Venti was eventually sentenced to pay four times the cost of the barrel of wine he had stolen and to spend twenty-one days in Merope-les-Bains for reform.
Venti once protested whether twenty-eight days was too long.
After all, he had only stolen a barrel of wine.
Then, Fu Ning placed a new law issued by Fontaine in front of him.
"Any criminal caught red-handed by Fu Ning shall have their punishment tripled."
Originally, Venti only needed to serve seven days.
But he had been caught by Fu Ning himself.
Venti: "…"
Which nation had such a bizarre law?
And was it really reasonable for a law to apply only when one specific person was involved?!
Of course, Venti had no money—otherwise, he wouldn't have stolen the wine in the first place.
So, Fu Ning thought it over and decided to pay the compensation himself.
Venti hugged Fu Ning's legs, shouting, "Thank you, Fu Ning! You're such a good person! If you ever come to Mondstadt, I'll definitely welcome you personally!"
Fu Ning's face darkened with a wave of exasperation.
Because Venti's identity was extremely special, Fu Ning decided to personally escort him to Merope-les-Bains, along with Furina and Neuvillette.
If anything unexpected occurred, it would be difficult to explain to Mondstadt.
As she and Furina walked toward where Venti was being held, Furina seemed visibly nervous.
"Um… Fu Ning… This is my first time meeting a god from another nation. Is there anything I need to be careful about?"
"Ah, don't misunderstand—I just… I just want to know if there's anything I should… be aware of…"
Fu Ning smiled and interrupted her gently. "No need to worry. If it were another god visiting Fontaine for different reasons, we might need to be more cautious."
It was obvious his Lady Furina was nervous.
"But Barbatos… he came to Fontaine as a greedy thief. He should be the one concerned with our attitude."
Furina understood and nodded.
After locating Venti, Fu Ning gently placed a hand on his shoulder.
At that moment, there were only four people present: Fu Ning, Furina, Venti, and Neuvillette.
"Auxiliary talent—Sequence Five!"
Invoking Sequence Five, Fu Ning flicked his wrist. Colorful lights burst forth from his hand, illuminating the path Furina slowly walked upon.
Furina stepped forward through the radiant light, her expression solemn and dignified.
Fu Ning quietly stepped back, yielding the stage to her.
"God from a foreign land, welcome to the nation of justice, Fontaine. I am the Hydro Archon, Focalors."
Venti was bewildered.
"Ah… um… hello, Focalors. I'm Barbatos, the Anemo Archon from Mondstadt."
Furina smoothed her coat and looked down at Venti with a hint of disdain.
"Although our meeting was sudden and unconventional, I, Focalors, recognize your presence, Barbatos—at least in the theatrical sense."
"Our encounter isn't grand, and your reason for coming to Fontaine is far from glorious. Yet I still chose to meet you. Do you know why?"
Venti: "?"
Can someone tell me what this Focalors is doing?
And Fu Ning! Is this really how you're using your powerful abilities? What is happening here?!
Furina smiled, then gently shook her head.
"Because this is a symbol of the generosity of the Hydro Archon."
Neuvillette, who had already located Venti, watched the scene in silence, unable to bear it much longer.
"Well then, Lady Furina, we should proceed to deliver Mr. Barbatos to Merope-les-Bains."
"Haha, of course, Neuvillette. Naturally." Furina tipped her hat and added, "To show my so-called hospitality to a foreign Archon, I've decided to give you something."
She gestured to Fu Ning.
Fu Ning nodded in understanding, then pulled a stack of concession vouchers from his pocket and tossed them to Venti.
"These are one hundred thousand concession vouchers—enough for you to live comfortably in Merope-les-Bains during your seven-day sentence."
"Be grateful, Barbatos of Mondstadt! Feel the warmth and generosity of the Hydro Archon!"
Fu Ning narrowed his eyes at Venti, a strange gleam flickering within them.
Venti's mouth twitched. "…Ah… well… thank you very much, Lady Hydro Archon…"
Thirty days later.
Fu Ning spent some time personally escorting Venti back to Mondstadt.
He unsealed Venti's powers and patted him on the shoulder.
"Be a good Archon and stop sneaking around like this."
Venti: "…"
Back when his powers were sealed, he couldn't sense Fu Ning's aura at all.
Now that his power had returned, the aura surrounding Fu Ning felt… odd.
Fu Ning's aura didn't resemble that of a demon god.
Instead, it seemed more like… something beyond a human.
"Fu Ning, you don't seem like a demon," Venti suddenly said, turning around.
Fu Ning paused. "Why do you say that?"
Venti's expression grew more serious than usual.
"When I first saw you, I couldn't sense anything because of the seal.
But now that I can feel again… you don't seem like a demon."
"You might be able to fool Neuvillette, who's only seen Furina, and Furina, who has never met a real demon god…
But you can't fool me—the original Anemo Archon who's lived for thousands of years."
"I've seen real demons. The feeling they give me is completely different from yours."
Fu Ning smiled faintly. "…Well. I guess I've been found out."
"This is a private matter for us, I ask that you don't interfere, Lord Anemo."
"You're the Advent One," Venti said abruptly.
"Many outsiders have come to this world, but only those powerful enough to rival the very laws of Teyvat can be called Adventers."
Fu Ning sighed.
"One who can rival the world? Perhaps.
If it were me at my peak… maybe.
But in my current state, I probably couldn't even beat you."
He turned away, his eyes gleaming faintly.
"Don't tell Furina or Neuvillette."
"Of course, of course," Venti said with a grin. "I can tell you care a lot about Furina."
"Like someone, do you?"
Fu Ning: "…"
"Anything else you want to say? Say it quickly."
"One last question," Venti said hurriedly.
"How strong were you at your peak? I promise I won't tell a soul!"
Fu Ning was silent for a while.
"How many Adventers are there?"
The implication was clear: if Venti could answer, Fu Ning would reveal his strength.
Venti thought deeply, then whispered, "I'm not entirely sure. This is just my guess… but it seems there are five."
"The first one is the current natural order," he said, pointing to the sky.
"The second is uncertain, but may be tied to the Dragon Sovereign."
"The third Adventer is even more mysterious—I don't know what it is."
"The fourth… I think I encountered once, during the war five hundred years ago."
"And the fifth… is you."
Fu Ning nodded, then turned and said calmly:
"One move could melt the surface of the world."
And then, he walked away.
Venti stood there, stunned.
Melt the surface in one move?
What kind of terrifying strength is that?!