It's been a few days since Lumine decided to join me in my adventures, and I'm forever glad that she did. Now that she was with me, my journey was filled with stories and laughs, and the urge to sleep early when night came never reappeared. It was hard to imagine that I spent three years exploring Liyue on my own.
Sure, we've gotten into quite the fair share of danger due to our combined tomfoolery, but that just made things more interesting. I was glad to see that Lumine was more than happy to follow her intrusive thoughts; that just meant she felt safe enough with me to indulge in her own spirit of adventure.
"Now that's just mean." Lumine said with a pout as she looked over my shoulder.
I smirked as I rolled my scroll back up. "I'm just being truthful, that's all." I winked. "But really, it's nice to see you finally relax."
She blushed before she quickly grinned. "Hard not to after I saw you fall face-first into a pool of mud."
I rolled my eyes. "You joined me right after."
She glared. "I was not expecting that geovishap to explode from the ground like a bore drill."
I giggled. Honestly, that was embarrassing for both of us. We could've taken that geovishap hatchling out in a single blow if we wanted to, and yet we managed to get both our behinds handed to us by what was essentially a baby. And sure we were both laughing from a stupid joke Lumine made, but that was just an excuse.
Though, considering how young that geovishap hatchling was, it was quite inappropriate for Lumine to suggest cooking it immediately after we caught it. But maybe that was common in some worlds Lumine visited? She did mention that eating lamb was something she did once.
We let it go eventually. Convincing Lumine was a struggle though.
"By the way, how're you doing with those Scrolls I gave you?" I asked as I placed my diary scroll back into my backpack.
Lumine nodded. She held out her hand, and the space atop her palm twisted as an apple suddenly appeared in her hands. "It works." She said as she took a bite. "It doesn't feel as convenient as the Spatial Bag I had, but this is pretty good too." She smiled. "Thank you, Venti."
I smiled. That was good. When I heard that Lumine used to have something similar to my Inventory before her strength was sealed, I decided to give her one of my Talent scrolls that allowed the user to have a limited version of my Inventory. I obviously didn't need it, so I decided to give it to Lumine—both to help her and to see if my Talent scrolls would work with her.
I winked. "It's my pleasure~"
She giggled as she sat next to me. "So, where to next?" She asked, bringing out a stick from her Space to idly poke the small campfire we'd lit.
I hummed. I'd finished my main task of going to that underground village and documenting how everything had developed there. Normally I'd start heading back to Liyue Harbor, but I didn't feel like going back yet. Or at least not without doing anything else.
And for a moment, I debated taking a quick visit to the neighboring region. Sure, it'd be covered in snow and was, as Guizhong described, all-around miserable. But there was something in me that wanted to see it. To at least cast my eyes upon it; confirm that it truly was real.
I forced the thought back. It'd be a bad idea, at least until Decarabian stopped being such a shut-in and decided to open up communications with Liyue.
"I don't know." I admitted, rolling a pebble I picked up across my hand. "I'd start heading back home by now, but it's only been a few days since we began traveling." I pursed my lips. "Wouldn't it feel weird if we went back so quickly?"
"Mm, not really." She smiled as she threw her stick into the fire. "Honestly, I'm interested to see what Liyue Harbor really looks like." She glanced at the starry skies above. "You make it sound a lot like China." She smiled. "I wouldn't mind if we went back."
I nodded. I wasn't sure what this 'China' looked like, but it felt right. "Well, if you say so." I took a breath of the night air, and then yawned. "We should probably go to sleep now."
Lumine yawned as well "It's been a long day." She whispered as she rubbed her eyes.
After we pulled out a sleeping mat for each of us, I went and snuffed out the fire. Once we did, we both tucked ourselves under a blanket. "Good night." Lumine whispered.
"Night~"
And soon, we both fell asleep beneath the stars.
.
.
.
A week later, after a few more incidents throughout their journey, she and Venti finally made it back to Liyue.
