Chapter 24: When it comes to beauty, I can't compare to you.
"The green guy... freeloader... This..."
Upon hearing Klee's words, Venti's lips twitched slightly, but he maintained a gentle smile.
"I remember your name is Klee, right? You might have misunderstood me. I don't frequently freeload at the Knights of Favonius. It just so happens that there are banquets whenever I visit them."
"Well, that's still freeloading! Don't think Klee doesn't know!"
Klee put her hands on her hips and curiously scrutinized Venti, speaking in a childish voice, "Big brother, what brings you here? Do you want to go fishing with us?"
"Well..."
Venti glanced at the large fish on the ground and cleared his throat. "It's not that I don't want to go fishing with you all, but you seem to need a master in the art of grilling fish more. I'm quite confident in that aspect."
"Understood."
Jams and little Klee exchanged a glance and understood Venti's intention.
This guy is still here to freeload!
More precisely, he's here to freeload on grilled fish.
"Big brother, you're indeed..."
"Klee, hold your tongue."
Jams placed his hand on Klee's head and chuckled, "This black-back bass is enough for three to five people to eat. It would be a waste if we can't finish it. It's better to invite Venti along."
Upon hearing this, Klee nodded and changed the subject, "Yeah, yeah, Jean also said we shouldn't waste food, and helping the poor and destitute is a virtue too."
"Well, I'm not exactly poor and destitute, but never mind. I'm delighted to receive your invitation, travelers from another land."
Venti gently plucked the strings of his lyre and winked at Jams, his eyes filled with meaning.
Jams seemed oblivious to his meaningful gaze and smiled warmly, pointing to an extra small stool, "Please have a seat. Klee, serve some tea!"
"Okay!"
Klee picked up the teapot from the fire and poured a cup of sweet floral tea for Venti.
"Thank you."
Venti held the teacup, took a sip with a smile, and then turned his head to look at Jams, who was squatting by the lake, preparing the black-back bass. Venti asked with a smile, "Jams, now that we're eating grilled fish together, do you mind if I call you by your name?"
"Haha, I don't like all those formalities. Just call me Jams."
Jams, with his back turned to Venti, sliced through the tender white belly of the fish with his dagger, causing blood to flow and taint a small portion of the lake red.
He was curious about Venti's purpose as the God of Anemo coming here, but he didn't want to expose it. After all, no one likes to have their disguise suddenly ripped off.
Among the Seven Archons, Barbatos, the God of Anemo, was fond of traversing the mortal realm, and Venti, the Bard of the Wind, was Barbatos' disguise.
Ding dong ding dong~
Venti suddenly plucked the strings of his lyre and softly said, "Today, the wind seems particularly noisy. Your aura entangles with the wind but doesn't merge with it, like a wisp of ghost detached from this world."
"Are you talking about me?"
Jams paused for a moment, but still didn't turn around, though he became a bit more cautious.
Could this guy have seen through my identity as a traveler?!
While Venti had an easygoing personality, he wouldn't freeload off strangers so easily. Now that he suddenly approached me, he must have some ulterior motive!
"Could it be... divinity?"
Jams pondered for a moment, feeling that there was nothing particularly noteworthy about himself, except for his "divinity," which might have caught Venti's attention.
Perhaps the gods have a special sensitivity to divinity, and Venti, on the surface, wanted to mooch off the grilled fish, but in reality, he might have sensed the presence of divinity.
"Who knows? Maybe he's talking about you, maybe he's talking about me. A poem can have different interpretations in different people's hearts."
Venti looked up at the rustling oak tree crowns and casually asked, "Jams, what is your impression of me?"
"As for my impression of you, let me think..."
Jams finally turned around and stared at Venti's delicate face, more exquisite than most girls', for quite a while. Suddenly, he smiled confidently, "A beautiful boy who is not as handsome as me."
"Klee agrees!" Klee raised her little hand and enthusiastically supported him.
"Cough!"
Venti's hand trembled as he held the teacup. That remark nearly choked him.
He glared at Jams and said with a hint of annoyance, "I admit that I'm not as good-looking as you, but as a wandering bard, my reliance has never been on appearance but on experience and depth."
"Depth, well, you win."
Jams conceded directly.
Venti, as a wind spirit existing since the era of gods and demons, had lived for thousands of years. The only ones who could compete with him in depth and experience were those old folks from the era of gods and demons.
"Heh, nothing special. I didn't mean to show off, heh~" Venti's face showed a gentle smile, modestly waving his hand.
"You can tell that I'm a bard with just one look."
Jams shrugged and casually said, "If you're not a bard, then what else could you be? Could you be a passing god by any chance?"
"Eh!"
Upon hearing that, Barbatos... no, Venti's emerald-like pupils suddenly contracted, though his expression remained unchanged. However, inside his heart, a raging storm was unleashed!
What's going on? This young man emitting a faint divine aura seems to have seen through my identity!
But how is that possible?
Venti was filled with confusion.
He had felt the presence of divinity in the wind earlier, thinking that an old friend had come to reminisce with him.
However, when he arrived here, he only saw Jams, Klee, and Barbara, who were cleaning up the statues.
And the divine aura originated from Jams. Although it was very faint, there was no doubt that it was divinity!
"Who is he? A resurrected ancient god or a newly born new god... Even so, it shouldn't be easy for him to see through my identity!"
The eye contact between Venti and Jams lasted for less than a second, but a thousand thoughts raced through their minds. Neither of them dared to delve deeper into this topic.
"Well, I was just casually saying that, don't mind me. If it were so easy to encounter a god just by walking out the door, that would be a remarkable coincidence. I, as an ordinary non-gamer, certainly don't have such luck."
Jams laughed and waved his hand, somewhat self-deprecating.
"Exactly! It's impossible to come across a god so easily. If it were true, I would love to meet one. It would definitely inspire my creativity and allow me to write a poem that would be passed down through the ages. Haha~"
Venti also nodded in agreement, his face filled with a joyful smile.
"Yeah, gods and all, how could that happen? Hahaha..."
"Hahaha! That's hilarious, hahaha..."
Jams and Venti laughed heartily under the falling leaves of the oak tree. They seemed calm on the surface, but both of them were sweating inside.
"This Jams is not ordinary!"
"This wind god is not ordinary!"
At this moment, they both included each other in their "Do Not Mess With" list.
"Hmm..."
Klee tilted her head, her beautiful eyes filled with confusion and worry.
Barbara, who had finished cleaning the statues, approached Klee and gently hugged her little shoulder, whispering softly, "Hey, Klee, when did Venti arrive? Why are he and Jams laughing like that? He seems to be quite sick."
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