Chen Luo didn't know the way to the Angel's Share tavern, but fortunately, the Angel's Share is quite famous in Mondstadt. So, after reading the mind of a lucky passerby, Chen Luo found the Angel's Share.
When Chen Luo actually stepped into the Angel's Share tavern, he finally understood why Venti said his own bar somewhat resembled this one – they were really similar.
If it weren't for the modern decorations and slightly different layout in Chen Luo's bar, he'd suspect his bar was a complete copy of this tavern.
Or do all taverns look like this?
"Excuse me, um, has Eula come to this tavern?" Not seeing Venti and the others on the first floor, Chen Luo asked the bartender he saw right after entering.
Chen Luo wasn't sure if Eula and the others had gone to the second floor, so it was better to ask.
And the reason he asked about Eula was because Eula is famous.
Infamy is still fame.
"On the second floor." The bartender Charles glanced at Chen Luo and pointed upstairs.
"Thanks. By the way, does Angel's Share serve non-alcoholic drinks?" Chen Luo asked.
"Of course. What would you like?"
"Applebrew." Chen Luo said.
"Alright." The bartender nodded.
Fortunately, Chen Luo ordered a non-alcoholic drink. If he had ordered an alcoholic one, the bartender might not have served him, as Chen Luo didn't look nearly old enough to drink alcohol.
And preparing Applebrew is quite simple, simple enough to just pour it from the barrel.
After waiting a moment, Chen Luo carried this cup of Applebrew upstairs.
He'd pay when he left later.
Perhaps due to the storm caused by Stormterror recently, there were very few people in the bar. At least, according to what Venti and the others expected, the Angel's Share is usually packed in the evening or afternoon, but now there was only one person on the first floor.
Here, Chen Luo also saw Rosaria drinking, but he didn't see Barbara.
If the first floor was this deserted, the second floor was even more so.
On the entire second floor, Chen Luo only saw a few people: Venti, Lumine, Paimon, Eula, and Diluc.
Just as Chen Luo was about to go upstairs, he saw Rosaria, for some reason, drain her glass and hurriedly leave the tavern. It seemed she had received some communication from the Favonius Cathedral or similar.
Well, good, the only person on the first floor of the Angel's Share tavern is also gone.
This let Chen Luo breathe a sigh of relief. After all, with Mondstadt's second-most righteous person here, Chen Luo felt somewhat uneasy discussing things on the second floor.
"Yo, A'Luo, over here, over here." In a corner on the second floor of the Angel's Share, Venti stood up and waved to Chen Luo.
"This spot you picked is quite hidden." Chen Luo said as he walked over.
"Of course we need somewhere discreet to discuss these matters. So, did you get the item?" Venti asked urgently.
"I have two pieces of news now, one good and one bad. Which do you want to hear first?" Chen Luo asked Venti.
"Hmm, I choose the bad news." Venti hesitated for a moment before saying.
"The bad news is..."
Before Chen Luo could finish, he heard a series of urgent knocks coming from downstairs.
After the knocks, the person pushed the door open.
"Mr. Bartender, have you seen the thief who stole the Holy Lyre? A weirdo dressed entirely in purple..." The voice of a certain Knight of Favonius rang out.
"No." The bartender's somewhat deep voice came from downstairs.
After the sound of the door closing, Chen Luo continued, "The bad news is that while I was infiltrating the Favonius Cathedral, the Fatui followed me in."
"So, you mean the Holy Lyre was taken by the Fatui?" The red-haired youth who had been observing Chen Luo since he entered suddenly interjected.
"The Fatui really are troublesome fellows..."
"You must be Master Diluc of Mondstadt, right? Bard, have you already convinced Master Diluc?" Actually, when Chen Luo saw Diluc sitting with Venti and the others, he had already roughly understood.
"That's all thanks to my convincing singing voice." Venti said proudly.
"Ahem." Eula, sitting nearby, coughed twice.
"Oh, and of course, Eula's contribution too."
"Although the Knights of Favonius aren't worthy of trust, the Spindrift Knight Eula is indeed trustworthy." Diluc said calmly.
