Just as Venti was about to pick out the drink he wanted, Diluc pushed open the tavern door and walked in.
"Put the bottle you took from behind the counter back."
Diluc's cold voice cut through the air. Venti chuckled awkwardly, still holding the unopened, high-end bottle of alcohol covered in a thin layer of frost.
"Don't be so harsh, Master Diluc. I'll pay for it."
"Of course, by performing..."
Venti hid the bottle behind his back, grinning at the visibly annoyed Diluc.
Diluc walked over without hesitation and snatched the bottle from Venti's hands.
Seeing his carefully chosen drink taken away, Venti couldn't help but feel disappointed.
Diluc placed the bottle back into the cabinet, which was cooled by Mist Flowers, and rapped his knuckles on the counter.
"It's not about the money. You don't look old enough to drink. The Knights of Favonius' alcohol regulations and the Mondstadt Alcohol Association clearly state that alcohol cannot be sold to minors."
Venti quickly defended himself, saying he'd drunk here countless times before. Was Diluc just worried he wouldn't pay? He could perform at the tavern twice to cover the cost.
"That's not true! I may look young, but I'm definitely old enough to drink. Besides, I—"
Diluc wasn't interested in wasting time on this topic. He waved his hand, signaling that the conversation was over.
He then turned his attention to the group at the counter.
"Let's not talk about alcohol for now. Speaking of which, you two—"
Diluc paused when he noticed Shao Yun. Originally, there were only two people, but now there were three. Recalling the Knights' description, Shao Yun did fit the bill—he looked even bulkier than Diluc himself.
"Huh? How did it go from two to three people?" Diluc muttered to himself.
He looked at Shao Yun and asked, "Who are you?"
Shao Yun leaned forward, resting his hands on the counter, and calmly met Diluc's gaze.
"If you want to know my name, you should introduce yourself first. That's called manners."
Diluc was taken aback by Shao Yun's response. It wasn't a big deal to introduce himself—he wasn't some high-and-mighty noble.
(TL/N: Wha- isn't the author from chinese? He broke the code 🙈)
"My name is Diluc," he said simply, then gestured for Shao Yun to introduce himself.
Since Diluc was a key figure in the main storyline, there was no need to hide his name.
"My name is Shao Yun. I'm Lumine and Paimon's travel companion."
After introducing himself, Shao Yun held up four fingers, correcting Diluc's earlier statement.
"And to clarify, there are four of us."
Diluc counted again. There were only three people. Was Paimon, who was floating in the air, being counted as a person?
"Four? That little thing flying in the air doesn't count as a full person. At most, she's half."
Paimon, who was very sensitive about her size, stomped her feet in midair and protested, "Paimon is not half a person!"
Shao Yun tapped the counter with his four fingers, his gaze firm as he looked at Diluc.
"There are four of us. Paimon is her own individual. Please respect her. Your tavern doesn't charge by the head, so counting Paimon as one won't cost you anything."
Shao Yun might joke about Paimon being "emergency food" with Lumine, but no one else was allowed to belittle her!
Whether Paimon counted as a person or not didn't matter to Diluc. Since Shao Yun insisted, he decided to humor him.
"Fine, four of you. Now, what exactly happened?"
Diluc already had a rough idea but wanted to confirm his suspicions.
"I can't believe someone would be foolish enough to steal something so worthless."
"If it really was you, I'd actually admire you. Even if you're fools, you're rare fools."
Though his words were harsh, they were true. The thought of being outsmarted by the Fatui made Shao Yun's blood boil. He wanted to storm the Goth Grand Hotel and beat up those Fatui agents. Being robbed was a disgrace!
Shao Yun, seething with anger, decided to shift the blame. Since they didn't have the Skyward Harp, why should they take the fall?
"We don't have the Skyward Harp, and we didn't steal it. We were just taking a stroll outside the Favonius Cathedral when some once-in-a-millennium idiot stole it and framed us."
Shao Yun lied without batting an eye, pinning the blame entirely on the Fatui. Lumine, Paimon, and Venti were stunned.
After a moment, they realized that since they didn't have the harp, they couldn't be accused of stealing it. No evidence, no crime.
Diluc, intrigued by Shao Yun's explanation, raised an eyebrow.
"Oh? There's someone even more foolish than you? Do tell."
Shao Yun described the Cicin Mage—a woman in purple with green hair who could teleport.
After hearing the description, Diluc stroked his chin, quickly picturing the Cicin Mage in his mind.
"I see. It's the Fatui. That makes sense. They truly are once-in-a-millennium fools."
Just as Diluc was about to believe it wasn't Lumine's doing, another question arose. Who had knocked out the Knight?
"Then who knocked out the Knight?"
"Probably the Fatui too," Shao Yun said, shifting all the blame onto the Fatui.
Diluc wasn't entirely convinced. While it was true that the Fatui had plenty of burly members, it still felt off. Why would the Fatui expose themselves like that?
Seeing Diluc's lingering doubt, Venti stepped forward and confidently introduced Lumine.
"Really, it wasn't us. Look at this lovely lady—she's the Traveler who just joined the Knights of Favonius, a rising star, the Honorary Knight, Lumine! She's the one who resolved Mondstadt's storm. Why would she steal a harp?"
