"So this is the... surprise you mentioned?"
Venti stared dumbfounded at his feminized statue, gritting his teeth as he questioned Famas.
"Of course! Don't you think you look great?"
Famas nodded earnestly. Although the lower half of the statue was made of freshly sculpted clay, creating a color difference with the stone upper half, Famas's sculpting skills were still quite impressive, barring some unavoidable flaws.
"Now all we need is a bit of Anemo energy."
Famas looked at Venti with anticipation.
"Don't look at me like that!"
Finally unable to tolerate Famas's modifications, Venti pulled out his bow, but Famas, sensing trouble, had already bolted hundreds of meters away.
"Stop!"
Venti transformed into a gust of wind and chased after him.
As the two gods played around, far away in Dadaupa Gorge, Diluc, Kaeya, and Klee, who was holding a bomb, were rushing toward Mondstadt along the path from Windrise. Behind them, a large group of Hilichurls and Abyss Mages was in hot pursuit.
"Master Diluc, are these the Abyss Mages you were investigating?"
Kaeya, carrying Klee and running at the front, couldn't help but ask Diluc, who was covering their rear.
"Hmph, if it weren't for you and this child running all over Mondstadt, I could have figured out the true purpose of these Abyss Mages."
Diluc shot a flaming phoenix at the Hilichurls chasing them, while Klee kept tossing Jumpy Dumpty bombs behind her.
"This is..."
The trio soon reached Windrise. Kaeya stood on the large tree at Windrise, looking at the dense crowd of Hilichurls and monsters behind them.
"Something's wrong, Diluc," Kaeya said gravely. "There are way too many monsters chasing us."
"Their target might not be us."
Diluc rubbed his chin.
The two former brothers exchanged a glance.
"A monster siege?!"
Realizing this, Kaeya, as the Cavalry Captain, immediately picked up Klee and sprinted at full speed toward Mondstadt.
Diluc followed the two, but their destinations were different. Kaeya needed to warn Acting Grand Master Jean and evacuate Mondstadt's citizens before the monsters attacked. Diluc, on the other hand, was heading to the Angel's Share tavern to gather his trusted allies and prepare for the possible monster assault.
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Unaware of the events at Windrise, Famas and Venti were still wandering near Starsnatch Cliff, close to the Whispering Woods.
"Don't you like apples?"
Famas casually handed an apple to Venti, watching him munch on it. The small braids by his ears swayed with his movements, their gradient from deep blue to light green resembling the color of gemstones, as bright as his emerald eyes.
"After dealing with Dvalin, are you going back to Natlan? Or to Liyue?"
Venti didn't ask if Famas could stay in Mondstadt permanently. As the God of Freedom, forcing Famas to stay in Mondstadt went against his nature.
Of course, repairing the statue didn't count.
"I don't know," Famas replied seemingly carelessly, then added, "What would going back to Natlan achieve? Starting a war? Overthrowing the new king? Would Celestia recognize my divine authority?"
"Who knows? The Heavenly Principles might just come down and finish me off."
"And as for Liyue... I can't beat Morax."
"I guess I'll just have to hang around Mondstadt, huh?"
After saying this, Famas sneakily glanced at Venti, who was holding the apple. A relieved smile gradually spread across Venti's face.
"If you need it, I can lend you some of my divine power..."
Venti finished the apple and casually tossed the core under an apple tree.
"Lend it to me? Then what about you? Turn into a wind spirit and babble in a language no one understands?"
Famas shook his head. Venti already didn't like handling responsibilities. If he gave away some of his divine power, he might have to resort to sleeping for a thousand years to resolve any crises.
"After all these years, you still haven't learned the language of the spirits?"
Venti looked at Famas with disdain. Including the time he was sealed, Famas was at least five thousand years old, comparable to the ancient Geo Archon Morax. However, during the thousand years he was sealed, he had no consciousness or senses.
The two chatted idly.
As the two slacking gods approached Mondstadt, Famas sensed a very familiar aura.
It seemed like...
"The smell of war."
Famas's joking expression gradually faded, replaced by a very serious look.
The closer they got to Mondstadt, the stronger the scent of war became. Along with the stench of the Abyss and monsters, Famas's Pyro divine power began to fluctuate uncontrollably.
The [Seven Archons] had to fulfill their divine duties to accumulate divine power, but for Famas, as long as there was conflict, he would grow stronger.
"Looks like your Mondstadt is about to get attacked."
Famas smirked strangely, turning to look at Venti.
At that moment, Venti also sensed the unusual aura. He grabbed Famas and flew into the sky, looking toward Windrise.
"Slimes, Hilichurl Shooters, Electro Hilichurl Grenadiers, Hilichurl Shamans..."
Seeing group after group of monsters, Venti's expression changed drastically. With so many monsters, even if he and Famas intervened, they might not be able to fully protect Mondstadt.
"Impossible! The Knights of Favonius have been regularly sending troops to clear out Hilichurl camps. They couldn't have gathered for a siege!"
"Quick, we need to go back and inform Jean."
Anxious, Venti grabbed Famas's hand, wanting to fly directly over Cider Lake and into Mondstadt.
"Wait."
Famas didn't immediately follow Venti. Instead, he stood still.
"Famas?"
Venti looked puzzled.
"I'm also a Pyro Slime!"
Famas, still held by Venti, began to shrink, transforming into a round, bouncy slime.
"I get it! You want to infiltrate the enemy and dismantle them from within, right?"
Venti's emerald eyes lit up as he patted the now-tiny Famas, marveling at how quick his war instincts were.
"No."
Famas looked at the self-satisfied Venti with confusion.
"I just want to test how thick Mondstadt's walls are. With my strength, I wonder how many explosions it would take to bring them down."
Famas, now a slime, said this as if it were the most natural thing in the world.
Venti: "???"
A/n - Read chapters ahead on my patreon.com/nneol