"Wha— fine, fine, I'm going…"
Seeing that the bartender wasn't going to budge, Venti could only sigh and shuffle off down the street.
Once Venti had wandered out of sight, the bartender finally let out a breath of relief. That nuisance was dealt with, at least.
Except the breath had only half left his lungs when his brow creased slightly.
Something felt off about that drunken bard tonight.
Normally, when he got thrown out, the man would linger and pester at the door for ages. Tonight he'd walked off without a fuss.
And the way he was walking looked... strange.
Like he was...
Before he could think it through, a woman's voice rang out from inside the tavern behind him.
"Bartender, another Verdict of the Night."
"Right away, one moment."
The bartender cast one helpless glance at Venti's retreating figure, then turned back around. The one who had spoken was the nun from the church — and she was not someone to be kept waiting. Trouble would follow if he did.
That nun, aside from actually paying her tab, was more or less exactly as much of a headache as that Venti fellow. The Anemo Archon, Lord Barbatos, was definitely not going to bless him for this...
Especially that nun. She was supposed to be a devoted servant of Lord Barbatos, and yet she carried on however she pleased, and drank to boot — nothing at all like the gentle, conscientious Miss Barbara. If Lord Barbatos ever learned of that nun's conduct, he'd surely be furious...
And on top of that, the Angel's Share didn't even carry anything called "Verdict of the Night"...
What a headache.
He'd have to go ask that troublesome nun what she actually wanted.
With a weary press of his palm to his forehead, the bartender turned and headed back inside.
Meanwhile, once Venti was satisfied that the bartender wasn't coming after him, the corner of his mouth curved into a smug little grin.
He reached behind his back with both hands and, from beneath his green cape, produced two bottles of apple cider, filled to the brim.
"Good thing I was quick about it — used my Anemo power to float the bottles under the cape. Any slower and I'd have been caught for sure. The wind really is the most useful thing. Any other element and I don't think it'd have worked half as well."
Venti laughed, his hazy eyes squinting into happy crescents. He popped open one of the bottles and took a long swig straight from the neck.
"Mm. Good stuff. Really good stuff."
He wiped the corner of his mouth on his sleeve, a look of utter satisfaction spreading across his face. "That said, I did take two bottles from old Grandpa Lu's stock, so next time I perform at the Angel's Share… well, not perform, exactly — next time I offer my heartfelt verses to the freedom-loving patrons for a modest fee, I'll only charge half price as restitution. When you think about the math, I'd say that's downright generous of me, wouldn't you?"
"After all, I am one of the finest bards in all of Teyvat. Charging a premium is only natural. To restore what time has buried, a poet lifts his voice; gods have walked among the mortal dust, yet how many seasons has the world of man rejoiced."
Bathed in the deep of night and a clean, light breeze, Venti swayed down the road toward the inn — his fair cheeks flushed a brilliant pink, eyes swimming, a bottle of apple cider in hand, murmuring verses as he went.
He drifted past a flower shop, where pots of burnt-orange Windwheel Asters sat outside, spinning gently in the wind. The forge at the smithy had gone dark. The Adventurers' Guild had shuttered its doors.
Mondstadt City had fallen asleep.
As he passed the Cat's Tail tavern, he caught sight of a small girl stepping out through the door.
Pink hair tied up with a scrunchie. A pair of cat ears that twitched from time to time. A little cat-paw satchel hanging at her hip.
"Ah, that's Diona — the famous mixologist from the Cat's Tail. I've always wondered what one of her concoctions actually tastes like. Shame... I'm allergic to cat hair. Walking into the Cat's Tail for a drink would be pure suffering."
Venti sighed, shook his head, and kept shambling toward the inn.
Diona watched him go from a distance.
"That's the bard who's always performing at the Angel's Share. Hmph. Stumbling around drunk in the dead of night — what an insufferable man."
Diona wrinkled her nose, pulled her gaze away, and crouched down to pet the cat winding around her ankles.
She began to wonder whether wiping out Mondstadt's deeply rooted drinking culture might require starting with its most incorrigible offenders — bards like this one.
Venti gulped down the cider in generous mouthfuls. The first bottle was gone before long, leaving his fair cheeks even rosier than before, his stride wobblier with every step.
When he passed a bookshop, a signboard out front caught his eye.
"Liyue's bestselling author — Fang Qiu?"
