"You're Arresting Barbatos—What Does That Have to Do with Me, Venti?"
Once Venti explained things that way, Dvalin more or less understood.
He couldn't help but sigh inwardly.
Gods might love humanity,
but they could never take care of everyone.
There would always be blind spots.
That was true for every nation—
especially during the calamity five hundred years ago in Khaenri'ah.
Back then, no one had the luxury of looking after others.
If a god truly managed to protect everyone perfectly,
then a god would be nothing more than humanity's babysitter.
But in reality—
Gods were merely guides, not caretakers.
"So what are you planning to do next?"
Dvalin asked in his hoarse voice.
"Ehe~ one step at a time."
"Ever since the light-screen appeared, everything's changed."
"That Tsaritsa over in Snezhnaya might've altered her plans too."
"So we'll just stick to ours."
"First, find that great adventurer—then go drink with the old man~"
Venti grinned.
That was simply his nature.
If something couldn't be changed, there was no reason to obsess over it.
Better to share a few drinks with an old friend,
chat nonsense in the group,
and enjoy some good-quality chaos.
Life didn't get much better than that.
"You really haven't changed—still avoiding real work."
Dvalin laughed helplessly.
But perhaps—
this was the true freedom of the God of Freedom.
Transcendent Chat Group
Jean:What?! Lord Barbatos was actually—
Jean:Unacceptable! Fatui, to dare humiliate Lord Barbatos so openly—are you declaring war on Mondstadt?! (angry.jpg)
Jean:If it is war you want, then war it shall be! For Lord Barbatos' glory!
Barbara:And it happened right in front of the Cathedral of Favonius—this is trampling on Mondstadt's faith itself! (angry.jpg)
Barbara:If Sister goes to war, I'll take the upgraded Skyward AK-47 with me!
Kaeya:The Fatui really crossed the line this time.
Diluc:Rare to see the Knights this firm. If help is needed, I'm ready.
Klee:The bigger the hat, the badder the Dodoco Demon King! That big sister is bad! Klee doesn't like her!
Diona:Even if Lord Barbatos is a drunk, outsiders are absolutely not allowed to disrespect him! (angry.jpg)
With the earlier serious evaluation laying the groundwork,
Mondstadt's faith in Venti was at an all-time high.
Seeing their god publicly humiliated,
Mondstadters completely lost it.
And others quickly joined in.
After all, this incident really was massive.
And the Fatui's reputation had never been good to begin with.
Ningguang:The Fatui's actions this time are far too arrogant!
Keqing:If they dared strike the Anemo Archon, it's reasonable to believe they'd target Rex Lapis as well!
Ganyu:Agreed. What was once uncertain now seems clear—the assassination attempt on Rex Lapis was likely their doing!
Cloud Retainer:Ah—well, actually…
Ganyu:Hm? Cloud Retainer?
Cloud Retainer:Cough—nothing.
She'd almost said that it was all Rex Lapis' own scheme.
But after thinking it over, she held her tongue.
If Rex Lapis hadn't spoken, she shouldn't overstep.
Besides—
once the light-screen reached Rex Lapis' evaluation, everything would become clear.
Tighnari:Exactly. The Fatui commit atrocities everywhere—who knows which god they'll target next!
Collei:Master's right!
Nilou:Lesser Lord Kusanali, please be careful… (worried.jpg)
Nahida:I should be quite safe… I think…
Furina:Huh?! W-What? They're coming after me too?!
Clorinde:Lady Furina, rest assured. With me here, no one will harm you.
Neuvillette:Ms. Furina, Fontaine remains secure.
Sigewinne:Lord Neuvillette's power as the Hydro Dragon is very reassuring.
Furina:W-Why would I be scared?! I'm the God of Justice, Focalors! Hahaha!
Kujou Sara:Signora, was it? I'll remember her. If she dares set foot in Inazuma, she'll be arrested on sight!
