around, but didn't see Kael.
She looked down at the table.
There was still a glass of unfinished fruit wine.
The water droplets on the rim hadn't completely evaporated, obviously someone was sitting here just now.
But Kael's figure had strangely disappeared.
Sara looked around in confusion.
Although there were some customers in the restaurant, there was no sign of Kael.
She put down the skewers, wiped her apron, and muttered, "Strange... he was here just now..."
"Did he go out for something urgent?"
Just as Sara was muttering to herself in confusion.
Only a few steps away from her, Kael was standing there, the corner of his mouth raised slightly, a smile in his eyes.
He was still in the restaurant.
Only, no one could see him.
Because at this moment, he was in the [Phantom] state!
"Sure enough, this ability is true invisibility."
Kael looked down at his palm.
He found that his body seemed to have completely disappeared.
Even under the bright light, no shadow was cast.
The whole world seemed to have lost perception of his existence.
Even Sara, a restaurant owner who received all kinds of adventurers year-round, didn't notice his presence.
"This ability... is really good."
Kael revealed a playful smile.
This was his second time testing Seele's Path Skill: [Phantom].
The result showed that the effect of this Path Skill was even stronger than he imagined.
Not only did it completely eliminate his figure.
Even his aura, sound, and even the intuitive perception of people around him were completely shielded.
This meant—
As long as he didn't reveal himself actively, others simply couldn't detect his existence!
Even the flow of the wind wouldn't change in the slightest because of his presence.
"This is much more powerful than ordinary stealth techniques..."
Kael evaluated silently in his heart.
It might even be more powerful than what Seele herself mastered?
You have to know, Seele was on the Path of The Hunt.
The Phantom, or Invisibility, of the Hunt Path...
Should rely on extreme speed to hide the figure.
But the [Phantom] skill actually hid even his aura.
Truly incredible.
"Oh?"
Outside Mondstadt City.
Even though it was night.
The breeze blew gently across the emerald grassland, still carrying the fragrance of flowers from the distant forest.
Brushing gently past Venti's clothes.
It seemed that wind spirits were spinning and circling in the air, singing the poems of the earth.
In this peaceful wind, Venti suddenly stopped, tilted his head slightly, and revealed a look of surprise.
"Eh? They didn't follow?"
He originally thought Lumine and Paimon would go directly to Windrise.
After all, with Paimon's personality, she must be eager to find the so-called "Anemo Archon."
But now.
Standing on the slope outside Mondstadt, feeling the flow of the wind, he was surprised to find...
They didn't follow at all.
Instead, they went the other way.
"Went to Good Hunter?"
Venti froze slightly.
Then he couldn't help laughing, his eyes bending, full of teasing meaning: "Going to fill their stomachs? Hehe, I can't tell, they really know how to enjoy themselves."
However, in the next second, Venti's smile suddenly subsided a bit, and a trace of confusion flashed in his emerald green eyes.
He tilted his head gently and muttered in a low voice, "No... they are looking for Kael... Strange."
When leaving the Mondstadt Plaza just now.
He could clearly feel the aura of that adventurer named Kael.
Like a gentle but deep wind, leaving a unique trace in the air of Mondstadt.
But now, that aura seemed to have evaporated into thin air.
No matter how he sensed, he couldn't feel Kael's existence.
Venti narrowed his eyes, the corner of his mouth lifting slightly, holding his chin and muttering: "Interesting..."
"Sure enough, he is an Otherworlder, right?"
"Only, he arrived earlier than the Traveler..."
The Wind was Venti's best friend.
It would silently bring all the news of the world.
Fragments of the past and present.
Because of this, he was able to capture a trace of residual Destruction Aura in the aftermath of the storm Jean tried to clear.
And this aura was surprisingly similar to a certain fluctuation inadvertently revealed by Kael...
He hadn't not seen strong people.
He had even fought with those high-ranking beings in that era.
But.
"Kael's power... even the wind cannot record it?"
Venti frowned slightly, feeling more curiosity about this adventurer for the first time.
What exactly is his power?
Why did he suddenly 'disappear'?
Is it some kind of stealth ability?
Or was he really stripped from the perception of this world?
This was even more interesting than pursuing the Stormterror issue.
However, Venti shook his head quickly and stopped delving deeper.
He had always done as he pleased.
Although curious, compared to pursuing those mysteries, he preferred to let nature take its course.
Let everything surface at the right time.
"Forget it, forget it. Let's go to Windrise first."
Venti blew on the lyre in his hand, a smile on his lips.
He strode forward, embarking on the journey to Windrise.
In the whisper of the wind, Venti's figure gradually disappeared among the verdant hills.
Leaving only a melodious melody, carried by the wind, drifting further away.
At this moment.
Good Hunter.
Kael, in the invisible state, keenly heard footsteps coming from a distance.
Hurried footsteps, accompanied by a familiar childish voice.
"Kael! Kael!!"
Paimon's voice came from outside the restaurant.
Immediately after, a familiar figure rushed into Good Hunter.
It was Lumine.
She was panting slightly, her golden hair brushed gently by the wind, her clear eyes scanning the restaurant quickly, as if looking for something.
Paimon floated directly in the air, looking around.
In the next second, her gaze fell on an empty seat, seeing the steaming skewers on the table.
"Eh? The skewers are here, but where is the person?"
She remembered that position.
The position where they ate before.
Paimon frowned in confusion.
Lumine was also confused.
After looking around, she walked to Sara. "Excuse me... was Kael here just now?"
Sara patted her apron gently and shrugged. "Yes, he just ordered food, but when I came over, he was gone."
Hearing this, Paimon's hair stood on end. "Impossible! Did he go secretly treasure hunting again?!"
Lumine rubbed her temples helplessly, her gaze falling on the skewers on the table again.
"Forget it, let's go to Windrise first."
"What's wrong?"
Just as Lumine was preparing to leave with some disappointment, a familiar and relaxed voice came from behind:
"What's wrong?"
The tone carried a bit of teasing, as if knowing their anxiety and helplessness well.
Lumine and Paimon's movements paused instantly.
Turning around abruptly, they saw Kael standing there with interest, a faint smile on his lips, his gaze calm and slightly playful.
"Kael!!"
Paimon flew over in surprise immediately.
Circling Kael, eyes wide. "Where did you go just now? We just arrived at the restaurant, and you disappeared. We were so disappointed!"
Lumine also looked happy.
Although she didn't float around exaggeratedly like Paimon.
But judging from her slightly relaxed brows, her mood obviously became much more relaxed.
Kael smiled and shrugged. "En... consider it a temporary departure."
Kael didn't explain in detail, but his calm attitude made Lumine and Paimon not think much.
Paimon just pouted and complained with some dissatisfaction, "Tell us in advance next time! We were worried you were swallowed by Stormterror!"
Kael looked at Paimon's exaggerated expression with a laugh.
He waved his hand casually. "Okay, okay, okay. I'll notify you in advance next time."
At this time, Lumine finally recovered her train of thought for business.
She coughed lightly and looked at Kael. "Actually... we are going to Windrise. Since you are here, we thought of asking you to help us speed up."
Paimon nodded repeatedly, eyes full of expectation. "Right, right, right!"
"Kael, your ability is really too convenient!"
"With your help, we won't take so long to get to Windrise!"
"And we can come back earlier too."