In fact, for a god, as long as they didn't want to get drunk, no matter how many drinks they had, or how strong the liquor was, they simply wouldn't get drunk.
Also, unlike Zhongli, Venti had fallen into a long sleep after helping Dvalin slay Durin five hundred years ago, exhausted of his strength. He hadn't awoken until last year, when the dragon disaster struck Mondstadt.
So in truth, he was just as clueless as Xia Ci and Xia Zhen about what had happened in Teyvat over these five hundred years.
The four gods chatted idly for half an hour, until Xia Zhi stood up to leave.
It wasn't that he'd finished milking Venti's diamond-tier treasure chest; he just didn't want to keep the girls waiting too long.
"We're staying at the Church of Favonius for now. Feel free to co find us anyti."
"Absolutely! Oh, right! Mr. Xia!"
"Hmm?"
"Don't forget to pay the bill, please."
"...Relax."
"Dearest friend!"
Xia Zhi went over to the counter to settle the tab, speaking in Liyue dialect.
The owner, seeing he was a fellow Liyue native, gave him a 20% discount.
People from Liyue really were so warmhearted.
Xia Zhi thought about it, then paid for two extra drinks, telling the owner to bring them to the remaining custor after he left.
The owner nodded with a smile.
After that, Xia Zhi left the Tavern together with Xia Ci and Xia Zhen, heading back toward the Cat's Tail tavern.
Xia Zhi sighed with a hint of amusent. "Venti really does have... quite the personality."
Xia Ci pursed her lips. "Cousin, don't let that 'dearest friend' line fool you. He's the biggest fun-seeker you'll ever et."
Xia Zhi laughed softly. "What god isn't a fun-seeker? Even Zhongli once held a funeral for himself just to ss around…"
Xia Zhen thought for a mont. "I think my sister isn't a fun-seeker."
Xia Ci snickered. "You want to hear yourself right now? Your sister even built robots — she's way better at having fun than you are!"
"That wasn't exactly her intention."
"Okay, okay, don't keep defending your sister, you hopeless sis-con."
"!!!"
The three of them arrived at the entrance of the Cat's Tail and saw a blonde girl stomping out of the tavern with a disgruntled expression.
Her hair was worn in loose twin-tails, tied with bat-winged checkered ribbons. Her right eye was green, while her left eye was covered by an eyepatch hidden beneath her bangs. A solemn raven perched on her shoulder.
She wore a gothic standing collar with a purple butterfly bow, connected to a sheer, backless, bust-high sh bodysuit, layered under a black dress with a dual-pattern raven-tail hem. One leg was fully covered by a stocking, the other in a garter, both under black heeled boots with decorations matching her hair accessories. A purple Electro Vision was strapped at her waist.
The girl lowered her head, grumbling, "Oz, according to this world's calendar, I am over three thousand years old. Naturally, the shifting illusions of sun and moon hold no aning for one who sees through the causal threads of three thousand universes."
The raven on her shoulder sighed helplessly. "Milady, that trick won't fool the bartender. If you're underage, you're underage."
She imdiately protested, "As the sovereign of the Imrnachtreich, the noble Prinzessin der Verurteilung, how could I ever stoop to petty deceit? I rely wished to descend to the depths and perform a secret ritual to summon my loyal familiar from another world."
The raven's tone grew even more exasperated. "Milady, if you want to play [Genius Invokation TCG], just say so. But right now everyone prefers playing mahjong at the tavern. It's going to be hard to find anyone willing to duel you. Why don't we just join a mahjong table?"
She snorted. "Such a sinful ga..."
Oz cut her off with a sigh. "Milady, the rules of mahjong are simple. You don't need to spend a thousand years studying them."
She was about to keep ranting when she noticed three strangers walking toward her, and fell silent, giving them a scrutinizing stare.
Xia Zhi, from his god's-eye view, also took a quick look at this theatrically dramatic girl and her talking raven companion.
He noticed a silver-tier progress bar above her.
Mondstadt really was a land of talents — you could bump into any kind of progress bar just walking down the street.
Xia Zhi gave the girl a polite nod with a friendly smile, then walked into the tavern.