In the eyes of Mondstadt's immature citizens, Eula's identity and merits aren't something to be proud of, many even ostracize her because of her background.
But in the eyes of truly wise and broad-minded individuals like Diluc, Jean, and Varka, her identity doesn't represent any problem.
"So, as I said, bringing Eula in was a good choice. Otherwise, relying solely on you, an unreliable bard, how could you possibly convince Master Diluc?" Chen Luo cast a disdainful glance at Venti.
"No, this bard's songs did carry significant weight. I felt a particularly persuasive power in his ballads." However, Diluc spoke up to refute Chen Luo.
"Em... alright, I have to admit, Venti's songs are indeed quite pleasant to listen to." Since Diluc said so, Chen Luo couldn't continue denying it.
After all, the first song Venti sang for Chen Luo had truly left him deeply impressed.
"Sigh, it's no use talking about that now. The most important thing is to get the Holy Lyre back. A'Luo, I never thought you'd fail such a simple commission."
Kid, you've disappointed me.
Although Venti didn't say it outright, that meaning was evident between the lines.
"There's still the good news. The Fatui did follow me into the Favonius Cathedral, but now the Holy Lyre is indeed in my hands." Chen Luo placed the cup of Applebrew on the table and took the Holy Lyre out of his inventory.
[Ding! Commission Completed]
"Well done, A'Luo!" Barbatos, the Anemo Archon, could tell at a glance whether the lyre was genuine or not.
"Then why are the Fatui the ones being wanted?" Diluc couldn't help but ask curiously, looking at Chen Luo.
"Who knows? Maybe I beat them up and took the lyre back when they were trying to escape? So, with that, could the Knights grant me the title of Honorary Knight?" Chen Luo asked curiously.
"Honorary Knight... In my opinion, joining the Knights isn't a good choice." Diluc didn't elaborate much on whether he could become an Honorary Knight, instead saying this.
"I'm not planning to join the Knights of Favonius either. It's mainly because I heard Honorary Knights get discounts on purchases."
"..."
"Eh, is there really a discount?" Paimon exclaimed in surprise.
"...Although there isn't an official discount, the citizens of Mondstadt hold the Honorary Knight in high respect, so they might give some discount, more or less." Diluc hesitated for a moment before revealing this unspoken rule.
It couldn't really be called an unspoken rule; it's more like when you buy a pound of beef from an auntie at the market, and she gives you some spring onions for free.
But seeing the thoughtful expression on Paimon's face, it was clear this information had made quite an impact on her.
"Oh, right, Master Diluc, I just saw the only customer in your tavern leave. How about closing early today? Or, for the remaining time, I'll book the entire place?" Chen Luo picked up his cup of Applebrew again and said to Diluc.
"I don't really mind the revenue for the next few hours. We can close early. But do you still insist on booking the place?" Diluc pondered for a moment before asking.
Due to the storm disaster, hardly anyone was coming to the bar anyway, so closing early or letting Chen Luo book the place was fine. Honestly, Diluc didn't care about the money he could make in one evening.
"It's fine, consider it booked by me. Otherwise, I'd feel a bit awkward." Chen Luo said.
As for how to pay for booking the place, Chen Luo already had an idea.
After hearing Chen Luo's reply, Diluc walked to the stairwell on the second floor and called down to the bartender below.
"Does that mean I can drink to my heart's content now?" Venti raised his hand and asked.
"Shouldn't the important thing right now be the matter of the Holy Lyre? Can we use this Holy Lyre to call Dvalin now?" Diluc, who had returned to the table, said.
"Rosewood with flowing wind patterns, cool star-iron strings... such a nostalgic feeling... Using this Holy Lyre to call Dvalin now... Well, although it's the genuine Anemo Archon's treasure, I'm afraid it won't work yet. As you can see, after a thousand years, the power of wind has long been depleted. In this state, it's still fine for performing for people under the Statue of the Anemo Archon..."
"Hey, bard! Did you have us borrow the Holy Lyre just so you could play better under the Statue of the Anemo Archon and earn more Mora?" Paimon said discontentedly.
"Em… Ehe?" Venti thought for a moment, then tilted his head.
