Paimon threw her arms around Venti's neck and sobbed uncontrollably. After a while, her tears subsided, her voice softened, and she realized she was still clinging to Venti. Feeling somewhat embarrassed, she let go of him and scurried over to Lumine.
Venti's shoulder was slightly damp, and a gentle breeze carried a faint, refreshing chill.
"Thank you, Venti," Lumine said.
Paimon had been in a foul mood lately, and Lumine had tried many ways to cheer her up, but it was as if a thorn were lodged in the little fairy's heart. Without removing that thorn, Lumine's comfort efforts had little effect.
When it came to comforting people, Venti was far better at it than Lumine.
After Venti arrived, the very wind seemed to carry a faint hint of intoxication, offering Lumine some solace as well.
"Are you here to participate in the Summit?" Lumine asked.
"Hmm..." Venti pondered for a moment. "Rather than saying I'm here to participate, I'd say I'm here to join the fun! Look, I even helped set up this venue! Some of the competition prizes were provided by me too. As for what they are? Heh, that's a secret."
Lumine turned back to gaze at the massive arena floating on the sea, once again awestruck by its grandeur.
"This Summit is quite the spectacle! By the way, Venti, are there any participants from Mondstadt?"
"Quite a few have come," Venti replied. "But if you're asking about people you know, there's Kaeya and Rosaria. I tried to invite Diluc too, but he declined."
Venti still felt a pang of regret that Diluc couldn't make it.
"Oh?" Lumine asked, surprised. "Kaeya and Rosaria are here too?"
"Not just Mondstadt and Liyue," Venti replied. "We sent invitations to Inazuma, Sumeru, Fontaine, Natlan, and Snezhnaya as well. Representatives from every nation have come."
"Is it really that grand?" Lumine wondered.
Then why did I only receive the invitation a few days ago?
Am I just out of the loop?
No wonder this venue is so huge. So many people were invited?
Paimon, still feeling a bit embarrassed from her earlier crying, stayed close to Lumine, keeping quiet.
"Venti," Lumine asked, "is there a deeper meaning to all this?"
With such a grand Summit, are Venti and the others planning to find someone with a Pure Soul?
No, that doesn't make sense. Someone with a Pure Soul might not even attend. This theory falls apart.
Is it meant to ignite the people's fighting spirit in preparation for the Abyss? Or is it to calm the public's fears after the Abyss's recent major invasions, stabilizing morale?
Venti deliberately let Lumine speculate for a moment before turning to smile at the arena.
"Don't overthink it," he said. "Just treat it like a game and put your strength to the test."
"But don't underestimate your opponents—the competitors are formidable. There's the Shogunate General from Inazuma, the General Mahamatra from Sumeru, the guard of Fontaine's Hydro Archon Furina, the Flower-Feather Clan Hunter from Natlan, and the Harbinger siblings from Snezhnaya. Add to that the top talents from Mondstadt and Liyue, and you'll find it's no simple task to stand out among them."
-
Player World
[Whoa, it's packed! Representatives from every nation are here!]
[Fontaine and Natlan—are characters from those mysterious nations finally about to appear?]
[Is Fontaine's Hydro Archon really named Furina? She sounds like such a cute girl!]
[Ha! I knew Childe would show up. He never misses a spectacle like this!]
[Cyno's here too! I can't even imagine how intense the battles will be. Are we actually going to fight them ourselves?]
[Now I understand why the Old Man built the arena. Anything less sturdy wouldn't survive! Remember the chaos Childe and the Traveler caused in the Golden House?]
[That's not all—even Venti helped construct the venue.]
[So we'll not only get to see new characters from Fontaine and Natlan, but also fight them and earn rewards afterward?]
[Ha ha, that sounds about right. After a month-long wait for a major version update, this event is the main highlight.]
[Can't wait!]
[Too bad the Kaiyang is gone. She would have stolen the show!]
[Get the hell out of here, upstairs!]
