The attack Kamisato Satoru had casually unleashed earlier seemed to have carved a terrifying chasm into the earth that stretched beyond the horizon.
That kind of power didn’t seem all that different from a god’s ability to reshape the landscape.
"One of these days, I’m definitely dragging that useless Anemo Archon over for a fight. Then you’ll understand that I wasn’t joking."
Kamisato Satoru wasn’t angry in the slightest. Instead, he enthusiastically began planning it out.
As far as he was concerned, if he could actually beat a god into the ground, the synchronization progress on his system interface would surely skyrocket.
"Achoo! There aren’t even any cats around here, so why am I suddenly so itchy?"
Sitting atop Dvalin’s back, Venti suddenly sneezed loudly before suspiciously looking around.
His allergy to cat fur was extremely severe. Normally, he wouldn’t even dare go anywhere near the entrance of The Cat’s Tail.
"Lord Venti, were you perhaps injured during the battle just now?"
Acting Grand Master Jean immediately looked concerned and softly asked about his condition.
"Not at all! Don’t worry!"
Venti hurriedly shook his head to show that he was perfectly fine.
After all, during that supposed life-or-death battle, he’d spent practically the entire time slacking off in the back.
It would be a miracle if he’d somehow managed to get injured.
"Hmph! This bard barely did anything! He spent the whole fight standing around playing support while Lumine and everyone else were the ones actually risking their lives!"
Paimon glared unhappily at the Anemo Archon, waving her tiny hands wildly through the air.
She remembered it perfectly.
Several times, Lumine had nearly been caught by Dvalin’s breath attacks, yet Venti had still stood off to the side watching as though none of it had anything to do with him.
"Ehe! (⊙▽⊙)"
Venti awkwardly scratched the back of his head.
Faced with all those accusations, he merely responded with his signature expression of feigned innocence.
For a moment, Jean didn’t even know what to say.
Ever since the legendary Anemo Archon had appeared before her, everything she’d witnessed suggested that he was nothing more than an unreliable alcoholic who loved slacking off.
She couldn’t find even the faintest trace of the noble virtues described in historical records.
It was difficult not to feel somewhat disappointed.
...
The group soon reached the outskirts of Mondstadt.
After Dvalin safely lowered Lumine and the others to the ground, he spread his wings and flew back toward the depths of Stormterror’s Lair.
"What a stingy dragon. Next time, I’m definitely bringing that terrifyingly destructive little Klee over to have a nice tour of your home."
Still carrying Eula steadily in his arms, Kamisato Satoru stared at Dvalin’s fading silhouette and muttered under his breath.
Several beads of cold sweat instantly appeared on Venti’s forehead.
He had long since heard about just how terrifying Klee’s demolition abilities were.
Even compared with her infamous mother Alice, she probably wasn’t that far behind.
Those terrifying things called Jumpy Dumpties were absurdly powerful even by a god’s standards.
More importantly, the child seemed to have an endless supply of them hidden in her pockets.
If Klee were really allowed to wander around Stormterror’s Lair for a while, by tomorrow morning Mondstadt would probably be hearing news that the entire place had been erased from the map.
"Mr. Kamisato Satoru, I must insist that you abandon any plans involving Klee and dangerous explosives."
Jean’s expression became extremely serious, her tone carrying an unquestionable warning.
As Acting Grand Master, she remembered all too clearly the "earth-shattering" incidents once caused by Klee’s mother, Alice.
If Klee were truly allowed to run wild in Stormterror’s Lair, Dvalin might actually be bullied into tears.
Mondstadt could very well end up facing another dragon crisis.
"Exactly! I completely support the Acting Grand Master’s opinion!"
Venti hurriedly nodded along from the side, trying to conceal his unease.
"Oh, shut the hell up! You alcoholic slacker who does nothing but scam people everywhere! Go die!"
"Take this! Thomas Spiral Acceleration Skyward Spin!"
The moment Kamisato Satoru saw Venti’s cheeky grin, veins began throbbing across his forehead.
He reached out, grabbed the flamboyant green cape on Venti’s back, and hurled him toward the clouds with tremendous force.
"WAAAAAAAH!"
Venti transformed into a spinning green blur and shot straight into the sky amid a fading scream.
He kept going until he became a tiny black dot and completely disappeared from everyone’s sight.
Kamisato Satoru dusted off his hands without even wondering where the guy would eventually land.
"Relax. That guy’s ridiculously hard to kill. A fall isn’t going to do anything to him."
Noticing the strange and complicated look Jean was giving him, Kamisato Satoru calmly offered an explanation.
"That’s not what we’re worried about. More importantly, Eula... you don’t look quite right."
Jean didn’t dwell on Venti’s whereabouts.
Instead, she turned her inquisitive gaze toward Eula, who was still tightly clinging to Kamisato Satoru’s neck.
Her eyes were filled with concern...
And an unmistakable hint of curiosity about what exactly was going on between those two.
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