"What do you mean 'Ehe'?"
"That's right, you never get down to business, Venti, you 'Ehe' monster." Chen Luo also joined the chorus of criticism.
"Huh? I can accept Paimon saying that, but I can't accept you saying it! Which one of us is the real Ehe' monster?" Venti looked at Chen Luo in disbelief.
"So, the solution? The solution?" Chen Luo rapped the table as a reminder.
"There is a solution, actually. Traveler, bring out the Clear Dvalin Tear you've been keeping. Try dripping it onto the Holy Lyre." Venti placed the Holy Lyre on the table and said to Lumine.
Although Lumine didn't know exactly what Venti intended, she followed his words and took out the preserved Clear Dvalin Tear, dripping it onto the Holy Lyre. When the teardrop touched the Holy Lyre, the instrument seemed to instantly come to life.
"Mmm, good. Originally, the concentration of Anemo energy attached to the strings was far from sufficient. Now, with Dvalin's Teardrop, the concentration has increased, but it's still not enough. Judging by the current situation, we need a few more of Dvalin's teardrops." Venti observed the state of the Holy Lyre.
"Understood. So, we need to make Dvalin cry, right?" Upon hearing Venti's words, Chen Luo once again pulled out the Bloodtainted Greatsword.
"Chen Luo! Must you be so rough? Dvalin's teardrops should be scattered in other places as well. We just need to collect those teardrops." Venti said with a headache.
Must you always bring out that Bloodtainted Greatsword?
"This matter... I can help. Also, after listening to this bard's story earlier, I went and invited another person. That person should be able to help too. So, how about waiting a little while?" Diluc suddenly spoke up.
"After all, finding things requires manpower and resources."
"So you mean... we don't have to go look for them ourselves? That's great! We can wait a while then." Hearing that they didn't have to search themselves, Venti instantly became happy.
And then... they waited for two hours.
Chen Luo didn't mind. Since he had booked the place, no outsiders could enter, and the second floor was secluded enough. So, Chen Luo finally had time to continue pondering his puppet skills.
As a qualified puppeteer, one shouldn't always use real living beings controlled as puppets; one ought to have some self-made puppets.
After becoming the Herrscher of Dominance and learning puppeteer skills, Chen Luo finally understood why the future Herrscher of a Thousand used that kind of appearance – because puppets with obvious ball joints are really convenient to make.
So, the bored group watched as Chen Luo spent two hours creating a very realistic 1:1 life-sized wooden puppet.
Just as Chen Luo was about to modify the final Honkai crystal and install it into the puppet's body, the person they were waiting for finally arrived.
To Chen Luo's surprise, he originally thought Diluc would only invite Jean, but two people came: Jean and Aunt Lisa.
But thinking about it, Jean and Lisa are close friends, so it's normal for them to be together.
"Sorry, we should have been here two hours ago, but because the Holy Lyre was stolen... The Holy Lyre? Why is it here!?" Jean had just apologized when, prompted by Lisa, she saw the Holy Lyre on the table.
"..." Chen Luo fell silent for a moment, then quietly turned back and continued adjusting the Honkai crystal in his hand.
A proper Honkai crystal should be the size of a human head, but one that big wouldn't fit inside the puppet. So, Chen Luo split it into three pieces, creating three fragments.
Before inserting the three fragments into the puppet, he needed to adjust their structure so they would produce a violent explosion upon severe impact.
Thus, a self-destruct puppet was born.
"Prometheus, quick, quick, copy this self-destruct puppet!" Chen Luo hurriedly said.
Self-destruct puppet, as the name implies, is a one-time use item.
But if he used Void Archives to copy its blueprint, Chen Luo could then manifest the self-destruct puppet using the spiritual energy, magical energy, or Honkai energy within his body.
After all, to be honest, making this puppet took Chen Luo two hours; it's quite troublesome.
Since it's a disposable item anyway, using the upgraded Void Archives to create it is much simpler and faster.
But Chen Luo felt the explosion of this puppet was a bit monotonous.
It needed some extra flair.
Hmm... Jumpy Dumpty?