Back at Angel's Share, Charles had already wiped away the spilled alcohol and bloodstains on the bar counter. But the dented area—it would take a new bar to fix that.
"Ah, you're back."
Shao Yun didn't say anything, only nodded and returned to his original seat.
"Here, your dandelion wine."
Charles, ever thoughtful, poured him another glass. He'd long been fed up with the Fatui's behavior—seeing someone teach them a lesson was a good thing in his book.
Shao Yun looked at the freshly poured wine, then at the damaged bar counter that needed replacing. He handed over the Mora he had taken from that Fatui agent to Charles.
"This one's on me. No charge."
Shao Yun lifted his chin slightly and looked Charles in the eye, insisting he take it.
"Take it. It's not my money. I got it off that half-dead Fatui guy I just beat down."
Charles stared at him in shock, his previously calm eyes now wide open. What had he just heard? Taken from a Fatui agent?
"Huh?" His gaze locked on the pile of Mora—it had to be at least ten thousand.
"Use it to repair the damaged bar. He started it, so it's only fair we use his money to fix it, right?"
With that, he nudged the bag of Mora a little closer.
"Oh, makes sense." Charles tucked the pouch away and noted it down in the ledger.
This time, Shao Yun didn't savor the dandelion wine—he downed it all in one go.
Charles watched in astonishment as Shao Yun gulped down the large foamy glass in one long swig.
He was sipping it earlier—why was he chugging it now?
Shao Yun slammed the empty glass down on the bar with a loud thud, startling Charles.
His voice was heavy with anger and dissatisfaction: "These Fatui bastards are really pushing it too far!"
Charles let out a breath of relief—he thought Shao Yun was going to trash the tavern. As he wiped a glass, he offered a few comforting words.
"Ah, Acting Grand Master Jean will figure something out."
Shao Yun nodded. To the people of Mondstadt, Jean was the only truly dependable one left in the Knights of Favonius. Who else was there to rely on?
"Let's hope so. If I see those ignorant scumbags again, I might just tie them all up and toss them into Cider Lake."
Hearing Shao Yun's wild declaration, Charles chuckled and responded in a relaxed, joking tone:
"Don't throw corpses into Cider Lake—we'd lose the whole Mondstadt wine industry."
His words instantly lightened the mood, though Shao Yun didn't drop the plan entirely—just adjusted it.
"Alright then. I'll throw them off Starsnatch Cliff instead."
Charles smiled, seeing the tension slowly fade. He let out a quiet sigh of relief.
"Haha, don't be mad. Come on, I'll pour you another."
He picked up a glass and turned to fetch more wine.
Shao Yun gently shook his head, politely refusing.
"No need. Two glasses are enough. I've got things to do."
If he got drunk now, he'd miss one hell of a show.
…
Near closing time, Diluc arrived.
He pushed open the wooden tavern door, eyes landing on the figure at the bar. He walked over and pulled up a chair beside him.
"Oh? Mister Shao Yun, you're here early."
Shao Yun tilted his head and shook his empty glass lightly.
"Had nothing better to do, so I came here for a drink."
"You're not drunk, are you?"
"I'm not, but…" He pointed toward the corner at the figure slumped over the table. "He might be a different story."
Following Shao Yun's finger, Diluc spotted Venti still sleeping soundly.
Diluc walked over to Venti and looked at him lying across the table, still smiling contentedly in his sleep. He gently patted Venti's cheek, trying to wake him. Venti only mumbled something incoherent and kept dreaming.
"Sigh, this drunkard." He sighed helplessly, then turned to Charles. "One apple cider, to sober him up."
After forcing Venti to drink the cider, he finally began to stir.
Venti rubbed his bleary eyes, a satisfied smile still on his face, and slowly sat up, looking at Diluc standing nearby.
"Good morning, Master Diluc!" Venti greeted him with a lazy and cheerful tone.
Diluc frowned slightly at his demeanor.
"It's already the next evening."
That hit hard—Venti instantly sprang up, shocked that he'd slept through an entire day and night.
"Huh? I slept that long?"
Diluc turned back to the bar, leaving a single remark without looking back. "What else?"
Venti slapped his thigh in frustration. He'd wasted a whole day—didn't even make a Mora!
"Time to wake up. Everyone will be here soon."
Diluc's words reminded Venti there were still important matters to deal with.
"Alright, alright!" he replied quickly, dashing over to the bar.
A little later, Jean arrived.
But she sneaked in through the back door, glancing behind her nervously as if afraid of being followed. Once inside, her eyes immediately fell on the trio waiting for her.
To her surprise, Shao Yun was there too.
"Huh? Shao Yun? You're here too…" Her face revealed genuine surprise. To Jean, his sudden presence was an unexpected delight.
She hadn't expected Shao Yun to be involved—she assumed only those connected to the Knights would be here.
Diluc, ever calm and direct, explained why Shao Yun was present.
"He's one of the allies. He was with Lumine yesterday. I thought you knew him."
Jean quickly composed herself, masking her initial shock.
"Alright. Senior Diluc already briefed me on the Holy Lyre der Himmel. I just didn't expect this."
Her gaze locked onto Shao Yun, brows furrowed. Her eyes held complex emotions.
"So, you're the one who injured that knight."
That was something Shao Yun absolutely could not admit—he'd already decided to pin it on the Fatui.
"No, it was the Fatui who did that. I wouldn't dare."
