That evening, Acting Grand Master Jean noticed that the Knights headquarters were unusually quiet. The regular members of the Knights were still about, having quiet chats with one another and doing their casual patrols, but a lot of the key figures weren't about. Kaeya was nowhere to be seen, though that was usual, and it was usual for Lisa to slack off on work, but she usually did so within the confines of the favonius library, and she wasn't there. Albedo was a reserved individual, but his absence also concerned Jean. Not even Klee, the loudest and most rambunctious person in Mondstadt, was about, and you could usually hear Klee from a mile away.
Jean began to suspect that something wasn't quite right, so she took to the town to investigate. She had intended to ask the church if they knew where the Knights were, but upon arriving, she found that not only was her sister Barbara also gone, but so was the formidable sister Rosaria. However, one of the nuns told Jean that the two sisters had gone with each other over to Diluc's tavern.
This concerned Jean, because she knew Barbara has a distaste for alcohol, and wouldn't usually go to the bar. If she was with Rosaria, she felt she didn't need to worry, but at the same time, something was amiss, so she took her investigation to the tavern.
Upon arriving though, she couldn't help but let out a small gasp when she walked through the doors. Diluc was behind the counter, looking understandable bothered, and this may have been due to a very large gathering on a large table on the first floor. It was quite possibly the biggest and most random selection of people Jean had ever seen.
Albedo, Lisa, Kaeya, Amber, Sucrose, even Klee and Eula were here! And it wasn't just them either. Barbara and Rosaria were both here, as expected, alongside them were Bennett, Fischl and Mona from the Adventurer's Guild. Even Diona, the Bartender of the Cat's Tail, Noelle, the in-training Knight Maid, and Razor, the boy from Wolvendom! It was such a random group of people, that Diluc was clearly bracing himself for the acting Grand Master to let an explosion of questions out of her mouth.
"I suppose I should welcome you to our Tavern this evening, Acting Grand Master," Diluc grumbled "it's rare to see you come around here, but that would make that at least the fourth or fifth time I've said that this evening. I've lost count to be honest.
"What...is everyone doing here?" Jean asked, first and foremost.
"Well, they're not here for a drink, in case it wasn't obvious," Diluc replied "I couldn't very well offer up an alcohol with Klee and Diona here."
"I heard that, I have 4 ears you know!" Diona called over, loud enough to make everyone halt "and I'm about as thrilled to be here as you are to have me Diluc."
Jean recalled here that the Cat's Tail and Angel's Share were rivals when it came to the wine industry...However, Diona seemed to have a personal vendetta against Diluc, so the fact that she was even near the Angel's Share, let alone INSIDE it, led Jean to believe that this was a matter of great importance.
"Big sis-AH! M-Master Jean!" Barbara noticed "hello! You're right on time! Come take a seat!
"Ah, if it isn't the Acting Grand Master," Eula raised an eyebrow "come to strike while the iron's still hot?"
"I'm not quite sure what you mean by that Eula," Jean shook her head, used to Eula's usual incessant ramblings "but I must say I am curious about what's going on here. Why are you all here?"
"Sorry Ms Jean..." Klee looked down sheepishly "Klee knows she's not supposed to be in a adult place like this..."
"It's fine Klee, I'm not mad," Jean assured her "but will someone just explain to me what's going on?"
"Us citizens of this windborne kingdom are uniting together to triumph over the common issue of uncovering the identity of the strange teal clad musician whomst has played important games in the goings on of our lives," Fischl explained "each one of us shares the combined presence of this one man, and we believe there is more to thou than meets thine eye."
"Um...what?" Jean frowned, not making any sense of what she just heard.
"Perhaps it's better that you take a look yourself Jean." Albedo said and moved out of the way to show Jean a whiteboard placed in front of the table where everyone gathered could see it. On it was a drawn portrait of a face that Jean recognized, and she had to hide her shock when she saw it. It was a painting of none other than Venti the bard.
"I'll say it again Albedo, if you weren't such a good alchemist, you really could make it big as a painter, you know?" Lisa complimented.
