Mondstadt.
Angel's Share.
"Sigh, time to busk again."
Sobering up and walking out of Angel's Share, Venti felt his pockets, which were cleaner than his face, and he knew he had to go busk again.
After all, food costs money, drinks cost money, everything costs money.
Of course, the most important thing was drinking.
He could skip food, but he couldn't skip wine.
"Alright, time to get to work."
After muttering this to himself, Venti began walking towards Archon Statue Plaza.
Since there weren't many customers in the tavern during the day, he decided to go outside.
However, at night, he usually did his work inside the tavern.
Barbatos——
Just as Venti took a step, he suddenly heard a familiar voice in his mind, instinctively causing him to transform into a gentle breeze and try to flee.
No choice, Morax was here to settle accounts with him.
However, he had only run as far as Whispering Woods before Morax blocked his path.
"Ehe~, old man, I… I had my reasons."
Looking at Morax, who appeared before him, Venti, materializing, chuckled awkwardly.
A thousand years had passed, and Morax had finally come calling.
Yet, even if he were to do it all over again, he would still forge Morax's signature.
"Were you the one I saw last night?" Seeing Barbatos like this, Zhongli asked with some disbelief.
In his impression, Barbatos shouldn't possess such speed.
"Huh? Last night? Last night I was drunk and stayed in Mondstadt…"
Venti had originally prepared himself to settle accounts with Morax, but after hearing what he said, Venti looked puzzled, completely unsure what he was talking about.
It seems Morax isn't here to settle accounts for forging his signature…
Considering this possibility, Venti sighed in relief, then continued, "Did something big happen, old man?"
If it was important enough for Morax to personally come to Mondstadt to find him, then it must be a major, extremely major, event.
Thinking this, Venti also became serious.
"Yesterday, someone attacked Northland Bank in Liyue, and the witness's description bore some resemblance to you. However, I knew it wasn't you, because that person's speed was so great even I couldn't catch up in the slightest. But it's a serious matter, so I came to confirm with you."
Looking towards Liyue, Zhongli wore a deep expression.
Even the old man couldn't catch up in the slightest?
Such speed…
Wait a minute… a resemblance to me?
Suddenly, Venti seemed to realize something.
"It seems you've found something?"
Seeing Venti appear to recall something, Zhongli looked at him and asked.
"Recently, I did see a girl in Mondstadt who… well… looks very much like me."
As he spoke, Venti recalled the girl he had seen earlier inside Angel's Share.
Honestly, that girl was truly very, very similar.
"The resemblance I spoke of was not in appearance, but in that extraordinary speed and maiden-like figure—though primarily the speed, a wind-like speed."
"Ehh… in that case, I don't know either."
Spreading his hands, Venti indicated he knew nothing.
"Since that's the case, do you think there's anything unusual about that girl?"
Because Childe had referred to her as Morax's friend when he asked his question earlier, he suspected someone was impersonating his friend, and the girl who looked very much like Barbatos possessed this possibility.
Although he couldn't understand why someone would do this, it didn't stop him from wanting to investigate the matter thoroughly.
"Well… why don't you go observe her, old man?"
Venti's meaning was already quite clear: he couldn't see anything unusual about that girl.
"Then where can I find that girl?"
"Angel's Share, it's a very famous tavern in Mondstadt. That girl often appears there."
This time, Venti answered quickly, having even already planned to ask Morax to buy him a few drinks while waiting for the girl to appear.
Surely, as the creator of Mora, the Geo Archon Morax wouldn't be short on money; he might even be able to conjure enough Mora on the spot to buy the entire Angel's Share.
Hehe… I'll drink until I drop then…
The thought of being able to drink freely soon made Venti overjoyed; he had been looking forward to this day for far too long.
Angel's Share.
"Welcome—"
"Thirty cups of Dandelion Wine first."
Upon entering the tavern, Venti immediately ordered thirty cups of Dandelion Wine.
He could actually drink all thirty cups by himself, but he ordered them first, and now that he had Morax with him, thirty cups were still far from enough.
"Let's sit at that table."
Finding an empty table, Venti led Morax to sit down.
A moment later.
"Good wine… good wine…"
Although utterly drunk, Venti continued to drink cup after cup from the table.
It was a rare occasion to work with Morax; not making full use of his Mora would simply be doing himself a disservice.
Unchanged, after all…
Smelling the strong scent of wine, Zhongli, who was drinking tea, remembered when they had gathered together many years ago, though it wasn't just the two of them back then.
And now, with time fleeting, only the two of them remained.
"Welcome—"
At that moment, accompanied by the bartender's welcome, the figure that appeared at the entrance caught his attention.
It seems that's her…
With his tea in hand, Zhongli looked towards the figure at the entrance, and the figure at the entrance simultaneously looked back at him.
"Wendy, what are we eating this time?"
At this point, a black-haired boy walked in, appearing to know the girl.
"Let's sit over there."
Saying this, Wendy pointed to the table where Zhongli and Venti were sitting.
"But isn't someone already there?"
"We can still sit even if someone is there."
After saying this, Wendy walked towards the table where Zhongli and Venti were seated.
Soon, Wendy sat down on the seat opposite the utterly drunk Venti, while Kaito sat opposite Zhongli.
__
Want more content for everyone? The community goals are:
🎯 100 Powerstones = +1 Bonus Chapter for everyone!
🎯 5 Reviews = +1 Bonus Chapter for everyone!
And our main goal...
🚀 55 MEMBERS = +5 extra chapters of EVERY STORY!
Your support keeps our work alive. Don't let this chance die!
Access, support, and read now: 👻 patreon.com/Walnutchan