4

With a pained grunt, I struggle to open my eyes as the sunlight from the window hits my face. I stir and turn away, trying to go back to sleep, but the head-splitting migraine prevents me from that. I don't know what the hell is going on right now, but my head is pounding and I feel sick.

What the hell happened? Why am I feeling like this? Even after so many eons, I still recognize this feeling. Why the fuck am I hungover? This is the worst, I can barely even think straight. First the whole bullshit from last night and now this? How much was I nerfed? And to make matters worse, my throat feels dry, like I haven't drank anything for decades.

"Mom, why?" I mumble in sorrow, though it came out as a dry whimper instead. "This isn't funny damn it."

I'm supposed to be the god of drinking and having fun or some shit. This goes against me completely. I don't care if I'm mortal again, I should at least be immune to this. The only thing I have going for me right now is my skills and supernatural physical strength.

But that isn't all. Thankfully I remember last night rather clearly, so I know that I'm still able to hold my liquor to a reasonable degree compared to regular people, even if I did get drunk. Still, I got immediately tired when I was with that chick. Three rounds and I was panting. It's a fucking embarrassment. I could handle not being as strong, I'm okay with not being able to use my magic, and I'm only slightly miffed at my weakened alcohol tolerance, but this?

This crosses the line.

I let out a groan as I sit down on the bed, not finding that weird chick anywhere, before rubbing my neck and trying to think of my next move. I can stay here and continue whining, but that won't help me go anywhere. I have to find a solution for these new problems: Get better stamina and prevent any more hangovers in the future, which would mean I need to stop drinking for a while, and that's gonna suck ass.

As I get off the bed, I quickly spot a pair of blue and red eyes looking back at me, belonging to a black cat wearing a white collar with a silver bell and a letter attached to it as it sat on a dressing table. It takes me a moment, but I quickly recognize it after processing my surroundings.

"Ah, Sir Bubbles," I smile, immediately feeling much better. "Always nice to see a familiar face around here."

My cat gets closer to me with a tilted head, prompting me to scratch his chin as he lets out a satisfied purr. I take the letter off its collar and read it, sighing in exasperation as I continue to pet Sir Bubbles.

Dear Crimson,

Get fucked, bitch

Sincerely, your mother

PS: Leveling up boosts all of your attributes, dumbass.

"Sure, tell me something I already know while calling me a dumbass. That's fair," I mutter. "Real mature of you, seriously."

Her way of motivation never changed, but I was the idiot for expecting otherwise. The tough love method has always been how she raised us, she was never above mocking us for our 'stupidity'. Fine, I'll play your games, as if I have any other option. It's the only chance of winning anyway.

"And I'm guessing you're going back?" I glance at my greatest companion. "I doubt she's gonna give me help like this."

Sir Bubbles purrs affectionately before stepping back, the bell ringing on his collar making me flinch in pain. As a portal opens behind him, he lowers his head in a respectful bow before jumping through it, leaving me alone. Thought as much.

My head is still pounding, but I put on my clothes, take my greatsword, and head downstairs. A red-haired man is standing behind the counter, alone in the tavern as he cleans the glasses and tankards. He notices me and nods in greeting, making me do the same.

That's not the same bartender I met last night I don't think. I would've recognized his hair if he was.

The first thing I notice is that this guy also has a vision, one like that Amber girl. An orange-colored one with flames as a symbol, but unlike her, this man looks better trained if his posture is anything to go by. Even more so than that guy who interrogated me.

Interesting. Out of all the people I've seen, I think this man might be the toughest one yet.

"Wait." He calls out to me, as I'm about to leave. "Here, on the house."

He puts a glass of water on the counter, making me look at him with a raised brow.

"That's generous of you," I comment. "Are you sure?"

He gives me a flat look. "Do you want to be sarcastic, or do you want to ease your hangover?"

"You're right," I confirm, taking the glass. "My thanks."

He nods and goes back to silently cleaning as I drink from the glass. I put it on the counter once I'm done, admittedly feeling much better, and leave the tavern. Leveling up means I have to kill stuff, which means I'll have to be at a higher rank than I am. I'm still stuck with doing errands.

That's too bad, I'm in the mood to punch something.

As I head towards the desk, trying my absolute damndest to ignore the headache, I spot Lumine there with her floating pet talking to the receptionist. I notice the worried frown on Katheryne, but because of said headache, I can't pick up on what they're talking about.

"Morning," I say, gaining their attention. "Why the long face? Something happened?"

The two ladies – and the flying child – look at one another for a moment, then Katheryne answers.

"We just got some worrying info regarding the Treasure Hoarders." She says.

"The what?"

