Knights of Favonius Headquarters
Kai dragged over a chair, resting his chin on the back.
He looked incredibly relaxed.
Not far away, Paimon floated in mid-air with her hands on her hips, her adorable face glaring at Barbatos with displeasure, clearly not over what happened earlier.
"So, what questions do you have?"
Being stared at by Paimon's innocent, bewildered eyes, even Barbatos clearly couldn't help but feel a bit awkward.
He glanced around at everyone present.
Then, he cleared his throat twice and said: "As a god, my knowledge reserves are beyond your imagination."
"So, whatever you want to know, just ask."
"Is this person... really Barbatos?"
In the corner, Lisa stood next to Jean.
Looking at Barbatos, who was surrounded, her charming face showed extreme languor and a hint of confusion.
Beside her... Jean, who could probably understand her close friend's inner turmoil, which was like a strong shock, nodded slightly.
"Although I know you might not believe it, this is indeed Lord Barbatos. After all, in terms of personality... isn't he just like the rumors?"
"Are you referring to his lively and easygoing nature, or his tendency to not meddle in affairs?"
Her beautiful eyes carefully observed him for a moment.
Then, Lisa lost interest.
And became a bit listless again.
"This..."
Jean didn't know how to answer.
Unlike Jean, a Knight trained in a traditional Mondstadt noble family, Lisa didn't have excessive reverence for Anemo Archon Barbatos.
After all, she was a member of the Witch's Coven.
In Lisa's eyes, gods were merely beings with greater power and prolonged existence.
In this situation... perhaps because Barbatos's domain was Mondstadt, and he hadn't appeared for a millennium, Lisa might have had a slight interest.
But beyond that, if you were to speak of the respect mortals had for gods, Lisa absolutely had none.
"Well then... I'll answer a few questions first."
Just as Jean was at a loss for how to answer, feeling the overly silent atmosphere, Barbatos coughed softly, a little guiltily, and spoke up voluntarily.
"First, the Traveler... I remember you said your purpose in coming to Mondstadt was to find your brother, who was supposedly taken by a god?"
"Yes, that's why we plan to start with Mondstadt!"
"After all, Mondstadt is the freest city-state among the Seven Nations. I thought starting here would not only help Traveler adapt to life in this world but also avoid any tricky problems."
Paimon answered for Traveler, hands on her hips.
"But… what a shame."
"I probably am not the person you're looking for."
Barbatos spread his hands, answering helplessly.
"I can tell. You probably don't have that much power."
Paimon retorted without mercy.
After she said that, Barbatos couldn't help but laugh.
He looked incredibly awkward.
Although it was true, why did it sound so…
…sad when heard directly?
"Then, Master Venti, do you have any relevant clues or information?"
Seeing the undisguised disappointment on Traveler's face,
Jean thought for a moment and asked on her behalf.
"I'm sorry, I really don't have any clues about this matter."
Barbatos shook his head.
Facing Jean's puzzled expression, he quietly explained.
"After all, the Seven Archons I knew are not the same people as the current Seven Archons."
"Hmm?"
Most people present were clearly unaware of this news.
Except for Kai.
Even Lisa showed a look of curiosity, clearly finding it very interesting.
"Not the same people?"
"Master Venti, do you mean…"
"It's exactly what it sounds like. In fact, gods can die, you know."
When discussing the secrets of the gods,
Barbatos showed no hesitation.
"In fact, besides me and the God of Geo from Liyue, the gods in other regions have, more or less, been replaced over the last thousand years. Especially the God of Dendro; I hear her age isn't even five hundred years old yet, right?"
Although it happened while he was in slumber, as a god, Barbatos's ability to gather information…
…was clearly far superior to that of ordinary people, by more than just one level.
To hear such a secret, even little Paimon, who had been somewhat displeased with Barbatos, couldn't help but exclaim in surprise.
"Gods can die?"
"After all, so-called gods are merely slightly powerful beings acknowledged by Celestia. Just like before becoming a god, I was just an Anemo spirit."