No, it wasn't me. Don't make things up.
People believe what they want to believe, and the Fatui already had a poor reputation. Jean accepted his version of events.
"Fatui…"
Just that alone—injuring a knight—would be grounds enough to expel the diplomatic corps staying at the Goth Grand Hotel.
Sensing Jean's emotions, Diluc gently reminded her: "Jean, now's not the time to settle scores with the Fatui. Handle the Stormterror issue first. We'll deal with them after."
Once the tavern officially closed, Lumine and Paimon arrived, one after the other.
"Master Diluc, we're here!"
Paimon greeted them energetically, but then her eyes landed on someone unexpected. She couldn't believe her eyes—Jean had been invited too?
"Eh! Acting Grand Master Jean?"
Jean greeted them warmly as well.
"Hello, Honorary Knight. Hello, Paimon."
"Jean's someone I brought in. As for the excuse I used? I'm not telling. And Shao Yun's been here a while." Diluc briefly explained and directed their attention to Shao Yun.
Paimon looked at Shao Yun, her tone slightly accusatory.
"Shao Yun, you lazy bum! We were going to take you to register at the Adventurers' Guild! We even left a note for you!"
Shao Yun looked at her in surprise. That note was about going to the guild? Why didn't they just say it outright? All that cryptic hinting…
Wait—why was Paimon staring at the drinks on the cabinet behind him?
Could it be…
Shao Yun suddenly understood and quickly pressed his palms together in apology.
"Ah? So, you meant for me to meet you at the Guild? Sorry, I woke up too late."
Paimon's eyes spun as she thought she had him hooked. She licked her lips and put on a mock angry face.
"Hmph! We waited until noon. When we couldn't wait any longer, we just went to handle commissions. Lumine and I were getting annoyed!"
Lumine didn't buy it. Neither did Venti, Jean, or Diluc. Everyone could tell Shao Yun was teasing her.
"Sorry, sorry. How about I buy you an apple cider to make it up?"
He pulled out 1,500 Mora and bought the most expensive apple cider for Paimon.
Paimon held the cider in both hands, joy shining on her face.
"Hehe, now that's more like it."
Lumine stepped up beside Shao Yun with a mischievous grin on her face.
At that moment, Paimon was happily sipping her drink, her little face full of bliss and satisfaction.
Lumine leaned close to Shao Yun's ear and whispered teasingly: "You really spoil her."
Her warm breath tickled his ear, sending a shiver down his spine.
Shao Yun turned his head to meet Lumine's playful, sparkling eyes.
"Yeah? Want a drink too?"
Paimon eyed the two suspiciously—they were whispering and laughing.
"What are you two talking about?"
Busted. They quickly separated. Shao Yun rubbed his nose awkwardly.
"Nothing."
Paimon gave him a doubtful look but moved on to ask about breakfast.
"By the way, Shao Yun, how were the grilled ribs I made this morning?"
Shao Yun replied skillfully, avoiding a direct answer about the food and instead complimenting her.
"You're the best tour guide in Teyvat."
Paimon scratched her head, eyes full of confusion.
"Eh? What's that supposed to mean?"
Diluc immediately caught on and explained.
"He means you're a good guide, but not a good cook."
Paimon's face turned bright red like a ripe apple. She crossed her arms and puffed up her cheeks in a pouty, stubborn little expression.
"Hey!"
Everyone burst out laughing—except Diluc. The bar filled with joy and laughter.
"Hahaha."
Once the laughter settled, it was time to get serious.
"Alright, enough chatter. Let's get to the main issue."
Diluc shared the intelligence he'd gathered—how he got a Fatui agent drunk and extracted the location of the Holy Lyre, which was now hidden in one of the Fatui's semi-public outposts.
"Who would've thought those Fatui would strut into the tavern for a drink? Took barely any effort to get him talking. He's probably headed back now."
He gave a cold chuckle after finishing.
"Wait!" Shao Yun immediately pointed upstairs. "Master Diluc, don't tell me it was that guy on the second floor…"
"You saw him?"
Shao Yun pointed to the dented section of the bar and told them about how he had beaten a mouthy Fatui agent half to death earlier that afternoon.
"I couldn't help it—he provoked me, insulted Mondstadt, slandered the Knights. I just educated him. He's probably still in the alley, or maybe…"
He ended with a loaded look—one that said, you know what I mean.
Everyone reacted differently, but all turned to look at Shao Yun.
"Don't judge me, and quit giving me those weird looks. He started it."
Jean cleared her throat softly and came to Shao Yun's defense.
"Can't blame you. It's our fault as the Knights for being too lenient with the Fatui. They've already started bullying Mondstadt's citizens. It's on us."
Her words completely absolved Shao Yun and shifted the blame squarely onto the Fatui—and herself.
"Then let's turn things around. First step: take back the Holy Lyre."
Diluc's proposal got unanimous support—especially from Shao Yun. Finally, a chance to reclaim some dignity.
"When are we going?!"
Faced with Shao Yun's eagerness, Diluc gave only two words.
"Right now."
The moment he heard that, Shao Yun clenched his fists in excitement.
He was so hyped, he could almost hear his joints creaking from the tension. Every knuckle turned white from the pressure, and his shoulders trembled, as though straining under the weight of his emotion.
A grin spread across his face, one he tried—and failed—to suppress.
"Perfect. Tell me exactly where it is, and I'll take back the Holy Lyre immediately."