"The biggest criminal organization in the world. You can find them all over Teyvat." She clarifies. "A big camp of them was seen in Starfell Valley, over a hundred men strong."

"Ah." I nod as if I fully understood the situation. "I'm assuming you want them taken care of?"

"Well, yes, but most adventurers here are busy with other commissions." She responds. "We already sent an emergency callback, but we're not sure when they'll return."

"And so, Lumine decided to go on her own and beat them to a pulp!" Paimon quips with a grin, puffing her chest as she floats in front of me. "She's pretty cool, isn't she?"

"Wha- no I didn't!" Lumine denies the claim, looking shocked that her floating child would suggest such a thing. "I can't deal with a hundred Treasure Hoarders on my own."

"Eh? I mean, you defeated Dvalin." Paimon tilts her head. "I think a giant dragon is a lot scarier than a handful of bandits."

"I had help, and it was weakened." She argues. "If I try to attack a camp that big, I'll just get overwhelmed."

"And the knights?" I raise a brow, ignoring their bickering.

"Spread out thin already." She shakes her head. "They can only spare one knight to us, thankfully who's already at the site."

"Only one?"

"It's the Captain of the Reconnaissance Company, Ms. Eula Lawrence." She clarifies. "She's worth a dozen men on her own, but we're still not sure if this is good enough."

"I could lend a hand," I offer with a shrug. "I mean, it's either that or doing some chores around the city, and I know which will pay me more."

The offer seems to have stunned them as all three looked at me with varying degrees of surprise. Paimon and Lumine look at one another before glancing at Katheryne, who wears an uncertain expression. After a moment, she responds to the unasked question.

"He's too low-ranked to be going on a dangerous expedition like this." She says. "I know you vouched for him, but I still can't do that."

"Well, two people aren't enough for this, Katheryne," Lumine argues. "Look, I've seen him fight. He's Visionless, yes, but he took care of an entire Hilichurl camp nearly on his own without suffering any injuries."

"I understand that, but still…" The receptionist hesitates, still unsure.

I'm about to try to convince her myself, at least give a show of my strength, but then another oddly familiar voice calls out to us.

"Oh, if it isn't the Traveler!" They say with a cheerful tone. "And is that a new face I see?"

I glance at them and pause, slightly taken aback at what I'm seeing and sensing. It's the same chick I had sex with last night, only shorter, lacking in breasts, and very obviously a boy instead.

And he couldn't be a brother or a relative. He had the same odd divine power much stronger than those Vision wielders, nearly the same voice, and he smelled the same as that chick. Am I wrong? Were my senses also nerfed or some shit? The boy glances at me, and I easily notice the lustful glint in his eyes, as good as he is at hiding it.

…Did I accidentally fuck a trap last night? I mean, it wouldn't be the first time it happened. I was definitely drunk, so maybe I don't remember things as clearly as I thought. Could've sworn it was a chick, though. That would explain why he's looking at me like that.

Hmm…

"Oh, hey, Venti," Paimon waves. They even have the same name. "Wait, this is perfect!"

"Hmm?" The boy(?) named Venti blinks at Paimon, who turns to Katheryne. "What is?"

"The five of us can handle it!" Paimon voices, floating to the desk. "Lumine already proved herself, we know Crimson is strong, and while tone-deaf, Venti is a good marksman."

"And who's the fifth member?" I quip with an amused smirk.

"That's me, obviously." She points at herself, looking all cocky.

"And what do you bring to the table?" I ask.

"Moral support."

"Of course, what would we do without you?" I shake my head as she grins cheekily. "Well, I assume this is good enough? If you're worried about me, I'll be in safe hands."

"The odds of success are much higher with all of us together, so I'm inclined to agree here," Lumine adds. "It is safer, too."

"Oh, some sort of commission? I haven't done one of those in a while, and this humble bard is in need of money admittedly." Venti nods to himself. "What will we be dealing with?"

The receptionist looks at the four of us and sighs. "I suppose we do need some people to scout ahead. Please promise me you won't do anything dangerous?"

"I promise." Lumine nods.

Heh, I don't.

Gonna need some of those levels, and bandits sound like a great target. Besides, why scout and wait for reinforcement when you can just wipe them out easily? You should always avoid losing resources seeing that the knights are 'spread out thin' and whatnot.

And if I'm seen as 'strong' for level one, I wonder how powerful I'll be after ten or twenty levels. Is it an exponential increase? Who knows. I know I will after I take care of that camp. Also, a possible huge leap in ranks. That's always useful.

"Alright, I've already filled in Ms. Lawrence, so here's what we know so far."

