Chapter 9: The Revelation of the Green Figure and the Bard's Dilemma
The dragon's massive body, entwined with wind elements like a raging storm, lay sprawled across the ground. In front of it, a green-clad figure stretched out his hand, as if trying to communicate with the dragon.
His voice, soft and gentle like a breeze, whispered in the air:
"Don't be afraid… Don't worry, I'm back..."
The sight of this mysterious man and the dragon seemed oddly harmonious. But for the people of Mondstadt, it was an image that left them wide-eyed with shock.
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In the Q&A chat group, countless messages flashed by. This time, most of the participants were from Mondstadt, and their reactions were intense.
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[Jean: "This is... Stormterror? Why is it here? Could this mean the dragon disaster is returning?"]
[Diluc: "Hmph. It's just a wind demon dragon, and you're all acting so helpless! The current state of the Knights of Favonius is truly concerning."]
[Kaeya: "Come on, Diluc. Everyone in the Knights is working hard... But isn't the person standing in front of Stormterror more intriguing than the dragon itself?"]
[Lisa: "Kaeya has a point. Stormterror has been in a frenzied state since its reappearance, causing havoc across Mondstadt. But now... this green fellow seems to be able to communicate with it!"]
[Amber: "Could this guy in green be the one responsible for Stormterror going crazy? Is he secretly pulling the strings?"]
[Albedo: "It's possible. If this person can manipulate Stormterror despite its madness, there might indeed be some hidden power controlling the dragon's actions."]
[Barbara: "Is that true?! Is the dragon plague that's been terrorizing Mondstadt really man-made? What a sinful act!"]
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At that moment, all of Mondstadt was in an uproar. For days, the citizens had lived in fear of Stormterror, afraid that disaster could strike at any moment. And now, suddenly, it seemed that the calamity was not natural but a deliberate act by someone behind the scenes.
The anger that had been bubbling under the surface now boiled over. The people of Mondstadt were furious, determined to uncover the identity of this green-clad figure and punish him severely as an example to all.
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[Knights No. 1: "Captain! Give the order! We have to track down this green guy!"]
[Knights No. 2: "That's right! We need to capture the culprit behind all this!"]
[Knights No. 3: "Captain, please issue the command!"]
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At this point, nearly everyone in Mondstadt had already made up their minds. The green-clad figure in the video was clearly responsible for the chaos Stormterror had caused, and he needed to be brought to justice.
Even Jean, the Acting Grand Master of the Knights, couldn't help but feel a cold fury rising within her. The recent dragon attacks had left her anxious and weary, and now, it seemed the person in the video was the one responsible for Mondstadt's suffering.
But just as Jean was about to speak, a new message interrupted her thoughts.
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[Charles: "Captain Jean, if you're looking for that green fellow, I believe I already know who he is. And, as it happens, he's sitting right in front of me right now!"]
[Jean: "Mr. Charles! If you know anything, you must inform the Knights immediately. The people of Mondstadt will be grateful for your efforts!"]
[Diluc: "Charles, if you have information, share it. Despite my grievances with the Knights, this is about Mondstadt's safety."]
[Charles: "As a citizen of Mondstadt, it is my duty to report this to the Knights!"]
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[Charles uploads an image: .jpg]
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[Charles: "This is the guy I'm talking about. He's in the Angel's Share Tavern right now."]
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Inside the Angel's Share Tavern, Venti—who had been happily sipping wine, enjoying the video, and watching the chaos unfold—suddenly found himself at the center of attention.
Charles had posted a picture of him in the Q&A chat group, revealing his identity to the whole of Teyvat.
Of course, Venti had known all along that the figure in the video was himself. A short while ago, he had gone out to meet Dvalin, hoping to calm the dragon's madness. Unfortunately, his efforts had been interrupted by Ying's sudden appearance.
Venti thought he had left the scene in time, before his identity could be revealed. But he hadn't anticipated this mysterious Q&A system capturing everything on video.
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And now, in the chat group, several people began to piece together his identity.
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[Diluc: "If I'm not mistaken, that green fellow is named Venti. He's come into my tavern many times, but I never sold him alcohol—he looks too young."]
[Jilliana: "I've seen him around too! He often sings in front of the Cathedral."]
[Six-Fingered José: "This bard named Venti seemed like a decent guy... but I guess you never really know someone, do you?"]
[Kaeya: "Now that I think about it, the Knights have received complaints about him before. He's quite good at charming people and tricking them into buying him drinks."]
[Barbara: "Oh my goodness! To think that someone like him, who caused the dragon plague, would live so boldly in Mondstadt, under the protection of the Anemo Archon!"]
[Barbara: "This is blasphemy against Lord Barbatos! What a brazen act!"]
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Back inside the Angel's Share Tavern, Venti felt a creeping sense of dread as more and more people in the Q&A chat group recognized him.
As that ominous feeling settled in, he felt several sharp gazes fixate on him, like blades stabbing into his back. A dark cloud of tension loomed over him, and he could feel the heat of anger building up around him.
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With a nervous chuckle, Venti forced an awkward smile.
"Uh, hey~!"
"I think there's been a bit of a misunderstanding. I'm innocent, really!"
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But Venti's attempt to defuse the situation fell flat. After all, they had just heard Kaeya say that this bard was particularly good at fooling people.
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"Seize the culprit responsible for the dragon plague!"
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Someone in the tavern shouted, and in an instant, the entire crowd turned on Venti, quickly surrounding him. Within moments, the bard's figure was swallowed up by the angry mob.
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