"Venti's fine, isn't he?" Guizhong muttered, idly biting her lip. It was a habit she'd developed somewhat recently. "He has to be, right? I mean, I know that he is, but what if he's just faking it? O-Or maybe he got into some trouble and he's pretending that nothing's wrong, or-"
Morax sighed. "Venti is well."
"He is?"
"Yes. He is." He emphasized, though knowing his words would fall on deaf ears. His fellow god would certainly begin worrying again not too long after.
He gently swirled the small cup of osmanthus wine he'd poured out for himself. The scent was nostalgic, and comforting. It was once something his people had gifted to him—an offering to bless their fields with great harvest, if he remembered true. Over his life, it'd become something he truly enjoyed.
And he was delighted to find that Venti thought the same. He had shared some osmanthus wine with him once, and Venti had been so taken by it that he instinctively asked for an entire bottle. His face had gone a deep red when he realized his enthusiasm, and Morax had smiled as he gifted him a bottle.
He silently gazed out the window of Guizhong's office as he took a sip.
His assurance to Guizhong was no mere placation. He knew Venti was well. After all, he had prayed that Venti's journey would go well, and Venti had promised to return to Liyue. A Contract was born between them, and through that link could he feel for Venti's well-being; a technique borrowing the resonance Venti had taught him.
It was underhanded. It was the first time he had forged a contract with such secrecy, and even now Guizhong remained unknowing to it. It felt…shameful. Yes, shameful. Driven more from instinct than any rational thought.
But it gave him peace of mind, knowing his friend remained well out there.
Though perhaps it was unnecessary. Some time before, he had heard that a few survivors had entered Liyue Harbor, and they spoke in reverence of their savior—a traveller who aided them with great marksmanship, an adepti that swept entire hordes of demons with a wave of her arms, a god who commanded winds and offered liberation.
And not long ago, he had felt the death of a demonic god. Not simply the sealing or the defeat. Nay. But the genuine death of a demonic god, their karmic debt paid and their existence shredded apart. A feat even he was incapable of doing alone, as he often needed to seal them away instead.
It wasn't terribly difficult to realize who had done it.
Venti, the Ascending Gale they called him. How would his friend react to such a title, he wondered.
Ha, he'd likely flush and attempt to deny it. And Guizhong would relentlessly tease him about it.
He hummed. Even now, he remained unsure on what Venti truly was. Not quite a mortal, and yet not a god. He wasn't a being that stood in between either. The more he thought of it, the more it felt as if his friend was someone that stood beyond the classifications set beneath the false sky.
Perhaps some would be wary, but he found himself caring little. It was an illogical feeling, but Venti was his friend. His compatriot. And that was enough.
...Hmm.
His gaze darkened for a moment.
Not all was well, of course. With the true death of a god came consequences. He knew many others had felt this shift in balance, and it would not take long before they pinpointed who had caused such a change. The moment they did, they would certainly aim for Venti's head.
It was why Guizhong worried so. She too understood what had happened. And it tore her that Venti was still far beyond the city gates.
It was unfair for her. She was not like him; her martial strength was far eclipsed by both him and even Venti. She could not simply leave Liyue Harbor to bring Venti to safety. It was why she'd been so adamant in learning from him as of late, so that what had happened in Guili Assembly would never occur again.
But he could. And he would. If those gods dared to aim for Venti's head, then he would act.
His eyes shone, amber eyes burning like the sun.
He would not let his friend come to harm. He would bury his enemies into the earth—plunged so deep they would never again see the stars.
He would ensure they suffered the Wrath of the Rock.
…
Meanwhile, Guizhong shivered slightly as she glanced at Morax. Ergh, the blockhead was getting all scary and serious again. He was probably cursing his enemies or something. Maybe even using that weird line he likes to use whenever he buries some demonic god with a giant meteor.
She wasn't so affected, though she knew she was an outlier. Most mortals would probably faint if they felt the sheer pressure Morax was exuding right now. Morax's wrath was not something most could survive from.
She turned away and sighed. Oh, Venti, Venti, Venti. Why do you have so brilliant? Creating an entirely new world, saving people, destroying demonic gods—it almost sounded like some play she would occasionally listen to whenever she visited her favorite teahouse.
Was she jealous?
Well-, a little. The fact that Venti got this strong in so little time made her want to puff up her cheeks and pout, but she supposed that was what makes Venti so special. "One who stands beyond mortals and gods." As Morax likes to poetically say.
But at the same time, who else could she blame but herself? She'd become so content with Morax by her side, and it'd almost cost her everything. Had Venti not gone out that night, had he not accepted the Feiyun's invitation on a whim—then perhaps Guili Assembly would have fallen, and Morax would have returned home to find a corpse instead.
Her chest itched and burnt at the thought, as if something was trying to claw their way out of her lungs. Morax glanced at her, no doubt worried at the sudden change in her expression. She gave her best smile and turned away.
She would never be as strong as Morax. She could never aim as well as Venti. She probably couldn't even win in a contest of strength against some of her own Millelith soldiers.
She knew what her people thought of her. They revered her just like they did Morax, but she was Liyue's flower. Gentle and delicate and oh Guizhong could never hurt a fly! And she'd liked that in the past—it made her feel special. But now whenever she heard that, she had the urge to grab and throw them into the ocean.
But she was changing that! She still wasn't much of a fighter, but she was getting better. Her authority as the god of dust made her frustrated at first—after all, what could one even do with dust of all things? It wasn't like Morax's Geo that could create entire islands and shatter whole mountains.
Venti had other ideas. And what incredible ideas they were! She never knew that igniting a gathering of dust could create an explosion, or that they generated powerful shocks of Electro if she controlled them right.
But she also wondered how Venti even knew all that. When she'd attempted to ask once, Venti's expression had gone completely blank, and then Venti would seemingly forget the question entirely. It was…a little scary, to be honest. As if some being was forcefully trying to keep Venti silent.
She didn't dare ask anymore questions. But she didn't need to. Besides, getting all the answers would be boring, and she was having a lot of fun just testing things out.
Like, did you know you could cause someone to suffocate if you pushed enough dust into their lungs? Morax had helped her experiment with a demon god he defeated a few weeks back. It was fascinating how quickly even gods would begin begging for mercy once she started. Even Morax looked a little surprised.
Ehe.
Though right now she was experimenting with creating something new. The fact that dust could explode when ignited gave her an idea for a new weapon—something that should be stronger than any ballista. The details weren't fully there yet, but she was confident she could get something down soon enough.
Once she did, she could finally help Morax and Venti when the demon gods inevitably came before Liyue's gates.
It would be awesome!
.
.
.
A week after I left to travel across the entire region, I finally returned to Liyue Harbor. I'd visited every village on the map Guizhong had visited me, and I'd brought in nearly 500 new inhabitants to my Personal World.
Thankfully, my Personal World was massive. Even with 500 people, there was still a lot of space for people to enjoy themselves. And even if the islands would eventually be filled, I could just purchase more islands to make more space.
When I arrived at the city gates though, I was surprised to find an entire platoon of soldiers were there to greet me. """Welcome back, Lady Venti!""" They said as one, and the most I could do was shyly wave back as they welcomed me in. But I'd seen a similar reverence already, and so I quickly regained my wits as I walked past the gates.
Those wits lasted barely five seconds when I saw that practically everyone from Liyue Harbor was there to welcome me as well. They cheered and heaped me with praises, and my expression was wooden as I walked.
I mean, I knew I inspired some awe due to people seeing me as an adepti, but this was a bit much, wasn't it? They were practically treating me like a god! And what was this whole 'Ascending Gale' thing!?
What the hell was going on!?