Returning to Angel's Share, Charles had already cleaned up the spilled wine and bloodstains from the bar. However, the dent in the counter would require a replacement.
"Ah, you're back."
Shao Yun didn't say anything, just nodded and sat back down in his seat.
"Here, your Dandelion Wine."
Charles thoughtfully poured Shao Yun another glass. He had long been fed up with the Fatui's behavior, so seeing someone teach them a lesson was a good thing.
Shao Yun looked at the newly poured wine and then at the damaged bar. He handed Charles the Mora he had taken from the Fatui agent.
"This round's on me. No charge."
Shao Yun tilted his head, locking eyes with Charles, urging him to take it.
"Take it. It's not my money. I took it from that half-dead Fatui guy."
Charles stared at Shao Yun in shock, his eyes widening in disbelief. Had he just heard something unbelievable? Money taken from a Fatui agent?
"Huh?" His gaze fixed on the pile of Mora, which amounted to at least 10,000.
"Use it to repair the bar. He started the trouble, so it's only fair to use his money to fix it."
With that, Shao Yun pushed the bag of Mora closer to Charles.
"Oh, that makes sense." Charles accepted the bag and noted the transaction in his ledger.
This time, Shao Yun didn't savor the Dandelion Wine. He downed it in one go.
Charles watched in astonishment as Shao Yun chugged the entire mug of frothy Dandelion Wine.
Just moments ago, he had been sipping it slowly. What had changed?
After finishing the drink, Shao Yun slammed the mug down on the bar, startling Charles.
His voice was filled with anger and frustration: "Those Fatui are really pushing their luck!"
Charles breathed a sigh of relief, thinking Shao Yun might take his anger out on the tavern. He wiped a glass and tried to comfort him.
"Don't worry, Acting Grand Master Jean will handle it."
Hearing Charles' words, Shao Yun nodded. In the eyes of Mondstadt's citizens, Jean was the most reliable figure in the Knights of Favonius. Who else could they rely on if not her?
"I hope so. If I see those idiots again, I might just tie them all up and throw them into Cider Lake."
Charles chuckled at Shao Yun's wild plan, responding in a lighthearted tone.
"Don't throw the bodies into Cider Lake, though. That would ruin Mondstadt's wine industry."
His words lightened the mood, but Shao Yun wasn't ready to give up on his plan. He just modified it slightly.
"Fine, I'll throw them off Starsnatch Cliff instead."
Charles smiled, relieved to see the atmosphere easing.
"Haha, don't be so angry. Here, let me pour you another drink." He picked up the mug and turned to refill it.
Shao Yun shook his head gently, declining the offer.
"No need. Two glasses are enough. I've got things to do."
If he got drunk now, he'd miss out on the fun.
---
As the tavern neared closing time, Diluc arrived.
Pushing open the wooden door, his gaze fell on the figure sitting at the bar. He walked over and pulled up a chair beside him.
"Oh? Mr. Shao Yun, you're here early."
Shao Yun tilted his head and shook his empty glass.
"Had nothing to do, so I had a drink here."
"You're not drunk, are you?"
"I'm not, but…" Shao Yun pointed to the corner where Venti was slumped over the table. "He's another story."
Following Shao Yun's finger, Diluc looked at the sleeping Venti.
Diluc walked over to Venti, who was lying on the table with a satisfied smile on his face. He patted Venti's cheek, trying to wake him up. But Venti just mumbled something and continued sleeping.
"Ugh, this drunkard." Diluc sighed helplessly and turned to Charles. "Get me some Apple Cider. I'll sober him up."
After forcing Venti to drink the Apple Cider, he finally woke up.
Venti rubbed his sleepy eyes, a content smile on his face as he slowly sat up and looked at Diluc.
"Master Diluc, good morning!" Venti greeted, his voice lazy and cheerful.
Diluc frowned slightly at Venti's state.
"It's already the second evening."
Hearing this, Venti jumped up in shock, unable to believe he had slept for an entire day and night!
"What? I slept that long?"
Diluc turned back to the bar, leaving Venti with a parting remark. "What else?"
Venti slapped his thigh, frustrated. Sleeping for a whole day and night meant he hadn't earned a single Mora.
"Get yourself together. We'll be starting soon."
Diluc's words reminded Venti that there was important business to attend to.
"Alright, alright." Venti hurried over to the bar.
Soon after, Acting Grand Master Jean arrived.
She sneaked in through the back door, glancing over her shoulder to make sure no one was following her. As soon as she entered the tavern, her eyes landed on the three people who had been waiting for her.
Unexpectedly, Shao Yun was also there.
"Huh? Shao Yun, why are you…" Her face showed surprise. For Jean, Shao Yun's sudden appearance was an unexpected twist.
She hadn't expected Shao Yun to be here. She thought only those directly involved with the Knights would attend.
Diluc, in his usual calm and direct manner, explained Shao Yun's presence.
"He's also here to help. He was with Lumine yesterday. I thought you knew him."
Jean quickly adjusted her mindset, calming her initial shock.
"Alright. Master Diluc already told me about the Skyward Harp. I never expected it to be like this."
Jean's gaze locked onto Shao Yun, her brows furrowed, her eyes filled with complex emotions.
"So, it was you who injured that Knight, wasn't it?"
Shao Yun couldn't admit to this. He had already decided to pin the blame on the Fatui.
"No, it was the Fatui. I wouldn't dare do something like that."
No, no, it wasn't me. Don't accuse me.
People tend to believe what they want to believe. Given the Fatui's already poor reputation, Jean accepted Shao Yun's explanation.
"The Fatui…"
The fact that the Fatui had injured a Knight was enough grounds to expel their diplomatic delegation from the Goth Grand Hotel.
