Since Lumine and Paimon also decided to head to Springvale, there was nothing more to discuss — they would all go together. However, before heading to Springvale, they needed to make a quick stop at Windrise to record data from the Statue of the Seven there.
Even though Shen Qin had been living in Mondstadt for nearly half a year, he had never visited the giant towering tree at Windrise. He was either busy developing products or preparing to develop products. Whatever little free time he had, he spent playing with Klee.
It was truly a shame. Teyvat had so many beautiful landscapes, how could he spend every day stuck in the city?
He decided that after dealing with Dvalin's situation, he would find time to tour Mondstadt and relax while taking in the scenery.
"Wow! That tree is huge!" From afar, Paimon could already see the giant, stately tree standing quietly at Windrise. The dense canopy it cast was large enough to shade a small village.
Under the tree's shade, patches of Windwheel Asters swayed gently in the breeze, mingling with grass as tall as one's calves, forming waves like the sea.
Clear rivers flowed beside the tree, while white cranes landed on the shallow banks in small groups. Flocks of finches fluttered low, occasionally disappearing into the lush green canopy.
"It's said that the Great Tree was planted by Lady Vennessa before she ascended to Celestia. For a thousand years, it has silently guarded Mondstadt," Sucrose explained the origin of Windrise to Shen Qin and the others. "After the Great Tree grew tall, the people of Mondstadt started calling this place 'Windrise,' because Lady Vanessa brought the winds of freedom to Mondstadt."
Paimon nodded in understanding. "Ooh, sounds like Lady Vennessa must have been a really amazing person!"
"If you want to know more about her, once we get back to Mondstadt City, you can borrow The Legend of Vennessa from the library. It's a story beloved by all Mondstadt citizens!"
'Except for the Lawrence clan.' Shen Qin thought to himself.
"Huh? I have to read a book? Then never mind." Paimon immediately backed off, "If someone could sing it to me, that'd be great! Isn't there a profession called 'Bard' in Mondstadt? Lumine, once we get there, let's find a bard to tell us stories!"
"Oh? You want to hear stories?"
A sudden voice startled them. They looked up to see a bard dressed in green, sitting on a tree branch, lightly strumming a lyre, sending out a pleasant melody.
"Huh? What a weirdly dressed person!" Paimon exclaimed, then quickly covered her mouth, realizing her comment might be rude.
Shen Qin looked speechlessly at the idle, unemployed vagabond and greeted him: "It's you, Venti."
"He's a bard. They all dress weirdly like that."
"Hey, you're hurting my feelings," Venti said dramatically as he jumped down from the tall tree, the wind gently carrying him to the ground. "This attire represents the spirit of freedom in us bards!"
"Hello everyone, I'm Venti. As you can see, I am a bard." He turned to the others and smiled warmly.
Albedo frowned slightly, sensing that Venti wasn't an ordinary person, but it felt too rude to probe with elemental power.
"It's Brother Venti!" Klee recognized him.
Rosaria, meanwhile, said coolly: "You still owe me a bottle of wine. Planning to pay me back anytime soon?"
"Haha…" Venti scratched his head awkwardly. "I'll pay when I have the Mora, hehe!"
They were all regulars at Angel's Share tavern, so it was natural that they knew each other. One night, Venti hadn't earned enough Mora for drinks, and Rosaria had lent him some out of kindness.
"I'm Paimon, and this is Lumine." Paimon politely introduced herself
"Paimon and Lumine, noted!" Venti smiled. "You said you wanted to hear a story, right? How about I perform one for you now?"
"Yes, please!" Paimon clapped happily.
"You guys go ahead and play here for a bit. We're going to gather the statue's data," Shen Qin nodded at Venti before walking toward the Statue of the Seven with Albedo and Sucrose. Rosaria followed.
Klee, Paimon, and Lumine sat on the grass, while Venti strummed his lyre and began telling the story of Vennessa: "The story begins a long time ago, when Mondstadt was sighing under the yoke of aristocracy…"
By the time Shen Qin and the others finished collecting the data, Venti had just finished the story as well.
"Well then, until next time! I hope you'll come enjoy my performance in Mondstadt — and leave me some wine money afterward!"
"Wait." Shen Qin stopped him. "Want a drink? It's on me!"
Venti's eyes lit up. "Oh? That would be wonderful!"
And so, the group heading to Springvale grew by one more member.
Klee and Paimon eagerly clung to Venti, asking him for more stories, while Lumine asked if he knew the whereabouts of Barbatos, the Anemo Archon.
Shen Qin glanced at him sideways.
"Oh— the Anemo Archon? He's even freer than us bards. How could I possibly know where he is?" Venti said without changing expression, spouting nonsense, though he was at least self-aware.
Shen Qin didn't expose his lie — when the time came, Venti would reveal his identity himself.
As they passed through Springvale, they didn't slow down, aiming instead for the Statue of the Seven to the west. But along the way, they spotted someone being chased by a group of wild boars.
Quickly flying down, they drove the boars away.
The girl, dressed in yellow and brown, was panting heavily. A butterfly-shaped bow made of hair on her head trembled with every breath. After catching her breath, she thanked them: "Th-thank you all! I'm Xiangling, and this is Guoba."
She pointed to the creature collapsed on the ground.
Paimon looked at Guoba curiously. "What a weird creature! And why is it named after food?"
"Hehe, because Guoba is my favorite snack!" Xiangling laughed. "What about you guys? What are your names?"
"I'm Paimon, this is Lumine, and this is…" Paimon eagerly introduced everyone.
Xiangling looked at Paimon and asked: "Paimon? Is that edible?"
"Paimon's my emergency food. When there's nothing else to eat, she's my last resort." Lumine chuckled and nodded.
"Hey! Paimon's not food!" Paimon glared angrily at Lumine.
Klee curiously asked: "Big sister Xiangling, why were you being chased by so many boars?"
"Well, I was originally hunting a boar for cooking, but accidentally stumbled into their nest. A whole herd charged at me, and I had no choice but to run and run until you guys saved me!"
"Cooking?" Paimon asked.
"Yes! Actually, I'm a chef. I came to Springvale today to taste their famous grilled meat, but after trying it, I felt it could be improved, so I offered the chef some suggestions…"
"But the chef was very angry and said that I knew nothing and was still giving orders before kicking me out, so I decided to make a more delicious barbecue steak myself to let her see if I was right!"