Chapter 144: Wise and Belle's Little Bet; Venti, Long Time No See
Wise did his best to suppress the thrum of excitement in his heart. He looked over at Belle, a warm smile touching his lips. "So, how did it go? Your eyes are sparkling. You must have made out pretty well, right?"
Belle blinked, her expression turning sly, like a kitten that had just managed to sneak a taste of cream. She was dying to see the look on her usually unflappable brother's face when he found out she had pulled a purple-quality weapon.
Deciding to draw out the suspense, she adopted a slightly smug tone. "As for my haul… it was definitely good! But you look pretty refreshed yourself, Brother. Your gains must have been impressive, too, right?"
She deftly changed the subject, a mischievous grin spreading across her face. "How about it? Want to make a bet? Let's see whose luck was better this time! The loser has to handle all the shop's operations for the entire day tomorrow, and the winner gets a day off! Do you dare?"
Wise took in his sister's 'I've already won' expression. He felt the warm, potent energy radiating from the new wrist guard, Fire-Woven, and a surge of confidence swelled within him. Based on its description, this was a growth-type weapon with immense potential, perfectly suited for him. The phrases 'transformed from a demonic beast' and 'origin weapon' certainly made it sound far more powerful than any ordinary blue-tier item.
"No problem, Belle." Wise accepted the bet without hesitation, a confident smile fixed on his face.
With a mere thought, the Fire-Woven guard on his wrist pulsed with a faint red glow. In an instant, it extended and reshaped itself, becoming a crimson armguard that covered his entire forearm and hand. It radiated a sense of raw power, its surface etched with patterns that flowed like scorching magma, and a wave of evident heat washed over them.
"This is the blue-tier weapon I drew. It's called 'Fire-Woven'," Wise announced, displaying the armguard with a hint of pride in his voice. "It's said to be a weapon formed from a demonic beast, like something straight out of a fantasy novel! It's practically a melee weapon tailor-made for me!"
He looked at Belle, his gaze seeming to say, See? My luck isn't any worse than yours. That day off tomorrow is mine.
Belle watched her brother confidently show off his new prize. Then, she lowered her head to glance at the katana in her hands, Hyōrinmaru, which was clearly labeled "Purple Quality" in its information panel.
She fought to suppress a giggle, schooling her expression into one of feigned surprise and seriousness.
Just as Wise's confidence peaked, certain of his victory, Belle's playful smile returned. As if performing a magic trick, she smoothly drew the long blade, which was wreathed in a chilling frost, from behind her back.
The sword emanated a visible cold mist, and the ambient temperature in the room instantly plummeted by several degrees.
Belle proudly brandished the blade, deliberately keeping him in suspense. "Brother, can you guess what kind of sword this is? I'll give you a hint: it's the same type as the one March 7th got!"
"The same type as March 7th's?" Wise was stunned for a moment. He immediately recalled the group chat discussion about March getting an otherworldly weapon called Sode no Shirayuki. That, combined with the distinctive icy appearance of the blade before him, caused a single term to leap into his mind.
"Could this also be… a Zanpakutō?"
"That's right!" Belle nodded vigorously, her smile growing even brighter, laced with a clear desire to show off. "This is the Zanpakutō known as the 'strongest ice-type'—Hyōrinmaru!"
"To be honest, I was kind of hoping for the 'most beautiful' one like Sode no Shirayuki," she admitted, striking what she imagined was a very cool pose with the sword. "But 'strongest' sounds pretty good, too!"
"From now on, I'll be the one protecting you in battle, Brother! You just need to keep providing full logistical support like you always do!"
Listening to his sister's bold declaration, Wise felt a mix of amusement and helplessness. The faint sting of losing the bet was washed away by her infectious energy. He habitually raised a hand to ruffle her hair, his tone indulgent and a little teasing. "Alright, alright, Belle is the best. But speaking of which, haven't I always been the one handling logistics? How does it feel like nothing's changed?"
He was, of course, referring to her long-standing habit of trying to push chores onto him.
Her little scheme exposed, Belle stuck out her tongue and quickly changed the subject, raising Hyōrinmaru. "Anyway! Tomorrow's shop operations are all on you, Brother! A bet's a bet!"
"I can use my day off to finally research all those delicious foods Lumine recommended and see if I can replicate them~"
After the lighthearted banter, Wise's expression returned to its usual composure. He flexed his wrist, and the armguard formed from Fire-Woven receded, shrinking back into a simple, unassuming wrist guard.
"Alright, that's enough fooling around," he reminded her. "We have new weapons and new abilities. The immediate priority is to familiarize ourselves with them as quickly as possible."
"Later, we'll tell Lumine and the others about our gacha results in the group chat. While we still have time tonight, let's head to the training room and properly adapt to these two new weapons. Especially your blade—you and it will need a lot of practice together."
"Got it~" Belle nodded obediently. She understood that great power required careful handling.
Wise's gaze swept over Hyōrinmaru and then to Fire-Woven on his own wrist, his eyes becoming sharp and focused. This increase in strength came with greater responsibility. With the situation on the Astral Express still unclear, they had to convert their newfound power into tangible combat strength, and they had to do it fast.
At the same time, in Mondstadt.
Lumine and Paimon had just materialized in a shimmer of light, the Teleport Waypoint behind them stabilizing. They were about to head towards the Knights of Favonius headquarters to ask about Klee's whereabouts when a cheerful, unexpected figure approached them.
"Oh my, if it isn't Lumine and Paimon! Hello there~" The bard, Venti, held his lyre, his smile as carefree and sly as ever.
"Venti?" Paimon exclaimed in surprise, zipping a little closer. "Long time no see! What are you doing here? This is rare! Did you come looking for us specifically?"
She knew all too well that this Anemo Archon was usually either "tasting" fine wine at Angel's Share or busking in the plaza to earn his next drink. To put it simply—he was rarely up to anything serious.
Venti feigned a wounded expression, placing a hand over his chest. "Oh, dear. Paimon, your words truly sadden me. Can't I greet my friends who have traveled so far without a specific reason?"
"That's not what I meant!" Paimon waved her hands frantically, trying to explain. "What I meant was…"
"Alright, alright, I'm just kidding~" Venti relented before she could get too flustered, a relaxed smile returning to his face. "I did want to confirm one tiny little thing with you, but how about we talk as we walk?"
He turned sideways, making a polite "please" gesture. "You're probably looking for Klee, right? At this time of day, she's most likely tinkering with some new 'toys' in Albedo's alchemy lab."
Lumine nodded, confirming the purpose of their visit.
Paimon was even more astonished. "You guessed right! Venti, do you have some kind of mind-reading ability?"
Venti just smiled and shook his head, casually plucking a string on his lyre and sending a gentle wisp of wind into the air.
"No mind-reading. It's just that the last time you hurried back, you came to Klee to 'borrow luck,' so I guessed it would be something similar this time. But let's not talk about that for now…"
He changed the subject, a fleeting hint of curiosity in his eyes. His tone remained casual, but it was clear he was finally getting to the point.
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