Chapter 23: Tricking Venti

"Huh?" Venti was momentarily stunned, then quickly spoke up.

"I haven't even said what the request is yet."

"I already guessed. You want me to help save Dvalin, right?" Yun Fan looked at Venti with an expression that said, I've seen through you.

"Venti, what is my current identity?" Yun Fan suddenly asked.

"Identity? The Divine Lord?" Venti instinctively replied, then seemed to realize something. "You mean... a merchant?"

"Exactly. I'm a merchant now. So, if my help is a commodity, what are you going to offer in exchange for something of equal value?" Yun Fan propped his chin on his hands, a slight smile on his face. He didn't deny being the Divine Lord. With Kalpas by his side, he could practically walk sideways across Teyvat.

Even if the Sustainer of Heavenly Principles woke up again, Kalpas's MANTIS form could still hold his own against her.

"This..." Venti was at a loss for words. He certainly didn't have money, and as for other valuable things...

"How about I play you a private song?" Venti asked cautiously.

"Get out," Yun Fan said expressionlessly.

"Wait, wait! I was wrong, I was wrong! How about I use this as payment?" Venti took out a green chess piece surrounded by a gentle breeze and placed it on the table.

"The Anemo Gnosis?" Yun Fan looked at the chess piece on the table, then took out the Geo Gnosis Zhongli had given him and placed it beside the green one.

"The Geo Gnosis? The old man gave this to you too?" Venti was surprised. So, this guy really was Zhongli's successor.

Yun Fan didn't answer Venti's question. Instead, he stared at the two Gnoses on the table. In his eyes, the light of the two Gnoses intertwined, as if some connection had been formed.

It seemed that gathering all seven Gnoses would trigger something—whether it would awaken the Sustainer of Heavenly Principles or unleash some other powerful force. Was this why the Tsaritsa was collecting the Gnoses?

Teyvat was composed of seven elemental laws. When the Gnoses, the manifestations of these laws, came together, something significant would undoubtedly happen.

However, the divine power within the Anemo Gnosis was pitifully small—less than one percent of the Geo Gnosis's power. This slacker!

"Fine, I accept your payment. The contract is sealed. Those who break it shall suffer the Wrath of the Rock!"

Yun Fan used the divine power within the Geo Gnosis to draft the contract. He didn't want Venti pulling any tricks later, like deliberately handing over the Gnosis to Signora. If that happened, Yun Fan couldn't guarantee he wouldn't flip all of Mondstadt upside down.

Seeing the contract being signed, Venti forced a bitter smile.

His original plan was now impossible. This Divine Lord was far too cautious. The Tsaritsa would have to figure things out on her own from here.

After the contract was signed, Venti asked Yun Fan, "So, when are you going to deal with Dvalin?"

"No rush. Just follow your original plan. I'll back you up."

Venti: ???

So, you took my stuff and still expect me to do all the work? Isn't this just a scam? Don't you feel guilty using Morax's contract like this?

"If you want me to save Dvalin myself, that's fine too," Yun Fan sniffed the Dandelion Wine in his cup, a mischievous smile on his face.

"That is, if you're okay with my methods."

In the end, Venti left in a huff. He had always been the one tricking others, but today, he had been tricked himself. Truly, the hunter had become the hunted.

Not long after Venti left the Good Hunter, two sneaky figures began following him.

"Lumine, that's the guy! He's the one who was talking to Stormterror. I didn't expect to see him in Mondstadt," Paimon whispered to Lumine. She was very familiar with this green-clad figure in stockings—after all, she had nearly been blown away by Stormterror.

"Paimon, let's follow him quietly," Lumine said, then started trailing Venti.

"Wait! Isn't this dangerous? Traveler, wait for me!"

The two followed Venti all the way from the Good Hunter to the Anemo Archon statue in front of the Cathedral.

At the statue, a crowd of Mondstadt citizens had gathered. Venti skillfully took out his lyre and began to play.

"The story I'm about to tell begins in ancient times... another evil dragon... the Sky Dragon swallowed the evil dragon's blood... but the Sky Harp could no longer speak."

After Venti finished his performance, the square erupted in applause. Lumine, however, sensed something deeper. This was a story about Stormterror. How did a bard know such secrets?

After the crowd dispersed, Venti was left alone, picking up the Mora scattered on the ground. Lumine approached and stopped him.

"Who are you?" Venti looked at Lumine and Paimon in confusion, then suddenly realized. "You're the ones who scared off Dvalin."

"Dvalin?" Paimon asked.

"That's the name of the dragon you call Stormterror," Venti explained.

"Even a dragon has a name?"

"He's not a dragon of evil. He was corrupted by the poison in his blood, which is why he became like this."

"So, that day, you were...?" Paimon tilted her head cutely.

"I was trying to awaken his consciousness, but you interrupted me," Venti glared at Paimon and Lumine, pretending to be angry.

"Uh... that..."

"So, you'll have to take responsibility."

As in the original story, Lumine and Paimon were tricked by Venti. Back at the Good Hunter, Yun Fan had already noticed Venti's actions. He couldn't help but sigh. The plot really did have a way of correcting itself.

Holding the two Gnoses in his hand, Yun Fan thought, Two Gnoses for two Fatui Harbingers doesn't seem like a bad deal. Once he got his hands on the Electro and Dendro Gnoses, he could take them all down in one go.

"By the way, since the Gnoses will eventually be handed over to Snezhnaya anyway, I might as well make use of their divine power."

Yun Fan took out Eden's Star · Anti-Entropy and began extracting the divine power from the two Gnoses.

One green, one gold—one thin, one thick—the two streams of divine power flowed into Eden's Star. A bright blue light illuminated the room like daylight.

Crack... A crisp sound echoed, a sign of transformation.

After a while, the blue light faded. The Eden's Star · Anti-Entropy in Yun Fan's hand had undergone a dramatic change. Its barrel had become slender, and a blue orb was embedded in it. The overall design now featured a white-and-blue color scheme.

Eden's Star · World Inscription