“You two, carry on.”
Lumine decisively dropped the basket of raspberries she was holding and grabbed Paimon, retreating out of the room.
“…?”
Jia Changjiang froze, confused by Lumine’s sudden departure. Lowering his head, he glanced at his system interface again. A moment later, the door swung open as Lumine stepped back in.
However, Jia Changjiang and Venti’s positions remained unchanged.
“Lumine, are you coming in or not?” Jia Changjiang asked, completely unaware of how his posture with Venti might appear.
Lumine, having re-entered to confirm she hadn’t misunderstood, was once again greeted by the sight of Jia Changjiang pinning Venti against the wall.
“My apologies.”
With a loud thud, Lumine slammed the door shut. From the hallway, her hurried footsteps and Paimon’s increasingly curious voice echoed: “Traveler, what did you see this time? Why was Mr. Jax pinning Venti like that—”
“Why is Lumine acting so skittish?” Jia Changjiang muttered as he listened to the sounds outside. Gradually, realization dawned on him. He released Venti.
Venti, struggling to stifle his laughter, finally let it out as he collapsed into a chair. Jia Changjiang couldn’t help but laugh awkwardly along with him as he sat back down. “She must have misunderstood. I’ll explain it to her later.”
“Haha! I thought you’d rush after her to clear it up right away, but Jax, you’re calmer than I expected!” Venti teased.
“I didn’t panic when we stole the Holy Lyre, so why would I panic now?” Jia Changjiang thumped his chest confidently. “Panicking solves nothing. If there’s nothing to hide, I just need to explain.”
“Ahaha~”
Wiping a tear from his eye, Venti chuckled, “Alright, Jax, I’ll give you that. Sometimes, you’re more upright than I expect…”
“As for your earlier request, I’ll accept it.”
Venti leaned back in his chair, and the fake Vision hanging at his waist transformed into his trusty lyre, Der Frühling.
“When the time comes, when you and she fully understand the meaning of the journey… I’ll compose a special song for you. That’s the promise of the best bard in all of Teyvat!”
“It’ll undoubtedly be the most flamboyant piece I’ve ever written.”
Hugging his knees, Venti tilted his head to look at Jia Changjiang. “My instincts are usually pretty accurate, you know.”
“What do you think? Isn’t it moving? Don’t you feel like becoming an apostle of the Anemo Archon on the spot?” Venti winked playfully. “If you want to pledge yourself to a god, all it takes is offering an apple—or a bottle of good wine. Honestly, even I find that offer a little tempting.”
“A bottle of good wine?”
Jia Changjiang raised an eyebrow and glanced at his system interface. The reward for his mission to thwart the Abyss Mage’s plan was conveniently two barrels of fine wine.
“Apples might take some time, but the wine… I can manage that.”
“Really? Then it’s a deal!” Venti exclaimed with a grin. “I’ll be looking forward to it.”
—
When Jia Changjiang and Venti entered the grand hall of Diluc’s mansion, they were met with Lumine’s peculiar expression.
By now, it was already afternoon, and only a few hours remained until the attack time they had extracted from the Abyss Mage.
As Jia Changjiang quickly explained the earlier misunderstanding to Lumine, Diluc also entered the hall. Judging by the expressions of Lumine and Paimon, it seemed they had understood his explanation—probably.
“Diluc, how’s the preparation at Angel’s Share coming along?” Lumine asked.
“The Abyss Mage’s plan hasn’t been foiled yet, so there’s still time to finalize details,” Diluc replied with a frown. “The tavern is ready, but… are you sure hosting this gathering there won’t blow your cover?”
“Relax, Master Diluc!” Paimon declared confidently as she floated into view. “We’ve already got a plan! There’s no way anyone will suspect your secret identity as the Darknight Hero!”
“As long as you join the party we’ve planned for Jean, all you need to do is appear on the bridge to repel the Abyss Mage. That way, no one will connect you to the Darknight Hero!” Lumine said with her hands on her hips. “We’ll have plenty of witnesses to back you up!”
“Venti’s illusions are top-notch, aren’t they? Just let him help out!” she added.
“All you need to do is destroy the Abyss Mage’s plan, Master Diluc,” Venti chimed in. “Leave the tavern to me—so long as there’s wine, I’m more than happy to assist.”
“…”
After a moment of silence, Diluc gave a reluctant nod.
And thus, the simple plan was set.
As for the party for Jean, it was a carefully guarded secret. To pull it off, the Knights of Favonius had gone out of their way to take over all her duties, leaving her oblivious to the surprise in store. Angel’s Share had been reserved by the Knights, and preparations for the celebration were well underway.
Jean, meanwhile, had no idea about the plan. She was currently focused on protecting Mondstadt after learning of the Abyss Mage’s letter to the Darknight Hero.
—
Evening arrived quickly.
At Angel’s Share, Kaeya and Lisa had joined the gathering. Diluc stood behind the counter, enduring Kaeya’s amused gaze.
“Lisa!” Lumine approached Lisa enthusiastically.
“Little cutie, you’ve worked so hard for this,” Lisa said with a warm smile.
Shaking her head, Lumine replied, “It’s Jean who’s been working so hard… I hope this celebration surprises her!”
As Lumine and Lisa chatted, Kaeya leaned against the bar, engaging Diluc in conversation. “So, knowing about tonight’s Abyss Mage attack… You have no thoughts on the matter, Diluc?”
“This is the Knights’ responsibility. Why are you asking me?” Diluc replied curtly, his face as cold as ever.
Kaeya chuckled lightly. “Don’t be so frosty. I’m just curious to see what someone is capable of. Looks like he’s found himself some help.”
“If you don’t want the drinks tonight charged exclusively to you, I suggest you keep your comments to yourself,” Diluc shot back, turning away.
“Alright, alright…” Kaeya raised his hands in mock surrender. “Still, your expression now—it’s lighter than it used to be. Perhaps you should thank those helpers of yours… no, make that helpers plural.”
—
T/N: PLEASE TELL ME IM NOT THE ONLY ONE SEEING THE VISION?? VENTI IS SOOOOOOO DOWNBAD
This is a fan translation of 武器大师在原神绝不死于徒手 by 徐人双 All rights to the original work belong to the creator. Please support them by exploring their original work or sharing it with others if you can. Thank you for reading and supporting my efforts to bring this story to a wider audience!
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