(Windrise)

Toriyama flew us to Windrise at the Giant Tree where Venti was healing underneath it.

Venti: The wind amongst the branches is good, I love the way it smells...

Then he turned around to find us in his sight.

Venti: Haha, I said the exact same thing the last time. *sigh* Why do I only say these things when I'm down on my luck?

Patrick: We tried to save you but Signora's Cryo magic managed to overpower my Pyro magic and stabbed us and managed to beat us with her Fatui minions. But now you have to answer a question.

Aether: So... what is a Gnosis?

Kiana: Whatever that woman ripped out of you must have been a Gnosis.

Venti: Ah, so you noticed. *sigh* This isn't something I'm meant to discuss with ordinary people. But I suppose I can let you in on the secret. As you know, Visions are external magical foci that only a small minority of people possess. They use these Visions to channel elemental power. In truth, every wielder of a Vision is one who can attain godhood and ascend to Celestia. We call such people allogones.

Paimon: Allogenes? Paimon's never heard of them before.

Venti: Hehe, that's because this is secret that only archons are privy to. We don't need primitive tools like Visions. Instead, each archon has an international magical focus that resonates directly with Celestia itself... known as a Gnosis.

Aether: What about the thing hanging off your hip?

Venti: Eh-he. It's just a glowing glass ball I carry around to avoid suspicion.

Aether: I feel cheated... but I guess I'm used to that by now.

Patrick in mind: So do I. I could of came up with the idea of us having fake Visions like Venti but didn't remember much about this part from watching the beta tests.

Paimon: So who was that nasty woman who sent Paimon flying and stole your Gnosis?

Venti: Her name is Signora, No. 8 of the harbingers.

Patrick: While getting the Holy Lyre back from the Fatui we heard her name then Diluc told us about her. When we saw her we knew that it was her.

Bronya: She had a cold and evil stare like Cocolia, my old Matushka.

Venti: She and the rest of the harbingers have been given god-like executive authority by the Tsaritsa of Snezhnaya, and with it, strength surpassing that of other mortals.

Paimon: The Tsaritsa of Snezhnaya? Isn't that...

Venti: Indeed. She is one of The Seven, the Tsaritsa who reigns from the Zaplyarny Palace, and the one person that the Fatui Harbingers all answer to. The Seven don't always get along well, but still — I never thought that she would plot to steal another archon's Gnosis...

Aether: What sort of god is the Tsaritsa?

Venti: Ah... How should I put this? Five hundred years ago, I knew her well. But I can't say the same is true now. You see, a certain catastrophe happened five hundred years ago, and after that, she cut off all ties with me. But we can save discussion of the Cryo Archon and the Fatui for another day. If you all seek the rest of The Seven, many difficulties lie ahead of you still.

Patrick: If we ever meet Signora again, we'll be sure to get your Gnosis back.

Kiana: And make the Fatui pay for what they've done and prove to everyone in Teyvat that they're all criminals and villains.

Mei: We also still have our missing friends and family to find.

Bronya: We'll keep fighting and overcoming obstacles in our way.

Venti: You should head for Mondstadt's neighboring nation of Liyue. The Geo Archon who reigns there, unlike me, administrates his entire region personally. He only descends once every year to give his divine predictions, which set the direction for Liyue for the rest of that year.

Paimon: Even so, it sounds like he works much harder than a certain someone.

Venti: Eh-he?

Patrick: I know a goddess who is always lazy and refuses to work like 3 other goddesses. Instead of doing who work she always goofs around and plays games all day which makes her oracle really angry.

Patrick in mind: I'm referring to Neptune since instead of doing her work like Noire, Blanc, and Vert, she always likes goofing around and playing video games all day making Histoire really angry.

Venti: ...In any case, this year's Rite of Descension is soon to begin in 5 days. If you miss it, you'll just have to wait another year.

Paimon: WHAT!? Why didn't you tell us before? Well then bye. Everyone, we're going!

Venti: One moment, Windborne Outlanders.

Aether: What is it?

Venti: Travelers, as you set off on your journey once again, you must remember that the journey itself has meaning. The birds of Teyvat, the songs and the cities, the Tsaritsa, her Fatui and the monsters... they are all part of your journey. The destination is not everything. So before you reach the end, keep your eyes open. Use the chance to take in the world around you...

Aether: We understand.

Venti: Great. So that's that for the Anemo Archon's admonishments! Back to Venti Time! If you want to chat, now's the time — a bard stays not always in a single clime.

Patrick: Actually yes we do. It's about 4 things actually.

Aether: About Dvalin...

Theresa: What's going to happen to him now? How is he right now?

Venti: Up till the end, Dvalin remembered his duty as one of the Four Winds. As such, I don't intend to forcibly strip him of that duty and force my ideals of freedom onto him. I just hope that Dvalin will be able to choose for himself and understand what freedom is. Before I became an archon, I too was taught the meaning of freedom in this way to be a friend.