[Don't forget, the main focus is Qingxu, the one who inherited the Kaiyang's will. I'm definitely pulling for her full constellation!]
-
Liyue.
Hiss—
Lumine couldn't help but gasp. If Venti was saying the competitors were this strong, they must be truly formidable!
The Shogunate General... that would be Kujou Sara, right?
After spending so long in Inazuma, Lumine was surprised she hadn't heard Sara was coming to Liyue for the Summit!
The General Mahamatra undoubtedly referred to Cyno. The Hydro Archon's guard from Fontaine was an unknown quantity, but given their position, they couldn't be weak.
Natlan was rumored to be a nation of war, so its hunters were certainly no pushovers.
The Snezhnayan Harbinger siblings... that would be Tartaglia and Angie, right?
Lumine wasn't too worried about Tartaglia. Though he'd been improving rapidly, he still couldn't match her speed, so she should be able to defeat him.
As for Angie...
It seemed she'd have to pull out all the stops this time. Being eliminated early would be utterly humiliating!
A faint blush crept across Lumine's cheeks, not from embarrassment, but from excitement. She couldn't wait for this grand, officially sanctioned battle. The adrenaline-pumping combat would be absolutely exhilarating!
Lumine wasn't a battle maniac, but she craved combat with others. Such battles were crucial for honing her skills.
And right now, honing her skills was her top priority!
-
Liyue Harbor, inside a guest room.
"Fidelle, I'm heading out to interview participants from various countries. Do you want to come with me?"
A girl with pink hair, a monocle, and a red hat waved to Fidelle.
"You go ahead, Charlotte. I need to write a letter to Lady Furina first, reporting on the situation here."
"Alright then. I'll get to work and catch up with you later tonight. I've heard Liyue's cuisine is exceptional. I wonder how it compares to your cooking?"
Charlotte, a reporter for the Steambird, was a maverick who risked her life in pursuit of truth.
Fontaine had received news of the Summit being held in Liyue over a month ago. As a reporter for Fontaine's most renowned newspaper, Charlotte naturally had to be there!
"Okay," Fidelle replied, then retrieved paper and pen to draft her report to Furina.
The woman writing the letter was none other than Jiang Mumu's Fontaine alias, Fidelle, who wielded an Electro Vision and a bow.
Before coming to Liyue, Furina had repeatedly urged her to send back letters upon arrival. Fidelle was now composing the very letter she intended to send back to Furina.
After spending over ten minutes writing, she secured the letter to the leg of a pigeon she had brought from Fontaine, opened the window, and released the bird.
The fluttering of the pigeon's wings caught the attention of Qingxu, who was walking down the street below. She looked up curiously and locked eyes with Fidelle, who was standing by the window.
Fidelle offered a polite nod before closing the window.
Qingxu lowered her gaze and continued on her way.
Her master had taught her the Art of Discernment, and she could tell that this woman was no ordinary person.
Even during her brief stroll through the streets, Qingxu had already encountered several formidable figures. Far from being discouraged, she found this all the more challenging—and exciting!
-
Night had fallen.
Cyno strode through the streets of Liyue Harbor. Though it was evening, the city remained brightly lit and even more bustling than usual.
He was on a mission of great importance!
Knock, knock, knock—knock, knock, knock!
The insistent knocking prompted Dehya to reluctantly open the door. Cyno stood before her.
"The night stretches long. Feeling bored?"
Dehya: "..."
"Want to play a card game? We'll use that card you won in Liyue today as the wager. If I lose, I'll give you my Rukkhadevata Card."
Dehya was speechless. This guy... over just one card? Seriously?
Looks like I'll have to teach him a lesson to stop him from bothering me.
"Fine, let's play."
Just wait until I win your precious Rukkhadevata Card. Then we'll see what you do!
A dozen minutes later, Cyno returned home, satisfied with the card he had just won from Dehya.
In her room, Dehya: "..."
Cyno... who knew he was such a formidable card player?