At the entrance of Mondstadt Cathedral.
After confirming that the Holy Lyre der Himmel was indeed inside, Venti waited outside for quite a while.
He was starting to feel puzzled.
After all, Lumine and Paimon owed him a favor.
They should have come to repay it.
Originally, Venti hadn't taken the interruption in Whispering Woods seriously. He had simply assumed he had bad luck.
But over the past few days, he had been searching for ways to save Dvalin.
Yesterday, while performing at the Statue of Barbatos Plaza, he accidentally discovered that Lumine could purify curses.
From that moment on, he began paying closer attention to these travelers who had interrupted his conversation with the dragon.
Because now—
He had a plan.
But it required the traveler's power.
"Venti."
Lumine climbed the cathedral steps and called out.
Paimon still looked exhausted and half-asleep.
"You're finally here."
Venti sighed with relief.
Then he glanced behind them and frowned slightly.
"Is Boss Jiang Chen not coming?"
The relationship between Lumine and Jiang Chen was practically public knowledge.
Anyone could learn about it simply by sitting in a tavern for a while.
"You know Jiang Chen too?"
Lumine asked curiously.
"Of course."
Venti grinned proudly.
"I've performed at Good Hunter many times."
"A talented bard like me brings in plenty of customers."
"After my performances, Boss Jiang Chen sometimes even treats me to drinks."
Paimon suddenly became interested.
"You're not even old enough to drink, are you?"
"Well, when I started drinking, you were still—"
Venti stopped himself mid-sentence.
Realizing he was about to expose something.
He quickly changed the topic.
"I've already confirmed that the Holy Lyre is inside the cathedral."
"If Boss Jiang Chen were here, even if the sisters refused, he could ask Barbara to sneak it out."
"We'd only be borrowing it for a short while."
Venti sighed regretfully.
He once saw Barbara eating at Good Hunter during one of his freeloading visits.
Their relationship seemed close.
Besides—
If you've eaten someone's food, it's hard to refuse their request.
Of course, Jiang Chen might not be willing to ask.
"Ask Barbara?"
Lumine hesitated.
Although she and Barbara had become good friends, asking her to secretly steal something from the cathedral felt awkward.
If Jiang Chen asked, Barbara would probably agree.
But Jiang Chen wasn't here.
"He's being held up by the Fatui."
Lumine explained.
"Oh?"
Venti chuckled softly.
"They went looking for Boss Jiang Chen?"
He didn't worry about Jiang Chen at all.
If anything, he felt sorry for the Fatui.
"Well then."
Venti shrugged.
"I guess it'll have to be the two of us… two and a half."
"How do we do it?"
Lumine asked.
Even if Jiang Chen couldn't come, she wanted to complete the task properly.
"First we test the influence of Mondstadt's newest superstar knight."
Venti replied.
Meanwhile at Good Hunter
Outside the restaurant, a Fatui guard suddenly sneezed.
"ACHOO!"
A cold gust of wind had blown across his back.
He turned around in confusion.
Behind him was just the wall of Good Hunter.
Where did the wind come from?
Inside the brightly lit restaurant—
Thin frost had spread across the floor.
Suddenly—
A powerful gust erupted.
The creeping ice shattered as Anemo energy scattered it.
"Temperature affects the taste of red wine."
Jiang Chen hadn't even moved.
His voice was calm.
With that—
The overwhelming chill vanished completely.
"Well?"
La Signora looked slightly annoyed.
It seemed her own action had interfered with the taste of the wine.
"Cooling it slightly improves the flavor."
"But too much ruins it."
Jiang Chen replied.
Only then did Signora realize—
He had known from the start.
She had merely been issuing a warning.
She had never intended to truly attack.
Otherwise, she wouldn't have stopped just for a glass of wine.
"Heh."
"Boss Jiang Chen is quite surprising."
Signora finally took her first sip.
She tilted her slender neck elegantly.
The crimson wine touched her lips.
The smooth liquid lingered briefly on her tongue before sliding down her throat.
The wine's acidity, richness, warmth, and complexity balanced perfectly.
The aged oak aroma filled her senses.
A satisfied expression appeared on her face again.
She hadn't expected to encounter such excellent wine on this trip to Mondstadt.
It was a pleasant surprise.
"When an unwelcome guest arrives, the host naturally won't be pleased."
Jiang Chen rested his interlocked fingers on the table.
"But when someone comes with goodwill and truly wishes to be a guest…"
"Then the host will gladly receive them."
His words carried double meaning.
One referred to the earlier incident.
The other responded to the matter of interfering in the conflict between the Knights of Favonius and the Fatui.
"Oh?"
Signora smiled faintly.
"Then Boss Jiang Chen should carefully consider the balance of power."
"If you get caught between both sides…"
"That would truly be a poor bargain."
She extended her empty wine glass with the confident posture of someone long accustomed to command.
Silently asking for a refill.
Then she seemed to recall something.
"As repayment for tonight's hospitality…"
"I'll tell you—"
She paused slightly.
"…something interesting."