Evening fell.
Lumine rubbed her eyes as she woke up.
She remembered what Jiang Chen had told her before she fell asleep.
If Venti wanted the Holy Lyre der Himmel, he would have to steal it.
That made her uneasy.
After all, she and Paimon had accidentally caused him to be poisoned earlier.
They owed him.
"Paimon, wake up."
Lumine pinched Paimon's cheeks hard.
"Mmm! Lumine, what are you doing?!"
Paimon grumbled sleepily.
"Get up. It's dinner time!"
"What?!"
Paimon instantly sprang into the air.
"Then we need to hurry!"
Back at Good Hunter
The two came downstairs.
Since Stormterror had been driven away recently, Mondstadt had become lively again.
Merchants and travelers filled the streets.
The Good Hunter was bustling inside and out.
Unlike hotels or inns where guests paid afterward, most businesses in Teyvat required payment first.
Customers paid Sara directly when ordering.
So Jiang Chen didn't need to sit at the counter collecting money.
Instead, he rested his chin on his hand upstairs, quietly reading a book.
When he noticed movement from the attic stairs, he looked up and smiled.
"You're awake?"
"Mhm."
Paimon floated closer eagerly.
"Jiang Chen, what delicious food is there today?"
"Nothing."
There were too many customers today.
He didn't feel like cooking personally.
"Aww…"
Paimon looked disappointed.
After thinking for a moment, she turned to Lumine.
"Then I'll reluctantly order a Flaming Red Bolognese."
She paused.
"No… make that two."
"If you eat that much, what if you can't move afterward?"
Lumine seriously considered the possibility.
"It's fine! It's only two plates! I could eat ten!"
Paimon patted her stomach confidently.
Lumine checked the Mora in Paimon's storage.
They could afford to splurge a little lately.
"Then I'll have one too."
"Great!"
Paimon flew downstairs to order.
The Plan
Lumine sat across from Jiang Chen.
"Jiang Chen, since what Venti said is true, we should help him."
If Venti could awaken Stormterror using the Holy Lyre…
Then Mondstadt's dragon crisis would finally end.
"Of course."
Jiang Chen nodded.
"I'll go with you later."
According to his memory, Venti would fail to steal the lyre tonight.
The Fatui would take it first.
Then everyone would have to waste time finding it again.
And Jiang Chen couldn't guarantee the Fatui would store the lyre in the same place as before.
After all, these were real people with their own plans.
Even a small change could alter everything.
So the safest option was simple:
Get the Holy Lyre before the Fatui.
"Okay."
Lumine felt relieved hearing that.
Dinner
Jiang Chen wasn't interested in the sweet-and-sour Flaming Red Bolognese.
Instead, he ordered a Mushroom Pizza from the nearby Cat's Tail.
After the three finished eating, they prepared to leave.
Suddenly—
A loud commotion erupted downstairs.
A group of people wearing black coats and masks marched into the restaurant.
"Fatui reservation!"
"All unrelated individuals, step aside!"
The arrogant voice echoed across the room.
A Fatui guard stood beside every table.
One customer slammed his hand on the table and stood up.
"Paying customers are guests."
"When you enter someone else's restaurant, you follow their rules."
The man clearly wasn't intimidated.
He looked like a wandering swordsman from Liyue, likely guarding a merchant caravan.
The Fatui guard glanced at him coldly.
But he didn't attack.
Instead, he simply stood there.
Several more guards gathered around the table.
They were huge men.
They didn't even move.
But their presence alone made the atmosphere suffocating.
If the customer attacked first, the Knights of Favonius would have an excuse to intervene.
But if the Fatui attacked first, they would be in trouble.
"Are they insane?"
"Causing trouble at Good Hunter?"
Some Mondstadt locals looked upstairs.
After all—
The restaurant had someone powerful sitting there.
Jiang Chen Appears
Jiang Chen frowned slightly.
He couldn't understand it.
The Fatui causing trouble in the streets was one thing.
But coming into his restaurant?
That was something else entirely.
He jumped down from the second floor.
Everyone's eyes turned toward him.
His expression revealed nothing.
He looked at the Liyue swordsman.
Then he clapped twice.
"Paying customers are guests."
"Well said."
The swordsman looked confused.
"And you are?"
"The owner here."
Jiang Chen replied calmly.
"Please sit down."
"If a customer follows the restaurant's rules, then the restaurant has the responsibility to ensure their dining comfort."
The swordsman nodded and sat.
Curious to see what would happen next.
A Fatui envoy stepped forward.
"So you're the own—"
BANG!
Before he finished speaking—
A figure smashed through the restaurant doors and flew outside.
Jiang Chen slowly loosened his fists.
Then he glanced around coldly.
"You should've asked around Mondstadt first."
"Learn which places you can cause trouble in…"
"…and which places you absolutely cannot."
The Fatui guards snapped out of their shock.
Weapons flashed out of their hands.
The tension in the restaurant exploded. ⚔️