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Chapter 10: Venti's Defense and the Hidden Truth
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[No. 7, a knight fishing during work hours: "Captain Jean! We've apprehended the suspect! You can take him back to the Order now!"]
[No. 2, a knight fishing during work hours: "Uploading image!
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Jean stared at the message in the Q&A chat group, her eyes narrowing at the image that accompanied it. Although the situation should have brought her some relief, all Jean felt was an oncoming headache.
"Isn't it supposed to be work hours right now?"
"How did they catch Wendy so quickly?!"
She sighed in disbelief. "Is your 'workplace' the tavern?! How are you catching suspects in a tavern?"
Jean massaged her temples, feeling utterly exhausted. It seemed that managing the knights under her command was far more difficult than she had anticipated.
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In Liyue, Zhongli almost spit out his tea when he saw the image of "Wendy full of big men" in the chat group. Even the stoic, rock-steady Zhongli couldn't maintain his composure in the face of such an absurd sight.
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Zhongli stared at the image of Wendy, now pinned down by several knights, his expression one of shock. He knew who Wendy truly was, of course—Barbatos, the Anemo Archon, and one of the oldest of the Seven.
But now, the god of wind had been arrested by his own people, looking more like a common criminal than a deity.
Zhongli's mouth twitched as he shook his head in disbelief. "I've known for a long time that Barbatos is a bit… carefree, but this? This is beyond outrageous!"
"What happened to your dignity as a god?"
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Back at the Angel's Share Tavern, Venti, seeing that he had genuinely been apprehended by these overzealous knights, began to feel uneasy.
It wasn't so much the exposure of his identity that concerned him; after all, being revealed as the Anemo Archon might embarrass him in front of his followers, but the real issue was much more serious:
"If they really take me in, I won't have any access to wine!"
For a bard, no wine meant no life!
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[Venti: "Captain Jean! I'm being wrongfully accused! I'm more innocent than Dou E!"]
[Diluc: "This is amusing. The video clearly shows what's going on, and you still dare to claim you're innocent?"]
[Paimon: "Exactly! Ying and I both saw you communicating with Stormterror! If you weren't behind it, how could you calm down a crazed dragon like that?"]
[Ying: "Yeah, I'm sure it was you!"]
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[Jean: "The Knights will never falsely accuse anyone, but if you're truly innocent, Mr. Wendy, please explain yourself."]
Seeing that Wendy seemed quite confident in his innocence, Jean decided to give him a chance to explain. Though she couldn't shake the suspicion that Wendy might be involved, something about the situation didn't feel right.
Jean glanced again at the image of "Wendy full of big men," her face expressionless. "Can someone who looks so humiliated really be the mastermind behind this?"
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Inside the tavern, seeing that the crowd had backed off a little, Venti exhaled a long breath of relief. He had almost been forced to reveal his true identity as Barbatos! Thankfully, he could continue wearing his bard persona for a little longer.
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[Venti: "In that case, let me explain!"]
[Venti: "Actually, the reason I was able to calm Stormterror is because my music is just that good. My harp's melody was able to soothe the rage of the dragon!"]
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Silence. Absolute, deathly silence.
No one in the Q&A chat group spoke for a while. It was so quiet that one could wonder if the entire system had crashed.
Finally, someone broke the silence.
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[Kaeya: "That's it? That's your explanation?"]
[Venti: "Of course! As Teyvat's greatest bard, it makes perfect sense that my music could soothe even the evil thoughts of a demon god. It's only natural that a mad Dvalin would calm down and communicate with me. Right?"]
[Xingqiu: "Goodness! Teyvat's greatest bard? You've got quite the nerve to say that!"]
[Diluc: "You? A bard who sings and drinks in taverns is Teyvat's greatest? By that logic, I must be Teyvat's number one Pyro swordsman!"]
[Jean: "While I'm willing to help you clear your name, this explanation is... difficult to believe."]
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Venti pouted, feeling a little deflated. "Why won't anyone believe me? I'm telling the truth!"
"What is wrong with this world? When you finally tell the truth, no one believes you!"
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As Venti sulked, a message came from an unexpected source.
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[Xiao: "I don't know if he's truly the best bard in Teyvat, but his music can indeed soothe the evil thoughts of demon gods."]
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Atop the Wangshu Inn, Xiao looked out toward Mondstadt, his gaze distant as he remembered the past.
Long ago, during the chaotic Archon War, fierce battles ravaged the land. The conflict decided the Seven Archons who now ruled the world, while the defeated demon gods either fled in disgrace or perished.
But even after their deaths, the resentment of the demon gods lingered, turning into vile energy that continued to plague the world. To combat this, the Dharma Protectors—the Yakshas—were summoned to cleanse the land of the demon gods' lingering evil.
Xiao, one of the last remaining Yakshas, was no stranger to this corruption. His body had been polluted by the accumulated resentment of the demon gods, and he constantly battled with the dark thoughts that threatened to consume him.
Had it not been for a single moment of respite, Xiao would have fallen victim to the same fate as his fallen comrades.
That moment of respite came in the form of a flute's melody, carried on the wind. The sound had soothed Xiao's tormented mind and allowed him to fight off the demon gods' influence.
That flute had been played by none other than Wendy, the bard.
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Although Xiao's testimony was sincere, the people of Mondstadt were still skeptical. After all, they knew little about the Yakshas, and even less about Xiao's past. For them, the situation was still too mysterious to believe without solid proof.
As Venti stood there, contemplating whether he should finally reveal his identity as Barbatos, a familiar sound echoed through the tavern.
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Ding!
The next Q&A is about to begin!
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Venti sighed in relief. For now, he had been saved from making a difficult decision. But how long could he keep his secret under wraps?
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