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Chapter 43: Venti's Power in the Big World
"Have you studied the basics of internal energy?" Jean asked, watching Venti carefully. She didn't call him out directly but suspected the truth.
"I've looked into it a little," Venti replied, scratching his head. "But it's not really my thing! Maybe I just don't have the talent for it."
Venti chuckled internally. An elemental being practicing internal energy? That sounded ridiculous.
Wouldn't that make him an internal energy creature instead? What kind of absurdity was that?!
Jean, however, wasn't convinced. It's not that it doesn't suit him⊠he just doesn't like it.
Still, she understood the reality of the situation. The basic internal energy techniques only benefited ordinary people and those with Visions. For a god, it likely had no effect at all.
After all, even Aiden had mentioned that this was just basic internal energyâso it was understandable that it wouldn't work on someone like Venti.
The Potential of Internal Energy
"I used the hundred points I earned earlier to gain a year's worth of internal energy cultivation," Jean continued, her voice serious.
"I can feel that my strength has improved. If we could spread this technique across Mondstadt, it would be a huge benefit to the city!"
Venti rolled his eyes. "And why are you telling me this?"
"Even if people do practice it, won't it take a long time before it actually helps? Not everyone has the chat group's bonus like we do!"
Jean sighed, nodding in agreement.
Without the chat group, developing internal energy techniques would take much longer.
No wonder Keqing and Ningguang hadn't pushed for its widespread use in Liyue yet.
Jean and Ningguang had become good friends after joining the chat group. Ningguang had given Jean a lot of advice, even offering suggestions on how to strengthen Mondstadt.
Jean understood Ningguang's motivesâLiyue and Mondstadt needed each other.
Perhaps one day, the two nations could even become official allies.
"But I suppose I've been too impatient," Jean admitted. "Still⊠the number of monsters outside is worse than we thought. Venti, we won't be able to take it easy next time."
Venti stretched lazily but didn't argue.
There was a time when he would have found an excuse to slack off, but things were different now.
The chat group had provided a way for him to restore his divine powerâand even Venti couldn't ignore that kind of opportunity.
Besides, Mondstadt was in real danger.
The Abyss Order was watching. If he acted too carelessly, he might tip them off.
Using his full divine power to wipe out the monsters wasn't an option yet.
For now, he had to wait.
A Plan to Clear the Monsters
"Captain Jean, I have a little trick called Elemental Storm," Venti said with a grin.
"It can generate an Eye of the Storm to pull in all the nearby monsters. You can take care of the rest."
Jean considered it. With the number of monsters outside, they needed to work efficiently.
"That sounds like a solid plan."
"Great!" Venti smirked. "Then I'll do the hard part, and you just finish them off."
Jean agreed immediately.
Then, as the battle began, she finally understood why Barbatos was the God of Wind.
Even though Venti was holding back, his control over the Anemo element was breathtaking.
When he unleashed his Eye of the Storm, the wind surged across the battlefield, pulling every monster into its grasp.
And yet, Jean remained untouched.
Her admiration deepened. Lord Barbatos truly is in a league of his own.
Compared to his command over the wind, everyone else was laughably inferior.
With Venti keeping the enemies locked in place, Jean moved with precision, effortlessly cutting down each monster that was trapped in the vortex.
The Never-Ending Battle
Even though Jean and Venti were eliminating monsters efficiently, it still wasn't enough.
At this rate, it would take over a year to clear all the monsters plaguing Mondstadt.
And as long as the ley lines remained unstable, more would continue to spawn.
Their rate of elimination might not even keep up with the rate of new monster appearances.
Aiden and Barbara at Good Hunter
Meanwhile, Aiden and Barbara had arrived at Good Hunter.
Aiden ordered the Braised Meat with Butter Sauce and the famous Sweet and Sour Pork with Carrots.
Especially the Sweet and Sour Porkâit was amazing.
The flavors were rich, the balance of honey and carrots was perfect.
Aiden had to admitâMondstadt's food was surprisingly good.
But as they ate, Barbara's mood grew somber.
"Aiden," she asked hesitantly, "do you think I'm useless?"
He raised an eyebrow. "Where's this coming from?"
"Sister Jean is always so busy," Barbara sighed. "She's constantly out there, protecting Mondstadt. But me? I can't even help her properly."
Aiden set his chopsticks down. "Didn't you just help Diluc earlier?"
"I know I'm a capable healer," Barbara admitted. "I used to believe that as long as I could support Jean and the others, that would be enough."
"After all, healing is what I'm good at. It's my natural talent."
"But⊠I'm not good at fighting."
She looked down, her voice laced with frustration. "Jean is good at both. She doesn't even need me to heal herâshe can handle it herself."
"She just lets me treat the injured because it makes me feel useful."
Aiden's Perspective
Aiden thought back to Jean's abilities.
Her healing power was undeniably strongâprobably one of the best among the Knights of Favonius.
He wasn't going to lie to Barbara about that.
ButâŠ
"There's a saying in Liyue," Aiden said after a pause. "'Knowledge has its own hierarchy, and skills have their own specializations.'"
He reached out, gently patting Barbara's head.
"Maybe Jean thinks you can do it better than she can."
Barbara didn't respond right away.
Instead, she whispered, "But the other Knights of Favonius can fight. I can't. That's the difference."
She let out a deep sigh.
"If only I had the talent for combat⊠then I could fight alongside my sister."
Venti's Former Glory
(You know⊠back in the early days, Venti was incredibly overpowered in the larger world of Teyvat.)
(His ability to control the battlefield was unmatchedâno other character even came close.)
(In the past, Venti was considered a must-have character.)
(But he was so strong that the developers had to nerf him.)
(Otherwise, Venti could just drop one giant storm, and every other character would just stand there and deal damage with zero effort.)
(As time went on, his power faded in comparison to newer characters. But that didn't mean he was weakâfar from it.)
(He was still the God of Wind, after all.)