Venti stopped walking. His brow arched up slightly. He sat down cross-legged in front of the signboard, sipping from the second bottle as he read the text on it aloud.
"This one's a new name to me. Let's see what they've written... Your Lie in April, The Eternal, Sword and Fairy... hmm... except for Sword and Fairy, none of these sound like Liyue books. One set in Inazuma, one in Mondstadt? Hmm... and a few more Inazuma ones as well..."
"Tsk tsk. Unbound by the limits of any one nation or culture — it seems this Fang Qiu is quite a free spirit in their own right. What a shame they were born in that stuffy old man's country. If things were different, I might invite them for a drink... actually no, they're a bestselling author, they must be loaded. Better figure out how to get them to buy me a drink."
Venti's eyes glazed over, his words growing soft and jumbled as he muttered on to himself. "Come to think of it, the Traveler mentioned a while back that the old man held a funeral for himself and has been going around as some ordinary fellow called Zhongli. Thinking about it now, that's actually quite a change for him — not nearly as rigid as he used to be. I should bring some good wine and pay him a visit sometime... hmm... actually, maybe not. He's probably still terrifyingly strong. I'd rather not get punched."
Mid-ramble, a wave of drowsiness crashed over him.
"So sleepy... I really need to get back to the inn and go to bed..."
Venti took one last hard pull from the bottle, then tried to push himself to his feet and head for the inn. But his body listed and swayed twice — and then he simply toppled over onto the ground in front of the bookshop.
"Fine. Lie down where you fall. Tonight... I'll sleep right here. It's not like I'll catch cold... hopefully no cats walk by though..."
Venti mumbled the words to no one in particular, and then he was out cold.
...
The next day.
The sky was bright and clear.
A high wind moved over the land of Mondstadt — sweeping down from Windbearer Mountain, across Starfell Lake, carrying the sweet fragrance of Sunsettia groves on the morning air as it drifted over Mondstadt City.
Inside the city, the morning bell began to toll, slow and resonant.
The free city-state stirred awake.
In the plaza before Mondstadt's great cathedral, a crowd had gathered beneath the soaring, pristine statue of the Anemo Archon, heads bowed in earnest prayer.
"May Lord Barbatos, the Anemo Archon, watch over us."
"Let the wind be your guide."
Meanwhile, in front of a bookshop elsewhere in Mondstadt City, a long queue had formed. Among those waiting were more than a few foreign diplomats bearing the insignia of the Fatui.
"See that bard asleep at the front of the line? I can't believe it — he actually slept here last night just to be first for the books..."
"He was here since last night? That's absolutely wild."
"That bard, Venti — he's got a bit of a name for himself around Mondstadt City. Still can't figure out what book he camped out overnight for."
"Did you see the signboard the shop put up?"
"I did. What about it?"
"A few days back, Liyue finally finished boring through that great mountain range — dug a tunnel for trade, remember? During the whole stretch when commerce between our two countries was basically at a standstill, a merchant friend of mine who just returned with a caravan told me something interesting: a writer of extraordinary talent appeared in Liyue out of nowhere."
"What do you mean, out of nowhere?"
"Do you know of the Liyue Qixing?"
"I've heard of them."
"Fang Qiu's books won the favor of nearly half the Liyue Qixing. Sales went through the roof — men, women, young, old, everyone's been reading them. My friend pushed me hard to get them, said every single one is a genuine masterpiece, and that I absolutely must buy the full collection in one go, because if I wait even a few days, I'll have to queue just to get my hands on a copy."
"Hss... is it really that extreme?"
"Clearly, the publishers here in Mondstadt caught wind of it too — that's why bookshops across the city have put up Fang Qiu's signboards, drumming up hype ahead of the launch."
"To think that Liyue would produce a talent like this. Remarkable."
"A talent? My friend said this Fang Qiu is apparently some crusty old man..."
"Wha... a crusty old man, taking a pen name that sounds that girlish? Does he have no shame? I honestly assumed it had to be a woman, like Acting Grandmaster Jean."
"I'll admit, I also thought it was going to be some lovely young author — like Noelle, or Miss Barbara."
"If we're talking a sophisticated beauty, she'd have to be someone like Miss Lisa, wouldn't you think?"
"Don't say any more, my illusions are shattered... beautiful girl authors really don't exist."
