Outside the Favonius Cathedral.
Venti leaned quietly against the railing, gazing up at the deep, boundless night sky. Mondstadt's night sky—studded with stars, cloudless for miles, with the moon hanging high—bathed the world below in gentle silver light.
A soft breeze brushed across Venti's face, carrying with it the unique coolness and tranquility of night. Venti closed his eyes, inhaling deeply the fresh air, savoring the tender caress of the wind against his cheek.
It was as if he could hear the whispers of the wind, feel the freedom and ease it carried.
"Still... Mondstadt's night..."
Just as Venti was becoming lost in the moment, a sudden commotion erupted from behind him at the Favonius Cathedral.
He turned to see Shao Yun bursting through the doors with Lumine in his arms, shouting:
"Run!"
Judging from the scene, it wasn't exactly good news—but at least it wasn't the worst. They hadn't been surrounded yet.
Venti didn't waste words. Dropping his leisurely demeanor, he waved them over.
"Follow me!"
He then summoned a wind current and a wind ring and took off into the sky!
Shao Yun didn't have a Wind Glider. With his build, only a tornado could lift him. So, splitting up was the only option.
"Lumine, Paimon, you two ride the wind current to Angel's Share. I'll go on foot and shake off the knights before regrouping with you!"
He set Lumine down, watching her glide away along Venti's wind current. Then he cast a glance at the cathedral's wide-open doors. The knights, armed with spears and short swords, were already charging out.
Shao Yun turned to the knights chasing behind and shouted loudly to draw their attention.
"Come on! I'm right here! Chase me if you dare!"
In the split second after catching their eyes, he spun around and sprinted away!
[Current Objective: Evade pursuit. Bounty: Dead or Alive.]
Seeing the words dead or alive, Shao Yun immediately understood just how serious this mission had become.
…
The Knights of Favonius launched a citywide manhunt for the thief who had stolen the Holy Lyre der Himmel. Stealing such a precious treasure from Mondstadt had made the culprit a sworn enemy of the city.
The knights' armor gleamed coldly in the distance, their marching and shouting echoing through the alleyways.
"Citywide lockdown! We must apprehend the thief who stole the Holy Lyre der Himmel—dead or alive!"
At this moment, Shao Yun darted through the narrow alleys of Mondstadt. Despite his sturdy frame, he moved like a nimble fish weaving through a fast-moving stream, skillfully evading each potential ambush at the corners.
Under the glow of the city's streetlamps, Shao Yun's figure flickered between light and shadow—sometimes vanishing into the gloom, other times darting into open streets. He used every inch of Mondstadt to his advantage, playing a dangerous game of cat and mouse with the Knights of Favonius.
He kept his breath steady, not daring to relax for even a second.
After all, this was dead or alive. If any knight saw him now, no one would believe he was just out for a midnight stroll.
One wrong move, and he'd be surrounded. Shao Yun wasn't afraid of fighting, even going all out.
But the Knights of Favonius weren't enemies—or rather, not Lumine's enemies. Getting into a fight would only cause trouble for her.
Finally, after dashing through a small alleyway, he caught sight of the tavern Venti had mentioned—Angel's Share. Shao Yun breathed a sigh of relief. He climbed up to the second-floor balcony and hid there.
Shao Yun pressed himself against the inner side of the balcony, not daring to make a sound. It wasn't safe yet. He hadn't fully shaken off the knights.
At that moment, a thin column of smoke rose from the tavern's chimney. Shao Yun took a deep breath, taking in the mixed scent of alcohol and grilled meat in the air, but he had no mind to savor it.
After a couple of quick breaths, he removed his mask and pushed open the balcony door, stepping into Angel's Share.
He had planned to pretend to be a customer, but as soon as he opened the door, Lumine, Paimon, and Venti all turned to look at him.
"Shao Yun, when did you get here?" Paimon asked in surprise, seeing him come in from the balcony.
Their attention had been focused on the front door. They hadn't expected him to appear upstairs.