"Wait just one second." I cut her off. "I hate to be that kind of guy, but how much are we getting paid exactly? We're not working for free, y'know."

"Something of this scale…" She pauses, frowning in thought. "You're looking at five hundred thousand Mora at minimum."

I whistle in surprise as my other three companions look a lot more into this than before. And this is why you should always inquire about your payment before you do the job. Not saying she'd do it, but we could've been tricked and worked for far less.

Half a million this soon will come in handy.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

– Eula –

As she leaned against the tree with a thoughtful frown, Eula internally wished that she hadn't sent the rest of her battalion on a different scouting mission, but she wouldn't say that out loud, even if there was no one near her. The situation was much worse than she or anyone had thought.

Treasure Hoarders weren't the same as Hilichurls; they were organized, far better-equipped, and much smarter, but this specific group was above the typical squads she was used to seeing. They had somehow gotten their hands on high-quality supplies from somewhere, which was never good. And when she managed to get close, Eula discovered two worrying problems.

One: They were in cahoots with the Fatui, who should've been driven off from Mondstadt weeks ago. A high-ranking Agent and an Electro Cicin Mage. They weren't dealing with the average skirmishers here. Those two alone were a genuine threat.

And two: They had somehow managed to acquire a Vision, a Geo one to be exact. Eula did not know how they were able to get it, but the implications did not sit right with her. She could count the Geo Vision wielders in Mondstadt on one hand.

The good news is that it had not responded to any of the Treasure Hoarders thus far, so they wouldn't be dealing with a Vision wielder here. Over a hundred bandits and the Fatui were enough of a threat.

Alerting them before reinforcement arrived would've been disastrous, so Eula quickly retreated after getting enough info. While she would've preferred to wait and maybe overhear them talk about whatever they might be planning, she knew it was too risky. Thankfully, she wasn't spotted.

Eula gripped her greatsword as she heard something in the distance, crouching and preparing a burst of her Cryo powers, but stopped and breathed a sigh of relief when she spotted the Honorary Knight and her floating companion, the idiot bard, and someone she was unfamiliar with.

A tall man wearing simple but expensive-looking clothing, red eyes, messy black hair, and a black earring on his right ear. His hands were in his pockets as a standard iron greatsword was strapped on his back, prompting her to mentally commend him for his choice of weapon. He seemed very casual and not struggling to carry it at all.

Eula would not admit it to anyone, but she actually paused at how handsome he looked, before quickly shaking it off. It was nothing, she was merely surprised to see a new face on a dangerous mission such as this. She expected Bennett and/or Fischl instead of a stranger.

Something about him, though, was putting her on edge.

"You're here," Eula stated with a nod, scanning their surroundings. "Only you four?"

She glanced at the stranger, who winked and waved at her in greeting. She only frowned in response, still unsure how to react to this.

"Yes." Lumine confirmed. "The others haven't gotten back from doing their commissions yet. We'll have to make do without backup or wait for them to arrive."

"I see," Eula muttered, not looking away from the man.

"What's wrong?" He asked with a tilt of his head. "Something caught your eyes?"

Before she could respond, Paimon beat her to it.

"Oh right, we haven't introduced you yet." She said, prompting Eula to stay quiet. "Eula, this is Crimson Amamiya, a new adventurer. Crimson, this is Eula Lawrence, a friend of ours."

Eula expected some words of mockery or sarcasm from him considering she was part of the Lawrence clan, but instead he only extended an arm for a handshake, the casual smirk never leaving his face.

"My pleasure." He winked again, and she felt her heart skip a beat this time.

What, does he not know her? Crimson was a Mondstadt name, but then again, 'Amamiya' made him sound like he's from Inazuma. The Lawrence Clan's tyranny was known far and wide, but she didn't think their infamy reached Inazuma. He probably didn't know anything about her family.

Eula was about to respond in the 'Lawrence' way but managed to catch herself before saying something offensive, however, she still refused to take his hand. She only nodded and gave the shortest reply she could come up with.

"Likewise."

He only blinked and pulled his hand back once he got the message. His expression didn't even twitch, still relaxed as an awkward tension slowly surrounded them. Venti cleared his throat, getting their attention.

"With that out of our way, what should our first move be?" He asked. "We've been filled in on everything from Ms. Kathy, but I'm sure you have more news considering you already scouted ahead."

"I do," Eula confirmed, appreciating the change in subject. "And it's not exactly good news."

"Thought as much." Lumine frowned. "So what do you know?"

"I spotted some Fatui in their camp. An Agent and a Cicin Mage." She revealed, prompting Venti's expression to sharpen. "And they have a Geo Vision."

"What?!" Paimon gasped. "How'd they get their hands on it?!"

