After I'd saved the first village, I didn't dally and immediately headed for the next. It was clear that there was only so much time before the demons would discover them, and unless some other adepti appeared to save the day, those villagers were as good as dead.
Thankfully, with my soaring winds and my gliding, I could essentially fly from one place to another. And it didn't take long before I came upon the next village.
The villagers looked like gaping ducks as I descended from the sky, but I quickly introduced myself and asked them to enter my Personal World for safety. They were a lot more wary this time, mostly because they themselves hadn't been targeted by any demons. Some even opposed me directly; they'd been safe for years, why would that change now?
Those complaints quickly ended once a child spotted a massive horde of demons heading their way. Terrified, even those that were completely opposed to my migration plan went back on their words and begged for me to save them.
Naturally, I already agreed. But I decided to take care of the approaching horde of demons first. I brought out my [Hamayumi], notched an arrow made from condensed Anemo energy, and my arrow went flying with a loud bang. It smashed right into the demon horde and exploded into an expanding tornado, shredding anything unfortunate enough to stand inside it.
In just a few seconds, the demon horde that would've wiped out the village was gone, and all that was left were scraps that could barely even be called a corpse.
Unknown to me, the villagers behind me trembled in both fear and awe. After all, they'd so brazenly told this being that was clearly an adepti to sod off. It wasn't just rude, that was an act deserving of death!
The village chief was more than ready to cut his stomach open and beg for his at least kin to be saved. But before he could even take his knife, the adepti turned around and smiled. "Come now," she said, her voice soft like wind chimes. "I shall now bring you to a new world."
They all agreed, and seeing that, I opened my [Serenitea Pot] and brought them to my Personal World. Once everyone entered, I repeated what I did earlier; I toured them around, introduced them to Chubby, told them of the Generators and the [Mora Exchanger], and finally introduced them to the villagers I'd saved earlier. And once I made sure they knew everything, I returned to the real world and soared to the skies.
And so I went, from village to village, bringing people into my Personal World before the demons could ever take them. Sometimes I'd be fast enough to arrive before any damage was done, and I'd have to convince them to join me. Sometimes I'd be too late, and all I could do was grit my teeth and save those that still lived.
Occasionally, people would resist, and I understood. After all, who would willingly abandon their homes if everything seemed fine?
Most of those complaints ended after they saw me decimate some demons. Their gratitude likely compelled them to accept my offer.
I didn't notice the reverence in their eyes, one usually saved for gods or lords. Nor did I notice how that reverence grew as I brought in more and more people. I was a little too preoccupied with saving people to notice that.
Of course, my energy could only go so far. I was no better than a wheezing fish once noon came around, and I could do little but flop onto the ground after I helped introduce another seven villages to my Personal World. Honestly, it was incredible that I'd managed to remain composed as I saved the latest village I came to, considering how it felt like my lungs were ready to explode from using [Wind Breathing: Divine] so much.
After some rest and eating a few apples from the nearby trees, I soared to the skies and resumed my plan.
But my quick rest was far from enough. The next village I came to was one that'd yet to be harmed, and as usual, they resisted the idea of leaving their homes behind. And it took practically all I had to maintain my smile and not go up to one of them and bonk them on the head.
I managed to convince them eventually, but it was a struggle. I was exhausted and irritated and all-around sore. My [Charisma] was working overtime to make sure the villagers even listened to my words, and I could only thank my luck that the Gacha had granted me this Talent.
Was this how Guizhong felt whenever she had to deal with Liyue's nobles? No wonder she looked so stressed all the time.
By the time evening fell, I'd saved another dozen villages and brought them into my Personal World. By that time, I was more than ready to drop out for the night. I was tired, hungry, sore, and I began coughing out blood from using my Talents so much.
But that was also when I came across another village, and so I went in for the last time. This village was different though; the people here seemed content, happy even. And they violently denied my plan once I presented it to them, going so far as to point pitchforks at my face and threaten to stab me if I didn't leave.
Was I afraid? Of course not. Those pitchforks were more likely to shatter if they attempted to stab me. But seeing another group of people call me stupid and fake and whatever, it was-
It-
I took a deep breath, my eyes twitching as I did my best not to let my polite smile fall. I reigned in my annoyance as I used my [Hawk Eyes] to look around, wondering why this village felt so different compared to the ones I'd visited previously. And it didn't take long before I found it.
An adepti was protecting this village, living within the house of the village chief. I walked right past the crowd and knocked on the door, and soon an old man came out. But I knew better; this old man was an adepti in disguise.
I frowned. This old man was an adepti—that was true. But why did he feel more like a demon than anything else?
"Greetings, my Lady." My eyes twitched again. His voice felt grating to my ears. "For what reason have you come here?"
"Demons are coming. The war of gods is becoming worse." I showed him my [Serenitea Pot]. "I have a Personal World for your people to live inside."
A dangerous gleam entered the old man's eyes. "Is that so."
"Yep."
