"I-I think you're right. Anyone who impersonates a god should be dealt with harshly!" Furina raised her voice deliberately, as if trying to prevent others from noticing anything unusual. Her outburst drew the attention of Acting Grand Master Jean and Sister Gothlinde, who were conversing nearby.
"Eh? Isn't that the boy who claimed to be Lord Barbatos? Why is he standing next to the Hydro Archon now? And the Honorary Knight is with them too…" Sister Gothlinde murmured in surprise.
Jean also looked over and saw the green-cloaked bard. Strangely, when she saw him, she felt an odd sense of familiarity, like a devotee seeing their own god.
"Sister Gothlinde, please bring out the Holy Lyre der Himmel. It's crucial for awakening the East Wind Dragon, Dvalin," Jean instructed seriously.
"Oh, of course." Realizing the urgency, Sister Gothlinde didn't hesitate. She called over Barbara, the Cathedral's Prayer Priestess, to lead Jean and her group to retrieve the Holy Lyre.
Interestingly, borrowing the Holy Lyre der Himmel required approval from three parties: the Knight's Grand Master, the Cathedral's Bishop, and the people of Mondstadt. Conveniently, the Cathedral's Bishop, Simon Pegg, was Jean Gunnhildr's father, and his other daughter, Barbara Pegg, was Mondstadt's beloved idol, representing the will of the people.
In other words, to borrow the Holy Lyre, all you really needed was to convince this one family.
This reflected Mondstadt's current situation. With Grand Master Varka away on his expedition, Mondstadt had basically become a 'one-family rule'.
Luckily, the Gunnhildr family was a people of integrity; otherwise, Mondstadt might have birthed another 'Lawrence Clan'.
Obtaining the Holy Lyre went smoothly. Soon enough, Jean and Barbara returned with it in hand and approached Richard.
"The Holy Lyre is secured. What's next?" Jean asked Richard, after all, he was the main planner this time.
"Next, we'll need the Honorary Knight and the Knights to collect more of Dvalin's Tears, like the one in the Honorary Knight's hand," Venti chimed in naturally.
"Hmm? And this is…?" Jean's eyes fell on Venti, recalling what Sister Gothlinde had told her earlier.
"Venti, a bard. Quite interesting to talk to, and very knowledgeable," Furina interjected.
After their earlier chat and because he'd sided with her about punishing god impersonators, Furina had a good impression of Venti.
But one thing was clear: she hadn't recognized his true identity at all.
"I see… but Mr. Venti, please don't casually use Lord Barbatos' name to deceive people, even with good intentions." Jean admonished him seriously.
"W-what? He's the lunatic who pretended to be the Anemo Archon?" Furina stared at Venti in shock. No wonder he spoke up for me, he was defending himself!
"Ahem, actually, I'm meeting this bard for the first time too. Not really familiar, right, Richard?" Upon learning of Venti's stunt, Furina wasted no time distancing herself.
"Yes, Lady Furina," Richard replied, amused by the little farce. He was starting to understand why Venti found disguising himself so entertaining.
What puzzled him was that Lady Furina hadn't recognized Venti at all.
'Was Venti just that good at hiding it, or…?'
"As Mr. Venti said, we now need to find more of Dvalin's Tears to restore the Holy Lyre's power and call back the East Wind Dragon," Richard explained while motioning for Lumine to drop a purified tear onto the Lyre.
Lumine did so. The cleansed Tear turned into a breeze of Anemo energy, merging into the Lyre. The Lyre glowed faintly, its power slightly restored.
But to fully regain its strength, they'd need many more of Dvalin's Tears. The Honorary Knight and the Knights would have to handle that part.
As for Richard and Furina, they naturally chose to stay behind at the Cathedral, after all, you couldn't expect the Archon herself to run errands, right?
And Richard? He insisted he was just a civil servant, too delicate and frail to do any heavy work, and besides, he'd already marked possible locations for the Tears. He'd only slow the knights down if he went. Better to stay and keep Lady Furina company over tea.
Also, he hadn't forgotten his promise to introduce Barbara to Furina, so Barbara joined their little tea party too.
Meanwhile, the reporter Charlotte certainly didn't stay behind for tea. She had a big scoop to prepare, capturing the search for the Tears on film.
By Charlotte's estimate, this story alone could easily get her nominated for the Ravel Prize, the most prestigious award in a Fontaine journalist's career, and likely win it outright.
A rookie reporter, earning that honor by her own effort? Something she'd never dared to dream of before. "Thank you, Lord Richard, so generous and righteous, truly a good man.", Charlotte said.
"So, Mr. Venti, aren't you going with them?" Richard asked.
"It's been so long since I last saw my old friend, I'd rather stay and catch up," Venti replied with a grin.
"Old friend? You two know each other?" Furina looked back and forth between Venti and Richard, suspicious.
"Of course! We once fought side by side, right?" Venti elbowed Richard playfully.
"Know him. Not familiar," Richard said calmly, taking a sip of tea.
"Hey! So mean!" Venti slumped dramatically onto the table, then turned to Barbara, pouring himtea. "Thank you, but I'll pass on tea. Got any apple cider?"
"No!" Barbara huffed. 'Who drinks alcohol in a church? How disrespectful to Lord Barbatos!'
"So what's with you two, then? 'Fought side by side'? What does that mean?" Furina was baffled.
"Oh, we just knocked out a bunch of drunkards in a tavern, Lady Furina. Barbara, didn't you have something you wanted to ask Lady Furina? Now's your chance." Richard quickly changed the subject.
Sure enough, Furina's attention shifted, and she began chatting with Barbara, who'd been waiting eagerly for the right moment to speak.
Barbara's Favorability +1
Venti leaned in and whispered, "So, you didn't come all this way just for Klee's safety, did you? You're here for something else too, right?"
"Yes, and for your Gnosis, Lord Barbatos."