"I know right?" Sucrose became visibly excited, noticing a shared interest with the librarian "M-Mr Albedo sure is talented!"
"Ok, but a painting doesn't exactly explain what's going on," Jean said "what does this man have to do with why you're all gathered here."
"It started when I met up today with Eula and we agreed to go to Good Hunter to eat," Amber told her "along the way, we ran into Albedo, who was taking Klee out for a stroll..."
"Don't talk about Klee as if she's some kind of dog..." Rosaria sighed.
"We all agreed to go to the restaurant together to get something to eat, but along the way, we saw this bard. Klee pointed him out, and remembered that we'd met him before. We were surprised to find out that Albedo and Eula also knew who he was."
"You've met him?" Jean asked "where and how?"
"In the woods when Amber-!" Klee was about to say, but Amber cupped her mouth.
"Aaahaha...No special reason really. Klee and I were out training in the forest and we...bumped into him."
"Right..." Jean crossed her arms and suspected foul play "what about you two? You also met him?"
"Yes. I've met with him a few times. The first time was during the last Windblime Festival when he and the Traveler helped me make a sweet flower for Sucrose," Albedo explained "after that, he helped us get to the Golden Apple Archipelago, and most recently, he, Sucrose and I had an alchemical discussion on the Elements and Visions."
"He got on the way of me exacting my revenge on Beatrice at Good Hunter," Eula explained "it's no issue though, since I recently got him back for it. Point is, after we shared our thoughts, Amber asked how the bard helped Albedo get to the Archipelago, to which he explained that he'd somehow summoned Dvalin as transport."
"Dvalin is one of the four winds, so when Albedo said that so nonchalantly it was like a slap in the face!" Amber continued, leaning over Eula's shoulder "I mean, it's not every day that you see a random Mondstadt citizen summoning one of the Four Winds, so naturally, I got really curious as to who Venti was really, and why he could do that. The other three felt the same, so after we ate at Good Hunter, we started asking around."
"Hence, everyone you see here tonight, is someone who has either met with, or interacted with the bard," Rosaria said "I suggested we all get together to discuss it."
"And seeing as Master Diluc has also interacted and had dealings with the bard, we thought we'd all crash at his tavern." Kaeya concluded.
"True, he is a frequent customer here. He comes at least once a week whenever he has the mora," Diluc said "but other than the odd occasion, and that one time with Dvalin, I've never spoken to him. You only came here because you knew I'd say no if you invited me elsewhere."
"Wait...Everyone here has met with him?" Jean seemed surprised.
"Adding you onto the roster Jean, then that pretty much makes all of us," Lisa said "going back to what Amber said, the four of them returned shortly afterwards to the knights headquarters where they informed Kaeya, Sucrose, Noelle and myself of the situation."
"They informed you too Noelle?" Jean asked.
"Well, it's not so much as they informed me as I overheard what they were saying while I was cleaning up," Noelle admitted "I overheard them and accidently chimed in with how he and I had moved some boxes and barrels of wine outside the Angel's Share together. We had a nice conversation which really made my day."
"Klee also told Barbara and Diona!" Klee piped up "and Diona told Klee about how Mr Bard had agreed to be Diona's taste tester!"
"I've been trying some new concoctions, and I forced that sleazeball bard to test out my drinks. We spent a while trying to come up with a really nasty one together but...no dice..."
"As for me, when Klee came to ask me about it, I told her that he'd brought Bennett to me when he'd found him unconscious," Barbara explained "actually, he was the one who came up with the idea of Bennett and me training together. While we were talking, Rosaria also chimed in with her own experience."
"You too Rosaria?" Jean asked "how did you meet with him?"
"I don't wish to share that..." Rosaria stated bluntly "but I'll say this that I found that fellow to be rather suspicious from the beginning. He doesn't seem to be an innate threat, but he's definitely hiding something."
"Of course, it didn't take long for me to bring it up with Bennett," Barbara said "since he was there too. He and I were both quite curious about it, so he went and asked his friends at the Adventurers Guild."
"Which explains the presence of Fischl and Mona..." Jean considered "how do you two know him?"
