"About two thousand six hundred years ago, the mortal realm was not yet divided among the Seven Archons."
"Back then, 'Old Mondstadt' was encircled by hurricanes blown by a tyrant, making it impossible for even birds to pass..."
Venti gazed into the distant sky, his eyes gradually becoming distant.
"Was it the 'God of Storms'?"
Feng Yi asked, sitting beside Venti and following suit.
"Indeed, it was that tyrannical storm god who once ruled the Sky Dove Tower, the 'God of Storms'—Decarabian. And back then, I was merely a wisp of the Thousand Winds, without divinity or human form, just a subtle elemental spirit in the wind, a 'wind that could bring a small turning point and hope'..."
Feng Yi listened silently. However, based on some clues he had gathered from his past life, he felt that the 'God of Storms'—Decarabian—might not have been a cruel, bad god.
After all, during the era of the Archon War, elements were chaotic and turbulent, leading to extremely harsh weather conditions.
It was difficult for the ancient Mondstadters to survive in the harsh environment of the biting cold winds.
At this time, Decarabian took action to demarcate a region, using a wall of wind to isolate the harsh outer winds and create a relatively stable living environment for the ancient Mondstadters within.
In the beginning, the Mondstadters were grateful for the 'God of Storms'' actions, multiplying and prospering in this place, and worshipping this god.
Decades passed, and after several generations, most of the newly born Mondstadters had forgotten the harsh environment outside the wind wall. Having had enough to eat and drink, they began to pursue expansion, believing that this wind wall was hindering them.
They tried every means to send some people outside the wind wall, exploring the unknown environment while seeking power to overthrow Decarabian's 'tyranny.'
These people encountered Venti in his Thousand Winds form, and Venti helped them resist the cold winds.
The rest of the story is that Venti helped these people defeat Decarabian, becoming the new Anemo Archon protecting Mondstadt.
It was not easy for a weak Thousand Winds spirit, even with the help of the God of Time—Istaroth—to defeat a powerful, veteran god.
Given Decarabian's strength, even if defeated by Venti, the fluctuations from his death would have been enough to destroy the entire city.
After all, Zhongli had once said that even the energy released by the death of the weakest god was unbearable for mortals; the God of Salt—Havria—was proof of this.
The energy fluctuations caused by Havria's death turned everyone who did not escape into salt stone statues.
Decarabian, as one of the candidates capable of contending for a position among the Seven Archons, was much stronger than Havria. The energy fluctuations from his death would naturally have been greater than Havria's.
However, Mondstadt's history did not record any explosions, radiation, or residual resentment from his death.
Perhaps Decarabian did not wish to harm the humans who had once worshipped him when he was dying.
He might have been a rather reclusive god, rarely interacting with humans, leading him to not understand what humans truly desired. He always believed that protecting the Mondstadters from the cold winds was the way to love his people.
But humans, as emotional beings, pursued ideals beyond mere survival. Desires are difficult to control.
Of course, these were just Feng Yi's speculations. Without personally experiencing that event, he did not know the truth of what had happened.
Feng Yi shook his head, his thoughts returning, and he stopped thinking about it, continuing to listen to Venti recount the stories of that time.
"Feng Yi, do you know? My current form is also borrowed from a 'friend,' just like that fake Stanley."
"The story I'm about to tell begins in 'Old Mondstadt.' In that kingdom ruled by a tyrant, I met a boy. The boy knew how to play the lyre and sought his own verses, but he was born within the wind wall and had never seen the blue sky."
"The boy said, 'I want to see the birds soaring,' his eyes were stubborn, and there was light in them, but his voice was drowned out by the howling winds, for the tornadoes only collected hymns and left no other sounds."
"The true sky, the poetry and songs outside the cage... are they not desires worth fighting for?"
"So, the boy invited me: 'Come with me—crush the tyrant, tear down the wind wall!'"
"The boy raised the banner of rebellion, and I too joined the war in pursuit of 'freedom.' Those who broke through the cage were victorious, causing the divine throne to crumble, the Thousand Winds to rage, and the nations to tremble."
"In the smoke of battle, we witnessed the demise of the tyrant. In the ashes, we witnessed the collapse of the tower."
"Thus, the genesis of 'New Mondstadt'—"
"Since then, no one has ever ascended the throne."
Venti, as if reliving the time he fought the God of Storms, spoke with increasing urgency.
That battle, no matter how brilliant the words, could not fully describe it.
Although they ultimately won the war, that boy never had the chance to personally witness the sky of New Mondstadt.
Fine wine, gentle breeze... at such moments, Venti could not help but think of that boy who made a promise with him, and recall the song he heard from the boy...
"Feng Yi, would you like to hear the boy's song of freedom?"
"Yes, I will listen carefully."
Venti smiled slightly, took out the lyre he carried, and as the gentle breeze caressed his face, his fingers lightly brushed across the strings...
Tinkle~
"Fly, fly away."
"Like birds, see the world for me, fly to the highest heavens for me..."
Venti spoke as if conveying the boy's dying wish, helping him see the azure sky of New Mondstadt.
Finally, his voice abruptly stopped, and he simply stared blankly into the distance.
Feng Yi accompanied him for a while, then patted Venti's shoulder and rose to leave.
His back, concealed by a green cloak, was unusually silent.
The light breeze, occasionally, could become heavy... though only for a brief moment, imperceptible to mortals.
Feng Yi turned and left, leaving Venti in quiet solitude.
Yes, the wind sometimes needed to be still.
Feng Yi left Mondstadt Square and headed towards Lisa's residence.
Lisa had said that she had some profound biological knowledge to discuss in depth with Feng Yi that evening and asked him to wait for her at her place.
Feng Yi knew that tonight would inevitably be another sleepless night.
He calculated the time; the Rite of Descension in Liyue was less than a month away, and he would definitely go a few days early to join the fun.
After all, how could he miss the event of beating Osial to a pulp?
Before that, he had to spend quality time with the beauties of Mondstadt, lest he neglect one for the other.