Lumine:No no no—you shouldn't arrest her. You should escort her straight to Tenshukaku to meet the Raiden Shogun. (smug.jpg)
Yae Miko:Exactly~ Our dear Shogun has quite the temper. When she swings her blade, people tend to disappear~
Paimon:Yeah! In the original future, Signora got sliced by the Raiden Shogun. Super tragic! (popcorn.jpg)
Beidou:That's right… not even ashes left.
Hu Tao:Oh? Then business might finally come my way~
Ei:This body, supreme and exalted, governs all under heaven. How could I tolerate such provocation from a foreign subject?
Alice:No no no~ That's not Ei, that's the Liyue Thunder God~ (evil.jpg)
Keqing:…
Facing the united outrage of multiple nations,
the Fatui suddenly became… remarkably united.
Il Dottore:Heh. This has nothing to do with the Fatui as a whole—this was Signora's personal action.
Arlecchino:Indeed. At the very least, the Fatui in Fontaine will not disrespect Lady Furina.
Scaramouche:Slapping the Wind God in front of the Cathedral and ripping out his heart—honestly? Nicely done.
Tartaglia:And threatening the Raiden Shogun too! Haha—turns out you're the most arrogant of us all!
Tartaglia:No wonder you got cut down~ (laughing.jpg)
Signora:First: that was me in the original future. I've done nothing now. It has nothing to do with me.
Paimon:6/10 excuse. Lumine and Clorinde approve.
Lumine:…
Clorinde:…
Signora:Second: don't laugh too soon. In some future, you two might not fare any better.
Tartaglia:Impossible~
Scaramouche:Heh. Worry about yourself. Try not to get dragged off by angry Mondstadters for trial~
Il Dottore:Now that would be fascinating.
Signora:@#%…
What began as a united front against the Fatui
somehow devolved into Fatui internal civil war.
The spectators were left completely confused.
At least Mondstadt acted decisively.
Jean and Lisa headed straight for Goth Grand Hotel.
Someone had to answer for this—
and Signora was the perfect candidate.
Even if she had once been a Mondstadt hero,
such sacrilege could not be forgiven.
Unfortunately for them—
Signora had already slipped away.
As the chat spiraled further off course,
someone finally dragged it back.
Zhongli:While this incident is indeed shocking, everyone seems to have missed the main point.
Zhongli:The focus of this non-serious evaluation is "deception."
Hu Tao:Oh! That's… actually true!
Paimon:But where's the deception? I just saw the bard getting beaten up. (shrug.jpg)
Alice:Hehe~ Getting beaten up is the biggest deception of all~ (evil.jpg)
Ayaka:Wait… I think I've noticed something.
Heizou:Lord Barbatos is one of the two original Archons. His power once blew away Mondstadt's eternal blizzards.
Heizou:Even weakened, he shouldn't be completely helpless against the Eleventh Harbinger.
Heizou:No disrespect to the Eleventh—this is just objective analysis.
Heizou:So there's only one conclusion…
Nahida:That Barbatos was acting. He did it deliberately, for some purpose.
Everyone froze.
Acting?
From that guy?
From Barba-Thighs?
…Actually—
yeah, that tracked.
Then what was the purpose?
Only a handful of people likely knew.
Jean:Um… is that really so? (uncertain.jpg)
Barbara:So Lord Barbatos let it happen—and the Harbinger was fooled? (dazed.jpg)
Yae Miko:Letting it happen? Please—this was flooding the entire sea~ (evil.jpg)
Furina:Huh—when you put it that way…
Furina:He even seemed to deliberately provoke her, like he wanted her to strike. (realization.jpg)
Lumine:Good grief—this acting! He deserves an Oscar!
Navia:Oscar? What's that?
Alice:An award for people who are really good at acting~ (doge.jpg)
Furina:Tsk tsk, such talent wasted on being a god. If you're ever interested, come try Fontaine's stage productions~
Venti:Ehe~ not at all, not at all~
Venti:Gods gain power by fulfilling their divine duties—and I don't rule.
Venti:So I'm obviously the weakest among the Seven! (serious.jpg)
Nahida:Weakest…
Furina:…
Lumine:Keep talking. Keep fooling people. (popcorn.jpg)
Paimon:I'd sooner believe I could chug Primordial Seawater in one gulp.