But he was simply too charismatic.
The girl seed unable to resist, staring blankly at the tavern door as it closed behind him.
On her shoulder, Oz tilted his head. "Milady, milady, your face is turning red."
She snapped out of it, flustered. "Don't say such nonsense! I… I rely glimpsed a sinful soul, and the hunter's fire within my heart was ignited, that's all…"
Oz sounded doubtful. "Ignited?"
She coughed. "I an enraged! Oz, your words have reason. Co, follow once more to do battle. Surely these ignorant souls are prepared to stand against , the Prinzessin der Verurteilung who plucks the strings of fate and sings the requiem of the abyss…"
Oz interrupted her again. "Milady, if you want to play mahjong, you better hurry up. When we left there were only a few tables free, and just now three more people went in. If we wait, there won't be any seats."
She pursed her lips and pushed open the door.
At the entrance, she looked around and spotted the sa handso man who had smiled at her earlier, sitting in a far corner.
She hesitated, then quietly walked in his direction.
...
After Xia Zhi and the others entered the tavern, they were a bit surprised by the crisp sounds of mahjong tiles clacking everywhere.
Wait, weren't they in Mondstadt?
How had Mondstadt fallen into this kind of depravity too?
The girls were on the other side of the tavern, with three tables going full tilt in a mahjong showdown.
Xia Zhi and the others walked over.
Ganyu wasn't playing; she was standing behind Shenhe, quietly observing.
Hearing footsteps, Ganyu turned around, and when she saw Xia Zhi, a gentle smile — maybe even gentler than she herself realized — blossod on her face.
Xia Ci looked at that smile and thought back to that strange dream this morning, murmuring inwardly, I knew it.
"You're back."
"Mm. You're not playing?"
"No one dares play against ."
"Well, that can't be helped… By the way, isn't this the Cat's Tail? I rember Diona telling its most popular activity was [Genius Invokation TCG]. Why is it all mahjong now?"
"Oh, that. Earlier the owner ca by and explained — the tavern's business used to rely on [Genius Invokation TCG] and Diona's special cocktails to attract custors. But then Diona suddenly ran off, and without her drinks, the boozy crowd stopped coming. Business went downhill, so they had to try sothing else. Just then, a rchant returning from Liyue told them about a new ga there that was super popular. So they spent a lot of Mora importing mahjong sets, and to their surprise it was a hit. Eventually, even the regular TCG players switched to mahjong, and here we are."
"I see."
Xia Zhi let out a small laugh.
If Diona hadn't randomly decided to run off to Liyue, the Cat's Tail's owner probably never would have found the courage to invest in a new business model.
Fate worked in strange ways.
"Boss, are you done catching up?"
"All done."
"That bard?"
"His na's Venti. He's still in the tavern drinking, but he said he'll co visit us if he has ti."
"Oh…"
Ganyu gave a soft smile again.
Xia Zhi grew curious. "What is it?"
Ganyu lowered her voice. "I just thought of sothing happy."
"What happy thing?"
"You told before, right? That anyone who wins any competition during the Windblu Festival gets a treasure chest?"
"Yeah."
"Then I should already have one."
"Oh?"
"Earlier, when the owner was catching up with Diona, she ntioned that this year during the Windblu Festival, Mondstadt will hold its first mahjong tournant. Anyone who can play mahjong is allowed to enter."
"?"
Xia Zhi couldn't help but laugh.
A ga based on luck? For soone with Ganyu's Auspicious trait, the championship was practically guaranteed.
Unless he also signed up. With his own ridiculously high luck, he might just be able to challenge her.
Xia Zhi glanced at the bell hanging from Ganyu's neck.
In the future, unless he intentionally boosted his own luck, it would never surpass Ganyu's.
"So what's the prize for Mondstadt's first mahjong tournant?"
"According to the owner, it's the sa as Liyue's first mahjong tournant!"
"Then you'll be a rich woman again."
"I'll donate it to the school!"
"You don't have to. You could keep it for yourself."
"I wouldn't know what to do with it anyway."
"We'll see when the ti cos."
"Mm."
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