"Hey!"
Just as Scaramouche finished speaking, Lora tapped both him and Yae Miko on the shoulders from behind, making them jump.
Scaramouche instantly sprang up from where he was sitting and shot several meters away. He turned back to Lora with a frown. "Why did you suddenly pop out from behind us? Don't you know that's scary?"
"Oh? Looks like your personality changed a little after making up with your mom," Lora said, laughing as she watched his reaction.
Seeing her smile, Yae Miko quickly stood as well and moved beside Scaramouche. The two of them instinctively took several steps back, eyeing Lora suspiciously.
"When you smile like that, it always feels like something bad is about to happen."
"...Wait, am I really that sinister?" Lora blinked and asked.
"Aren't you?" Yae Miko and Scaramouche asked in unison.
"Uh..." Lora scratched her head awkwardly, then said, "I just wanted to tell you two there's another event later."
"What event?" Yae Miko asked warily.
"Venti is going to perform at Iridescent Tour: Lantern Rite Gala. We're all part of his cheering squad, so don't forget to watch," Lora said to them. "The concert will continue until late at night and end right as the old year gives way to the new."
"Mm... Got it! You can go now!" Yae Miko nodded. At that moment, she really did not want to keep interacting with Lora.
After that meal, Lora had already been marked as extremely dangerous in her mind.
Even Makoto and Ei had been led astray by her! It was far too terrifying!
After tidying up, everyone left Xianyun's residence and stepped onto the streets of Liyue.
The main stage for Iridescent Tour: Lantern Rite Gala had already been set up. A huge crowd had gathered beneath it, waiting for the gala to begin.
As the organizer, Dvorak stood on stage and gave a speech. Then he played an opening piece, immediately stirring up the atmosphere.
Next to take the stage was Xinyan. Her fiery guitar performance drew cheers from countless spectators. After her, several famous opera performers from the Yun-Han Opera Troupe also appeared in full costume, their presence graceful and their singing rich and melodious.
Watching one performer leave the stage and another take their place, Venti took out his lyre. When Lora saw it in his hands, she could not help being surprised.
"Isn't that the Holy Lyre der Himmel?"
"That's right. So you still recognize it!" Venti nodded.
"Wasn't it placed back in the basement of the Favonius Cathedral?" Lora asked with a frown.
"It was put back, yes, but I took it out again!" Venti said. "Don't worry, I took it out this time without alerting anyone. Neither the Knights of Favonius nor that deaconess knows a thing!"
"So you can take the Holy Lyre der Himmel out all by yourself, easily, without anyone noticing?" After hearing that, Lora blinked, and a slightly impolite smile appeared on her face.
"Uh..." Venti blinked, suddenly realizing the problem. "Well..."
"As the Anemo Archon, does he really need to sneak around to take his own belongings?" Nahida frowned after hearing their conversation.
Lora rubbed Nahida's hair and said, "Don't play along with him. He's rotten to the core."
Seeing Lora instinctively behave that way toward Nahida, Lumine became even more certain of the thought in her heart.
"So what exactly is the funny story here?" Makoto asked curiously.
Lora explained what had happened back in Mondstadt. When Makoto heard that the God of Freedom had joined forces with the God of Justice to steal the God of Freedom's divine artifact, only for both gods to be placed in confinement afterward, even someone as well-mannered as her could not help laughing out loud.
"Sorry... It's just too funny. I'm really not trying to make fun of you," Makoto said with a smile, patting Lora on the shoulder. "I told you a thousand years ago. This guy can't be trusted at all."
Venti felt rather awkward. To avoid getting hit by Lora, he quickly slipped over to the edge of the stage, preparing to go on. Watching how fast he moved, Lora's eyelid twitched wildly.
"I just realized he's kind of insufferable..." Lora muttered as she looked at Venti.
Beside her, Makoto said, "I told you that a thousand years ago..."
As the instrumental performance and opera came to an end, Venti stepped onto the stage and brought the Song of the North to the people of Liyue.
His voice was clear and lilting, like a soft breeze brushing past, seeping gently into the heart.
As the gala gradually drew to a close, Dvorak looked at the lively crowd and could not help sighing. It seemed he would never be able to find the origin of the story his ancestor had told, nor would he be able to personally thank the adeptus who had saved his ancestor.
Regrets were unavoidable in life. Perhaps that was simply how things were.
After the final performance ended, Dvorak walked onto the stage. Looking at the crowd before him, he said slowly, "Thank you all for coming! I hereby announce that Iridescent Tour: Lantern Rite Gala has come to an end! Everyone, Happy Lantern Rite!"
The crowd burst into applause, loudly calling out, "Happy Lantern Rite!"
A melodious tune drifted over from the distance, as beautiful as music from the heavens, bringing this grand celebration in Liyue to a poetic close.
Together with the fireworks lighting up the night sky, the sound of the qin floated toward the horizon, carrying the people of Liyue's hopes for a bright new year.
Dvorak heard the qin music. He looked toward Yujing Terrace. He recognized where the sound came from, understood the story the music wanted to tell him, and found the answer he had come here searching for.
"Happy Lantern Rite... Thank you," Dvorak murmured.
"Everyone, Happy Lantern Rite."
Zhongli stood there, unmoving no matter how lively the crowd around him became, as steady as a stone in the sea, unafraid of wind or waves. Perhaps those words were most fitting when spoken by him.
By the early hours of the morning, the festivities had faded, and everyone returned home.
The next morning, Lora received a guest. A guest who was both familiar and unfamiliar to her.
"Ping'er..." Looking at the blue-green figure standing before her, Lora felt a little emotional. "Have you figured it out?"
Ping'er smiled and said, "It isn't really a question of whether I have figured it out or not. I simply thought carefully about what you said yesterday, and it does make sense. Perhaps Guizhong really would like the way I am now more."
"When I heard the qin music yesterday, I had a feeling," Lora said with a smile, looking at Ping'er. "Does Zhongli know about this?"
Ping'er shook her head. "Neither Rex Lapis nor Xianyun and the others know. I came to visit you first."
"Come on, let's go find them!" Lora called to Ping'er, then went with her to find Zhongli and the others.