Inside Mondstadt's Cathedral, the daily choir practice had just ended.
At the cathedral entrance, a crowd had gathered, making it nearly impossible to move.
"Barbara, charge ahead!"
Many of Barbara's fans were blocking the entrance, just wanting to see her for a moment.
The nun leading the group was Jilliana. With her strong build and commanding presence, she pushed through the crowd, creating a path for Barbara and the other nuns to leave.
The moment Barbara stepped out of the cathedral, she started sprinting.
The fans tried to follow, but Jilliana blocked their way. "Barbara has some personal matters to attend to. Please give her some space," she said.
The fans hesitated, exchanging glances with each other.
But then, someone in the crowd ignored Jilliana and ran after Barbara. That moment was like a domino effect—the rest of the fans followed suit.
Jilliana sighed deeply. "Miss Barbara, this is as much as I can help you."
Thank you for not exposing me in front of Sister Victoria, she thought to herself.
Barbara was chased by her fans all the way from Mondstadt Cathedral to the plaza near the Good Hunter restaurant, where she bumped into Amber, who was just stepping out of her house.
"Amber, you're just in time! Help me stop them!"
Amber pointed to two wine barrels in a nearby alleyway. "Hide there."
"Thanks so much," Barbara said, swiftly slipping into the alley and ducking behind the barrels.
Amber stood at the entrance to the alley, hands on her hips, and yelled towards the direction of the Good Hunter, "Barbara went that way! Charge!"
"As expected from our best outrider!"
The crowd cheered and surged toward the restaurant.
Barbara breathed a sigh of relief as she watched the crowd scatter. She dusted off her white dress and stepped out from her hiding spot. "Thanks, Amber. You saved me."
Amber pretended to be annoyed, "I was on my way to eat, but now it's too crowded there. I can't even get through."
Barbara paused for a moment, then said, "If that's the case, come to my place. I'll make you some steamed black bass and mint salad."
"Well, if you insist, I won't say no."
Barbara led Amber back to her villa. When she opened the door, they were both stunned—the curtains had fallen to the floor, the carpet had holes in it, and the table and chair legs were either missing or chewed down to stubs.
The staircase, walls, and fireplace were covered in dents and scratches.
There was even a hole in the wall connecting the kitchen, about the size of a head.
Barbara's eyes widened. "Did gremlins invade?"
Amber, drawing on her years of scouting experience, noticed that the expensive paintings hanging on the walls were untouched. She made a quick judgment, "Doesn't look like it was a thief."
Barbara clutched her head. "What do I do? Dad's going to kill me when he gets back and sees the villa like this."
"Chomp, chomp..."
Just as Amber was about to console Barbara, they heard a munching noise coming from under the couch.
They both tiptoed over, exchanged a glance, and each grabbed a corner of the couch, lifting it together.
"Heave-ho!"
Yukiira was sitting on the floor, clutching a chunk of the ground, munching away. Seeing Barbara, it looked up happily, eyes squinting with joy, yet it kept munching on the dirt.
Amber chuckled, "Looks like we found the culprit."
Barbara made a strangled noise, grinding her teeth in frustration, about to lose it.
Amber wrapped her arms around Barbara's waist. "It's just a baby, calm down, Barbara. You're an idol—you can't just get angry."
Barbara struggled for a bit but ultimately sighed away her anger. "Why did I bring this little troublemaker home? This is so frustrating."
"Yogi!"
Yukiira got up on its short legs, holding its clump of dirt, and walked up to Barbara, smiling innocently as if offering her the dirt.
Amber gave an awkward smile. "See? Your Yukiira really likes you. It even wants to share its favorite snack with you."
Barbara facepalmed and slumped onto the disfigured couch, looking defeated. "Is it too late to return it?"
Amber patted Yukiira's rocky head, and it seemed to enjoy the attention. "A strong little critter like this, and you're thinking of returning it?"
Barbara didn't know what to say. This little creature wasn't just a money drain—it was also a dirt-eating machine. If it stayed any longer, it might demolish the entire house, making her end up homeless.
Oh no... the cold wind, dark alleys, clothes in tatters, no food to eat... begging on the streets—"Please, spare some change for a bowl of soup, with chicken from free-range hens and shark fin..."
This is too tragic...
Amber sighed. Jean loves her romance novels and gets sentimental, and Barbara's wild imagination runs out of control. Truly like sisters.
"Alright, Barbara, make us some food. I'm starving and still have patrol duty later," Amber quickly interrupted her train of thought.
"Yogi!"
Yukiira walked up to Barbara, eyes squinting, pointing at its mouth—the baby seemed hungry too.
Barbara patted her cheeks, snapped herself out of it, clenched her fist, and shouted her catchphrase, "Barbara, charge ahead!"
A smile spread across her face, as if the storm had passed, and she let go of all her worries.
An hour later, Barbara brought out a big pot of steamed black bass and a plate of mint salad—both spicy dishes.
The mint salad had Jueyun chilies mixed in.
Barbara put the dishes on the floor with a mat underneath and said apologetically, "The table's gone, so we'll have to eat on the floor."
Amber didn't mind at all. "What's the big deal? Not everyone gets to eat food cooked by Barbara herself."
Barbara poured Yukiira's lunch portion of high-level energy cubes into a dish while she and Amber sat on the floor.
"By the way, did you feed your Ponyta?" Barbara asked.
"Yeah, I'll give it some grass later and a high-level energy cube to go with it," Amber said, smiling.
"Wait, didn't you say you were trying to save those beginner energy cubes before?"
"Hehe, I won a temporary battle event organized by the shopkeeper, and he gave me ten boxes. I won't have to worry about energy cubes for a while."
"That's so like you," Barbara said, impressed. "Tell me about the battle."
"Ah... it's a long story..." Amber began, recounting the whole event in detail.
Barbara laughed so hard she nearly fell over, completely relaxed in Amber's presence without a hint of her usual idol image.
Yukiira finished its energy cubes and walked over, pointing at its mouth. "Yogi!"
Barbara frowned slightly. "You still want more?"
Amber took a piece of spicy fish and brought it to Yukiira's mouth. It gulped it down in one go, looking very satisfied as it patted its small belly.
Barbara looked surprised. "It likes my cooking?"
Amber tapped her head. "I remember the shopkeeper saying that Yukiira has a brave personality and likes spicy food."
"Really?" Barbara seemed a bit pleased after hearing that.