The Anemo Archon had truly elevated the art of "slacking off" to its absolute peak.
"Ehe! It’s not like you put up a sign saying ’No Venti or Dogs Allowed’!"
Venti blinked his large eyes, wearing the irritatingly innocent expression of a completely blameless passerby.
Kamisato Satoru helplessly pressed a hand to his forehead. He genuinely didn’t know what to do with this guy.
"Ehe, my ass! Keep this up and I’ll head over to Stormterror’s Lair and stew Dvalin for dinner!"
"Whoa, whoa! Stop right there! There’s no need to be so violent. I just happened to be passing by and thought I’d sit down and relax for a while."
Hearing Kamisato Satoru threaten to cook his own dragon, Venti shrank back slightly, clearly losing some of his confidence.
If an ordinary Vision bearer said something like that, he would simply dismiss it as boasting.
But when it came to Kamisato Satoru, Venti knew perfectly well that the terrifying power hidden beneath that blindfold really was enough to make good on the threat.
"So you’re telling me that you encouraged my sister and the others to risk themselves stealing the lyre, while you sit here slacking off and drinking juice?"
After hearing Venti’s entire plan, the corner of Kamisato Satoru’s mouth twitched violently.
He almost wanted to give the bard a shoulder throw on the spot.
"My body’s far too frail and delicate. How could I possibly sneak past all those fully armed Knights of Favonius?"
Kamisato Satoru sneered. Even with his blindfold on, he made absolutely no attempt to hide the enormous eye roll.
You’re the freaking Anemo Archon, capable of moving mountains and reshaping the land, and you’re telling me you can’t avoid a patrol of ordinary knights? Who the hell would believe that?!
"Venti, I should warn you. There are a lot of things moving beneath the surface in Mondstadt right now. That lyre isn’t going to be so easy to get."
"The Fatui."
Venti’s gaze sharpened instantly.
He might spend every day fooling around with a grin on his face, but that didn’t mean he was blind to what was happening around him.
"Meet me at Angel’s Share late tonight. I have a feeling something big is about to happen."
Whoosh!
Before he had even finished speaking, the bard transformed into a fragrant breeze and completely vanished into the air.
"The tavern, huh?"
"What an unreliable god from head to toe."
Kamisato Satoru chuckled helplessly. He then stood up, swiftly closed the shop, and leisurely made his way toward the tavern.
...
Kamisato Satoru pushed open the heavy oak door, and the rich aroma of alcohol immediately washed over him.
Looking up, he spotted the unmistakable red-haired man behind the bar, wearing his usual cold expression as he mechanically wiped a glass.
Every time Kamisato Satoru saw Diluc looking as though the entire world owed him money, he couldn’t help wanting to laugh.
He had always felt that this champion of justice had been given the wrong Vision.
The Pyro Archon must have been distracted when handing them out.
"It’s rare to see you here at this hour."
Diluc stopped what he was doing, a faint trace of surprise flashing through his eyes.
According to his intelligence network, Kamisato Satoru’s background was as clean as a blank sheet of paper, yet somehow as mysterious as an impenetrable fog.
"Yo, good evening, Master Diluc. Get me an apple juice with ice."
Kamisato Satoru greeted him cheerfully before naturally taking the most conspicuous seat at the bar.
Charles, the bartender nearby, silently nodded and turned to retrieve the freshest apple juice from the shelf.
In Mondstadt, not everyone who entered a tavern came to get drunk. Some simply enjoyed the relaxed atmosphere that came with the place.
"Ordering juice in a tavern. You really are an oddity in Mondstadt."
Diluc delivered the jab in his usual cold tone before getting straight to the point.
"Well? What do you want from me?"
"I’m not here for you. Some green-clad alcoholic told me to meet him here."
Kamisato Satoru leisurely took a sip of his ice-cold juice, his tone completely relaxed.
"Green-clad?"
"You mean that bard who’s always singing in the plaza to scam people into buying him drinks?"
As the true owner behind the tavern, Diluc had an exceptionally strong impression of the penniless bard whose name frequently ended up on unpaid tabs.
"That’s him. The alcoholic who never does any proper work and only knows how to go ’ehe.’"
Kamisato Satoru chuckled in agreement, meeting Diluc’s speechless gaze.
"What legitimate business could a slacker who only knows how to drink and sing possibly have with someone who sells beverages?"
"That slacker isn’t ordinary at all. He’s Mondstadt’s elusive Anemo Archon himself, Lord Barbatos. I’m just here to watch the fun tonight."
Without the slightest hesitation, Kamisato Satoru completely exposed Venti’s identity.
After all, with Acting Grand Master Jean’s intelligence, she had probably figured it out long ago.
Diluc would discover the truth sooner or later anyway.
"...I see. No wonder something about that guy has always felt strangely off."
Diluc froze for barely a fraction of a second before calmly accepting the earth-shattering revelation.
According to the intelligence he’d gathered, Venti seemed to have simply appeared out of thin air. There was virtually no trace of his past anywhere.
Aside from his habit of drinking without paying, he had never done anything particularly harmful.
That was why Diluc had never bothered investigating him too deeply before.
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