"That's certainly what I wish for, though I dare not ask for it outright."
Venti gave a small laugh. "Mmm, sounds like something the old man would say. Not bad—your imitation's spot-on."
Gong Qu chuckled in response and raised his glass.
Venti mirrored the gesture, clinking his cup lightly against his.
The two of them drank as the winds of Mondstadt swirled around them like appetizers, and before long, they had emptied half the bottle.
Then Gong Qu steered the conversation toward the real reason he had come.
"How much do you know about Visions, Venti?"
"Well, a bit, but not everything. You're asking about that two-toned Vision you've got, aren't you?"
Gong Qu nodded. "Yeah. Yesterday, during a battle, I accidentally triggered its second element."
He unfastened the Vision from his belt and held it out.
The device was split clean down the middle. On the left glowed the symbol for Dendro. On the right—Pyro.
Venti examined it closely and frowned. "This Vision… it doesn't carry the scent of Celestia. Where did you get it?"
"Still figuring out the best way to answer that," Gong Qu replied, cautiously pulling up the system interface.
Sure enough, Venti didn't seem to notice the semi-transparent UI floating midair.
"It came from a rather... unusual world," Gong Qu began, choosing his words carefully. "That world was incredibly accommodating—after analyzing the elemental structure of Teyvat, it created this Vision based on what it understood. I happened to be the one to receive it."
Venti raised an eyebrow. That was... unexpected.
He had thought it might be some sort of Fatui experiment gone wrong, like a Delusion.
"May I take a look?"
"Of course."
Like all the others, Venti was a character Gong Qu had maxed out to Favor Level 10 within the game.
Their interaction felt like that of old friends. There was none of the awkward tension that often came with romance—this was camaraderie, the bond between equals.
Gong Qu felt oddly relieved by that.
Venti took the dual-element Vision and closed his eyes.
A soft breeze, pure and gentle, flowed over every inch of the Vision.
Ten seconds passed.
Venti's expression twisted into a deep frown—
Bang!
A sudden pulse of energy erupted from the Vision, throwing it from his hands. It zipped through the air and automatically returned to Gong Qu's belt.
"Are you alright?!"
Gong Qu cast a healing spell without thinking.
Surprisingly, the mild explosion had left the Anemo Archon's hands covered in countless tiny cuts—golden blood trickling down like sunlight.
"I'm fine, Traveler," Venti said, though his face had turned unusually grave. He looked Gong Qu straight in the eye. "Can I ask you to summon elemental power again—but this time, skip the Vision. Use your instincts."
Gong Qu blinked. This wasn't like Venti.
Despite his usually carefree nature, Venti was one of the two surviving original Archons. When he looked serious, it meant something was seriously wrong.
So Gong Qu complied, holding out his palm.
He reached inward, communing with the unfamiliar energy within.
Gradually, green and red glows began to form—twining together in a double helix, like swirling smoke.
"I knew it," Venti whispered.
"What is it?" Gong Qu asked. "Is there something wrong with my elemental power?"
"No," Venti said slowly. "Not wrong—if anything, it's too right. This isn't power that any human should be able to wield. This... this is a brilliance purer than even we gods possess."
He cast a sideways glance at the Vision on Gong Qu's belt. "That Vision is just a filter. Your power—this origin force—I've only seen it once before."
Then, ever so subtly, Venti looked toward the skies above Teyvat.
The Heavenly Principle?
Gong Qu followed his gaze, and the realization dawned. Unexpected, yes—but it made sense.
Teyvat had changed rulers multiple times. The original Seven Sovereigns—the Dragon Lords—had become the Seven Archons. In such a fragmented world, his power, rooted in the world's earliest elements, was bound to differ from what currently existed.
"So what you're saying is… I shouldn't be using elemental power in this world?"
"No, that's not it. You can use it. I wouldn't have noticed anything odd if I hadn't observed your Vision closely. That two-toned Vision is acting as a converter—it transforms your primordial power into the standard elements of this era."
"Oh?" Gong Qu latched onto the key point. "You're saying it's filtering my original energy into something this world can understand?"
"Exactly. That explosion just now? That was my attempt to reverse the filtering process—and your primordial force retaliated on its own."
"Well, that's fascinating. Thanks, Venti. Looks like coming to you was the right call. Consider the rest of this bottle a gift of friendship."
"Haha, you're too kind."
Venti didn't hesitate to snatch the remaining dandelion wine. A glint of mischief flashed in his eye, and his voice took on that familiar teasing lilt of a bard:
"Say, since your power is essentially the same as that one's… why don't you become the Heavenly Principle?"
On the road to the Knights of Favonius HQ, in front of the statue of the Wind God.
Gong Qu was still turning Venti's last remark over in his mind.
Become the Heavenly Principle?
Venti must've made some kind of pact with Zhongli and the Cryo Archon. They were likely planning to overthrow Celestia—the ones who ruled from above.
But the balance between the Archons and the Heavenly Principle was delicate. No one could say who would come out on top in the end.
And now, seeing the potential for creation itself within Gong Qu, Venti wanted to rope him in—add one more piece to their side of the board.
"Damn. I came here to ask them for help with the Ender Dragon… and somehow I ended up getting recruited for a cosmic coup."
Gong Qu's expression was hard to describe. He hadn't said yes—but he hadn't refused, either.
The Cryo Archon had her own long-term schemes. By the time her five-year—or even ten-year—plans played out, he'd likely already grasped the full authority of Creation and Destruction, just as the Gatekeeper had said.
When that day came, even the Heavenly Principle would be powerless before him.
"Traveler! Is that you?"
A lively voice snapped Gong Qu out of his thoughts.
First came the unmistakable bunny-ear headband, then a tall, slender girl with flowing flaxen hair appeared before him.
"Amber? Long time no see."
"It has been a while! Wait, what about Lumine and Paimon? They've been looking all over for you!"
"Thanks for worrying. We've reunited—right now, they're resting inside the Serenitea Pot."
The Gate to Teyvat was now linked to the Pot's pocket dimension, so saying they were "resting" there wasn't exactly wrong.
"That's great news—er, I mean, I hope they can rest well." Amber tilted her head. "So you came to the Knights' HQ today to see Acting Grand Master Jean?"
"Yeah. Why? Judging by your face, she's not here?"
Amber tucked a windblown strand of hair behind her ear and replied softly, "Eula reported back yesterday that there's been a surge of high-level monsters in Whispering Woods. Jean took Kaeya and the others out early this morning to deal with it."
"Ah… Grand Master Jean. Tireless as ever," Gong Qu said, trying to keep his face neutral.
Especially since… that incident was probably caused by his second "wife."
He'd have to make up for it later—maybe lend a hand. Consider it cleaning up after Lumine's mess.
Just as he was about to offer this helpful idea—
Amber's cheeks suddenly turned pink. Her gaze wavered, and her voice dropped to a flustered mumble.
"Um… Eula also said… she heard that the Traveler might be involved in some… improper relationship with Miss Keqing of the Liyue Qixing. Is that… true?"