The moment Venti finished speaking, Nicole slammed the brakes—and the car bumped into a roadside tree.
This wine-toting teen had just said Sam Li had become weak? Was he serious?
Just a few days ago, they had personally witnessed Sam Li's battle with Azhdaha on the outer ring.
Every move summoned a colossal Geo spear dozens of meters long…
One punch was all it took to smash Azhdaha into the ground...
And that's what he called weak?
In all of New Eridu, Nicole had never seen anyone stronger than Sam Li—and she doubted such a person even existed.
Nekomata quickly asked, "Nicole, what happened?"
Nicole coughed, trying to cover up the awkward moment. "Cough, it's nothing—just not used to this road yet…"
Soldier 11 frowned and looked at Venti.
But Venti just smiled calmly, making it impossible to tell whether he was joking or not.
Nicole, Nekomata, and Soldier 11 had no idea.
To them, Sam Li was already incredibly powerful.
But to Barbatos, the Wind God, Sam Li really had grown weaker. Even the Geo energy surrounding him was far less intense than before.
From the perspective of Morax, the God of War, this level of power barely counted as average—nowhere near the scale of the Archon War, and even significantly below what he had a year ago.
The reason was simple.
Sam Li's role-assimilation was only just over 40%—not even halfway there.
As that progress increased, his power would too—until he reached the level Venti remembered from last year, and eventually, the peak of Morax during the Archon War.
Faced with Venti's comment, Sam Li didn't know how to explain and didn't want to. He simply said, "Right now, we're all just ordinary people."
Venti nodded and smiled. "That's true. Once you're retired, you're just another civilian."
Nekomata tilted her head, puzzled.
They couldn't follow the conversation at all. Retired? Ordinary people?
If Sam Li was considered "ordinary," then the rest of Hare's House might as well be nobodies.
And then there was the other thing—
Venti looked younger than Sam Li, like some artsy music-loving teen.
But Nicole and the others could tell—he was anything but ordinary.
Soon, they reached the city.
Nicole spoke seriously. "Sam Li, I'll drop you and Mr. Venti off at Hare's House, then take Nekomata and Soldier 11 to the black market to exchange the gear coins for Dennies..."
Sam Li replied calmly, "Just drop us at Sixth Street."
Nicole nodded. "Got it..."
Soon after, they arrived at Sixth Street.
Once Sam Li, Venti, and Eous got out, Nicole drove off with Nekomata and Soldier 11 toward the black market.
Standing in the center of Sixth Street, Venti curiously watched the surrounding buildings, the people, and the Bangboos scurrying around.
What an interesting world.
Sam Li said casually, "Venti, Eous, there's a coffee shop ahead. Want to grab a drink?"
Belle, controlling Eous, shook her head. "I need to swing by the video store. My brother's got a lot on his plate—I'll go help him first."
Venti blinked. "Huh? She can talk like a human?"
Venti chuckled. "Sorry, didn't mean anything by it. Just curious—she looks like any other Bangboo, but she doesn't do the whole 'mm-hmm' thing…"
To Venti, Bangboos in New Eridu were kind of like Hilichurls from Teyvat.
Except Bangboos served humans...
Whereas Hilichurls were hostile to outsiders.
Once Belle and Eous had left, Sam Li led Venti to the door of Master Tingman's coffee shop.
As soon as they sat down, Master Tingman came out from inside. "Mr. Sam Li, what would you like today?"
Sam Li answered, "Two New Eridu Specials."
Watching Master Tingman head back inside, Venti's eyes lit up in surprise. "Huh? A Ruin Machine? Old man, you've got some nerve—getting a ruin construct to make tea for you."
Sam Li chuckled. "Master Tingman isn't a ruin construct…"
Soon enough, Master Tingman returned with two cups of coffee for them.
Sam Li offered a faint smile. "Try it."
Venti gave it a sniff—it wasn't Liyue tea. "A bittersweet aroma… but with something a little strange in there too…"
He took a sip. "Not bad—but I still prefer Mondstadt's fruit wine."
Then he raised his voice and called into the shop, "Master Tingman, bring me a bottle of your finest wine!"
Master Tingman walked back over. "Apologies, sir, this is a coffee shop. We don't serve alcohol. But if you like, I can grab a bottle from the convenience store nearby."
Venti nodded. "Thank you… Master Tingman!"
Tingman gave a courteous bow. "It's my pleasure to serve."
A few minutes later, he returned with a bottle of strong New Eridu liquor—the same type Venti had tried back in the Hollows.
Venti took a sip and shook his head. "As expected—I still prefer fruit wine."
They sat there at the front of the café for over an hour, chatting about the strange architecture, the café, and Hare's House...
Venti laughed. "That rascal Hu Tao is still looking for you. If she finds out you joined Hare's House, she'll throw a fit."
He'd known that linking the two worlds via the Seven Statues would eventually allow people from Teyvat to cross over.
But he hadn't expected it to happen so soon.
First Azhdaha. Then Venti. Next could be the Raiden Shogun, the Adepti from Liyue, Yakshas, even the Traveler...
If they all came into Zenless Zone Zero, things would get chaotic.
Sam Li had no idea how this would affect both worlds. Would they join forces to face shared crises?
Or would the crises compound—making things worse for everyone?
He could only hope for the former.
Venti gave a sly smile. "Old man, you really are cunning—sneaking off to a place without saying a word. And to think I was always trying to drag you out for drinks..."
He'd only been in this world for half a day.
But Venti could already feel it—the wear on his being was easing.
If he stayed here, he might be free from that erosion altogether… able to enjoy a peaceful, carefree life.