And, sure, they could've reached it a few days prior if they were faster, but she couldn't just ignore those peaks she saw. They were practically begging to be climbed, and though she couldn't fly as easily as she normally could, she could at least glide back down if she needed.
Whatever the case, they made it to Liyue Harbor eventually, and she took a shaky breath as they went past the city gates.
The way Venti had described it made it sound like Ancient China, and she was right. It definitely reminded her of the more oriental cities back in China. It'd…been a long time since she visited Earth, but it was a memory she treasured deeply. After all, it was one of the first worlds she and Aether visited after they survived the catastrophe that took their home.
…Aether.
She missed him.
Normally he'd be by her side, reprimanding her for her actions whenever she got too rowdy, reminder her to keep safe whenever things got dangerous, cooking her food whenever she got hungry-
And now he was gone.
"Lumine?"
She nearly yelped when she felt Venti's hand on her shoulder. "W-What?" She asked. She quickly forced a smile onto her face. "What's wrong?"
Venti frowned as he glanced at the people watching him—actually, why were people looking at them so much? They didn't stand out that much, did they?
Before she could ask, Venti smiled. "Come on." He winked. "Let me bring you to my home. It's not too far from here."
She let him lead. She was half-expecting him to start introducing the city he called home, but he was strangely silent. She was glad though, but she wasn't sure what she could say.
It hurt how much this reminded her of Aether. Quiet but so protective, willing to scour entire planets if they were ever separated.
She missed him.
They eventually made it to Venti's home, and what a home it was! She wasn't sure what she was expecting, but it sure wasn't a massive dojo with nearly two dozen different rooms. Not only that, but she could feel some energy coursing through the structure, as if the building itself was a divine construct—alive and breathing.
She narrowed her eyes as Venti led her in. He'd told her that he was Liyue's Storyteller, and while she believed that bit, it was clear that something else was going on as well. There was no way a historian got paid this well.
Totally sus.
"So~" Venti grinned as he led her to the dining room. "What'd you think? Pretty nice place, right?"
"It is." She said, conveniently not glancing at the row of bottled incense and carved jades on a nearby wooden counter. They almost looked like offerings. "You have some good stuff here." She said, exaggeratedly turning her head towards the items. "Didn't know being a historian gets you this much money."
His grin only grew at her obvious suspicion. "Nah, that's just stuff people have given me." He giggled. "The people here are so nice and friendly."
She narrowed her eyes. Alright, she was practically certain that Venti wasn't just a simple Storyteller. The way the people gazed at him—eyes filled with awe and reverence. The obviously-expensive offerings placed on that counter. The fact that he could control winds with just a wave of his hands-
Oh.
Oh.
She glared. "You're an Archon, aren't you?"
He giggled. "Close! There can only be seven Archons across Teyvat as chosen by Celestia, and Morax is Liyue's Archon."
"A god then." She then said, and his grin stretched ear-to-ear as she grumbled. "Of course. I should've realized that so long ago. What normal person would even know what Celestia is?"
"Ehe~" He winked. "Surprise?"
She rolled her eyes. She supposed it was her fault for not noticing. "So, what? You're a god of wind or something?"
He shrugged. "Pretty much. People also call me a god of Liberation, Music, and Crafting. It's all just semantics though."
…hmm. It's strange. She'd met many gods on her journey across universes, but never one that seemed so outright dismissive of his own stature. Then again, she supposed that was how Venti was.
She smiled gently.
She truly was glad that it was Venti that had found her. It still scared her to ponder over what would've happened if she woke in Teyvat all alone. Or, heavens forbid, she was found by some other faction and was forced to join them or something.
She truly was fortunate.
"So, now that we're here, where should we go first?" She smirked. "Your home's cool and all, but I'm itching to go somewhere else."
"How about some food then?" He smiled. "I can show you my favorite noodle stall. He's been working there for twenty years now, and no one else comes even slightly close."
Ah, the decades-old food master. A classic of any culture.
"I'm in." She stood up from her chair and smiled. "Let's go then."
Venti grinned. "Let's!"