By shifting the focus to Lumine, Venti successfully steered the conversation away from the theft. Diluc, who didn't care much about the Skyward Harp, was more interested in Lumine, the new star of the Knights.
"Oh? So you're the new star of the Knights I've been hearing about."
Lumine, now the center of attention, puffed out her chest proudly.
Shao Yun didn't hold back his praise either.
"Of course! If anyone can save Mondstadt, it's Lumine. Just look at her beauty, her pristine dress, her sharp demeanor—she's the chosen one!"
Diluc pondered for a moment, carefully studying Lumine. She did exude an extraordinary aura, and the tales of the blonde Traveler saving Mondstadt had spread far and wide.
"Thank you for helping Mondstadt... but someone as remarkable as you joining the Knights is a waste of talent..."
His words dripped with disdain for the Knights. Paimon, ever curious, asked, "Master Diluc, you don't seem to like the Knights very much."
Diluc's criticism of the Knights poured out like a flood. He could rant about them from dawn till dusk.
"The current Knights of Favonius are indecisive and inefficient in handling the Stormterror crisis. They lack the backbone to stand up to the Fatui's aggressive tactics. How could I possibly like them?"
Despite his harsh words, there was a sense of frustration rather than hatred. He wanted the Knights to be better.
"I have my own expectations for Mondstadt... I've chosen a different path to protect this city."
After venting about the Knights, Diluc got serious. His determination was palpable as he stared at the group.
"Enough of that. Let's get back to the point. Don't think I'm easily fooled. Tell me, why did you steal the Skyward Harp?"
Clearly, Venti and Shao Yun's excuses hadn't convinced him. Diluc didn't care about the harp being stolen, but he needed to know their motives. To protect Mondstadt, he had to understand the full story.
Seeing that they hadn't fooled him, Venti decided to come clean. He recounted the ancient tale of Barbatos and Dvalin.
---
After hearing Venti's story, Diluc fell into deep thought. He hadn't realized the Skyward Harp was so significant.
"So, Master Diluc, what do you think?"
Venti had shared the most important secret. Now, it was up to Diluc to decide whether to get involved.
Diluc didn't hesitate. The Stormterror issue needed to be resolved, and he was ready to join.
"Give me some time. I need to gather some people."
"Let's meet here tomorrow after the tavern closes."
---
After a while, the Knights of Favonius had searched the entire city but found no trace of the Skyward Harp. The house-to-house searches had already caused enough trouble for the citizens.
Reluctantly, they strengthened the security at the city's entrances to prevent the harp from being smuggled out.
Once the city-wide lockdown was lifted, it was time for the next step.
Venti stayed at the tavern, as going outside would draw the Knights' attention.
Lumine, Paimon, and Shao Yun were free to move around and would return the next day.
Shao Yun could move freely because, with his mask and hat, the Knights couldn't recognize him.
With the important task completed, it was time for Shao Yun to do some shopping.
"By the way, are you still open?" Shao Yun waved his hand, catching Diluc's attention.
"We're not closed yet. What do you need?" Despite their rocky first meeting, Diluc wasn't about to turn down a paying customer. He was a businessman, after all.
Shao Yun looked at the tavern's menu and pointed to the non-alcoholic drinks. "Four iced Wolfhook Juices, to go."
Then he pointed to the bottle Diluc had put back earlier.
"And that bottle Venti was holding earlier. Just give it to me directly."
Diluc skillfully packed the four iced Wolfhook Juices and retrieved the frost-covered bottle of high-end alcohol, handing them to Shao Yun.
"Here you go. That'll be 106,000 Mora."
Paimon's eyes nearly popped out of her head. Four iced Wolfhook Juices cost only 6,000 Mora, but that strange bottle of alcohol cost 100,000!
"Wow! That's so expensive! Shao Yun, are you sure—"
"Here's the Mora," Shao Yun said, pulling out a bag of Mora and handing it to Diluc.
Diluc accepted the payment without expression, jotting down the transaction in his ledger. Shao Yun's purchase had significantly boosted the tavern's sales for the day.
"Thank you for your patronage."
With the frost-covered bottle in hand, Shao Yun turned to Venti.
Venti immediately wiped his mouth. Clearly, he'd been drooling at the sight of the alcohol.
"What is it, Shao Yun?"
"Here, it's for you," Shao Yun said, handing the bottle to Venti.
A 100,000 Mora bottle of alcohol, given away without a second thought.
Venti stared at the bottle in shock, unsure of what to say.
"For me?"
Shao Yun nodded. Once he got the confirmation, Venti clutched the bottle and bolted upstairs, afraid Shao Yun might change his mind.
From the second-floor railing, Venti called down, "Thank you so much, Shao Yun! I'll savor every drop!"
He pulled out the cork, and the intoxicating aroma of the alcohol filled the air. Venti's eyes sparkled as he began to savor the exquisite drink.
Diluc, unsure whether Shao Yun was being generous or just showing off, asked out of curiosity, "A 100,000 Mora bottle of alcohol, just given to that drunk bard. Don't you think—"
Shao Yun shrugged. It was just pocket change to him. He picked up the four packed iced Hook Hook juices and said casually, "I bought it, so it's mine to give."
"See you tomorrow night."