"I don't know, and I don't like it." Eula shook her head. "What matters is that none resonated with it, so we won't have to worry about fighting a Vision Wielder."

"There's still the Fatui we have to worry about." Lumine put a hand on her chin. "A hundred Treasure Hoarders were already a threat, but this?"

"Maybe I just don't understand the threat at hand, but to me, it sounds like a challenge if anything." Crimson shrugged, elbowing the Honorary Knight. "Come on, don't tell me you're chickening out now? I bet we can handle it."

"It's dangerous," Eula frowned. "It's better if we wait for reinforcement before we raid their camp."

"It's equally bad if we sit here and do nothing." He argued. "We don't know what they could be preparing for. Better we deal with it now than possibly find ourselves in a worse situation."

"That's the point." She reasoned. "We don't know enough to go charging in. A Geo Vision might not be the only thing they have with them. Once reinforcement arrives, we'll wipe them out in one fell swoop."

"That does sound like the safer option…" Lumine agreed.

"No, I'm inclined to agree with our handsome friend here." Venti nodded to himself. "I believe that with our powers combined, we'll easily put an end to their wrong-doings. Remember, we have the initial advantage."

"A surprise attack." Crimson nodded. "Good enough strategy is all we need to potentially take out half of the camp. Plus, we don't know when our backup will be here."

"That's also true…" Paimon hummed in thought.

Eula narrowed her eyes at the red-eyed man in annoyance. Is this new adventurer actually lecturing her on battle tactics? Does he not know who she is? No, wait, of course, he doesn't. He didn't show any reaction when her name was uttered, but surely he knew she was one of the Captains of the Knights, right? He should show some respect to his superiors, and she's willing to teach him that lesson.

Vengeance will be hers.

…Admittedly, he and Idiot Bard do make a good point, though. Their numbers were low, but it did give them the element of surprise. It's much harder to hide a dozen people than only four. Plus, Lumine was an accomplished warrior, and both Eula and Venti had Visions and were experienced in using their elemental powers. That was already a massive advantage.

She didn't know what this Crimson person brought to the table, but he was either brave or overconfident if he thought taking on so many enemies at the same time was 'challenging'. He didn't seem to have a Vision, so she really hoped it was the former. For his sake, of course.

"Very well." Eula relented. "I suppose acting passively in a situation like this might not be optimal."

"That's what I'm saying." Crimson's smirk widened. "I'll even act as bait if you want me to."

"That would be unnecessary, my friend." Venti quipped. "I believe I may have a plan."

"And that is?" Eula raised a brow.

The Idiot Bard's grin as she asked that question made her regret going along with their idea.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

– Crimson Amamiya –

Damn, there's a lot of them over there. Probably a lot more than just a hundred, meaning more EXP, even if I have to share it with the people around me. I doubt they'll benefit though, they don't have a system.

Lumine, Eula, and I have gotten closer and closer to the camp, with the blue-haired captain leading the way for us. She's surprisingly light-footed considering the greatsword she's holding, so points for her.

She's also pretty sexy. She has it all, from tits to ass to legs. Most of the girls I've so far might somewhat rival her in looks, but they don't come close to having a body like hers. Though with her personality, it'll be somewhat difficult to get her into my bed if I want to. I welcome the challenge anyway.

Seriously, this world is getting better and better. The chicks here are top-tier. I almost forgot that I was annoyed about my lack of stamina and alcohol tolerance. Almost.

That aside, the other two, Venti and Paimon, were up on a nearby cliff that looks over the camp from a distance since the pretty boy is apparently a marksman. He'll give us the signal to charge once he shoots at them.

Also, he genuinely seems attracted to me if those subtle glances were any indication. I guess I might've gone a little too hard on him last night. I don't know, I still remember fucking a girl, not a guy. I realized it would've been extremely odd not remembering that particular bit. I know for damn certain she had tits, big ones too.

Eh, I'll confront him about it once we're done with this. The headache is gone, but I'm still pretty irritated, so this should feel fairly cathartic. I haven't spilled human blood in so very long.

A minute passes as all three of us are frozen solid, not moving a muscle, until suddenly, an arrow soars through and hits the ground near a group of these bandits, summoning a raging cyclone pulling in them and everything else nearby then throwing them into the air.

That's our signal as we charge forward at the Treasure Hoarders. Eula swings her blade, creating a gust of frost at the cyclone, mixing her ice with Venti's wind. The devastation takes out quite a lot of them, but we don't even give them a chance to retaliate.

Blood bursts from their bodies with every swing of my greatsword, organs and limbs splattering and painting the ground red as they scream in horror. Huh, they're a lot squishier than I expected them to be. Well, I am swinging a huge sword, so it should've been obvious.

