Under the dim yellow light, the “Angel’s Gift” tavern was bustling with noise.
A young bard dressed in green sat in the center of the crowd, holding an organ, his fingertips lightly plucking the strings, and a melodious tune flowed in the aroma of wine.
“…The wind god visited his first flock and helped him protect Mondstadt, but the dragon believed that divine assistance shouldn’t just involve cheering him on while playing the harp…” As soon as he finished speaking, the guests burst into laughter, with applause and whistles rising and falling.
Alex sat down at the bar, ordered a beer, and gestured for the waiter to bring it to him.
The boy took the glass, tilted his head back, and drank it all in one gulp, his Adam’s apple bobbing as he made a “glug glug” sound.
After finishing his drink, he let out a satisfied burp and said loudly, “Thank you for the generous wine, sir!
May your days be as light as dandelions and as sweet as fine wine!” Several more customers brought him drinks, and he accepted them all.
Then, the boy told another story: “A long, long time ago, there was a band called Wandering Earth…” Alex listened as he sipped a glass of fragrant dandelion wine.
As dawn approached, the young man finished his last drink, stood up with slightly unsteady steps, and walked towards the door.
After paying for the drinks, Alex followed behind him.
The two walked out of the tavern one after the other and stepped into the deep night.
After walking into a quiet, deserted alley, the boy finally stopped, slowly turned around, and stared at Alex with blurry, drunken eyes: “Why…why have you been following me?” ” Lord Barbatos, I’d like to discuss two deals with you,” Alex stated his purpose directly.
Upon hearing the other party call out his true identity as Makoto, Venti’s expression showed a slight recognition of Makoto.
“What kind of deal?” Alex held up one finger, his voice clear and steady: “The first deal is to open a winery with you.
You only need to be the brand ambassador to receive 10% of the profits.” Venti’s eyes lit up immediately.
He wouldn’t even bother listening to other kinds of business.
But wine is different.
That’s the taste of freedom, the embodiment of wind and poetry.
He thought for a moment and said, “I can agree.
But if the quality of the wine isn’t good, I won’t endorse it.” “You can rest assured about that,” Alex said with a slight smile.
“The production of the wines is handled by Dawn Winery, and the water is sourced from the Springvale spring.” As soon as he finished speaking, Venti agreed without hesitation.
Alex nodded slightly, then held up a second finger.
“The second transaction is your Gnosis.” “You’re probably here to help Tsaritsa, aren’t you!” “Yes, I am Ms.
Harbinger’s envoy.
” Alex.
Venti’s expression turned serious.
” Gnosis is a very important item to me.
Unless…” “Unless something…” Alex pressed.
“You’ll treat me to drinks for a month,” Venti replied seriously.
“Only then can I barely forget the pain of losing it.” After hearing this, Alex slowly shook his head.
“Not even a month?” Venti asked, somewhat disappointed, but with a hint of insistence in his voice.
“Then ten days it will be.
This Makoto can’t be any shorter.” Alex remained calm and said gently, “That’s not what I meant.
It’s just that what you’re asking for is far too little.” “ah?” Venti’s mouth dropped open in disbelief.
“You mean…it’s too little?
How much would be appropriate?” Alex tucked one of his fingers away.
“A year’s worth of wine?” “It’s 10 billion Mora!” Venti subconsciously raised his hand and patted his cheek to make sure he wasn’t dreaming.
Ten billion Mora?
He probably wouldn’t even dare to dream of wanting so much.
You must be mistaken!
“That’s 10 billion Mora!” Venti immediately shook his head: ” Tsaritsa would never pay ten billion Mora for a single Gnosis.” Alex neither confirmed nor denied it, only adding casually, “So, after my ‘efforts,’ the price will drop to one billion.” Venti was momentarily stunned, feeling a slight itch on his scalp, realizing he needed to start thinking.
But soon, he figured out the reason.
The other party wants to gain merit through this.
This behavior greatly overturned his preconceived notions about Fatui.
“But…why a billion Mora?” he couldn’t help but ask.
Alex calmly replied, ” Give me half of the one billion Mora to build a winery, and the other half to the families of the victims of ‘forced conscription’.” As soon as he finished speaking, Venti was startled and stared intently at him.
“The series of events that happened a few days ago must have been your doing!” “Yes,” Alex readily admitted.
Venti paused for a moment, then solemnly said, “Your future will surely attract the attention of the entire world.” Upon hearing this, Alex smiled slightly and said, ” Lord Barbatos, thank you for your praise.” ” Alex, no need to be so polite, just call me Venti.” “Okay, Venti.” …..
The room was dimly lit and simple.
Lynette lay in bed, tossing and turning, unable to fall asleep.
I feel like I’ve forgotten something important.
But what exactly is it?
She tried hard to recall, but she could never quite grasp that thread of thought.
Just as she finally decided to clear her mind and force herself to fall asleep, a thought flashed through her mind like lightning.
“ah!” She sprang out of bed, not even bothering to put on her slippers, and rushed barefoot out of the room, heading straight for the front desk.
She actually left her…
in Alex’s bathroom!
If that despicable bastard sees this…
Just imagining that scene made her cheeks burn instantly, and the tips of her ears turned bright red.
Fortunately, the key was still at the front desk, and Alex hadn’t returned yet.
Lynette grabbed the keys, strode to his door, quickly opened it, and slipped inside.
In the bathroom, that soft and cute pink cat-patterned item was still hanging on the clothes rack, innocent yet eye-catching.
She quickly reached out and carefully put it in her pocket, afraid of being seen by someone.
Back in her room, Lynette immediately threw it into the laundry tub.
After everything was in order, she took a deep breath and walked to the front desk.
However, as soon as she turned the corner of the corridor, she froze— A familiar figure was leaning against the front desk, hands in his pockets, looking relaxed, but clearly having been waiting for a long time.
Lynette’s heart softened slightly, and a hint of goodwill arose within her.
This guy can be quite gentlemanly at times.
But before the thought could even settle, Alex spoke softly, his tone tinged with a hint of mockery: ” Lynnette, if you don’t come out soon, I’ll start to think you’ve been kidnapped by the sewers.” The goodwill vanished in an instant.
She gave a soft snort, tossed the keys into his arms, turned and walked away, her slender cat tail swaying gently behind her, drawing a haughty arc in the dim light.