Silence fell between us, before the old man suddenly warped. His skin turned to scales, his muscles tore as his body elongated, and his mouth opened too wide as fangs protruded from his jaws. The people who'd followed behind me shrieked in terror as they saw their esteemed village chief morph into a monster.
Both my 5★ activated the moment I felt the danger, and so the corrupted adepti was essentially moving in slow motion in my eyes.
My eyes twitched. I was tired. I was hungry. I was sore. My chest hurt. I wanted nothing more than to return to my dojo and sleep. I wanted nothing more than to scream at Celestia for putting out their stupid decree.
So I was sure even Guizhong would forgive me for what I did next.
My [Sacrificial Sword] flashed into my hands. Bluish winds spun around my blade, a hiss left my grit teeth, and the corrupted adepti's eyes went wide as I slammed my sword straight through his skull. The winds blasted outward as a hurricane, cutting and blowing away everything in its path. The chief's house, the empty houses behind it, the roads and fields—all carried off to the skies before the debris fell like rain.
Everything became silent after that. I shoved my sword back into my Inventory, and when I turned to meet the villagers, they all scurried back. Their eyes were wide, terrified—afraid of the power I just showed.
A part of me felt bad for terrifying these poor people.
Most of me was too damned tired right now.
I brought out my [Serenitea Pot] and pointed at it. "New World. New home." I punctuated. Made sure my words were as basic as they could be. "New life. Join?"
The villagers were as still as stone for what felt like forever, before one of them eventually stepped up. It was a young child, and though they were just as terrified of me as everyone else, I could also see the determination. "W-We'll join!" He shouted, even as his voice shook.
I nodded with a small sigh, and I opened the teapot's lid. A massive cloud rose from inside and brought them into my Personal World. But I didn't join them this time, and once the clouds went away, I was the sole person left in this ruined village. A deep sigh left me as I let the halo above my head fade away.
I staggered over to one of the remaining houses, found myself a somewhat suitable bed, and then I fell right into it.
I fell asleep in seconds.
.
.
.
As I remained unconscious in the real world, something not-so-inconsequential occurred within my Personal World.
The villagers remained rooted in place as they stared at the new world they'd been brought into. But a great fear soon arose in many of them—after all, they'd been so terribly rude to their savior. And not only that, those winds they had seen, it was nothing like they'd ever witnessed before.
They all knew that their chief was no ordinary man. The children even speculated that he was an adepti that lived amongst them. But if that was the case, then who could their savior be, if she was someone who had slain an adepti with nothing but a swing of her sword?
Just as their fear neared a boiling point, they heard a loud sigh. "Oh dear, oh dear. It seemed the Fate Defiant was truly tired." They turned and saw Chubby approach, floating towards them in his magical teapot. "Greetings, dear mortals. You may call me Chubby."
"Hello, sir adepti!" One of the children said, too young to be afraid of what they'd seen.
Chubby chuckled. "And hello to you, young one. Welcome to this world." They glanced at the villagers that'd entered this world, and they sighed. "My, you have done a great slight against the Fate Defiant, have you not?"
The adults gulped. This adepti seemed to be working under their savior, and implied that their savior had created this world. It didn't take long to realize that their slight was far worse than they'd imagined.
They hadn't just been rude to an adepti; they'd outright denied the generosity of a god.
"Worry not, dear mortals. The Fate Defiant is far more merciful than many. They were simply…preoccupied." Chubby nodded to themselves. "Yes. That suffices, I suppose." They cleared their throat. "As the Fate Defiant is unavailable, I shall guide you through this fledgling world."
After the adepti fully helped them explore their new home, the adults let their children continue to explore while they convened.
"What do we do?"
"What can we do? We made a god angry. A god!"
"We're as good as dead!"
Despair hung above them like a blade. Some already began preparing words to beg for mercy once Lady Venti eventually came into this world. Some were already prepared to outright jump off the island to escape the thick haze of terror and despair they'd been plunged into.
But then a young woman stepped up. "We have done a great slight against Lady Venti. That will never change." She said, her fists clenched tight. After all, she'd also been one of the people who outright denied their savior's blessing. "But as Lord Chubby said, our Lady is a merciful one." Her eyes blazed with determination. "If we must serve her for a thousand years to make up for what we have done, then shall be it."
It was those words that eventually made that young woman their new chief. She was barely twenty years old, but no one disagreed.
Later, as people began rebuilding their homes, a new tradition was formed. They would carve little statues of Lady Venti from wood, and they would pray to it whenever they did anything. Cooking, tending to the fields, or even just when they decide to rest—every action they did would be dedicated to their Lady.
The other villagers saw this, and though they didn't know why exactly they began doing this, copied them. And in just a few days, nearly everyone had their own little wooden statue of their Lady. A stone mason even carved a larger statue and placed it in the center of their new budding city. It would soon become a place of ritual and worship.
And far away, on the current highest island in the world, Chubby chuckled to themselves. Oh, they could already imagine Venti's reaction once he arrived.
It would be delightful!