Chapter 32: Prelude to the Great Movement of the Flowing Wind

This transformation naturally stemmed from Venti’s power, or more accurately, from the application of the concepts of “change” and “hope” within the power of an Archon.
In the past, Barbatos had split mountains and calmed the north wind, turning Mondstadt from a frozen wasteland into a fertile land flowing with wine and honey.
From this feat, it was clear that Venti’s divine authority as an Archon possessed a certain power to make the land “fertile.”

Though he couldn’t perform the grand symphony of the thousand-year flowing wind now, creating a small-scale version for the mechanical settlement wasn’t difficult for him, especially with the meteorological knowledge from his past life.
The only limiting factor was that maintaining such a symphony of flowing wind would constantly drain his power.
While the current area was small and the energy consumption was negligible, if the scope expanded to cover an entire region—or even the entire planet—the energy demand would far exceed what he could sustain.

In the past, the reason Barbatos fell into a deep slumber wasn’t just due to the exhaustion from resolving calamities or participating in wars that destroyed nations.
If that were the case, it wouldn’t have been enough to make one of the original Seven Archons fall into such a long sleep. Otherwise, someone like the overworked Morax would have “died of overwork” long before staging his own demise.

The true source of Barbatos’ power drain was the symphony of flowing wind that had enveloped Mondstadt for thousands of years.
Otherwise, with Mondstadt’s previous geographical conditions—similar to Jarilo-VI’s current state—growing enough food to survive would have been a miracle, let alone having enough surplus to brew wine.

This meant that if Venti wanted to help people to the fullest extent without falling into a slumber and losing his freedom, he had to obtain the Stellaron.
Only by acquiring the Stellaron could he determine how far he could go and proceed with his next journey without hesitation.

As for why he hadn’t expanded the symphony of flowing wind to the entire lower district, the main reason was the severe lack of sunlight and the soil’s unsuitability for growing crops.
The residual radiation from past mining activities and the acidic nature of the soil would cause any crops grown there to develop special diseases.
Humans wouldn’t just be at risk from long-term consumption—even a few bites could be dangerous. Growing food that couldn’t be eaten would only add to the suffering.

Therefore, Venti only used a fraction of his divine authority to convince Svarog that he truly had the power to bring change, without pushing too hard or rushing the process.
To the outside world, he simply claimed that they had unearthed some ancient technology and were now experimenting with it in a test field.

Thanks to this “miracle,” the atmosphere in the mechanical settlement was now vastly different from the oppressive and heavy mood when Venti had first arrived.
The people coming and going carried a certain faith, and their care for the vibrant greenery was a shared sentiment among everyone.

Paired with the sight of decommissioned automatons lying on the ground, their bodies stained with fresh soil and adorned with small flowers on their heads, Bronya felt a sense of post-war tranquility.

In the upper district, such lush greenery could only be seen in heavily guarded, highly restricted large greenhouses.
Although the technology left behind from the past temporarily alleviated concerns about food shortages—

These devices all required burning geothermal energy, or more accurately, almost every energy-dependent device in Belobog relied heavily on geothermal power.
If the geothermal mines were ever exhausted, the entire city’s population wouldn’t even need to wait for the Fragmentum monsters to attack—the cold brought by the Eternal Freeze alone would claim many lives.
At that point, forget maintaining the will to fight—even Bronya doubted she could remain hopeful in a future where energy was depleted and the city plunged into darkness.

Therefore, upon learning that all of this was thanks to Venti, Bronya began pondering what she could offer in exchange for such a unique technology.
Someone who could bring change and hope in the face of despair deserved any promise or reward!

Perhaps because of this thought, she moved a little closer to Venti, catching the faint but pleasant scent of the unknown white wildflower he wore on his head.
Feeling the warm breath beside him, Venti instinctively turned to look at her and flashed a sly, playful smile.

He whispered softly, “You must have been curious earlier, right? Why does little Clara call me ‘Sister Venti’?”
Though it was a diversion, it was true…
As Bronya pondered, Venti straightforwardly gave her the answer.

“That child has always longed for family, and I used to perform here often. Because my appearance is a bit deceptive, she mistook me for a girl.
By the time I wanted to explain, I realized how shy she was. If I clarified things, it would probably make her feel awkward for a long time, so I decided to let the misunderstanding stand.”

