Seeing his Vision snatched away, Arkz was not nervous at all.
In Teyvat, a Vision cannot be forcibly taken. Once a Vision moves a certain distance away from its owner, it will actively return to its owner's side through various means.
However, if the Vision's owner dies, the Vision, which originally possessed a dazzling brilliance, will go dark, leaving only an empty shell, inferior even to a glass bead in a child's hand; at least the child's glass bead would be prettier than a dull, lusterless Vision.
Yet, even extinguished Visions are precious collectibles pursued by many wealthy individuals, fetching extremely high prices on the black market.
It is said that Ningguang once obtained an extinguished Vision by chance. Just as she intended to sell it on the black market to gain a large sum of Mora to serve as the startup capital for her commercial empire, she discovered that this extinguished Vision had surprisingly reignited itself.
After discovering that Visions automatically return to their owners, that transaction naturally fell through.
Many collectors spare no expense, spending large amounts of Mora to purchase extinguished Visions, hoping that they or their descendants might one day re-ignite them and gain the notice of the gods.
However, in Teyvat, the difficulty of relighting an extinguished Vision is no less than obtaining a brand new one.
There is even a saying circulating throughout Teyvat: anyone capable of igniting a Vision can already obtain one through their own talent and wishes; the empty shell of an extinguished Vision merely accelerates that process.
Furthermore, given Arkz's skill, if he hadn't allowed it, Ellin would have been completely incapable of snatching it from his grasp.
After casually playing with it for a while, Ellin handed the Vision back to Arkz.
Ellin looked at Arkz seriously and said, "Put away your 'Vision.' If you could treat your toy better, perhaps I would believe it's a real Vision."
Arkz asked doubtfully, "Why are you so certain that my Vision is fake?"
Ellin fell silent for a moment, feigning maturity, and patted Arkz's shoulder like an adult, saying in a world-weary tone:
"Because I've been tricked before."
Hearing this, Arkz became curious. Could there really be someone audacious enough in Mondstadt to impersonate an allogene and scam people? If he just demonstrated how to control Elemental Power, the scammer would be exposed.
Ellin recounted the story of how she was tricked:
"It was the afternoon the day before yesterday. I was wandering around in the Plaza of Winds in front of the Knights of Favonius Church—that plaza with the huge statue of the anemo archon.
There, I met a Bard who was performing. I have to admit, that Bard's performance was much more professional than yours. Unlike you, not only do you hide your 'Vision,' but you're also stingy enough not to get a charm for it to hang on your body."
Arkz touched his nose, thinking, "The Vision won't get lost anyway, and that old man in Sumeru selling Vision charms charged me ten thousand Mora. I could buy so much better stuff with that money."
Ellin continued:
"That Bard was very well-prepared. Not only did he have superb harp-playing skills, but he also knew very ancient Mondstadt ballads. I was captivated by his performance, so I stood there and listened to the whole thing, even tipping him 100 Mora."
Arkz interrupted Ellin's recollection and asked, "Wait a minute!"
"Was that Bard wearing a green hat and white stockings, looking like a girl?"
Ellin nodded vigorously. "Yes, yes! At first, I thought he was a pretty big sister, but then he spoke, and I realized he was a boy."
After speaking, Ellin looked at Arkz warily. "Do you know that Bard?"
"No, no, no, I don't know that guy."
"I've just seen his performance on the street before; your description sounded very familiar."
Ellin recalled Venti's appearance and nodded in agreement. "That guy's looks are indeed unforgettable."
Turning around, Ellin shot Arkz another glare. "You've interrupted me several times already. If you interrupt me again, I won't tell the rest!"
Arkz immediately raised his hands in surrender, promising firmly not to interrupt Ellin's story again. Only then did Ellin nod in satisfaction and continue telling her little story.
Ellin: "After that Bard finished his performance, I was just about to leave, but he suddenly called out to me."
Called out to you?
"Yes. Then that Bard started praising me, saying my eyes were determined, my bones were extraordinary, and that I had the potential to be an allogene in the future. Then he offered to take me as his disciple."
Take you as a disciple! Good heavens, Arkz secretly gasped but dared not interrupt Ellin's narration.
"At the time, I saw the Vision on his waist, so I believed what he said. Who knew that guy was actually a liar?"
"Then that Bard said he owed some money at the tavern and needed 5000 Mora to settle the debt, so he asked if I could lend him some money first."
Did you lend it to him?
"Of course not. At that time, I only had 2000 Mora on me, which was my entire month's allowance."
That's good.
"But..."
But what?
"But that Bard took out the Vision on his waist and said he would use it as collateral. I figured a Vision was so precious, it must be worth more than 2000 Mora, so I lent him the money."
"Then I waited there until dark, but the Bard never came back. When I got home, I realized the Vision was just a glass bead. That's when I knew I had been scammed."
After a moment of silence, Arkz asked, "You didn't lose that glass bead, did you?"
Although Ellin wondered why Arkz asked that, she still answered obediently, "I didn't lose it. It's just sitting on my desk in my room."
Arkz: "It's good that you didn't lose it. Make sure to preserve the evidence well so the Knights of Favonius can bring justice for you in the future."
Based on Ellin's description, that Bard was definitely Venti. The dignified Anemo Archon wouldn't go out of his way to scam a little girl out of her allowance, would he?
Could it be that Venti, as the Anemo Archon, discovered that Ellin possessed some hidden Talent, and out of appreciation for talent, he used this method to prematurely accept Ellin as his disciple? Perhaps that glass bead was actually a real Vision, just veiled by an illusion cast by Venti?
However, thinking about Venti's usual behavior, Arkz felt that scamming little girls out of their allowance was not something he wouldn't do.
Arkz now completely understood why Ellin didn't believe his Vision was real. If he had been scammed once just the day before, he wouldn't be fooled again either.
Looking at Ellin, Arkz asked, "So you didn't come to Star-Picking Cliff for a date this time?"
Ellin rolled her eyes speechlessly. "Of course not. I am training diligently with the goal of joining the Knights of Favonius. A boyfriend would only hinder my progress."
Hearing Ellin's reply, Arkz couldn't help but give her a thumbs-up.
Without waiting for Arkz to ask more, Ellin proactively explained, "My allowance for this month was scammed away, right? Plus, I saw a weapon I liked at the blacksmith's shop, so I planned to take on some commissions to save up some Mora and buy the weapon I want."
"There are Knights of Favonius patrols near Star-Picking Cliff, and the commission I took was just the simplest delivery request, so as long as I'm careful, there's no need to worry about safety at all."
"Don't underestimate me because I'm a girl; I run very fast. Those Hilichurls can't catch me at all!"