Toriyama: I feel the same way Venti. Before becoming immortal I was also taught the meaning of freedom.

Patrick: Next thing to talk about.

Aether: About the Abyss Order...

Venti: Kaeya shared some new intelligence, you say?

Himeko: Yes he did.

Patrick: He said something about the Abyss Order having a leader only known by the Princess.

Venti: ...I see. So, the Abyss Order has a Princess who orchestrated the plan to corrupt Dvalin?

Seele: Yes they did. They wanted to use him for their evil plans.

Venti: They were probably trying to turn Dvalin into a weapon of war for the Abyss.

Patrick: That's exactly what Kaeya said.

Venti: But that said, I have never heard of any such Princess of the Abyss Order.

Aether: So this is a recent development...

Venti: I think so too...

Theresa: I'd say about a few months or a year or two ago. It could be a few years ago that this Princess became in charge of the Abyss Order.

Venti: Apparently...

Bronya: It could be.

Venti: But how does a Princess come out of nowhere and take command over the entire Abyss Order?

Patrick: It could be because this person must have found a relic like a crown without knowing that it will make her the leader of the Abyss Order and when meeting the Abyss Order they all bow to her without explaining to her first about the relic.

Patrick in mind: Like in "Angry Birds Stella the Animated Series" where Gale found this crown with book not knowing that it would make her a ruler of the pigs then seeking out the golden egg then getting defeated by Stella and her friends at the end.

Patrick: Or maybe some evil spirit who is the real leader of the Abyss Order is taking control of the person's body who needed a host body or else the spirit will fade away.

Patrick in mind: Like in "Power Rangers: Jungle Fury".

Patrick: Or maybe this person was unwillingly made the Abyss Order's leader or managed to prove herself to be worthy of being the Abyss Order's leader.

Kiana: You come up with a lot of creative theories.

Mei: And most of them get proven right.

Patrick: I know, right? I always come up with a lot of creative theories. Anyways, the next thing to talk about.

Aether: About Signora...

Paimon: That Fatui lady didn't hang around did she? She just grabbed your Gnosis and left!

Venti: She wanted to avoid any eyewitnesses from the Knights of Favonius. The slightest slip-up would have destroyed the Fatui's diplomatic relations with the Knights.

Patrick: And she made sure to destroy all evidence.

Paimon: So they're just gonna keep acting like Mondstadt's allies as if nothing happened!?

Theresa: It would seem like it, yes. And they won't stop till they get whatever it is they want. We're gonna have to find a way to break the Fatui's diplomatic relations and prove that they're criminals.

Patrick in mind: They're just gonna keep erasing and destroying all evidence like the Malamar from "Pokémon XY" and like Yoshikage Kira from "Jojo's Bizarre Adventure: Diamond Is Unbreakable".

Venti: *sigh*... If only the seven nations had banded together against the Abyss Order in the first place. The Fatui possess the strongest military among the seven nations. Yet they've used it to steal the Holy Lyre, covet the power of gods, and use Dvalin as a bargaining chip against the Knights...

Paimon: Speaking of the Lyre... didn't Diluc say something like this before? He said that the Fatui can only run amok across the seven nations and threaten the Knights because of the harbingers.

Venti: Yes. As I said earlier, the Cryo Archon has given them authority and strength beyond that of other mortals. The Tsaritsa... I haven't seen her in five hundred years. What is she thinking? What's her plan? Whatever the answer is, I have a feeling it's only going to make your search for The Seven all the more difficult...

Patrick: One last thing.

Aether: About deities...

Venti: As I said before, Vision wielders are known as allogenes and may ascend to Celestia. A Gnosis is a higher-order nexus of elemental manipulation and is emblematic of an archon's status as one of The Seven. But as for which of The Seven took your sister... I'm sorry, I don't know.

Kiana: She had this power to open portals, turn things into cubes, materialize cubes, and undo explosions. She has long flowing white hair and yellow/orange golden eyes. And she can control the Void too.

Venti: I don't know anyone that can do those things.

Patrick: We think this goddess maybe not any of The Seven and is a goddess that is not recorded in history and has a hatred towards humanity.

Venti: ...Wait, as one of The Seven, I'm not clear of suspicion yet either, am I?

Aether: We've known you long enough to trust you.

Venti: Haha, we're a great team indeed! Say, once you find your friends and family, how would one of you like to become one of the new Four Winds?

Aether: Perhaps...

Paimon: Hmm, you don't seem too into it, Aether... Hey, Tone-Deaf Bard... If being one of the Four Winds means free food, you can consider Paimon!

Venti: Hahaha...

Patrick: That's pretty much everything we've asked you. Since the Rite of Descension isn't until 5 days, we might as well spend 2 more days in Mondstadt before heading off to Liyue.

Venti: Well then, best be off to Liyue. If the descension ritual you fail to tally, then another year you must dally.