Just as Venti was about to settle on a drink, Diluc pushed open the tavern door and walked in.
"Put down that bottle you grabbed from behind the cabinet."
Diluc's cold voice rang out. Venti smiled awkwardly, still holding the unopened premium liquor covered in a light frost.
"Don't be so heartless, Master Diluc. I will pay for it."
"Of course, through a performance…"
Venti tried to hide the bottle behind his back, grinning playfully at Diluc's brooding face.
Without hesitation, Diluc walked over and snatched the bottle from Venti's hands.
Watching the carefully chosen drink get taken away, Venti looked visibly disappointed.
Diluc returned the bottle to the frost-insulated cabinet containing Mist Flowers and tapped the counter firmly.
"It's not about the money. You don't even look old enough to drink. According to the Knights' alcohol control regulations and the Mondstadt Wine Association, alcohol must not be sold to minors."
Venti rushed to defend himself, insisting he'd drunk at this tavern countless times. Was Diluc worried he wouldn't pay? Two performances should more than cover it!
"That's not true! I only look young. I've been drinking for centuries. Besides, I—"
Diluc had no interest in dragging the conversation on. With a wave of his hand, he cut Venti off, indicating he didn't want to discuss it further.
He quickly shifted gears, looking over those gathered at the counter.
"Let's leave the alcohol debate aside for now. More importantly, you two—"
Then Diluc noticed the unexpected presence of Shao Yun and froze. When did two become three?
Recalling what the knights had said earlier, Shao Yun fit the description—he did look slightly more muscular than Diluc himself. Diluc muttered to himself:
"Huh? Where'd the extra one come from? Now there's three?"
He turned to Shao Yun, asking directly.
"Who are you?"
Shao Yun leaned forward, placing both hands on the bar and meeting Diluc's gaze calmly.
"You want to know my name? You should introduce yourself first. That's called manners."
Diluc hadn't expected that response. What was the big deal about introducing himself? It wasn't like he was some aristocrat full of airs.
"I'm Diluc," he said simply, then gestured for Shao Yun to do the same.
As a central figure in Mondstadt's affairs, there was no reason for Diluc to hide his name.
"I'm Shao Yun. Traveling companion of Lumine and Paimon."
After his introduction, Shao Yun held up four fingers and corrected Diluc's earlier statement.
"And for the record, we're four people."
Diluc counted again—still just three. Was he supposed to count the floating Paimon too?
"Four? That little floating thing? That barely counts as half a person."
Paimon, most sensitive about her size, stomped in the air furiously. "Paimon's not half a person! What kind of calculation is that?!"
Shao Yun tapped the counter lightly with his four fingers and looked at Diluc with an unyielding expression.
"We are four. Paimon is an individual. Please respect her. Your tavern doesn't charge by headcount—counting her won't cost you anything."
Family sticks together. Even if they jokingly call Paimon "emergency food," that's between him and Lumine. Outsiders had no right to belittle her.
Whether Paimon counted or not meant nothing to Diluc—but since Shao Yun insisted, he relented.
"Fine. Four of you, then. Now tell me what happened."
Diluc had mostly figured things out and just wanted to confirm his suspicions.
"Never thought anyone would be stupid enough to steal something so worthless."
"If it really was you, I might even admire you. Even if you're fools, you're once-in-a-millennium fools."
Crude as it sounded, it wasn't wrong. Just thinking about it reignited his fury. He longed to storm into the Goth Grand Hotel and beat the Fatui senseless for the disgrace they'd caused.
Shao Yun was furious too. Why should he take the fall for something that never even reached his hands?
"The Holy Lyre der Himmel isn't in our possession, and we didn't steal it. We were just out for a stroll by the cathedral when some once-in-a-millennium fool snatched it and pinned the blame on us."
Shao Yun spoke without the slightest hesitation, pinning the entire crime on the Fatui. Lumine, Paimon, and Venti all blinked in surprise.
But thinking it over—they didn't have the lyre. No stolen item, no proof of theft. By law, they weren't guilty.
Diluc's curiosity was piqued by the explanation.
"Oh? So, someone even dumber than you exists? Let's hear it."
They described the Electro Cicin Mage to him—wearing purple, green hair, and capable of teleportation.
Diluc rubbed his chin thoughtfully. The image of a Fatui Electro Mage quickly came to mind.
"I see… The Fatui. That explains everything. They really are unmatched idiots."
Just as Diluc started to believe it wasn't Lumine's group, another question crept in—who had knocked out the knight?
"Then who attacked the knight?"
"Probably the Fatui too," Shao Yun replied bluntly, offloading all responsibility without a hint of guilt.
Diluc hesitated. It was plausible. The Fatui did have agents more physically imposing than himself. But it still didn't add up. Why would the Fatui expose themselves?
Sensing Diluc's lingering doubt, Venti stepped up beside Lumine and confidently offered her introduction.
"It really wasn't us. Look at this lovely young lady—she's a newly appointed Knight of Favonius, a rising star, the Honorary Knight Lumine. She's the one who resolved the Stormterror crisis in Mondstadt! Why would she ever steal a lyre?"
