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Chapter 330 — To Lord Barbatos, We Offer the Windblume!
🕑 Added 2025-09-19 17:45:18 +0000 UTC“Eh? Why do you suddenly want me to get stronger?” Lumine blinked in confusion at the green-haired girl whose smile was unusually radiant.
She tilted her head, clearly lost. “And also… ‘Soul Fusion’? What’s that? Did you pull a new ability from the chat group’s gacha?”
“Hm? I wasn’t trying to hide this ability from you… wait, you can’t read my thoughts right now?”
C.C.’s golden eyes narrowed in puzzlement.
She suddenly remembered: whether it was Dual Body, Review Eyes, or those ridiculously overpowered skills, none of them came from the chat group—they all originated from some other system.
Could that be the reason? Or was it the nature of Soul Fusion itself that blocked it?
“…Forget it! Now’s not the time to worry about that. Let’s focus on what’s in front of us first.”
She straightened her clothes—rumpled thanks to Lumine’s playful rubbing—then took the blonde’s delicate hand and led her toward where Nagami was standing.
Nagami, who was watching Venti “educate”—no, more like con—his students, was getting bored.
So he eagerly volunteered to help.
Venti, who was looking for an excuse to interact with Nagami and his group, immediately agreed.
But of course, he had to test Nagami first. If Nagami could prove himself, Venti would happily let him substitute as teacher.
The test? Solve a paying student’s problem while Venti observed.
Pass, and he’d be approved.
The student was a young man named Marvin.
“Here’s the situation… There’s a girl I like. She’s from Springvale. Her name is Mara. She’s cute and hardworking. But because our family backgrounds are so different, my father has always strongly opposed our relationship…”
With so many listeners around—especially with several beautiful girls present—Marvin seemed a bit shy.
Venti nodded thoughtfully, folding his arms, and glanced with curiosity at Nagami’s unreadable face.
“This is easy.”
Nagami smiled, patting Marvin’s shoulder, then cast a sidelong glance at Venti.
“When you get home, just tell your father that you don’t actually like Mara. In fact, you don’t like girls at all—you like men.
For example, this bard here who looks prettier than most girls. I guarantee your father will run to Springvale that very night, carrying Mara on his back, and beg you to marry her!”
“…Huh?”
Venti froze, utterly dumbfounded.
Even his harp would’ve gone silent.
Marvin’s jaw dropped as well.
Seele blinked in confusion at Nagami, while Kurumi just gave a look of as expected.
“Don’t argue just yet!” Nagami cut Marvin off with a raised hand before the boy could speak.
He scanned the area and quickly spotted a man in fine clothing nearby—an older version of Marvin, clearly his father.
“If you really like Mara, then go tell your father now. If my method doesn’t work, these gems are all yours.”
Nagami pulled several dazzling jewels from his pocket—recreated using the Herrscher of Reason’s ability.
Their brilliance glittered under the light.
“No matter what your father says, you win either way. How about it?”
“I—uh…” Marvin stared at the gems, then at his father who was busy conversing with his business partners.
His hesitation melted away. He clenched his fists and nodded firmly.
“Alright!”
———————————————————————
Ten minutes later.
Venti stood frozen, watching as Marvin bowed at a ninety-degree angle before Nagami.
“Teacher! Thank you so much, Teacher! You must attend my wedding!”
The boy’s gratitude rang out, leaving Venti completely speechless.
“…Well then,” Nagami clapped his hands lightly, “since that’s all settled so perfectly, shall we move on to the next case?”
“N-Next case…”
Venti snapped back from his daze, shaking his head frantically. “No, no! That won’t be necessary!”
‘As expected of the someone who knew one of the twin…’
‘His brain really is—no, not broken, let’s call it… uniquely creative.’
“That was a brilliant solution—swift and effective.”
A smooth voice echoed, followed by applause.
A tanned man strode over with easy grace, lips curled into a delighted smile.
“Your way of handling the problem is unheard of. Truly eye-opening.”
“Ah, so it’s the honored ‘Conqueror of Ice and Sea.’ You flatter me.”
Nagami’s expression softened into a polite smile upon seeing a certain useful ally from the early days.
“...?”
A huge question mark practically floated above Kaeya’s head.
‘True Lord’? That was a Liyuean honorific, wasn’t it? And not just anyone could hold it—it was reserved for those with high virtue or special achievements.
“You must be mistaken, my friend. I’m only a humble captain in the Knights of Favonius. Hardly worthy of such a title.” Kaeya waved his hand modestly.
“Eh? Is that so? But Lumine spoke very highly of Captain Kaeya. She even gave you that title as a way of thanking you—according to Liyue’s traditions.”