Not even a minute passed and I've already killed twenty five bandits, keeping count in my head because it's more enjoyable that way. A row of Treasure Hoarders aims at us with element-imbued crossbows– from ice to fire to electricity, however, they are interrupted and their formation is broken when three are sniped by Venti, who is still on that cliff above us.

Good shot.

I scan the battlefield and see my other allies handling themselves fairly well. Even with a greatsword, Eula is basically dancing around her enemies with elegant and graceful movement, completely unlike my crude way of using this giant weapon. I'm not untrained by any means, I just don't see the point of trying to look all pretty when killing someone.

Lumine on the other hand was more of a speed type, parrying and dodging skillfully without any wasted movement. Occasionally, she summons a powerful gust of wind that pushes the bandits away, knocking their weapons out of their hands and giving her an ample opportunity to land a killing blow.

Now that I think about it, she doesn't have one of those Visions from what I can see. Is she hiding it? She did say she was from a different world as well, so that's probably not it. How is she able to use elemental magic like this? And it's not like this is different– her powers aren't foreign like her, they feel very much like Visions, so she probably got them from here. Another thing to keep in mind.

We keep being on the offensive, butchering the bandits so much that some begin to run away. I don't let them do that, though, as I grab some knives dropped by the enemies and hurl them towards the cowering Treasure Hoarders, hitting five perfectly on the back of the head.

"Wooo that was sick!" I praise my own handiwork. "Heh, still got it."

I swiftly turn around and block the incoming knife swing, giving the masked guy who tried to backstab me a bloodthirsty grin. I can't see his expression, yet I can still tell that he looks annoyed if not outright pissed.

"Not today, buddy." I chuckle, sweeping him off his legs with a kick.

As I'm about to cleave him in half, he suddenly goes invisible as two knives that are on fire circle around me. I jump back, and the flaming knives shoot for my throat, prompting me to block them with my sword. I successfully do that, but at the cost of my greatsword breaking from the force.

I flip and land on my feet, holding what remains of the sword.

"Neat trick." I compliment, sensing the moron coming from behind.

But nothing I haven't dealt with before.

I turn around and throw the broken greatsword at him as a distraction, quickly rushing forward as he's too busy deflecting the projectile to notice my fist right in front of his face, or what I assume is his face. He's still invisible.

It turns out I guessed correctly as I feel his facial features the moment the punch connects. The force of said punch causes the ground under us to crack, and it sends him flying across the campsite and through multiple tents, crates, and barrels until he smashes into the cliff.

Oh wow, I've regained that much power? Just how much have I leveled up while killing these idiots?

Level: 18

…Damn.

So that's one of them Fatui people? I asked about them on our way here. Some sort of powerful military force from a country or kingdom called Snezhnaya, serving under the Ice or Cryo Archon. According to Lumine, they are the cause of a lot of problems around here, so much so that they kinda got kicked out of Mondstadt.

Heh, dumbasses. Imagine getting kicked out of a kingdom.

I feel a sudden shock go through my body, making me pause and look at the culprit. It was a woman wearing all purple and a blindfold for some reason while holding some sort of lantern. The chick flinches as I smirk at her. She steps back and uses some spell, summoning strange purple… bats? Whatever they are, they fly towards me aggressively and begin shooting tiny electric orbs at me.

I blink as I feel no amount of pain from them. Actually, it kinda tickles.

"Lady, if you want to hurt me, you're gonna have to do better than that," I say with a mocking tone.

"Hmph, idiot." She scoffs. "Ever heard of a distraction?"

"Hm?"

The shock from earlier comes back, this time a lot worse as lightning strikes me from above. I wince a little, stepping away from the circle of electricity that emerged from that attack. Huh, that kind of hurt actually.

Ow.

"Crimson!" Lumine cries out to me in worry as she charges at the mage, who notices the blond girl and teleports a good distance away.

"Go see if he's alright!" Eula commands. "I'll take care of the Cicin Mage!"

Lumine nods and instead runs toward me, using her wind power to push the bats away before crouching next to me to see if I'm wounded. Aw, look at her being so worried about me. That's just adorable.

"Are you okay?"

"Huh? Oh, yeah, I'm fine." I shrug as purple sparks surround my body. "I'm just surprised, is all."

Well, it didn't hurt that much, I'm not lying there, but I may not be as fine as I say I am. That little lightning strike lowered my HP to 45%. Sheesh, at least my pain tolerance didn't get nerfed. Thanks, mom.

"Oh…" She blinks, seemingly not expecting my casual tone. "I-I see."

