Paimon: "I Became Frozen Food?! I'm Cracking!"
Just as everyone was crying out in shock—
Salvation arrived.
On the light-screen.
Lumine appeared.
She burst in with Anemo energy, forcibly blasting the two Fatui attackers away.
Just as she and Paimon were about to pursue—
That was when it happened.
A figure slowly emerged from behind them.
Snap.
With the sound of a finger snapping,
a terrifying surge of Cryo power swept forward.
Paimon was instantly frozen solid—
turned into fresh frozen meat—
then blown away by the icy gale.
Venti, "overwhelmed," had both legs frozen in place, unable to move.
Lumine still had some strength left,
but she had only recently recovered a fraction of her power and was immediately entangled by the two Fatui again.
And so—
Venti was left alone.
Standing there "miserably,"
facing the enemy who walked toward him.
Fatui Harbinger No. 11 — La Signora.
And her two subordinates.
"Heh… so the little hamster finally crawled back home."
Signora strode forward on long legs, her steps languid and alluring, looking down at Venti from above.
"Gnawing on fence posts, nibbling grain sacks—
you've caused Mondstadt quite a bit of trouble."
As she spoke, she reached out and pinched his chin.
Seeing how cooperative he was,
Venti went all in on the performance.
He forced an angry expression onto his face.
"That's not a hamster,"
"that's a rat."
Smack!
A sharp slap rang out.
The moment froze.
Everyone was stunned.
What the hell?!
Did we just see—
The Wind God get slapped across the face?!
Mondstadt exploded in rage.
We've never even touched Lord Barbatos' face—
and you dare slap him?!
Unforgivable!
At that moment, the light-screen continued.
Lumine watched Venti get slapped, panic written all over her face.
But with the Fatui holding her back, she could do nothing.
"Impertinent bard.
This is no place for you to speak."
Signora sneered coldly.
After all—
If you're acting, you act it properly.
As a god, being frozen due to "insufficient strength" made sense.
But if he didn't resist after being slapped, that would look suspicious.
So—
Venti clenched his fists.
Though the braids behind his head didn't glow,
he released what he claimed was his "maximum power."
Anemo surged.
The ice binding his legs began to crack.
Seeing this, Signora laughed, openly mocking him.
"Heh.
So this is Mondstadt's Wind God?"
"Abandoned your throne, and now this is all you have left?"
Venti felt the heat still wasn't enough.
So he fired back.
"Heh~
Mocking me?"
"Relying on power borrowed from your master?"
That did it.
Signora's expression darkened.
A woman's anger was terrifying.
She blasted him backward with force,
then instantly appeared at his side—
And in one fluid motion—
Black Tiger Steals the Heart.
The Gnosis was ripped out.
Venti collapsed to his knees, wearing a "weak" expression.
Still not satisfied,
Signora examined the Gnosis in her hand and sneered again.
"So this is the Wind God's Gnosis?"
"Hmph.
Not even close to my treasured, exquisite chess pieces."
Venti cooperated perfectly.
Clutching his chest, panting, he muttered back—
"That's probably because…
your aesthetic sense is terrible…"
The result was predictable.
Furious, Signora kicked him unconscious.
Then, with a wave of her hand, she departed with her subordinates.
Leaving behind—
An "unconscious" Venti.
And Lumine, knocked out cold.
Video ends.
Silence.
Then—
Explosion.
Everyone was utterly shaken.
They had expected another simple "Wind God fooling people" clip.
Instead—
The Wind God was ambushed
Slapped in public
Had his Gnosis ripped out
And was kicked unconscious before the enemy calmly left
This was Barbatos.
One of the Seven Archons.
One of the two original gods still alive.
Being carefree was one thing.
But this?
This was getting beaten senseless.
And not by another god.
Not by a demon god.
But by a Fatui Harbinger—
one of the lower-ranked ones at that.
And where did it happen?
Right in front of the Cathedral of Favonius.
This wasn't just humiliating Barbatos.
It was slapping the Knights of Favonius in the face.
The Church in the face.
All Mondstadters in the face.
For Mondstadt, Fatui oppression elsewhere could be endured.
But this?
This crossed the line.
If even this could be tolerated, they'd be spineless cowards.
And tomorrow, if they dared slap Barbatos—
what would stop them from assassinating Rex Lapis next?!
Mondstadt erupted.
Ordinary Chat Group
Azar:Hahaha! See that? This is true blasphemy! No—this is straight-up face-slapping!
Harry:Damn you Fatui! You've gone too far! (angry.jpg)
Sister Victoria:Slapping Lord Barbatos in front of the Cathedral and stealing his Gnosis—how dare you defile a god! (angry.jpg)
Lawrence:The Fatui deserve death! (angry.jpg)
Electro Cicin Mage:Your Wind God's just weak. Can't handle it? Train harder.
Ellin:Oh? So you're declaring war on Mondstadt now?
Charles:We swear to defend Lord Barbatos' honor!
Swan:We swear to defend Lord Barbatos' honor!
Wood:One word from Acting Grand Master Jean and we march north into Snezhnaya!
Chef Mao:Wait—earlier, when the Traveler was evaluated, wasn't there talk of an assassination attempt on Rex Lapis?
Iron Tongue Tian:Exactly. If they dare slap the Wind God, why wouldn't they assassinate the Geo Archon?