By shifting the topic to Lumine, Venti expertly diverted attention from the theft. It worked—Diluc didn't care about the lyre, but a new Honorary Knight certainly piqued his interest.
"Oh? So, this is the famous rising star of the Knights?"
With the spotlight on her, Lumine put her hands on her hips and struck a proud pose.
Shao Yun joined in with unreserved praise.
"Of course. If anyone could save Mondstadt, it's her. Look at that beautiful face, that pure white dress, that poised demeanor—she is the chosen one!"
Diluc studied her carefully. She did have an extraordinary aura, and the tale of the foreign blond traveler saving Mondstadt was already the talk of the town.
"Thank you for helping Mondstadt... But someone as accomplished as you joining the Knights feels like a waste of talent."
His words were laced with disdain for the Knights. Paimon, curious, asked, "Master Diluc, do you not like the Knights?"
That opened the floodgates. Diluc vented freely, clearly eager to criticize the Knights from dawn till dusk.
"Today's Knights are timid and inefficient in handling threats like Stormterror. And when faced with the Fatui's aggression, they show no backbone. How could I possibly admire them?"
Despite the harsh tone, there was an underlying frustration—a disappointment that the Knights weren't living up to his expectations.
"I have my own hopes for Mondstadt... I chose a different path to protect this city."
He clearly separated his disdain for the Knights from his love for Mondstadt.
Now serious, Diluc's aura changed—he radiated a steely resolve as he stared at them.
"Enough talk. Don't think you can fool me. Tell me—why did you steal the Holy Lyre der Himmel?"
Obviously, Venti and Shao Yun's earlier words hadn't fully convinced him. Diluc didn't care about the lyre being stolen—but he did care about their motives. To protect Mondstadt, he had to understand everything.
Seeing no way to dodge the issue, and recognizing that Diluc intended to get involved, Venti began retelling the ancient ballad—the story of Barbatos and Dvalin.
…
After hearing the tale, Diluc fell silent, surprised to learn the lyre's true importance.
"So, what do you think, Master Diluc?"
Venti had just shared their most guarded secret. Now he asked: would Diluc get involved?
Diluc said nothing more. The Stormterror problem did need solving. He agreed without hesitation.
"Give me some time. I need to gather a few people."
"Tomorrow, after the tavern closes."
Meanwhile, the Knights had scoured every corner of Mondstadt and found no trace of the Holy Lyre der Himmel. House-to-house searches were disturbing residents, so they switched tactics—tightening security at the city gates to prevent the lyre from leaving the city.
Once the lockdown lifted, the next phase of the plan could begin.
Venti remained at the tavern—going out would just draw knightly attention.
Lumine, Paimon, and Shao Yun were free to move around. They just had to return by tomorrow.
Shao Yun, wearing a face scarf and hat, remained unrecognized. That's why he could move freely.
With the main mission wrapped up, it was time for Shao Yun's errands.
"Oh right, still open for business?" Shao Yun waved to get Diluc's attention.
"Still open. What do you want?" Though their first meeting had been rough, Diluc saw no reason to turn down paying customers. Business was business.
Shao Yun glanced at the menu and pointed to the non-alcoholic section.
"Four iced Valberry juices, to go."
Then he gestured to the bottle Venti had tried to take earlier.
"And that bottle Venti was holding. I'll take it."
Diluc expertly packed four portions of iced Valberry juice, retrieved the frost-covered premium bottle, and handed them over.
"That'll be 106,000 Mora."
Paimon's eyes widened. Four juices were only 6,000—but one strange bottle of wine cost 100,000?
"Whoa! That's so expensive! Shao Yun, are you sure—"
"Here. The Mora." Shao Yun casually pulled out a pouch and paid with the equivalent of two dollars for 100,000 Mora.
Diluc, expressionless, took the payment and casually jotted down the sale. That one order gave today's tavern sales a huge boost.
"Thanks for your business."
Holding the still-chilled bottle, Shao Yun turned toward Venti.
Venti immediately wiped the corner of his mouth—he'd clearly been drooling over it.
"What's up, Shao Yun?"
"Here. It's yours." He shoved the expensive bottle into Venti's arms.
No fuss, no preamble. A 100,000 Mora bottle—gifted just like that.
Venti stared at it in shock, then looked at Shao Yun, stunned.
"For me?"
Shao Yun nodded. With the answer confirmed, Venti hugged the bottle and bolted upstairs, terrified Shao Yun might change his mind.
From the second floor, he leaned over the railing and shouted down in thanks.
"Ahhh, thanks so much, Shao Yun! I'll savor every drop!"
With that, he popped the cork. A rich, intoxicating aroma instantly wafted up to his nose.
His eyes sparkled with delight as he began tasting the precious brew.
Watching from below, Diluc asked with a trace of curiosity, "A 100,000 Mora bottle, and you just gave it to that drunken bard? Don't you think—"
Shao Yun didn't care. To him, it was pocket change. He picked up the four boxed Valberry juices and replied nonchalantly:
"My drink. My rules."
"See you tomorrow night."