My gaze sharpens as I sense imminent danger behind me, pushing Lumine out of the way before countering with a quick but heavy cross punch to the assailant's chest, stopping their assault instantly. It's the same idiot with the fire knives.

He coughs violently, choking on his own blood before dropping the knife in his hand. He falls to his knees and lets out his final breath, dying seconds later.

"How did you–"

"See him?" I glance at Lumine. "I didn't. I just felt his presence."

+4 Levels

Woah, four levels from that embarrassment? I don't really know how systems work exactly, but that's pretty generous, no? I expected one level at most, not four. And what do you know, leveling up heals all your wounds. That's nice.

I hope I can actually last longer like this. Level 22 should be more than enough to outlast some random tavern chicks, right?

Choose a perk

[Dragonclaws]

Regain your ability to rapidly grow razor-sharp claws, capable of cutting through metal like a hot knife through butter

[Dragonscales]

Regain your ability to rapidly grow rock-hard scales, giving you incredible defensive capabilities.

Ah, so leveling up also gives me perks? Makes sense. There was a 'perk' section when I first opened up my stats, and so far, I haven't been given any quest, so I doubt that exists in this system.

Let's see, claws or scales? I'm proficient in using my claws, so they'd be a good surprise weapon in case I'm in a sticky situation, but I believe scales might benefit me more in the long run. There are a lot of weapons and I'm a master at using all of them.

And I've always used my scales in martial arts to add a little oomph to my punches, so the second option isn't only good for one thing. I do prefer punching things than slicing them apart in all honesty, so I'll just go with my gut feeling.

Perk added.

I'll test them out later when I'm alone.

"Oh, you're fine?" Eula suddenly says, pulling the unconscious mage by her collar. "That's a relief. I thought we'd be having to carry two unconscious people with us."

"Give me some credit here, ma'am." I wink. "I'm a lot tougher than I look."

"I'm sure." She responds in a serious tone. "I saw your initial fight with the Fatui Agent. You're definitely capable."

"I fully agree with our wonderful captain." Venti cuts in, landing next to us. "You possess no Vision, yet your physical might was a sight to see indeed. I believe such a show deserves a song."

Paimon tackles Lumine, a relieved smile on her face as she hugs the blond.

"Hehe, that's too much." I wave it off.

"Did you get the Vision?" Lumine asks Eula, who nods.

"I did." She shows the yellow-colored pendant. "It's definitely real, too. I can feel the power emanating from it."

"And what will we be doing with her?" Venti gestures at the unconscious Fatui mage. "I assume interrogation?"

"Yes." Eula confirms. "We'll confiscate her Delusion and throw her in jail."

"Delusion?" I raise a brow. "Unless you mean the unshakable belief in something that's false, which isn't exactly something tangible that you can confiscate, I'm unfamiliar with that term."

"Delusions are something akin to artificial Visions produced by the Fatui." Venti answers. "They're much more powerful, however, they can cost you your life as they drain your lifeforce."

"That so…" I look at the corpse of the agent, finally noticing the tiny pendant half-hidden under his coat, which very closely resembles Visions.

Hmm, so there's more than one power system? I can still feel divine energy from it, but less refined, wilder so to speak. Visions feel calm and tranquil while these so-called Delusions are the complete opposite.

I take the dead man's Delusion off his person and throw it at the blue-haired chick.

"Let's move," Eula says as she catches it, carrying the purple garbed woman. "We're done here."

"Aren't we gonna loot the place?" I ask.

"We got what's important." She responds with a shake of her head. "We don't need to waste any more time."

"I'm sure the Adventurer Guild will send someone to do that for us," Venti assures me. "Come, we mustn't dawdle any longer."

As Venti and Eula lead the way, Lumine is frozen while looking at the bloodstained battlefield. There was an upset expression on her face, clearly bothered by the corpses of the bandits.

I put a hand on her shoulder and give a reassuring squeeze, making her look at me with a confused and concerned face.

"It had to be done," I say, wanting to at least lessen the blow of having had to massacre so many. "Couldn't exactly afford to arrest them all."

"Y-yeah, I know that." She mutters, putting a hand on mine. "...Thanks."

I only snort in response, patting her head before going after the others. Ah, these soft-hearted girls are always the cutest things in the world. Showing sympathy even to enemies, who could be the worst kinds of people in existence.

It's utterly idiotic.

Then again, stupid girls are also cute, so who cares?

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

– Venti –

"Goodness, the Fatui were in on this?" Kathy gasps in shock. "That was a lot more dangerous than expected. I'm so glad you five made it out safely."