"The bard was a very kind fellow to Oz and myself," Fischl tried to make herself sound as coherent to Jean as possible without breaking form "Oz and I had been out all night on a scouting mission, and he found some apples to share with us as a late night snack."
"I had a food based situation with him as well," Mona frowned, tugging at her clothes, which notably were different from her usual attire "to be perfectly honest, we were fighting over who got to eat a special offer Sweet Madame at Good Hunter, and in the process, my clothes got slightly torn. I'm borrowing some of the Prinzessin's spares today."
"Hm? But dear Mona, when Oz and I found you trapped in your house, you were completely in the bu-"
"ATATATAH That's quite enough!" Mona covered Fischl's mouth with her hand "but in any case, yes, we both know of Venti the bard..."
"On the topic of explorations and scouting, since Fischl brought it up," Bennett added "I was out on an adventure that day, and while I was out, I ran into Razor and asked him about it."
"Bard man...very kind..." Razor smiled "he help me when one of my Lupical brothers was kidnapped by Hilichurls."
"And that covers about everyone," Kaeya said "of course, as you know, Razor, Diluc and myself were also on that little Dvalin ride, and Lisa's spoken with him a few times, the most recent being when we were reading books together in the library."
"Ok, then!" Sucrose spoke up "let's go once again over everything that we've covered so far about him, just so we're all on the same page."
"Ok, so we know he's not a foreigner," Noelle started off "from what I can tell, and from what we're aware of, he's certainly Mondstadt-born."
"But from what Eula and I got from asking the citizens around, no one saw him in the city prior to the Stormterror incident," Amber chimed in "so maybe Stormterror/Dvalin has something to do with his appearance?"
"Correction: the information YOU got from asking the citizens," Eula sighed "Mondstadters don't want to give me the time of day..."
"He use Vision!" Razor spoke up.
"Good point!" Bennett smiled "Razor's got a good point. This guy has a vision too, so he must at least be a little special to have gained something like that."
"Are Vision's really that big a deal?" Rosaria asked "I mean, out of everyone here, count how many people don't have one."
"Um...from what I can tell..." Barbara did a quick headcount "zero..."
"There's always a chance we're looking into this a little bit much," Diona stated "I mean, maybe he's been on a long journey and came home quite recently. Maybe he's just a normal guy?"
"Doubtful," Lisa said "no normal guy can tame one of the Four Winds of Mondstadt and call him in for transportation to an island archipelago just like that..."
"On top of that, I feel the need to add this," Mona spoke up "this might not mean a lot to most of you who have a limited understanding of astronomy and fortune telling, but to read someone's fortune or fate, I use a scryglass to observe the stars. After my...let's say "scuffle" with Venti, I tried to observe him through my scryglass, hoping to find more about him..."
"And?" Kaeya asked.
"And nothing," Mona said "I'm an expert astrologist! This is the first time in YEARS that I've failed to read someone's stars! Instead of finding answers I just found myself being hit in the face with a huge gust of wind!"
"Wind?" Albedo pondered "could it be...?"
"Ooh! Big bro Albedo!" Klee noticed Albedo's stern look "did you figure something out?"
"Possibly..." Albedo patted her on the head "if you'll all allow me to bend your ears for a second."
No one in the room could deny that Albedo, despite his quirks, was indeed the most observant and knowledgeable one in the room (besides maybe Lisa) so indeed, everyone was willing bend an ear.
"One thing that's been pulling at the back of my mind above everything else is two encounters in particular..." Albedo explained "the first is Venti's interaction with Razor, and how he helped his wolf friend out. The second is Mona and Venti's fight over the Sweet Madame."
"Why those two?" Kaeya asked "what do they have in common?"
"Both of them have been situations in which the seemingly normal bard has been forced to fight," Albedo explained "alongside possessing an Anemo Vision, he also seems quite skilled with a bow. Just as skilled as Jean, Kaeya or I am with a sword, or as skilled as Sucrose, Klee and Lisa are with a Catalyst, or as skilled as Diluc, Razor, Noelle and Eula are with a Claymore."
"Then...do you think he's a retired adventurer or something?" Bennett asked "maybe it's like Diona said, and he's been away for a while, and has come home after a long journey or something?"
