The conflict was over!
Mondstadt celebrated the news announced by the knights. The heretic witch was ousted by their fellow harbingers and subsequently executed for her sacrilege. There were some other details too; the knights didn't share everything, but the people didn't care. While there were some amongst the newer generation that sought out glory through conflict, those were the young and foolish. Most were distinctly aware of just how foolish a direct engagement would be with Snezhnaya.
Not only that, but the Fatui diplomats that defiled the streets with their pompous, thug-like demeanor were gone! Their standing presence within the city was gone! Many had seen the bullying. Some even heard the screaming sounds of abducted children. Those blasted bullies were a plague on their fair city, and now they were gone!!
Peace was restored! Praise Barbatos!
Well-aged kegs of pristine spirits were busted out throughout the city. Soldiers drank with merchants. Adventurers feasted with chefs. Even Sucrose, the chief alchemist's apprentice, came out to celebrate. The night was awash with merriment and cheer, and all enjoyed the moment.
Diluc stood at the bar mixing drinks for the patrons of the overly stuffed angels share. He wasn't too overworked though. Despite the excessive drinking, most were satisfied with the self-service kegs he'd stationed around the building. Mondstadters were honest enough, taking care to leave the proper coin by the kegs. It was discounted, of course… not that he would pursue anyone that didn't pay. Not tonight, anyways.
For even his overly serious self understood the importance of this victory. These people were willing to fight for their god. It was a losing battle. They couldn't win; everyone knew that in their hearts. But the fight was over. Their quick action had turned a dire bloodbath waiting to happen into the best-case scenario. For this, he happily indulged his patrons with his best drinks.
That said, it wasn't all service. Running the bar came with a distinguished perk. He got to be a part of the celebration with their newest heroes: the mythical bard and the two outlanders, all of which he is pleased to call his friends.
"So, tone deaf bard, what's next for you? You gonna go back to sleep?" Diluc's ears perked up at Paimon's question. He too was interested. After all, there weren't any tales of Barbatos following Venessa's victory over the Lawrence clan's nonsense.
"Not right away no. I think I'll spend a bit more time seeing how our fair city's grown. Maybe even visit some old friends."
"You mean the other archons?" Illya asked. Her face had a faint blush from sipping of the only mug she's had all night. A bit of lightweight that one.
"Hehe… no." Venti awkwardly replied, trading his ninth mug in for his tenth. "Those are mine fields I'd rather avoid. Not touching those with a ten-foot pole."
"Why's that? Surely you seven talk, right? I mean, it's gotta be lonely to be a god all by yourself." Paimon flippantly asked before finishing another mug.
Seriously, where did she put it all?
"You know, hehe~" Venti giggled in reminiscence. "We used to get together sometimes. The old block head Morax, the lovely ba'al, and even… her…" he shook his head. "But that's not happening anymore. Those times came and went."
"Do they have a grudge against you or something?" Paimon pressed.
"He's clearly just afraid they'd make him pay his tab." The traveler jested.
"Oh, that makes sense." Paimon nodded, agreeing immediately.
"Hey! That's not true!" Venti drunkenly rebutted.
"I find that hard to believe…" Illya muttered, looking mildly distressed at the growing pile of mugs.
"Hehe… these are the fruits of Mondstadt's prosperity. The new flavors, the weaving of new ballads to sing, the new faces to hear them… and the merriment…"
The group watched with fascination as Venti went down memory lane. Diluc, for the first time, felt he understood the bard. A god bound by duty, walking a lonely path amongst his ignorant people. He protects them when they're needed without any expectation of reward beyond a good drink.
'I wonder how it must feel… to raise a hero into a legend, sleep… and wake up to see a whole new cast. If he repeats this process, each iteration would be a clean slate with only the poems you sing as a record of your friends' valor. After all, only Barbatos was there to witness the most glorious parts of our history.'
Diluc pondered these things and more as he watched their banter.
At the side of his eyes, he occasionally kept an eye on their abyssal friend. 'She's gotten better at controlling herself. I almost can't even tell her nature anymore. It's' The Knave's chilling figure came to mind. 'Yes… it was after seeing her that Illya changed. Did she learn something by watching that woman? The whirlpool's much smaller now, almost non-existent. If I didn't know what to look for, I may've even mistaken her for someone without a vision.'