"Hehe, you betcha!" The stupid fairy puts her tiny hands on her hips as she puffs her chest in pride. "Our team was invincible! Treasure Hoarders who? They didn't stand a chance against us!"

It wasn't every day he agreed with Paimon, but he must say, the ambush went a lot better than expected. Now, he knew Eula and Lumine were powerful warriors, but he didn't expect Crimson to rival and even show more power than them. The two girls had the advantage of elemental power, but him?

He had no such luxury. He fought with blade and hands, with rough yet unbelievably refined movement. It might not look obvious to most, but Crimson was as skilled as he was handsome. True, he fought like a brute, but there was no wasted step.

A fighting genius. So young, yet so skilled.

That wasn't counting the overwhelming physical might this man had. Even after breaking his weapon, he still fought and easily defeated a Fatui Agent, killing him in only a few hits with his bare hands.

If Venti was a betting wind spirit, he'd say that Crimson might be the most powerful man in Mondsadt right now, more so than Jean and Diluc even. He was not normal.

Eula already left with the Cicin Mage to the Knight's main building for interrogation as the rest reported to Katheryne. Venti noticed the glimmer of interest in the captain's eyes as she stared at Crimson before she left, which he found incredibly amusing.

The girl should stay away from him, otherwise, she'd get burned from playing with fire.

This humble wind spirit learned that the hard way.

"You didn't really do anything, though." Lumine quipped.

"Moral support!" Paimon responded with a pout.

"Yeah, don't underestimate the moral support." Crimson agreed sarcastically. "It's not like she waited atop that cliff so far away from us."

She flinched, stammering a response before Kathy saved her the embarrassment.

"Well, thank you so much for handling the issue." She bowed. "It could've been a disaster had you not taken care of it."

"Of course, of course." Crimson waved it off, leaning on the desk and clearing his throat. "So, our payment?"

Ah, honest about his desires to a fault. Venti fully understood and agreed with it even. He too would like to get paid for such a difficult job, like shooting a few moving targets and using his precious divine power to create a few cyclones.

Yes, Venti most definitely deserved that much money.

"After what you reported, a mere five hundred thousand won't be fair." Kathy shook her head, making the wind spirit lean forward in anticipation.

More than five hundred thousand? A fifth of that is already enough for a month of partying and drinking.

"Unfortunately, you'll have to wait until we're able to calculate everything. We'll ask for a copy of the report from the Knights of Favonius and get back to you as quickly as we can." She said, making the group excluding Lumine frown in disappointment. "However, for your troubles, the Adventurer Guild will be happy to pay your tab at Angel's Share for tonight."

"What?" Paimon blinked, not believing what she had said. "D-does that mean-"

"Drink and eat to your heart's content." Kathy smiles and nods. "We will pay for everything."

This was the best thing Venti had heard in ten years. Finally, the occasion to really let loose was here.

"Hoh, that's generous." Crimson seemed to agree with that notion. "Well, I'll take you up on that offer. I could kill for some drinks right about now."

"Count me in, my friend." Venti nodded.

"You're coming with?" The red-eyed man asked Lumine. "The more the merrier."

"Yes!" Paimon celebrated.

"Sorry, but I feel tired." She shook her head with a strained smile.

"Eh?!" Her floating companion looked at her in shock.

"That so? Too bad." Crimson sighed with a shrug. "Next time, then."

"For sure."

"B-but– but-" Paimon looked like she was about to burst into tears.

"Come on, Paimon." However, her pleas fell on deaf ears as Lumine walked away.

The two left, bickering on their way to the Knight's main building. Crimson and Venti also walked away from the desk, the latter waving at Katheryne, who bowed in response. The wind spirit walked beside his handsome friend, who then spoke after they were a good distance away.

"So I'll keep this as straightforward as I can–" Crimson started. "The hell happened to your tits? You were a chick last night, weren't you?"

"Hm?" Venti raised a brow, internally surprised that he caught so quickly, while at the same time, amused at his vulgarity. "Whatever could you possibly mean? I've always been a boy."

"Buddy, your energy literally feels the exact same." He responded. "You're good at hiding it, but divinity isn't exactly that hard to pick up on."

"Ah…" Venti smiled. "You're truly more than meets the eye, eh? I assume you knew from the beginning then?"

"That you were a god?" Crimson smiled back. "Kinda. I was thinking about it the whole day, but when I remembered that gods can shapeshift, it became obvious."

"Astute observation." The Wind Archon nodded in approval. "Well, the cat is out of the bag. Indeed, I am the same person you made love to last night. So let me introduce myself. I am Barbatos, the God of Mondstadt, as well as the modest bard of this city, Venti."