"Just now. The whole city's on lockdown. It took everything I had to shake off the tails." Shao Yun picked a chair at random, took off his hat, and began fanning himself to cool down.
This was the perfect time to rest and recover some stamina—he was exhausted.
Outside, two knights—one plump, the other thin—arrived at the tavern's entrance. Unlike the decisive knocking at other establishments, the two exchanged awkward glances, each seemingly hoping the other would go in first.
After a few rounds of rock-paper-scissors, the thin knight named Ott won over the slightly chubby knight, Miles.
Miles accepted his loss and opened the tavern door, stepping inside first.
The owner of Angel's Share, head of Mondstadt's largest winery—Dawn Winery—and the city's wealthiest man: Diluc Ragnvindr.
Diluc had fair skin and striking long red hair, tied back in a ponytail with soft curls. His crimson eyes shimmered with hints of gold. He often wore a black-and-gold formal coat over a white shirt, with a Vision hanging from his belt.
He also wore black leather gloves—red on the inside—and black trousers with a white band encircling his right leg, along with black boots fastened with numerous straps.
At the moment, he stood with arms crossed, having waited for the knights for some time.
Seeing Diluc's cold expression, the two knights swallowed nervously. Ott spoke up first.
"Master Diluc, have you seen a green fellow, a blonde one, and... one other we don't really know what he looks like?"
Looking at the travel-worn knights, Diluc remained cold as ever, but still asked what had happened.
"What on earth happened for the Knights of Favonius to make such a scene?"
Miles looked at Diluc incredulously. The theft of the Holy Lyre der Himmel had spread across the city in an instant—how could he not know?
"Master Diluc, you don't know? Three outlaws went after the Holy Lyre der Himmel! That's a relic personally played by the Anemo Archon himself! A priceless cultural artifact! One of them even knocked out a knight!"
Diluc's dismissive gaze seemed to say, The Holy Lyre der Himmel is gone? Why should I care? What's it got to do with me?
"Hmph. Why would I concern myself with something so worthless? I'd rather spend my time worrying whether the wine in my cellar has spoiled."
His words left Miles speechless. He awkwardly lowered his head, saying no more. However, something else he said did catch Diluc's attention.
"Also, you mentioned a knight was knocked out by a thief? The knights are that weak now?"
Hearing this, Ott slapped his thigh and spoke with urgency.
"Master Diluc, you don't understand. That thief who knocked out the knight looked even stronger than you!"
Thinking of the three fugitives hiding in his tavern, Diluc couldn't help but doubt the claim. That thief stronger than him? The Knights of Favonius had never impressed him, after all.
"Sounds like you were simply outmatched. Still, I do wonder—why steal something that's impossible to sell?"
"..."
Diluc promptly showed the knights out and casually pointed them in a misleading direction.
Standing at the doorway, he pondered their words. A thief stronger than him? Knocked out a knight?
It all sounded exaggerated. Lumine and Venti were both slight of build—no way they could knock someone out with a single blow. And Paimon, always floating mid-air, looked like she'd get blown away by a sigh from a grown man.
While Diluc was still deep in thought outside the tavern, the four fugitives came downstairs.
Venti stood at the counter, licking his lips as he scanned the shelves of gleaming bottles, contemplating what to drink.
Lumine, Paimon, and Shao Yun sat quietly at the bar, waiting for Diluc to return.
Lumine looked at Shao Yun with concern and asked softly, "Shao Yun, did you run into any danger while escaping?"
Shao Yun smiled slightly and answered casually, "No problem. With so few people, if they want to catch me, they'll need more training."
Then he shifted the focus to Lumine and Paimon.
"What about you two? Was your escape smooth?"
Hearing Shao Yun's words, Lumine's worry began to ease. Since he was safe, that was all that mattered. She answered his question.
"Yeah, it went smoothly. No obstructions. Thanks to Venti's wind current, we reached Angel's Share in under a minute."