Lumine turned to stare at the bard, realization dawning in her eyes. She tried to give him a look of disapproval, hoping her silent stare would convey that lying wasn't okay.
"Ehe~?" Barbatos just tilted his head, gave her a cheeky smile, and tried to dodge the issue with sheer cuteness.
—"Ehe te nandayo?!" ( What do you mean ehe~?) Paimon blurted out, delivering the line exactly as Su Mo had hoped in his heart, even mentally dubbing it in as she spoke. Perfect delivery.
But Barbatos, with the shamelessness of a seasoned god, ignored her completely. "My name is Venti, the best bard in this world. And who might you be?"
After introducing himself, he looked expectantly at the trio. Su Mo took the cue. "I'm Su Mo. This is Lumine," he said, gesturing beside him. "We're currently traveling across the land, visiting the Seven Archons in hopes of finding her older brother."
He almost let it slip and said "Uncle" instead of "brother," but managed to catch himself in time. Better not reveal too much too soon—it was always wise to keep things close to the chest. Barbatos might already suspect something, but thankfully, he didn't press for more. He simply shifted his gaze to Paimon with curiosity.
"And this curious little creature here?"
"'Curious little creature'?" Paimon frowned at the phrasing. Something about it felt off. Sensing that Su Mo might use this chance to mock her again, she quickly took the initiative. "I'm Paimon! And I'm not emergency rations!"
She looked proudly at Su Mo after declaring it, clearly pleased with herself. Ha! Beat you to it this time! Let's see what you can say now!
But then…
"Hmm…" Barbatos gave her a long, meaningful look, then said something that instantly froze Paimon in place. "Usually, the more someone denies something like that, the more likely it's actually true…"
"Ehhh?! That's a thing?!" Paimon stood there, utterly dumbfounded. The one time she tried to defend herself, she ended up walking right into a trap. Why does this always happen to me?!
For the first time in her life, Paimon began questioning her own intelligence.
While Paimon spiraled into an existential crisis, Su Mo and Lumine continued chatting with Barbatos, trying to gather more information.
"Mondstadt is currently under lockdown," Barbatos explained. "So it's best not to do anything suspicious right now. As for Barbatos, the Anemo Archon… well, he hasn't descended upon the mortal realm in a long time. No one really knows how to find him."
"If you're looking for someone, though, you could try asking Acting Grand Master Jean of the Knights of Favonius. She might help you put up missing person notices. Or you could talk to the Knights' scout. She's also Mondstadt's flying champion and might be willing to help—though I'm not sure how much help she'd actually be."
Barbatos was surprisingly generous with all sorts of information about Mondstadt. While it may have all been common knowledge to the locals, for Lumine—who had just arrived in this world—it was invaluable.
But whenever the topic shifted toward dragons, Barbatos suddenly grew evasive, dodging the question or changing the subject.
Then, after chatting for a bit longer, Barbatos suddenly leaned in close to Su Mo and asked curiously, "By the way… you mentioned coming from the Windrise area yesterday, right? Did you happen to notice the strange weather phenomenon that happened then?"
"Strange weather?" Lumine blinked, then immediately clammed up. She knew exactly what he was talking about. That chaotic storm and the thunderclap that split the skies—it was caused when Su Mo had awakened his powers. But… it was visible even from this far away? Wasn't that a bit too dramatic?
Meanwhile, Su Mo finally understood why Barbatos had been paying him so much attention. So that was it—Barbatos must've sensed the power he unleashed yesterday and had been observing him ever since. He probably noticed Su Mo and the others hiding in the woods earlier due to that very power.
"Well, yeah, we noticed," Su Mo admitted with a slight nod, keeping his tone vague. "But it's a bit inconvenient to explain."
It was their first proper meeting. Dumping all the truth on the table would be way too suspicious. But for Barbatos, even this half-answer was enough. It confirmed his suspicions—that the unusual phenomenon was indeed connected to Su Mo. From here on, all he needed to do was keep an eye on him.
After a bit more conversation, Barbatos decided it was time to part ways. He said his farewells, and with a carefree smile, his figure disappeared into the forest like a breeze.
Su Mo and Lumine exchanged glances.
"There's something really mysterious about that bard named Venti…" Lumine murmured, watching the direction he had vanished into.
Su Mo nodded in agreement. "Anyone who can talk to a dragon… definitely not just some wandering minstrel. But I've got a feeling—we'll be seeing him again."
Lumine shared the sentiment. Meanwhile, Paimon, who had been flying ahead, turned around and waved at them. "If he's a bard, then he's probably singing for coin at a tavern somewhere, right? So let's get going before it gets dark! Paimon doesn't want to camp out in the wild again!"
The two exchanged amused smiles.
"Finally, a proper roof over our heads. I'm beyond done with outdoor camping," Lumine added, very much on board with Paimon's plan. Eating on the road could be managed with a bit of patience, but bathing in the wild was a whole different story. Even with Su Mo or Paimon standing guard, it was still uncomfortable. Worst of all, she had no spare change of clothes. Every night she had to use Su Mo's coat to cover up while drying her washed outfit by the fire. Despite how close she and Su Mo had grown during their travels, she still found the whole ordeal embarrassing.
If they could just make it to Mondstadt today, she could finally take a proper hot bath and buy a fresh change of clothes. The mere thought made her eyes light up.
Su Mo, noticing her excitement, suddenly reached out and grabbed her wrist.
"Hm? What's up?" Lumine looked at him curiously. By now, the two were more than used to casual physical contact.
"I've got a faster way to travel," Su Mo explained with a grin. And with that, under Lumine's expectant gaze, he activated the Authority of [Lord of the Skies].
A soft breeze curled around them as a pair of stormy wings materialized on their backs. With precise control, Su Mo adjusted the angle of their wings, and then—
"Fwoosh!"
Like rockets, the two shot forward through the air. As they soared past Paimon, Su Mo effortlessly scooped her up as well.
"W-Whaaaaat?!" Paimon shrieked, still trying to process what was happening.
As it turned out, Barbatos had been right—flying really was faster than walking. In just five minutes, they covered more ground than they usually could in five hours.
Only one problem remained.
"Ugh… my head is spinning…" Paimon moaned, clearly not built for that kind of velocity. Her eyes were spinning in circles as she wobbled unsteadily. Su Mo and Lumine, on the other hand, were perfectly fine. Seeing Paimon like this, Lumine gently took her into her arms.
Their flight ended at the great bridge just outside Mondstadt. While it had no official name, in Su Mo's previous life, it had been affectionately called many things by players: Pigeon Bridge, Timmy's Bridge, or perhaps most accurately—Poultry Bridge.