"As wonderous as this realm of Teyvat is, it is not without it's perilous factors," Fischl added "to adventure throughout the continent is no mere task for a mere bard."
"Good point, and that's indeed a possibility, but I feel there's something more to it," Albedo told them "what interests me the most is in regards to his skill over his Vision. It's not natural."
"How do you mean?" Noelle asked.
"I'm not trying to pick favorites or start arguments here, but even though she's not solely a fighter, when it comes to using Elemental Power, Mona is definitely among the most powerful and versatile here. She's capable of holding a person in place using her Elemental Burst, so the question is, why didn't she do so in the fight they had?"
"Why didn't you?" Lisa asked.
"I did!" Mona exclaimed "but somehow, he broke free. That's another first time for me. No one has ever broken free of my Vision's hold on their own. Usually the effect vanishes after some time has passed, but he was able to wipe away every particle using his own power."
"In other words, despite Mona being a skilled astrologer and Venti being presented as a mere bard, Venti seems to have more power over Anemo than Mona does over Hydro. But for a regular Mondstadt bard, that doesn't seem possible..." Albedo continued "on top of that, I'm also using what Razor told me about Venti's powers over Anemo as a basis. He's indeed capable of quite a lot."
"Like what?" Amber asked, looking at Razor.
"Can't explain it very well," Razor said with his usual softspoken tone of voice "but Razor never see anything like it before...He do things like...like propel himself into the air and...summon sucky wind!"
"Sucky wind?" Diona frowned.
"I believe he means a vortex, or a cyclone like how Aether the Traveler summons one." Eula said.
"I'm glad you brought that up Eula, because Aether is another factor that plays into this," Albedo said "as I'm sure we're all aware, since conveniently all of us have also met the Traveler, he's capable of controlling the elements without the use of a Vision. On top of that, he can control many different elements depending on where in the world he is."
"And this relates...how exactly?" Mona asked.
"Because as I said, he doesn't need a vision. All he must do is resonate with the Statue's of the 7 in each nation. In a similar manner, the Archon's themselves had full control over the 7 Elements, and did not need Visions."
"Well, duh, they're the one's who give people Visions," Bennett rolled his eyes "what are you driving at Albedo?"
"My theory and subsequent question is..." Albedo arrived at the cusp of his theory "are we sure that Venti needs a vision to control Anemo?"
"Huh?" Amber scratched her head.
"That's...true..." Eula pondered aloud "from what I've heard so far, his grasp of Anemo power goes beyond what even Jean and Sucrose are capable of with their own visions...But Albedo, surely you cannot be insinuating that-!"
"As I just said..." Albedo concluded "other than the Traveler, the only creatures who are capable of controlling the elements without the use of a vision are the Archons. So my theory is...it's likely Venti...is none other than the Anemo Archon Barbatos."
Everyone around the table's eyes widened and a few gasps were heard. Jean and Diluc kept themselves back, but both were ever so slightly perturbed.
"B-Barbatos? Barbatos himself!?" Barbara exclaimed.
"That...That makes sense...If he is a God, it would explain his mastery over the element." Rosaria pondered.
"But if he doesn't need a vision to control Anemo, why does he carry one around?" Noelle asked "isn't it...a little pointless?"
"Well, there is an answer to that too," Sucrose told her "are you all aware of the Vision Hunt Decree in Inazuma? Even before that, though they are increasing in number now, a lot of skilled craftsmen know how to craft almost lifelike forgeries of Visions."
"So you're implying the one that the Bard has is a false product?" Fischl asked.
"If he really is Barbatos, then there's a lot else that can be explained too," Kaeya chimed in "after all, it explains why he's able to summon Dvalin and tame it with a song."
"Indeed it does..." Lisa considered "then...could Albedo's line of thinking be right?"
"On the topic of Stormterror, Barbatos has been missing for a while. Mondstadt is known as the Land of the Absentee Archon for a reason, you know? You would think that Stormterror going crazy is a good excuse for him to return." Amber added.
"Yes, I naturally he would be incognito too...!" Mona realized.
