After Gerti pulled Bronya aside to share her beauty tips, Bronya returned to Venti, a little dazed.
She found him staring with dismay at his meal, spoon in hand.
There was a sticky, unrecognizable bowl of what seemed to be a thick soup; a slab of murky meat jelly with chunks of some unidentifiable meat; and a big bowl of fried rice emitting an unsettling aroma.
This looked less like a meal and more like some punishment game prize.
“Even I’m not sure I can handle this,” Venti muttered.
He was, of course, against wasting food—especially in the Underworld, where every bit of food was precious, and waste was shameful.
Still, well…
Though he knew better than to judge a dish by its appearance, something about this food just didn’t look appetizing.
“Uh, what did you order?”
Bronya’s expression was one of shared confusion.
If even Venti, who frequented the Underworld, was reluctant, it was no wonder that Bronya, who had grown up with the best the Upper District had to offer, looked apprehensive.
“As far as I know, this is something called a ‘vegetable soup,’ that’s ‘rat meat jelly,’ and this… well, it’s just fried rice.” Venti pointed to each dish, looking defeated.
“Gerti was experimenting with some new dishes and asked for feedback, so I figured I’d try something different.”
“I see… She certainly has a creative… spirit,” Bronya murmured, swallowing hard.
Without further hesitation, she took a relatively clean spoon and thought about where to start.
As someone who disliked waste herself, she had no intention of dismissing the food based on appearance alone—she wasn’t that picky.
“Ah, let me take care of these for you. I wouldn’t want your first visit to be ruined by an overly ambitious meal, or for you to be scared off from ever coming back here to support Gerti,” Venti quickly offered.
With that, he scooped up a spoonful of fried rice and put it in his mouth. The strange flavors overwhelmed him, and his expression shifted dramatically as he forced himself to swallow with a gulp of soup.
“Phew!”
Bronya couldn’t help but smile at his reaction. Even though she knew it wasn’t nice, a sense of amusement bubbled up within her.
Venti, noticing her grin, nudged the menu toward her with a suggestion.
“Oh, by the way, here’s the regular menu. If you want a more classic Underworld experience, I recommend the Fried Rock Crab and the Stewed Salamander Meat in Tin Can.”
He’d have loved to recommend something lighter, perhaps more suited to her tastes, but this being the Underworld’s Goethe Hotel, options were limited.
In the end, Bronya decided against sharing Venti’s dishes.
While she didn’t mind the idea, she couldn’t help but worry that, if Venti saw their friendship differently, it might be an overstep—what if he took it the wrong way?
The thought alone was enough to make her want to escape back to the Upper District.
She settled for the Fried Rock Crab and the Stewed Salamander Meat, as he’d suggested. She had actually seen the crab at Upper District banquets before, though it hadn’t looked like this golden-battered version; it was usually arranged delicately as a cold appetizer.
The Salamander Meat came in a tin can that, judging by its dented look, seemed to have been repurposed from some abandoned machinery. At least it was clean, with the can edges wrapped in a crust of bread to prevent burns. Paired with the tender meat inside, it was surprisingly delicious.
They ate in relative silence. Bronya, out of habit, ate with a measured, elegant pace.
Venti, on the other hand, might have wanted to make a joke about how ‘delicious’ it was, but with food this challenging, ‘painfully satisfying’ was more accurate.
After finishing the meal, Venti leaned back, stuffed and exhausted, while Bronya dabbed her mouth, maintaining a graceful composure.
Their contrasting behavior naturally drew some attention, though no one in the hotel seemed surprised to see Venti in the company of someone refined. Observers looked on with warm smiles at the odd pair.
Just then, Gerti bustled over to ask Venti for his thoughts on the new dishes. After giving an honest assessment, especially on the need to rename the ‘rat meat jelly,’ Venti finally got around to asking about something important.
“Sisters living in the Rift, you say?”
Gerti stowed her grease-stained notebook, frowning thoughtfully.
“Well, back in the early days, when Rivet Town first fell, there may have still been people living there. But now? Impossible. Everyone’s either moved to Boulder Town or joined small wandering groups.
“At most, some might’ve joined that new Robot Settlement, but otherwise, there’s nowhere else to go.”
“So, you don’t recall anything specific about this?” Bronya pressed, her urgency clear.
Perhaps seeing the importance of the matter, Gerti thought for a moment longer, then shook her head.
“Sorry, I really don’t. When Rivet Town fell to the monsters, the impact was devastating. Many people disappeared without a trace—perhaps some did end up left behind.”
Nearby patrons chimed in with their own input.
“Yeah, no one can live there now. Unless you’ve got a death wish, who would make their home in the Rift?”
“Besides, if memory serves, there’s a constant stream of scavengers there—anyone staying would come back to find their place stripped clean!”
“The only benefit of staying there is that it’s close to Rivet Town, so you can scavenge things to sell in the Robot Settlement. But good luck spending your earnings if you don’t make it back alive!”
As the conversation drifted toward the Robot Settlement, Bronya listened carefully, picking up bits of information. When she came across unfamiliar terms, she quietly asked Venti for clarification.
“The girl I spoke to said her sister goes to the Rift to look for valuables. Since the Robot Settlement is the largest marketplace around, maybe we can find some clues there.”
“Sounds like a good lead. Perfect timing—I’ve been meaning to head that way myself. Let’s make it our fourth stop!” Venti grinned.
“You actually kept track…”
Bronya had assumed Venti’s intent was simply to show her the realities of the Underworld. After witnessing such suffering firsthand, she couldn’t imagine leaving things as they were.
Whatever Venti planned next, as long as it wasn’t an outright rebellion, she would advocate for him and serve as a voice to the Supreme Guardian.
To Bronya, it seemed simple: with a heartfelt conversation, her mother could lift the blockade, and that would be the beginning of healing the rift between the Upper and Lower Districts.
But Venti, fully aware that change was never so immediate, merely offered her a warm, knowing smile.
“Of course. Though every journey must end, we’re still on our way. If I were to describe it musically, I’d say we’re only halfway through the song!”
—
T/N: Venti is actually my favorite Mondstat character! He was the first 5 star I pulled for first, then I got Qiqi and quit the game until Xiao…
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