"So what you're saying is — that drunken bard actually slept in front of the bookshop last night just to buy Fang Qiu's books? Then what's with the wine bottle in his hand?"
"Isn't that obvious? You can't just sit and wait all night with nothing to do — naturally you'd drink a little to pass the time."
"Fair point. I've heard his poems and his playing before. He looks young, but the cultural depth and musicianship are genuinely first-rate. If even he was willing to sleep on the pavement overnight for that old man Fang Qiu's books... then what your friend said is probably true. Fang Qiu's books must really be something. I think I'll pick up a set myself."
"Though, it's still speculation — better wait and see what he actually buys. That said, I'm inclined to trust my friend. His eye for quality is razor-sharp. He came back from Liyue with quite a sizeable order."
"What kind of order?"
"Something about commissioning Kaeya from the Knights — a large batch of dolls, apparently."
"Commissioning Kaeya for custom dolls? He's the Cavalry Captain of the Knights of Favonius — who knew he could make dolls? You really can't judge a book by its cover."
While the crowd was still buzzing, the figure stretched out on the ground began to stir.
"Mmmph... slept so well. The ground's a bit hard though. Would've been perfect with a pillow."
Venti blinked his way back to consciousness, pushed himself up to sitting, raised both arms above his head in a long, luxurious stretch, and then climbed to his feet.
"Hm? Why are there so many people? What are you all looking at me for?"
He stared at the long queue standing behind him, thoroughly confused.
Before he could make head or tail of the situation, a chime rang out.
Every face in the crowd snapped to attention.
The bookshop was opening.
"Hello there, what can I help you find today?"
A young woman behind the counter asked.
"What am I here to buy?"
Venti blinked blankly.
He stood there for quite a long while, until the people behind him started grumbling impatiently, and only then did it come back to him.
"Right — I'm fresh out of Mora for drinks today, so I might as well spend the day reading to pass the time. Could I get a copy of The Eternal, please?" Venti smiled, fishing through his pockets at length before finally producing twenty Mora.
The young woman quickly retrieved a copy of The Eternal for him.
Venti tucked the book under his arm and ambled toward the bench beside the hot spring pool.
The wind there was especially pleasant.
Second only to Windrise.
Windrise was too far, though. Sitting by the hot spring, there was always the chance of running into a familiar face — and maybe wrangling a free meal out of them. Someone like Jean, the Knights' Acting Grandmaster, or Eula of the Lawrence Clan. Eula was one of his closest companions in drink.
Back at the bookshop, the queue was moving briskly now.
"A copy of Your Lie in April, please, and the same The Eternal that bard just bought."
"Give me the complete set of everything by Fang Qiu."
"Two copies of Sword and Fairy — I've always been curious about Liyue's culture. I heard that ordinary people there can cultivate and pursue immortality. I wonder if that's actually true."
"It's true, apparently. A friend of mine told me that one day he went to a tavern for a drink and overheard some bald young man talking about going up to Jueyun Karst to seek immortal masters."
"Well now I'm definitely reading it. If the book gets me interested enough, maybe I'll visit Liyue and see for myself."
"Oh — you're interested in Liyue too, sir? Perhaps we could travel together sometime?"
"But of course, my lovely miss. Here — take this book as a gift. No wonder the wind felt so wonderful when I stepped outside this morning; it was because I was destined to meet you. Truly, Lord Barbatos has blessed me. Now then — would you care to join me at the Angel's Share? We could read Sword and Fairy together over drinks and chat about our Liyue travel plans. My treat. What do you say?"
"Oh, I'd love that — as they say in Liyue, I gratefully accept your kind offer."
And with that, to the envy and resentment of every onlooker, the two strolled off together toward the Angel's Share.
Venti was among the envious.
"Ugh... I want someone to treat me to drinks at the Angel's Share too..."
He watched the pair until they disappeared from view, then let out a long sigh and dropped onto the bench with a look of quiet resignation. He flipped open The Eternal.
Accompanied by the birdsong of early morning, the gentle murmur of flowing water, and a warm and tender breeze.
The story began in the age of Mondstadt's old aristocracy — with a colossal ship, anchored in a harbor, vast as a mountain.
"So it's set during the old Mondstadt era? Now I'm genuinely curious — what kind of story will this Fang Qiu write? Will it be something about resistance, and verse, and freedom?"
A glimmer of real interest kindled in Venti's bright green eyes. He settled in and began to read.
____
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