"Good thing the Traveler was here."
"Otherwise, if we really started fighting, we'd both be exposed."
Venti turned around, looking at Lumine and Paimon with a grin.
Qiu Nian nodded in agreement.
[So if they fought, they'd realize they're both 'old, weak, and injured'? 😂]
"Good thing you didn't fight."
Paimon spread her hands, still a bit shaken.
"Qiu Nian, why are you here?"
"Don't tell me you're just… wandering around again like last time?"
Lumine asked suspiciously.
"Exactly so."
"I heard Mondstadt is celebrating the Windblume Festival, so I came to experience the atmosphere."
"I didn't expect to run into the Anemo Archon of the Seven… and the two of you."
Qiu Nian explained casually.
"Yeah, seriously…"
"To run into each other on a huge mountain like Dragonspine…"
"That's some real fate."
Paimon nodded with her hands behind her back.
"By the way…"
"What are you doing here?"
Qiu Nian asked.
"We're gathering materials for a Windblume recipe mentioned in an ancient book."
Lumine placed a hand on her chest as she explained.
"Windblume recipe materials…"
Qiu Nian murmured, touching his chin.
Could it be that oversized Sweet Flower…?
"We've already collected everything."
"We just need to go back and find Albedo now."
Paimon smiled.
"Albedo is the Chief Alchemist of the Knights of Favonius."
Lumine added.
"So?"
"Want to come with us?"
Venti turned to Qiu Nian and asked.
"Haha…"
"I'll pass."
"I was just here to enjoy the scenery."
Qiu Nian chuckled.
"Well, alright then."
"We'll head off first."
Paimon nodded.
Lumine and Paimon walked off into the distance.
But after a few steps—
They noticed something was off.
Turning around—
Venti hadn't followed.
"Traveler, you go on ahead."
"I'll catch up in a bit."
"I have a few things to discuss with Mr. Qiu Nian."
Venti said with a light smile, hands on his hips.
"Huh? Why so secretive?"
"You two together feel really suspicious…"
Paimon narrowed her eyes.
"…Just don't start fighting."
Lumine crossed her arms, giving them both a side-eye.
Then the two of them left.
"Wait, what?! Don't leave!"
"I want to hear what they're talking about!"
Xuehua panicked.
Then—
Her screen went black.
She immediately rushed back in-game, ran toward them, and clicked dialogue.
Venti: "Traveler…"
Qiu Nian: "Mm…"
And that was it.
"…ARE YOU KIDDING ME?!"
Xuehua nearly exploded.
She clicked again.
Same result.
After taking a bunch of screenshots in frustration—
She had no choice but to go find Albedo.
[Hoyoverse you evil genius!!!]
[I NEED to know what they said 😭]
[Don't do this to us!!]
[Lumine you NPC, HOW are you not curious?!]
[An Archon and an ancient god—what are they talking about?!]
[This teasing is criminal!!]
Meanwhile—
Back on the snowy mountain.
"I can sense three godly essences within the Traveler."
"One is heavy."
"One is complete."
"And the last… is somewhat fractured."
Venti looked at Qiu Nian thoughtfully.
"Did you grant all three of these?"
"…Mm."
"The essence of a god is fundamentally a fragment of the Primordial."
"And the Primordial, like the Traveler, is an outsider."
"Have you not noticed?"
"These godly essences behave completely differently inside her compared to other beings of Teyvat."
Qiu Nian replied.
"…They are different."
Venti nodded slowly.
"Normally, these three godly essences should merge into a single, more powerful one."
"But within the Traveler, they remain separate…"
"And…"
"If a powerful being were to obtain such an essence, they could potentially ascend to godhood."
"But the Traveler shows no signs of becoming a god at all."
"It's as if…"
"She's simply using the power within them."
Venti turned his gaze toward Lumine's departing figure, visibly intrigued.
"These three essences come from the Overlord of the Vortex…"
"The God of Salt…"
"And the God of Obscuration."
"Right now, Lumine can only draw upon a small portion of the Salt God's power."
"I suspect it's related to the elements she has resonated with so far."
Qiu Nian explained.
"So…"
"If the Traveler resonates with Dendro and Hydro…"
"She'll be able to use the power of the other two essences as well?"
Venti asked.
"I believe so."
"At first, I merely wanted to test what would happen if fragments of the Primordial fused with an outsider like her."
"I never expected the result to be like this."
Qiu Nian looked out at the snowy landscape.
"This outcome… is beyond my expectations as well."
Venti smiled faintly.
"A god doesn't wield just one element."
"And yet the Traveler can precisely draw out Geo from it…"
"How fascinating…"
"But that's not even the strangest part."
Qiu Nian shook his head slightly.
"You know that a godly essence itself does not inherently contain elemental power."
"So then—"
"How is it that these fragments, which contain no elemental energy…"
"Are able to produce elemental power for the Traveler to use?"
Venti froze.
…That's right.
Godly essence itself had no element.
Then how—
Was the Traveler using elemental power from it?
"…Could it be you're mistaken?"
"Is it possible that the God of Salt, Havria…"
"Left behind some of her divine power within the essence?"
Venti proposed thoughtfully.
Enjoyed these chapters? Access advanced chapters and exclusive content by visiting my Patreon. https://patreon.com/WillOFD129?