Genshin Impact's Incense Burner Of Liyue [621]

The farce had come to an end—or rather, the Knights of Favonius had once again thwarted an enemy plot and made a major contribution to Mondstadt’s peace and stability.

At least, that was the official line.

Gu Sanqiu and Venti, two people who had nothing to do with the paperwork, were already drinking at the tavern. The rest were too busy taking over industries and clearing out secret strongholds to join them.

But ordinary citizens weren’t bound by such duties. Especially after Master Diluc personally announced that the tavern would be offering drinks at a thirty-percent discount today—enthusiasm shot through the roof.

Among the most enthusiastic was none other than Venti.

According to several folks already deep into their second round, even the Cat’s Tail had jumped on the discount bandwagon, and a certain puff-cheeked feline bartender was absolutely fuming about it.

Serving celebratory drunks and a father who drank just as heavily—well, that might double the profits for the owner, but for Diona, it was double the torment.

Damn it!

One day, I’m going to overthrow the entire wine industry in Mondstadt!

The little catgirl, her hands sore from shaking cocktails, once again reaffirmed her life’s mission. She was going to succeed!

“Whew~ A good drink and a nice meal after a long day’s work… nothing better, right, kiddo?”

Gu Sanqiu rested his cheek on his right hand. “Honest question—what exactly did you work hard on? That bard chorus thing was your idea, and the rest of it was just me and Dvalin running around.”

“Hey, I put in effort too, okay?” Venti sniffed. “Coordinating all those people and getting the best choral performance out of them? You think just any conductor could’ve pulled that off? Too naive.”

He wore a smug expression. “Only your great Uncle Barbatos could’ve done it!”

“Uncle? I’m already being generous by not calling you ‘gramps.’”

Gu Sanqiu stifled a yawn. “Still, I really didn’t expect you to pull a stunt like that. Pretty sure the original plan didn’t include you leading a chorus and crashing the scene.”

“Ah well, I wanted to do it, so I did it,” Venti said cheerfully.

He grinned. “Now it’s not just the people at the Church of Favonius—everyone in Mondstadt knows that even though Bard Venti’s always spinning little tales about the Anemo Archon, deep down he still loves Barbatos.”

“That’s the power of branding! I read the same book Alice gave Barbara, y’know. Public image management is high-level stuff. Totally normal if you don’t get it, kiddo.”

No, I get it.

Gu Sanqiu’s mouth twitched. He finally understood why Venti had barged in so unexpectedly—it was all part of this ridiculous scheme.

Because apparently slandering yourself doesn’t count as slander, Venti had long been writing questionable stories about “Barbatos” into his songs, which had led to repeated inquiries from the Church.

But after today? No more questions. Everyone saw how Venti had rallied bards across Mondstadt at a critical moment for a group performance.

That one act alone was enough to prove his loyalty to both Mondstadt and the Anemo Archon.

It was like charging onto a battlefield solo to save the king—and casually taking down one of the enemy generals along the way.

“I’ve got a girlfriend back in Liyue who’d probably get along with you just fine. The difference is, her love is real. Yours is… more of a made-up persona.”

Keqing’s love was sincere. Venti just wanted a few more rounds of wine.

“Hey now, what’s that supposed to mean?”

Venti put on a self-righteous face. “I love Lord Barbatos deeply, thank you very much!”

“Who could refuse to love themselves, eh-heh~”

Gu Sanqiu rubbed his stomach. Suddenly, he felt a twinge in his gut. Venti was always good at pulling bizarre logic out of thin air.

“Anyway, my commission’s basically done, right? If there’s nothing else, I’ll gather everyone for a farewell meal and head back to Liyue. They need me holding down the fort over there.”

Venti waved him off. “C’mon, why take yourself so seriously? You finally got a break—can’t you just relax for once? Don’t be like your old man, always running around.”

Gu Sanqiu gave him a sideways look. “Yeah, well, ‘holding down the fort in Liyue Harbor’ was my dad’s mission for me. Me coming to Mondstadt is technically a business trip.”

“Don’t worry, don’t worry~” Venti said breezily. “If something does go wrong, you think our old friend would just sit back and watch?”

Gu Sanqiu massaged his temples. “He says he’s just a humble traveler in the mortal world now. Says the new era’s hope rests on the shoulders of the young. That really doesn’t give me any sense of security.”

“What are you afraid of?”

Venti looked at him with mock disdain. “I’m just a tavern bard too, but when trouble came knocking, didn’t I descend like a god to take the lead?”

“…That may be an odd way to put it, but I can’t say you’re wrong.”

Gu Sanqiu paused. He realized—he actually was a bit like those two freeloading big shots.

His dad, the so-called wandering listener of the mortal world.

Venti, the tavern bard.

And himself—he often called himself a “casual drifter of society.”

Suddenly, the mental image came together.

It was kind of funny. Except those two were basically wolves in sheep’s clothing, while he just genuinely didn’t want to take responsibility and preferred to coast along.

After all, Salted-Fish Reclining True Lord was the immortal title that suited him best!

“Whew—feels like it’s been ages,” Venti said, downing a large gulp of strong liquor and letting out a long sigh. “I can’t even remember the last time I got involved in Mondstadt’s affairs. Was it five hundred years ago?”

“There’s something nostalgic about it… and something a little uncomfortable.”

Gu Sanqiu raised a brow. “What’s there to be uncomfortable about? Didn’t this end with a happy ending for everyone? Oh—except the Lawrence family, of course.”

“Exactly. Everyone’s happy. But personally, I don’t like how this played out. I’d prefer the Knights of Favonius to govern themselves.”

Venti smiled, almost sheepishly. “I let go a long time ago. Now suddenly stepping back in to manage Mondstadt again… feels awkward, don’t you think?”

“That’s just your perspective,” Gu Sanqiu said. “To the people of Mondstadt, it’s completely different. Just listen to them—they’re grateful to Lord Barbatos.”

“The will of freedom still needs someone to guide it. If you just let everything go, the tragedies of Old Mondstadt might come back again.”

Those who slay dragons become dragons themselves. Maybe his father, with his long life, had already come to understand that. Their family had never taken an official post, not once in generations.

“But is that kind of guidance really helpful?” Venti’s expression grew serious. “If it’s always like this—disaster looms, and I have to return in some form to rekindle Mondstadt’s yearning for freedom… is that really okay?”

Gu Sanqiu arched a brow. “Isn’t that your job as Mondstadt’s Archon?”

What, trying to quit now?

“No, no. If it were like that, then it’s not ‘freedom for all people’—it’s Barbatos’s freedom.”

“That’s a form of shackling. That’s why, unlike your old man, I generally stay out of things.”

Venti said gravely, “It was Dvalin’s doubts back then that woke me up. Freedom commanded by a god—can you really call that freedom?”

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This is a fan translation of 原神之璃月奉香人 by 淡白蛋清. 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!