After shaking off their human pursuers, Golden Bangboo and Platinum Bangboo couldn't help but mock them.
"Humans are so dumb," they snickered. "Not even close to being as clever as us Bangboo!"
But then—
A voice, soft as the wind, drifted in from up ahead on the street.
"Hey there, you two—fancy a drink with me?"
The sudden voice startled them both.
"Mm-hmm mm-hmm! (Golden, look!)"
"Mm-hmm mm-hmm-da! (No good! That sneaky human set up an ambush!)"
"Mm-hmm mm-hmm mm-hmm-da! (Golden, I'm running! Cover me—wait, why are you running first!?)"
Chattering in panic, they shook their tiny bodies and bolted down the street.
Venti watched them curiously.
"Huh? I just offered you a drink. Why run off like that?"
With his harp in one hand and wine bottle in the other, Venti strolled after them.
At the spot where Golden and Platinum Bangboo had fled, he spotted scattered gear coins and Dennies.
Looking further down the road, the trail of dropped coins stretched far ahead—clearly left behind by the fleeing Bangboo.
"Wait up! You dropped your Dennies..."
"Mm-hmm mm-hmm! (Run! That dumb human can't catch us!)"
Hearing his voice behind them, the Bangboo doubled their pace and vanished at the end of the street.
Venti scratched his cheek awkwardly.
"Hey, were they calling me dumb just now...?"
He bent down and picked up a gear coin and a Dennies. They were clearly local currency.
Would be a shame to let them go to waste. Might as well pick them up.
With a light wave of his hand, a breeze swept across the street, lifting all the scattered coins into the air.
Venti extended his hand and caught them with ease.
It was even more than what Lycaon had paid him earlier. If he brought this to the black market, he could probably afford several bottles of fine wine.
Still—
Venti was a law-abiding god.
Since he'd found money on the street, he had to return it to the rightful owners. And as thanks, maybe they'd treat him to a drink.
With that in mind, Venti closed his eyes and listened to the wind.
Soon, he heard the familiar chatter of two Bangboo arguing inside a nearby building.
"Short legs, but fast runners, huh? Wait there, I'm coming," he grinned.
Then, taking a shortcut, Venti headed toward the next street...
...
At that moment, on the adjacent street—
Golden Bangboo and Platinum Bangboo couldn't stay still for long.
They had just found a secluded hiding spot when another argument broke out.
"Mm-hmm mm-hmm! (Platinum is stronger—Golden is weak!)"
"Mm-hmm mm-hmm! (Golden is the strongest Bangboo!)"
"Mm-hmm mm-hmm! (Platinum has more Dennies!)"
"Mm-hmm mm-hmm-da! (When humans shout while chasing us, it's always 'Golden Bangboo!' No one yells for you!)"
"Mm-hmm mm-hmm..."
The two little Bangboo bickered endlessly, even squaring up to see who was the real strongest among them.
But just then—
A curious voice floated into their ears.
"Hey, what are you arguing about? Want me to settle it for you?"
Golden Bangboo blinked.
"Mm-hmm mm-hmm (We're trying to see who's stronger)..."
Platinum Bangboo bonked him on the head.
"Mm-hmm-da! (Idiot! Run!)"
Without another word, Platinum Bangboo leapt off the stairs.
Golden Bangboo quickly followed.
"Mm-hmm mm-hmm! (Wait for me, Platinum!)"
Venti smiled.
"Come on, don't run! You dropped your money!"
He shouted after them, but they didn't stop.
With a sigh, Venti took a swig from his bottle, then jumped after them, scooping up the coins they dropped along the way.
The Bangboo ran fast.
Within minutes, they'd reached another street and ducked into an abandoned café, chatting nervously.
"Mm-hmm mm-hmm! (Those humans are the worst—but no way they caught us this time!)"
"Mm-hmm mm-hmm! (Obviously! Bangboo are way smarter than humans!)"
"Mm-hmm-da? (Wait... what's that smell? It's weird...)"
They cautiously peeked toward the door—but saw nothing and relaxed a little.
Guess the bad guy hadn't followed them.
But the next moment—
A voice behind Golden Bangboo made him jump.
"Hey, were you looking for me?"
Golden Bangboo spun around in shock.
"Mm-hmm!? (How are you here!?)"
Platinum Bangboo didn't waste a second.
"Mm-hmm-da! (Run!)"
As they bolted again, Venti sighed.
"No wonder the others couldn't catch you. You two really don't waste time. But hey, I still haven't returned your money—and you haven't bought me that drink yet."
Well, he had nothing better to do.
Might as well tag along with these two.
Venti chuckled and turned into a breeze, gliding after them.
At the street corner:
"Hey, why're you running?"
Inside the abandoned theater:
"Hey, you dropped more coins!"
On a rooftop:
"Wow, you've got so much money. Are you two Zhongli's piggy banks? By the way, have you seen him? Kinda lazy guy, walks around with birds."
After chasing them through over a dozen places, even the energetic Bangboo were starting to pant and wheeze.
"Mm-hmm mm-hmm! (What do you even want?!)"
"Mm-hmm-da mm-hmm mm-hmm! (Please, stop following us! We'll give you tons of Dennies and gear coins!)"
"Mm-hmm-da! (Let us go! We'll make you rich!)"
"Mm-hmm mm-hmm-da! (You're the weirdest robber we've ever seen!)"
"Mm-hmm-da mm-hmm! (We're strong! If you keep pushing us, we'll fight back!)"
Golden Bangboo and Platinum Bangboo looked at Venti with total exasperation.
They'd run into humans several times in the C75 Hollows, and every time, they got away easily.
But no matter what they did, they couldn't shake this one boy with a wine bottle.
No matter where they fled, Venti always showed up right behind them.
As the two Bangboo continued their endless chatter, Venti suddenly realized—
He could actually understand their strange language.