Everyone else began to draw more and more connections to the reality of the situation. Jean, who had not spoken the entire time, was now getting nervous.
"Diluc..." she whispered "what are we to do? Venti's cover is at risk of being blown. Mondstadt will be sent into an uproar if they find out the Archon has returned!"
"Calm down," Diluc's expression had not changed "I will handle this."
True to his word, Diluc stepped out from behind the counter, and approached the table. Due to his striking presence, as well as the fact he'd remained completely uninvolved in the current discussion, everyone immediately noticed.
"You believe Venti to be Barbatos, no?" Diluc asked "are you absolutely sure about that?"
"Well, what else could he be?" Diona asked "there's all these connections we've made, so it can't just be a coincidence, can it?"
"Then let me ask you a few questions. First of all, how is it you arrived at this conclusion in the first place?" Diluc questioned.
"W-Well...Because of the connections that Mr Albedo pointed out!" Sucrose said.
"Then tell me, if the connections and lines all connect to this conclusion that this bard really is a God, why is Albedo the only one of all 16 people here that actually noticed it. 1 in 16 is a vast minority, do you not think?"
"You really seem to doubt Albedo's deductive ability Master Diluc," Kaeya smelled a challenge and naturally attempted to meet with it "what makes you doubt his ability? Are you perhaps challenging his knowledge?"
"I'm always looking for someone to challenge my theories," Albedo interjected "by all means Diluc, speak your mind."
"I'm not claiming to be wiser than Mondstadt's most ingenious alchemist," Diluc stated "however, an Alchemist is a Scientist, and a Scientists whole job is based around the idea of theories. And that's all this Barbatos nonsense is. It's a theory. And all of you choose to immediately jump on it while Albedo is the only one who's been able to connect the quote-on-quote "dots" you speak of."
No one responded to Diluc's point. But the Winery Owner wasn't finished yet.
"Secondly, there's another thing I've been wanting to ask. We're all gathered here under the concept that each and every one of us has met with Venti, and shared an experience with him, right?"
"That's right," Lisa said "your point?"
"In which case, let me ask this," Diluc continued "who here has met with the Bard more than once? Nay, who here was met with him more than at least a few times? Or do you all just have the odd experience of running into him?"
Considering this, no one raised their hand. It was true that they all knew Venti, but in reality, they hadn't exactly hung out with him consistently.
"I think there are only two people in this city who have met with Venti several times. That's the Traveler, and myself," Diluc explained "I can't speak for the Traveler, on account of him not being here today, but on the occasions of when I've met him here in the bar, and on account of what I've heard from Charles the Bartender, he is nothing like the Anemo Archon the people of Mondstadt oh-so love and revere."
"M-Master Diluc!" Barbara exclaimed "you shouldn't say that!"
"I'm not talking about Barbatos Barbara. I'm talking about Venti the Bard," Diluc said "tell me, as a sister of the Favonius Church, what do you know about Barbatos? What kind of person were they?"
"W-Well..." Barbara looked as if she didn't know where to begin, and to better help her sister, as well as Diluc's line of enquiry, Jean interjected.
"Unlike the other members of The Seven, who personally rule their nations, Barbatos is the only one who does not do so," the Acting Grand Master said, "he values freedom, especially those of children. Due to his general absence, he is the weakest of the Seven, but nevertheless, he has many devotees in Mondstadt despite his lack of presence. Still, many in Mondstadt even now wonder if whether or not he truly does exist."
"I'll tell you this..." Diluc continued "Venti is uncooperative, carefree, and playful. Sometimes he resorts to pilfering from the Dawn Winery for food and shamelessly has people listening to his songs buy him drinks in lieu of a payment. Not to mention the Elephant in the room, in which the sheer amount of alcohol he can put back is just...irregular. He's a notorious drunk, unlike any I've ever seen before. And let's face it, we live in Mondstadt. You won't find finer wine, or a larger collection of people who get drunk off it anywhere else in Teyvat."
"Tch! You can say that twice...!" Diona spat.
"Then...are we really right?" Klee asked. Albedo paused for a moment, and considered Diluc's words.