"Thought as much." He shrugged. "Surprised to see you super casual about it, though. Usually, these scenarios end up with the god either bargaining to keep it a secret or head straight for the kill."

"Oh please, I'm not worried." Venti chuckled. "After all, who would believe you? This lowborn bard who spends most of his days in bars and taverns is the God of this region? Preposterous."

"Heh, fair enough." He snorted. "So then, what's gotten the 'God of this region' so interested in little ol' me?"

Venti understood the actual question if that knowing smirk was any indicator. Sly as a fox. Discovering his identity so easily and now this? It was as if he knew this was what was going to happen. Albeit brief, Venti could not forget the overwhelming pleasure he felt in his female form that night.

He had to stop himself from greeting Lumine in it, nearly abandoning his male form entirely. The awkwardness around her and the possible heightened sexual tension were the only reasons he managed to stop himself.

Venti smirked back.

"I believe you know already."

"Heads-up, if it wasn't obvious enough, I prefer women."

"Oh, what a shame." Venti sighed in mock-disappointment. "And here I was thinking you'd make this body addicted to your touch as well."

"Very funny."

They continued their banter as they entered the tavern, ordering the best and strongest booze they had. With the unsaid promise of going through the same pleasure later that night, Venti couldn't help but feel excited.

Had he not subtly changed his form to a female that was identical to his male one, they would've seen his currently non-existent erection.

Thank Celestia that the fluids dripping down her thighs were so much easier to hide.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

– Jean –

Inspecting the Geo Vision in her hand, Jean glanced at Eula, before looking back at it. Something like this in the hands of the Fatui and Treasure Hoarders? Visions weren't exactly things you could find anywhere, and this one looked dormant, meaning it had no owner, and that meant that its previous owner probably died.

She didn't know of any Geo Vision wielders except Albedo and Noelle, both of whom were here in the city. Either this was from a different region, which was even worse to consider, or it was a very old one found in some ruins.

Jean really hoped that it was the latter.

"Did she wake up?"

"Yes, we already interrogated her." Eula nodded.

"And?"

"Not much I'm afraid." She frowned slightly. "She's apparently a rogue. She left the Fatui with her partner in pursuit of wealth. From what I got out of her, they wanted to sell the Geo Vision to the Treasure Hoarders."

That didn't really explain the huge camp and operation there. They could've done the trading in a much more secluded location. They also didn't need a hundred Treasure Hoarders for it. There was something off about this.

"I see." Jean frowned as well. "And where did they find it?"

"In an abandoned cave in Liyue next to a decayed body," Eula answered.

Okay, this wasn't as bad as she had thought it would be. She expected the death of its owner to be recent, which would've been a lot worse to deal with. Jean didn't hold it against her, but she really didn't want to deal with Lady Ningguang again. That shrewd woman scared her more than any Ruin Guard could.

"Alright, send a squad to return this back to Liyue," Jean ordered, handing her the Vision.

"Of course." Eula pocketed it and walked away.

"Wait." Jean stopped her. "Before you go, I hear Crimson was part of your team. Is that correct?"

"Yes."

"How was he?"

Eula turned around to face Jean, her face as blank as ever.

"Strong." She answered simply. "Very strong, even without a Vision. He was massacring the Treasure Hoarders like he's been doing it since he held his first weapon."

"So experienced too, then." Jean bit her lower lip. The more she heard about him, the more dangerous he seemed to be. "Is that all?"

"Sorry, I couldn't focus on him the whole time." Eula shook her head. "There were too many of them everywhere."

"No, what you said was good enough." Jean waved it off with a smile. "Thank you, Eula."

The blue-haired woman smiled back, then paused for a moment before offering.

"...I'm admittedly curious as to the full extent of his power, so I'll try to challenge him to a duel tomorrow if that's alright."

"Are you sure?" Jean asked in concern.

"I can handle myself, Grandmaster," Eula answered, putting one hand on her hip. "You can watch the fight and make your own deductions when I do."

Jean had to admit, that was a good idea. Eula was one of the brightest and most powerful in the Knights of Favonius. Despite her name, she still climbed the ranks and became one of the captains. Having her gauge this possible threat's strength seemed advisable.

"Alright, we'll prepare for it tomorrow morning, then." Jean nodded. "Thank you, Eula. You're dismissed."

She nodded and left Jean to her own devices. She hadn't met him yet, but if there was something that made Kaeya, one of the most laidback knights, worried, then she had to stay vigilant and keep an eye on this strange man.

And seeing that he made a move on her sister yesterday, Jean made sure to assign even more knights to follow him around.

On her name, Jean would keep Barbara and this city safe from any harm, no matter what.