Persecuting Kaeya while at the same time helping “himself” build a better image—it really was killing two birds with one stone.
“So that’s how it is…” Kaeya nodded with a smile. It all sounded nice enough, yet he couldn’t shake the feeling that something was off.
“By the way, you really are the Honorary Knight’s companions, aren’t you?”
With a hearty smile, Kaeya’s gaze swept across Seele and Kurumi.
His brow furrowed ever so slightly—barely noticeable.
For some reason, that soft, adorable-looking girl gave him an inexplicable sense of dread.
But the moment he saw Lumine walking over, hand-in-hand with an unfamiliar, breathtaking beauty, Kaeya’s serious expression quickly melted away.
Since they were the Traveler’s companions, a little strangeness was probably nothing to worry about.
After all, Lumine had helped Mondstadt resolve the Stormterror crisis.
Her prestige within the Knights of Favonius was practically unmatched.
As for those two delicate, pale hands so tightly interlocked—Kaeya was long past being surprised.
Everyone in the Knights knew that beautiful girls were always by Lumine’s side.
It was common consensus.
Even figures as high as the Liyue Qixing had been seen walking hand-in-hand with her from time to time.
Some people even started a betting pool on who the Honorary Knight’s next “date” would be.
“Kaeya, what are you doing here? Aren’t you supposed to be patrolling with the other knights?”
Floating beside Lumine, Paimon’s voice spoke up in place of the Traveler.
“Why, hello there, little Paimon! I actually came here with important business for the Traveler—very good business, in fact!”
His deliberately mysterious tone, dripping with the promise of a surprise, instantly caught Paimon’s attention.
The little mascot’s eyes sparkled as her soft, tiny hands rubbed together eagerly.
“Really? Really? Is it food? Are you giving the Traveler something delicious?!”
In Paimon’s mind, there were only two kinds of “good news”: Mora and food.
The former had already been covered thanks to Lumine selling her dignity for precious gemstones—no wait, now that he thought about it, it could practically count as getting them for free.
Her dignity had simply been “converted” into another version of herself’s happiness.
And since it was all still “herself,” technically there was no loss at all. Which meant… yes, definitely free!
“Well, you could say it’s something like that~” Kaeya winked at Paimon before turning toward Lumine, whose expression was already bright with surprise.
Doing his best to put on a solemn face, he declared:
“Honorary Knight, congratulations! You’ve been chosen as Mondstadt’s Star of the Windblume Festival!”
“Nagami onii-chan, what’s the Star of the Windblume Festival?”
Seele tugged at his sleeve, her soft, gentle voice bubbling with curiosity.
“Basically… it’s someone the people of Mondstadt love the most during this time, or someone who’s made huge contributions to the city.”
Nagami wanted to explain in detail, but of course he couldn’t possibly remember such specific game lore.
That line came straight from Lumine’s own thoughts.
Unfortunately, even Lumine’s knowledge about the whole thing was pathetically limited—beyond what Nagami just said, she knew absolutely nothing else.
“Wow, Lumine-nee is amazing!” Seele’s delicate, childlike face lit up in awe, her eyes sparkling with admiration.
Playing along, Lumine crossed her arms, lifted her chin, and puffed out her cheeks with mock exasperation.
Her whole expression seemed to say:
‘I didn’t want to be the Windblume Star.’
‘But alas, I’m just too cute and too popular. What can I do~?’
“So then, what exactly does the Star of the Windblume Festival receive as a prize?”
Kurumi lifted a slender finger to her lips, smiling playfully.
“There isn’t any special reward, but…”
A tall, graceful figure approached with steady, commanding steps.
Her slender legs were wrapped in tight white fabric that accentuated every perfect curve—long, supple, and just a little bit indecent.
It was none other than the Dandelion Knight, the only one who could rival Rex Lapis himself in… certain assets.
“The Star of the Windblume Festival will represent all the people of Mondstadt and present the Windblume to Lord Barbatos, our Anemo Archon!”
With Jean’s dignified, commanding words, Lumine’s proud stance shattered like glass.
She froze, her face instantly draining of color.
‘That’s it? That’s it?!’
She didn’t even care if there was no Mora—at least a public compliment would’ve been something!
Glancing stiffly toward the so-called “free-loading” Anemo Archon scratching his head in embarrassment, Lumine had to fight the urge to ask if she could resign from the position altogether.
Offering a ceremonial gift to Barbatos was way too much responsibility for a girl her age!
“Ah! It’s Acting Grand Master Jean!” Paimon waved cheerfully, then tilted her head, finger-guns pressed under her chin.
“But wait… what’s a Windblume? Does Mondstadt even have a flower with that name?”