Sensing Jean's emotions, Diluc spoke up to remind her. "Jean, now's not the time to settle scores with the Fatui. Let's deal with Stormterror first. We can handle them later."
When the tavern officially closed, Lumine and Paimon arrived one after the other.
"Master Diluc, we're here!"
As soon as they entered, Paimon greeted everyone enthusiastically. Her eyes scanned the room and landed on an unexpected figure—Jean!
"Huh? Acting Grand Master Jean?"
Jean, seeing the Honorary Knight and Paimon, greeted them warmly.
"Hello, Honorary Knight, Paimon."
"Jean is the help I've brought. As for the reason, I won't go into details. And Shao Yun, he's been here for a while." Diluc briefly explained, directing their attention to Shao Yun.
Paimon looked at Shao Yun, her tone tinged with dissatisfaction.
"Shao Yun, you lazy bum! We were going to take you to the Adventurers' Guild to register as an adventurer. We even left you a note!"
Hearing Paimon's words, Shao Yun looked at her in surprise. The note was telling him to go to the Adventurers' Guild to find them? Why didn't they just say so directly instead of hinting?
Wait, why was Paimon's gaze fixed on the drinks on the shelf behind him?
Could it be…?
Shao Yun suddenly understood and quickly clasped his hands together, apologizing to Paimon.
"Ah, so you wanted me to go to the Adventurers' Guild? Sorry, I woke up too late."
Paimon's eyes darted around, thinking Shao Yun had fallen for her trap. She licked her lips and put on an angry expression.
"Hmph, we waited until noon for you. When you didn't show up, we went ahead and handled some commissions. Lumine and Paimon were getting impatient."
Hearing this, Lumine didn't believe it, and neither did Venti, Jean, or Diluc. They all saw through Shao Yun's act of teasing Paimon.
"Sorry, sorry. Let me treat you to some Apple Cider to make up for it."
With that, Shao Yun pulled out 1,500 Mora and bought the most expensive Apple Cider for Paimon.
Paimon held the drink, her joy evident.
"Hehe, that's more like it."
Lumine walked over to Shao Yun, a playful smile on her face.
Paimon was happily sipping her drink, her little face full of satisfaction and happiness.
Lumine leaned close to Shao Yun's ear, her voice soft and teasing. "You really spoil her."
Her warm breath tickled Shao Yun's ear, sending a shiver down his spine.
Shao Yun turned his head, meeting Lumine's mischievous gaze.
"Yeah, how about I get you a drink too?"
Paimon, curious, stared at Shao Yun and Lumine, who were chatting and laughing.
"What are you two whispering about?"
Caught by Paimon, they quickly separated. Shao Yun rubbed his nose.
"Nothing."
Paimon gave them a skeptical look but didn't press further. Instead, she asked about the breakfast from that morning.
"By the way, Shao Yun, how was the grilled steak Paimon made this morning?"
Faced with Paimon's question, Shao Yun's response was tactful. Instead of commenting on the food's taste, he praised Paimon.
"You're the best guide in Teyvat."
Paimon scratched her head, her big eyes filled with confusion.
"Huh? What do you mean?"
Diluc immediately understood Shao Yun's meaning and explained it to Paimon.
"Shao Yun means you're a great guide, but not a great cook."
Paimon finally caught on, her hands on her hips, her face turning as red as a ripe apple. Her round eyes widened, and her lips pouted in a cute but stubborn expression.
"Hey!"
Seeing Paimon's adorable and funny reaction, everyone except Diluc burst into laughter, filling the bar area with joy.
(TL/N: wtf diluc? Are your surname Uchiha?)
"Hahaha."
Once the laughter died down, it was time to get down to business.
"Alright, enough chit-chat. Let's get to the point."
Diluc shared the intelligence he had gathered. He had gotten a lone Fatui agent drunk and extracted information from him, learning that the Skyward Harp was being held at a semi-public Fatui base.
"I never expected the Fatui to waltz into the tavern for a drink. A little trickery, and I got the information out of him. He's probably back at their base by now."
After finishing, Diluc couldn't help but scoff at the foolish Fatui agent.
"Wait a minute!" Shao Yun immediately pointed upstairs. "Master Diluc, was it the guy from the second floor…?"
"You've seen him?"
Shao Yun pointed to the dent in the bar and recounted how he had beaten a Fatui agent half to death earlier that afternoon.
"I had no choice. He provoked me and even insulted Mondstadt and the Knights. I had to teach him a lesson. He's probably still in the alley, or…"
After embellishing the story, Shao Yun gave everyone a knowing look. Their reactions varied, but they all stared at him.
"Don't judge me or give me weird looks. It wasn't me who started it."
Jean cleared her throat, defending Shao Yun's actions.
"It's not your fault. It's ours for being too soft on the Fatui. They've been bullying Mondstadt's citizens. It's our mistake."
Her words absolved Shao Yun of any blame and shifted the responsibility onto the Fatui and the Knights.
"Then let's start making changes. We'll begin by stealing back the Skyward Harp."
Diluc's suggestion was met with unanimous agreement, especially from Shao Yun, who was eager to redeem himself.
"When do we go?"
Faced with Shao Yun's eagerness, Diluc simply said two words.
"Right now."
Hearing that they could act immediately, Shao Yun clenched his fists in excitement.
He was so worked up that you could almost hear the faint creaking of his knuckles. His shoulders trembled slightly, as if struggling to contain his overwhelming emotions.
A barely suppressed smile played on his lips as he tried to keep his excitement in check.
"Great. Tell me the exact location. I'll go steal back the Skyward Harp right now."