Barbatos spread his hands: "However, although gods can die, the position of god will be passed down forever in that nation. So, in this situation, who exactly took your brother…"
"Actually… I'm not sure either."
If it were the very first batch of gods, based on the clues Traveler provided, perhaps Barbatos could still offer some information and provide some answers.
But during these years of slumber,
Heaven knows how many times the gods of other nations have changed.
In this situation… even as the God of Anemo, Barbatos had no information to offer.
"Of course, this is also because I've been in slumber all these years."
"Although I can't provide much information…"
"But there's a guy who might be able to help you."
Barbatos blinked, playfully pointing southwest.
"That direction…"
"Is it Liyue?"
Jean thought thoughtfully, suddenly understanding something.
Kai suddenly felt a slight tremor in his heart.
He didn't know why, but seeing that gesture…
…he suddenly had an ominous premonition.
This premonition wasn't about Liyue; it seemed to be… about himself?
"Then Barbatos, since you have returned to Mondstadt…"
"Why can't you solve the Stormterror problem yourself, and still need to rely on mortals?"
Diluc frowned.
He clearly didn't have much respect for this God of Anemo.
"I don't believe a god would be so weak that he couldn't even deal with his own familiar…"
"…to the point of being unable to resolve it."
"This question…"
Barbatos glanced at Traveler, sighing helplessly.
"Oh, alright…"
"Then I'll tell you the answer."
"Hmm?"
Such a subtle movement was naturally caught by Diluc.
He also glanced in Traveler's direction.
Diluc frowned slightly, wondering what he was thinking.
"In fact, the current me…"
"My power isn't really that strong."
Spreading his hands, Barbatos answered with a helpless expression.
"What humans call the Seven Archons, their more fundamental title should be the Seven Sovereigns of the Mortal Realm."
"They each rule one-seventh of the mortal realm, and the source of our power is to fulfill the divine duty of ruling, thereby accumulating divine power."
"But I don't like ruling, and I don't think Mondstadt would like ruling either, so my power is undoubtedly the weakest among the Seven Archons."
"So, even if you hadn't been in slumber, based on your original strength… you were already the weakest god?"
Kai suddenly realized something.
"Uh, yes, that's about right."
"Haha…"
Barbatos scratched his head, his laugh a bit awkward.
Although as the free God of Anemo,
Barbatos wasn't overly concerned with power.
But discussing the ranking of strength among gods in front of the people of Mondstadt, who live under his rule…
…even Barbatos couldn't remain completely unaffected.
"That really is a weak god, then."
Paimon didn't hesitate to twist the knife.
"Hey, bard, so how did you get this divine position?"
"You can't even defeat Dvalin…"
"It would be better to let Dvalin be the god."
Can I tell you that the Wolf of the North, Andrius, gave it to him?
Kai really wanted to blurt out this truth.
But considering the series of problems that might arise afterward, after a moment of careful thought, he decisively abandoned that option.
"Cough, cough. Although my strength isn't really that great among the Seven Archons, I still had some power in the first few hundred years after becoming a god… At least much stronger than now."
The events of that year were simply too complicated, even involving Mondstadt's previous master.
In this situation… to save trouble, Barbatos certainly couldn't waste too much time explaining.
"So, is this what they call Anemo Archon Barbatos?"
"The same old deceptive style."
Kai couldn't help but inwardly complain.
You really should just take whatever this guy says with a grain of salt.
If you take him seriously, then you're just too naive.
"Then Kai… Master, do you have anything to ask me?"
After revealing his identity as the God of Anemo, normally, when dealing with these people in front of him, Barbatos would no longer need to be so polite.
After all, as the god who governs Mondstadt, perhaps these guys wouldn't have too much respect for him, but similarly, when dealing with them…
…even with his diminished power, Barbatos didn't need to be overly courteous.
But for some reason… seeing Kai sitting in the chair, looking utterly listless,
Barbatos felt incredibly flustered inside.
Even his divine intuition vaguely sensed an ominous premonition.
In this situation… after thinking carefully, Barbatos still decided to follow the latter form of address.
He didn't care about it anyway.