Chapter 331: About the Teyvat Organization
Venti eagerly wrapped his fingers around the stem of the wine glass, bringing the rim to his lips without a second of hesitation. He took a long, appreciative sip. A bright, satisfied smile bloomed across his face. "Ah, it's exactly this flavor," he hummed, swirling the amber liquid. "It's genuinely good. Almost catching up to a vintage dandelion wine."
Lowering the half-empty glass to the table with a soft clink, the bard leaned back in his chair. His emerald eyes shifted toward Gin, crinkling at the corners with a disarming cheerfulness. "So, is there anything specific you wanted to ask me? Since you were generous enough to treat me to a drink, I can answer just about anything—provided it doesn't involve our deepest, darkest secrets, of course."
Gin's expression remained an impenetrable mask of ice. He found it absurd that a high-ranking minister of the elusive Teyvat Organization could be so easily bought off with a few rounds of liquor. Whether this was a calculated trap or genuine foolishness, the Black Organization executive did not care. He would extract what he needed. Deciding to peel back the layers methodically, Gin struck a match, lighting a cigarette. "How many departments does the Teyvat Organization have in total?" he asked through a plume of gray smoke.
"Seven," Venti replied breezily, ticking them off on his fingers. "They are Mondstadt, Liyue, Inazuma, Sumeru, Fontaine, Natlan, and Snezhnaya."
Standing rigidly behind his superior, Vodka quietly committed the seven names to memory. A flicker of confusion crossed his heavy features. He had always thought the name Teyvat was peculiar enough for an underground syndicate, but these department titles sounded even stranger. They did not sound like operational branches; they sounded like nations, carrying a heavy, almost ancient weight to them.
Gin shifted his gaze sideways, his sharp eyes landing briefly on Glenlivet—the Wanderer. The bard's answer perfectly matched the sparse introduction the Wanderer had previously provided. It seemed the so-called Mondstadt minister was not feeding them lies right out of the gate. Then again, providing false intel on such basic, easily verifiable structural information would be a rookie mistake.
The problem lay with Glenlivet himself. The boy either genuinely lacked deeper knowledge of his former syndicate's inner workings, or he was stubbornly refusing to spill it. Given that the Wanderer had already secured an official code name within the Black Organization, Gin could not exactly drag him into an interrogation room and torture the answers out of him without drawing the Boss's ire.
A muscle feathered along Gin's jawline. He despised Glenlivet's innate rebelliousness. If the brat was not so insubordinate and tight-lipped despite swearing allegiance to them, Gin would not be sitting in a bar, playing twenty questions with a wine-soaked bard just to verify superficial intelligence.
These calculations flashed through the assassin's mind in a fraction of a second. Outwardly, his face remained a frozen wasteland, devoid of a single ripple of emotion. He tapped the ash from his cigarette. "Kaeya is also a member of the Mondstadt department, correct?"
Gin had a keen eye for detail. He had noticed the distinct, glowing decorative bead Kaeya wore—a gemstone that bore a striking resemblance to the one currently pinned to Venti's attire. In fact, every operative he had encountered from the Teyvat Organization carried a similar, elemental-looking jewel. However, the specific winged casing and teal hue shared by Kaeya and Venti's ornaments made the connection obvious.
Before Venti could answer, Gin pressed forward. "And Ningguang. Including Keqing and Ganyu from her corporate circle—they belong to a different department within your organization, do they not?" Though framed as a question, the cold certainty in his gravelly voice left no room for debate.
Venti sat completely relaxed, practically melting into the cushions of his chair. He cradled the wine glass with both hands, tilting it to let the ruby liquid slide over his tongue. His eyes fluttered shut as he savored the rich, mellow finish. At Gin's rapid-fire deductions, the bard blinked, shaking off his mild intoxication. He flashed a bright grin and shot Gin an enthusiastic thumbs-up. "Mhm, you hit the nail right on the head! Ningguang and her lovely assistants belong to the Liyue department. They handle the financial affairs for the entire organization. Honestly, they are incredibly impressive."
Swirling the last drops in his glass, Venti leaned in conspiratorially. "Since you bought the drinks, I will even throw in a bonus piece of trivia. Liyue's actual minister is quite old and recently decided to retire. Nowadays, all of Liyue's heavy lifting is managed by Miss Ningguang. She is, for all intents and purposes, the minister in all but name."
With that cheerful revelation delivered, Venti drained his glass, thoroughly enjoying his rare moment of leisure.
Gin's eyes narrowed into dangerous slits. This was an unexpected variable. He had already deduced that a woman with Ningguang's vast corporate empire and ruthless business acumen held a high rank within Teyvat, but he had not anticipated her being the de facto leader of an entire branch.
, the concept of a retired minister was utterly alien to him. In the criminal underworld, retirement usually came in the form of a bullet to the back of the head. For a high-ranking executive to simply step down and live peacefully? The overarching Boss of this Teyvat syndicate had to be either insanely confident or dangerously naive, showing zero concern that a former minister might defect or sell their secrets.
Ultimately, the internal politics of a rival faction were none of his concern. Gin brushed the thought aside. From the corner of his eye, he caught a glimpse of Glenlivet. The Wanderer sat with a posture of absolute indifference, casually resting his chin on his hand as he observed the tavern's rustic decor, completely unbothered by the interrogation happening inches away. A sharp spike of irritation pierced Gin's chest. On a sudden, uncharacteristic whim, the assassin shifted his strategy.
He had originally intended to map out the operational duties of the remaining five departments. He already knew Liyue controlled the finances, and Kaeya had previously let slip that Mondstadt handled public and diplomatic relations. Instead, he pivoted, aiming straight for a nerve.
"Glenlivet," Gin began, his voice dropping an octave. "Or rather, the Wanderer. Which department did he originally belong to? And..."
A malicious, predatory light flickered in Gin's narrow eyes. He stared intently at the boy across the table. Hearing his alias, the Wanderer slowly turned his head. The feigned indifference vanished, replaced by a gaze so violently cold it could freeze blood.
Meeting the fierce, silent warning burning in the Wanderer's indigo eyes, the corners of Gin's mouth curled into a hair-raising, mocking smile. He did not hesitate to twist the knife. "Which department's minister is that mother of his?"
"Ooh, spicy question!" Venti chirped, completely ignoring the suffocating, murderous pressure suddenly radiating from his companion. The bard answered with cheerful honesty, "Hat Guy—ah, excuse me, the Wanderer—was originally a member of the Fatui over in the Snezhnaya department. He went by the code name Balladeer. He was a colleague of Signora's. And let me tell you a little secret..." Venti leaned in, lowering his voice to a theatrical whisper. "Even within our own organization, the Fatui have a notoriously terrible reputation."
The bard shook his head, offering Gin a look of deep, exaggerated sympathy. "Sigh. It really must be a nightmare for you to have to work with him."
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