"Barbatos is a God that symbolizes freedom, so a free-spirited and mischievous nature like the one Venti has is not out of the question for him," he said "still...you do have a point. His personality is quite unbecoming of an Archon...maybe my theory doesn't hold as much water as I initially thought."
"Aw! So we're on the wrong track after all!?" Bennett smacked his forehead.
"You're free to continue with your theories provided you don't scare any of my other customers away," Diluc said "however I will clarify one thing. I'm not saying all of this to besmirch Venti's honor, or to ruin your opinion of him. Truly, he is a nice person, and couldn't deceive you if he tried."
After this final line to conclude his counter-argument, everyone went back to looking for other alternatives into who Venti mysteriously could be. Some said he was a vagrant Adepti from Liyue, someone else said that he was an ancient hero. Most of these theories were wrong in reality, but even so, no one left the tavern that night entirely sure.
"Well, now that all that's settled," Diluc watched as Eula and Amber were the last two to leave, leaving him and Jean in the Tavern alone "I suppose I owe you a drink?"
"Thank you so much Diluc sir," Jean breathed a huge sigh of relief "you've saved me a whole heap of trouble."
"I've already told you so many times, don't call me sir. I'm no longer your senior," Diluc frowned "and you've got enough on your plate as is..."
"Still, be it for my sake or for Venti's, I didn't expect you to jump in and take control of the situation like that. What brought this attitude on?"
Diluc poured Jean some Dandelion Wine to help her cool off. Before handing it to her, he longingly gazed into the rippling water.
"Someone made me a promise," Diluc said "and I have all intention to watch them see it through."
What none of the Mondstadt citizens were aware of is that at the time of this lengthy discussion, the very topic of their discussion was currently sitting on the edge of a cliff, overlooking the land known as Stormterror's lair. In his left hand, Venti held a half-empty bottle of sake. In the other, he held his lyre, taking a quick break to finish off his drink. However, as he sat there, he suddenly became aware of an approaching presence behind him, one that he immediately recognized without needing to turn around.
"Fancy meeting the two of you out here..." he smirked.
"Paimon could say the same to you, Tone-Deaf Bard..."
The young man with bright blond hair, a slim body builds and golden-yellow eyes was Aether, the famous Teyvat Traveler. The tiny floating fairy-looking thing accompanying him, who had addressed Venti with the "ugly nickname" was his travelling companion, Paimon.
"It's a pleasure to see you again Venti," Aether addressed him politely "how have you and Mondstadt been in my absence?"
"Well, we did last see each other when you, Jean, Klee and Barbara went to the Golden Apple Archipelago," Venti recalled "city's the same as it was when you left it. No chaos, no Abyss Mages, no overbearing Fatui influence...What's wrong?"
Again, Venti did not turn round to face Aether, but from the silence and the air, he could tell that Aether seemed downtrodden.
"The Abyss..." Aether sighed.
"A-Aether..." Paimon spoke softly. Venti finally turned around, now concerned for the Traveler's wellbeing.
"Hey, Venti, about the Abyss...there's something I want to...I...no...Never mind, it can wait."
"Are you sure?" Venti asked "I'm not busy or anything."
"Maybe you're not, but..." Aether sat down on the cliff next to him "I'd hate to spoil your peaceful evening. What are you drinking? Sake?"
"Yeah, to be honest, I would've preferred some Dandelion Wine, as per usual," Venti replied "but I was feeling nostalgic looking at some of the imported goods, so I figured I'd give some a try. It's not the same without Baal here though."
"You mean the Raiden Shogun?" Paimon asked "we've actually been able to meet her."
"Really? You mean you made it all the way to Inazuma?" Venti asked "gosh, I'm proud of you two. Bet little Shogun didn't give you a warm welcome, huh?"
"Well, you could say that," Aether scratched his face "we barely even survived the encounter, and now we're part of a resistance group fighting back against the Vision Hunt Decree."
"Sounds like you've got your work cut out for you," Venti observed "well, I'm not sure there's much I can do to help you, given the loss of my power and all, but...I guess I'll wish you luck with the old saying...
Let the wind lead."