Nod-Krai.
[Blessing of Concealed Presence]
Koji, as an outsider, walked the streets of Nod-Krai without arousing any suspicion from the locals.
"It's you. How did you end up here?"
At the Adventurers' Guild, it wasn't his old friend Katheryne behind the counter—rather, it was the Harbinger Sandrone, The Marionette. Seeing who it was, she looked a little surprised.
"Why wouldn't I come? Is there something weird about this place?" Koji said casually.
"So you're doing Katheryne's job now?"
The Adventurers' Guild, spread across the Seven Nations, had its headquarters tied to Snezhnaya's forces. Katheryne was just a puppet—she wasn't a living, breathing human.
"None of your business. If you're not here for anything, then hurry up and leave. There are already enough Harbingers here, and there's no Gnosis for you to take." Sandrone said flatly.
She didn't dare underestimate Koji. They hadn't interacted much, but every Harbinger who had dealt with him said the same thing:
This was someone you could not fight head-on.
Letting him join the Fatui was actually perfect—if the endgame came, even if he didn't help, he also wouldn't stand on the opposing side, because the Fatui could never go on a crusade against Natlan's stone.
"I just got here. Why would I leave that fast? And I don't need you as my tour guide either, Miss Sandrone~"
Koji waved his hand and walked off just like that.
"Freak."
Sandrone clenched her fist. An incomprehensible, weird man. She just hoped he wouldn't interfere with the arrangements here.
Nod-Krai, Valley of the Anemo God.
"Sugoi."
Koji lifted his head and saw an absolutely gigantic stone statue of Columbina. He had to admit—those jade-like feet, taller than a person, were seriously something else. Stylish as hell.
No idea who carved it, but the craftsmanship was genuinely insane. Even the outline of those "jade feet" had been sculpted so vividly it looked alive.
When he met Columbina in person, he was definitely going to take a good long look at her feet and compare them.
"The Moon God. Very famous."
A burly blond knight walked over slowly. Looking up at the enormous statue, he couldn't help sighing with emotion.
"The Northern Knight… the Knights of Favonius Grand Master—Varka~."
"Oh? I'm that famous?"
Varka was a little surprised. It was his first time meeting Koji. Before he could even introduce himself, the other man had already called out his true identity. Interesting.
"If someone at your level doesn't count as famous, then anyone who doesn't know you is basically an NPC extra." Koji quipped.
As the Knights of Favonius Grand Master, Varka was effectively the number one man beneath the gods. In other nations, he'd be received by top brass like the Qixing or the Tri-Commission.
As for strength—there were only a handful of humans who could beat Varka. Someone like Capitano could do it, sure, but not many others.
"I've heard about you from Alice. A visitor from beyond the sky. Your 'beginner village' was Mondstadt. Too bad I never got the chance to meet you." Varka said with a smile.
"Mondstadt isn't exactly a beginner village."
"And you, Grand Master, dragged the Knights' elites off on an expedition."
"No other nation does that."
Koji didn't think Mondstadt was weak at all—people were just being fooled by how 'hollow' it looked on the surface.
"Hahaha. I can only lead troops out on expedition with peace of mind because of Jean. If it weren't for her, I wouldn't dare leave home and ignore everything." Varka shrugged, laughing.
If Mondstadt didn't have a capable successor like Jean, he'd probably still be in Mondstadt right now.
As for leaving it to Barbatos, the Anemo Archon?
Yeah, no.
He knew the Anemo Archon's personality far too well. Something would definitely go wrong.
Jean was immensely capable. The title of "Acting Grand Master" didn't suit her. Once he returned and handled the handover, Jean would be the true Grand Master of the Knights of Favonius.
"Jean has collapsed from exhaustion more than a few times. That's because you took the elites with you—and because Mondstadt has a bunch of overgrown infants."
The moment Koji said that, Varka fell silent. He pressed a hand to his forehead with a headache. Of course he knew.
"About that… it's not like it can't be solved. If they're so free, then they can go do volunteer labor."
Varka raised an eyebrow. He wasn't the softhearted type.
Those people only dared to run to Jean for this and that. If they tried it with him, he'd show them exactly what "no" sounded like.
The Knights of Favonius bore the duty of protecting Mondstadt. They weren't babysitters. If something happened, handle it yourself. If you can't handle it, hire an adventurer and pay for it.
Look at other nations—what ordinary citizen has some tiny problem and thinks, "I'll just go find a Qixing," or "I'll just go find the head of a Commission"? They wouldn't even get to see those people.
"Anyway, I'll deal with it when I get back to Mondstadt. Why did you come here?"
"I just came over from Natlan. I was bored." Koji shrugged. "I'm a traveler—why wouldn't I be allowed to go anywhere?"
"Natlan?"
"I remember that Fatui Harbinger 'Captain' said he was going to Natlan to finish something. Did you see him?" Varka asked.
"I did. Varka, you probably don't know this, but I'm a Harbinger too." Koji flashed a toothy grin.
"…Didn't see that coming. But the Fatui aren't all evil."
Varka wasn't shocked. He wasn't the type to judge people through tinted lenses.
"That Captain… he's a straight and admirable opponent. What a shame—he seems like he's about to make his final decision." Varka said with regret.
"You fought him?"
"If we're talking about an all-out battle, no. Just a brief exchange." Varka shook his head.
"I have a question. Can you become a 'Genshin'—ascend to Celestia?" Koji looked Varka in the eyes.
"A 'Genshin'… I've heard that Lady Vanessa, the senior, reached the summit as a human and became one. Venti told me about it."
"But becoming a 'Genshin' doesn't seem like it's anything good."
As a Mondstadter, he was laid-back—often unserious.
If you became a 'Genshin' and went up to Celestia, you might not be able to live the kind of life you had now.
"When you found out Venti is the Anemo Archon… what did you feel? Tell me." Koji asked with interest, switching topics.
"That… honestly? I couldn't believe it."
Varka showed a bitter, helpless smile.
When he was young, like most people in Mondstadt, he revered the Anemo Archon. In the records, the Anemo Archon was an Archon among Archons—majestic, sacred, flawless.
But when he learned that Venti—the unreliable drunk—was Barbatos, it felt like his worldview shattered into pieces.
He didn't want to believe it. But when the Anemo Archon displayed divine power… he had no choice.
And at that time, he kept thinking: Who wrote those descriptions of the Anemo Archon? None of them are accurate at all.
His image of the Anemo Archon collapsed completely—but he wasn't disappointed. If anything, an Archon like that felt more down-to-earth.
The strength he had now wasn't only due to talent. It also came from guidance the Anemo Archon had given him.
Rather than calling him the Anemo Archon…
It felt more accurate to call him Varka's teacher.
(End of Chapter)
[100 Power Stones = 1 Extra Chapter]
[Check out my Patreon to read 20+ chapters ahead]
[[email protected]/Zukooo]
[Thanks for your support!]