As he spoke, he blinked and added softly,
“Think of it as not ruining a child’s beautiful fantasy. You’ll keep my secret, right? Right? Right?”
“Of course—”

This unexpected yet reasonable kindness made Bronya smile faintly.
“Ehe~”
As if competing to see whose smile was brighter, Venti also flashed his signature radiant grin.

“Hmm—Sister Venti and this… unfamiliar sister seem really close. Are you two family too?”
Clara, walking ahead, happened to turn around and see this scene. She asked curiously.

Though Bronya knew the “family” Clara referred to wasn’t what she was thinking, she couldn’t help but feel a bit flustered.
She wanted to wave her hand and deny it, but hesitated at the thought of outright rejecting the connection, especially since Venti had gone to such lengths to help her.
If she did that, wouldn’t she come across as cold and ungrateful?

While Bronya was lost in her thoughts, Venti simply teased, “To me, friends are like family. Of course, little Clara deserves a bit more affection.”
This diplomatic answer naturally pleased Clara, who replied with a sweet smile,
“Hehe! I’m so happy. Clara thinks Sister Venti is the best family too!”

As the two chatted happily, Bronya temporarily pushed aside her embarrassment and tried not to dwell on the question.

When they reached the core of the mechanical settlement and saw the figure known as “Mr. Svarog,” Bronya was stunned.
Since coming to the lower district, she had encountered so many things she had never seen before, and no amount of mental preparation seemed enough.

“I’m back, Mr. Svarog. And Sister Venti is back too!”
As soon as she saw him, Clara, who had been chatting with Venti, ran up to him like a child greeting her father, her face filled with genuine joy.
The trust and affection in her expression made Bronya’s gaze soften further.

From Venti’s brief explanation, Bronya could roughly understand that Clara’s background wasn’t a happy one. And in the lower district, there were far too many children like her—both fortunate and unfortunate.

“I’ve noticed that many of the settlement’s automatons have come back online. Thank you, Clara.”
Svarog nodded in gratitude, then his crimson eye shifted upward to look at Venti and Bronya, a stream of data flickering across his vision.

“You’ve fulfilled your promise, bard.”
“Of course! I’m Venti, after all! You can praise me a bit more if you want!”
Like a child asking for a reward, Venti placed his hands on his hips, looking quite proud.

However, Svarog naturally ignored Venti’s antics and turned to Bronya.
“Greetings. Bronya Rand, heir to the Supreme Guardian of the upper district.”
“—!”
As Bronya instinctively tensed, she remembered that Venti was here and that he would never deceive her, so she relaxed slightly.

“How did you know my identity, Mr. Svarog?”
She asked cautiously. The automatons at the outskirts hadn’t identified her, so how had Svarog recognized her so easily?

“I can connect to the internal network of the upper district’s automatons. Knowing your identity isn’t strange. However, didn’t the bard inform you of this?”
Svarog’s synthesized voice remained steady as he glanced at Venti, who was no longer acting proud but instead looked rather awkward.

“Inform me?”
Bronya also looked at Venti in confusion. She had thought he brought her here simply to show her the reality of the lower district, but did he have other plans?
Plans he hadn’t shared with her…

A sense of disappointment suddenly welled up. Though she knew she shouldn’t feel this way, she couldn’t help but feel a pang of sadness at this distance between them.

Fortunately, Venti quickly remedied the situation. “Because rather than me giving a one-sided explanation, it’s more effective for Bronya to see the lower district for herself and then come here to talk directly!”
“The bard’s reasoning has some merit.”
After a moment of silence, Svarog agreed.

“Then, having seen the true state of the lower district, does the heir now wish to ascend to the position of Supreme Guardian, as you and I envisioned?”
Wow?! Why is Mr. Svarog saying things like this?!
As Venti groaned inwardly at the misunderstanding, Bronya’s relaxed mood tensed up again.

Though she trusted Venti enough not to flee or prepare for a fight, she couldn’t help but feel uneasy.
She didn’t want to break ties with Venti, but she also didn’t want this precious experience to turn into a calculated move to control her.

“Venti, what exactly is your agreement with Mr. Svarog? And what are your intentions regarding the position of Supreme Guardian?”
Bronya didn’t know why she felt so urgent, but she tightly grasped Venti’s hand, hoping for an explanation.

“If you can’t make this clear, I will never allow myself to become someone else’s puppet!”