Ei:There isn't a single truthful word coming out of his mouth!
Dvalin:No—there was one. When he stole the Holy Lyre and told the nuns he was Barbatos. (laugh-cry.jpg)
Barbara:But no one believed that at the time…
Zhongli:If deception had ranks, the Wind God would have reached the level of the Heavenly Principles.
"Ah… the old man ruins everything."
Watching the chat, Venti sighed helplessly.
Every time.
The topic finally drifts away—
and he drags it right back to expose him.
No—
this won't do.
Later, he must demand a few bottles of Morax's finest as compensation.
Villa
"Well, looks like Venti the Great Con Artist is officially confirmed."
Luo Chen chuckled at the highlighted comments.
In that case—
why not help cement the reputation?
With a grin, he played the final video.
Unlike the previous canon clips,
this one was a fan-made edit.
And it was glorious.
Video Title
"You're Arresting Barbatos—What Does That Have to Do with Me, Venti?"
The light-screen lit up.
All eyes turned to it.
Scene: An Inazuman tavern
Lumine, Paimon, and Venti were drinking.
Suddenly, Kujou Sara entered with two Tenryou Commission soldiers.
Kujou Sara:Why am I in this? Is this… cross-nation content? (shocked.jpg)
Lumine:I'm used to it.
Paimon:Same.
Clorinde:From the title, it looks like they're arresting the Wind God.
Alice:First rebellion, now arresting gods—Sara, you're impressive~ (evil.jpg)
Kujou Sara:…
The video continued.
Kujou Sara stepped forward coldly.
"Which one of you is Venti?"
"I am. What's the matter?"
Venti looked up curiously.
"Hmph. I'm here to arrest you."
"Sure."
"But at least let me eat and drink first."
"And also—do you have an arrest warrant?"
"Of course!"
Sara slammed a warrant onto the table.
ARREST TARGET: BARBATOS
"Issued by the Kamisato Estate."
Venti glanced at it—
then burst out laughing.
"Hahaha—why don't you read it carefully?"
"You're arresting Barbatos.
What does that have to do with me, Venti?"
The room went silent.
…Wait.
That actually made sense.
The atmosphere turned awkward.
Thinking the Shogun had made a mistake, Kujou Sara could only withdraw.
Scene change — Tenryou Commission Office
Kujou Sara lounged in her chair, feet on the desk, reading a light novel.
Ei walked in.
"…Hm?"
"He escaped?"
"Mistake."
"The Kamisato Estate told me to arrest Barbatos.
What does that have to do with Venti?"
Ei stared.
"…Isn't Venti Barbatos?"
Sara jumped up instantly.
"General, I may not be educated—"
"but I know Venti and Barbatos aren't the same."
"One surname is Wen. The other is Ba."
"They told me to arrest Wen.
You're telling me to arrest Ba."
"That's not the same person, right?"
Ei froze.
How did she end up with such a subordinate?
After a moment, she snapped.
"Kujou Sara!"
"I've told you to read more books!"
"Barbatos is Venti's divine name!"
"Divine name, do you understand?!"
Sara blinked.
Her eyes were clear.
And utterly empty.
"Divine… name?"
"What's that?"
"I— you—"
Ei fainted on the spot.
Video ends.
Silence.
Then—
"…Wow."
That was… abstract.
Tenryou Commission
Kujou Sara stared blankly.
"W-Wait—wasn't this a Wind God evaluation?"
"Why am I being dragged into this?!"
She was a dignified general!
How could she be portrayed as someone shouting "I'm here to arrest you" like a thug?
And the surname joke?!
That was something Arataki Itto would do!
Worse—
the Shogun fainted because of her.
Sara covered her face.
It was over.
Her image in the Shogun's heart was ruined.
Tenshukaku
"That… was Sara?"
Ei looked strange.
In her memory, Sara was loyal, capable, quiet, and dependable.
She never expected that side.
Yae Miko smiled knowingly.
"And who do you think she learned it from?"
Ei: "..."
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