He was happy though. Despite the questionable nature of her aura, she'd quickly proven her trustworthiness over the last few days. Keeping an eye on her, he hadn't gotten to do the same with their golden-haired traveler, but according to Kaeya, he too had been exceptionally helpful. Are all outlanders this helpful, or is it just Mondstadt's excessively good fortune?
Elsewhere
Jean sat behind her desk filling out a slew of paperwork and stacking them in neat piles for the various companies to handle. Her nose was to the paper as she furiously worked through document by document. Normally, she'd have Noelle, the 'maid knight' working the forms, but she'd been strictly ordered to go celebrate. So… most of this was on backlog.
Lisa barged into the office with Amber in tow. "Come on, Jean. Work can wait another day. Tonight's a night of celebration!"
Jean didn't look up, "I know… Just a few more to go."
"No way! You said that an hour ago!" Amber passionately denied, her eyes perfectly reflecting her fiery element.
"…" Jean kept working, not responding to either.
"What are you even working on anyways?" Amber asked, hands on her hips.
"I'm getting ready to receive our prize from the Fatui. We need to be ready to act quickly before it can become stale."
"Relax…" Lisa soothingly said, putting a hand on the busy Jean's shoulder. "Those nobles are slow workers. Unless someone tips them off, the likelihood of them doing anything in a day just isn't high."
"Yeah, if something like that was happening, we'd know about." Amber exuberantly added.
Jean's pen paused as she considered their words. Among the many benefits they received, the one Jean was currently concerned about was the Fatui's intelligence on the Lawrence Clan and affiliated nobles. They were the aristocracy who ran Mondstadt before Lord Barbatos and Vanessa - the first Dandelion Knight – seized their properties. There were whispers of plots in motion that she needed answers on.
Thankfully, Lisa was right; they're slow to move and relied on others to really get anywhere. In the recent past, they'd relied on some standing archaic laws to allow Il Dotore to enter the city and 'recruit' children. Between the Fatui's playing the political game on one side and receiving direct support from the Lawrence clan's side, they were like fish in water in their free city.
Jean had to admit though, it was unlikely those old farts could get anywhere without the Fatui's involvement and right now… those fools weren't poking the bear.
She sighed, finally allowing herself to set down the pen. "I guess you're right. Maybe I was overthinking it."
"Well~ I wouldn't say that. Your worries are justified, but so is the need to celebrate small wins. If you miss the moment, you'll fail at the last minute, too exhausted to make the finish line."
A gentle smile bloomed on Jean's tired visage. "And to think… Grandmaster Varka made this look so easy…"
"I don't know, Jean… from our perspective, so do you." Amber cheekily replied.
The three broke out into a fit of giggles, all enjoying the irony of it all.
"Ok, now that we've gotten that settle, come…hmm… on!" Lisa said, reaching behind the desk and – with a burst of vision-enhanced strength – "yanked the acting grandmaster from behind her desk and into Amber's waiting arms.
"Eep!" Jean exclaimed in surprise.
Before she could regain her bearings though, Amber had already taken off with Lisa lagging lazily behind.
---
At the city gates, a young woman stood amazed at the sight which contrasted very strongly with her expectations. A city that should've been submerged in anxiety and fear celebrated with exuberant applause. The merriment was infectious as veritable pools caked the streets with tears and booze, tears of joy by her estimation.
She'd been here to get a better grasp of her country's place in all this. They were neighbors, after all. It was her responsibility to see for herself the state of what could possibly be the first war between two of the seven nations. They'd been at peace for all of their history with conflicts largely being the affairs of a single nation.
And yet… what was this?
A gust of wind pushed at her back, shoving her forward into the city.
Relief washed over her as the tension she'd been carrying fell away. A happy premonition bloomed in her mind as the litany of contingency plans she'd been formulating began to fall away. She turned to regard the statue of Barbatos just outside the city walls with an understanding look.
She may not be the biggest follower of the divine, but she wasn't dull; a free spirit like Barbatos wouldn't provoke such a devastating war. The Raiden Shogun, absolutely. Barbatos though, the god who'd given Mondstadt what she emphatically wished her archon would give Liyue – human governance – well, she just couldn't see such an archon allowing an attempt on his life, something she doubted put him in any true danger, to let that ruin this free city.
Deciding to take a closer look, she slicked her bangs and twin tails back into place and started into the city.