Uncle Tian:There's strong suspicion. I'll contact the Qixing immediately.
Teppei:The Fatui have brought chaos to Inazuma too. If war breaks out, I'll support it!
Dunyazard:Sumeru will provide funding.
Effie:Fontaine will provide fair judicial support.
The Fatui were already despised.
This incident ignited universal fury.
Today they slapped a god.
Tomorrow—who knows?
And in their anger, everyone subconsciously ignored one key question:
Why was the Wind God beaten so badly by a Fatui Harbinger in the first place?
Liyue — Jade Chamber
"Damn it!"
"Right in front of me, they froze Paimon into frozen food!"
"They beat Venti!"
"And then knocked me unconscious on the way out!"
"My dignity—gone!"
"I, Lumine, will never coexist with the Fatui!"
Lumine was furious.
Who was she?
Honorary Knight of Mondstadt.
Friend of the Adepti of Liyue.
Key member of the Inazuman Resistance.
First Sage of Lesser Lord Kusanali.
One of Fontaine's saviors.
At full strength, she could exchange blows with the Raiden Shogun.
And yet—
In that original future,
she was bullied by a mere Fatui Harbinger?!
Unacceptable!
"So it was Signora…"
"Good. Very good."
"Remember this."
Lumine ground her teeth.
Back then in Inazuma, she could defeat Signora.
Meaning once she resonated with three Statues of the Seven, her strength would be enough.
Looks like she'd need Ayaka to take her to Inazuma sooner rather than later.
Settle the score properly.
Beside her, Paimon had been angry for Venti—
until she suddenly froze.
"…Wait."
"Frozen food?"
"I'm emergency food—how did I become frozen food?"
"You got frozen into an ice block," Lumine shrugged.
"So frozen food."
Paimon replayed the scene in her head.
…She really was frozen solid and blown away.
"I— I froze on the spot… I'm shattered…"
Then—
"HEY! I'M NOT FOOD!
Not emergency food, and definitely not frozen food!"
"Sure, sure~" Lumine replied cheerfully.
You already accepted being emergency food subconsciously—what's left to argue?
After venting, Paimon calmed down a little.
Then she suddenly thought of something.
"…You said you'd never coexist with the Fatui."
"What if Snezhnaya offered you one of the top Harbinger seats?"
"Then I'm Fatui!"
"I'll defend Fatui interests and restore Fatui glory without hesitation!"
"Venti's case is just a personal grudge with Signora!"
"I and Signora are mortal enemies!"
Lumine declared solemnly, patting her chest.
Paimon rolled her eyes.
Classic you.
In the Jade Chamber,
Ningguang, Keqing, and Ganyu had been shocked by the video—
but now they couldn't help laughing.
Moments ago: eternal enemies.
Offer a high seat: personal dispute only.
Truly the Executor.
Mondstadt — Goth Grand Hotel
Signora had been watching closely.
She wanted to see the Wind God humiliated.
When she saw "Barba-Thighs" dancing earlier, she laughed uncontrollably.
No matter how free you are,
a god doing something that obscene was bound to humiliate Mondstadt.
Well done, light-screen.
But then—
the melon rolled straight onto her lap.
"…Wait."
"…That's me?"
Signora shot to her feet.
After a moment, she understood.
This was the original future.
Watching it play out, she felt exhilarated.
"Barbatos… you finally got what you deserved."
Beating him senseless and taking his Gnosis—double victory.
Only—
"That was the original future."
"That won't happen now."
"And I've probably offended the Traveler too…"
She sighed.
Ever since learning she'd be defeated in Inazuma and struck down by the Raiden Shogun,
she'd avoided the Traveler at all costs.
And succeeded.
Yet—
this happened anyway.
"…At least it was just a vision."
"She shouldn't come after me, right…?"
She comforted herself.
After all—
the Raiden Shogun's blade had shattered her arrogance.
And the Traveler wasn't someone she could handle either.
Then—
A thought struck her.
"Wait."
"If the Raiden Shogun can kill me with one strike…"
"Then how could Barbatos, an original Archon, be beaten so easily?"
"…Unless…"
Her expression darkened.
Combining the "non-serious evaluation" title with the Tsaritsa's orders—
She understood everything.
"Damn it, Barbatos!"
"He played me like a fool!"
Now everyone would see her as a clown—
clever on the surface, yet completely fooled by the Wind God.
In the original future, she'd been smug over this—
then ignored the Raiden Shogun and died for it.
Her fists clenched.
But that memory forced her to calm down.
Standing up, she made a decision.
"Things are exposed. Mondstadt isn't safe anymore."
"I'm leaving."
"And I never want to stay in this wretched place again."
"Liyue."
"Go to Liyue and assist Childe in obtaining the Geo Archon's Gnosis."
"Mondstadt can be handled by the other Harbingers."
She moved at once.
High Above Mondstadt
"Barbatos… was that really you?"
"You got beaten like that by a human?"
"Your Gnosis ripped out in public?"
Dvalin stared, speechless.
Venti sighed softly and sat down.
"That girl is… special."
"And five hundred years ago, during the Khaenri'ah disaster, I failed."
"There's also the Tsaritsa's side to consider."
"But now… things are messy."
He hid nothing from his familiar.
Dvalin fell silent.
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