Mondstadt.
After a restful night at Noelle's house, Rola woke up early and, after bidding farewell to her friend, headed to her own residence in Mondstadt.
As the younger sister of Mondstadt's wealthiest man, it was hardly surprising that she owned a property in the city!
Rola had rarely visited this house, preferring to stay at Dawn Winery or occasionally Noelle's place. This time, she came to retrieve her belongings and the Mora stored here—her secret personal stash, unknown even to her brother!
She had promised Lumine and Paimon gifts, and these were the presents she had prepared.
Rola had been planning these gifts for a long time, putting considerable thought and effort into them.
Lumine and Paimon had always been among Rola's favorite Genshin Impact characters. These gifts were both a token of gratitude for the time they had shared in her previous life and a preemptive offering to ease any emotional pain they might suffer in the future.
Obtaining emotional feedback from Genshin Impact characters remained rare; the key lay in the players themselves.
To elicit that emotional response—to "cut" the players' hearts—Rola naturally needed to target Lumine and Paimon.
Simultaneously, these gifts were also meant for the players behind the characters, aiming to increase their favor toward her!
The question remained: would these gifts generate enough emotional feedback?
Rola hoped this would unlock another function of the System, allowing her to understand the player world better. This would greatly simplify planning future storylines.
Understanding the players' opinions of her would also allow her to adjust her plans as needed.
After storing everything in her Vision's space, Rola went out to find Lumine and Paimon.
If she remembered correctly, the next plot point would involve Lumine and Paimon meeting Venti, being tricked into stealing the Holy Lyre der Himmel, and then fleeing all the way to the Angel's Share Tavern.
She'd forgotten the exact timing, but since she was free anyway, she decided to wander around Mondstadt.
After searching for half the day without finding Lumine and Paimon, Rola stumbled upon Bennett at the Good Hunter restaurant, wolfing down food as if he hadn't eaten in days.
Seeing Bennett eat so heartily, Rola walked over.
"Sister Sara , I'll have a Mondstadt Grilled Meat!"
Bennett noticed someone sitting across from him and looked up.
"Rola! Long time no see!"
"Indeed it has been a while, Bennett. Where have you been all these days?"
Bennett looked somewhat embarrassed and smiled sheepishly. "Well, I accidentally got locked in the Thousand Winds Temple. I only just managed to escape this morning."
"Ah?"
Rola's expression froze. She knew Bennett was unlucky, but...
No wonder Little Amy had seen him just the day before yesterday, while Bennett hadn't been seen for days.
"Are you alright? Are you hurt anywhere?"
"No, just a little hungry."
Watching Bennett devour his meal with gusto, Rola ordered two more drinks, handing one to him.
"Drink some to help you swallow. Eat slowly and don't choke."
"Th-thank you!"
Despite being locked up for so many days, Bennett remained remarkably cheerful, seemingly unaffected by the ordeal.
"Bennett, who rescued you?"
"Hmm... Razor did~"
Rola nodded, unsurprised.
"Bennett, you have such terrible luck. You need to be more careful with everything you do. Look at what happened this time—if Razor hadn't been there, the consequences would have been unimaginable..."
Bennett and Rola were close friends, and she genuinely cared about him.
"Mhm!" Bennett nodded earnestly, his heart warmed by her concern.
Even though he was terribly unlucky, he was also fortunate to have so many caring friends and his Dads.
After finishing her grilled meat and easing her hunger, Rola chatted with Bennett for a while longer before leaving Mondstadt.
Lumine and Paimon must have gone off on a quest by now, right?
Yesterday, Lumine had mentioned being short on Mora. Are they out doing commissions to earn some money?
As Rola circled Cider Lake, she spotted an unexpected figure: La Signora.
Rola's true identity was fiercely guarded by Diluc, perhaps even excessively so. As a result, she only knew her father was gone, but not the specific circumstances of his disappearance.
Moreover, if revenge were to be sought, the Doctor should be the target, not La Signora.
La Signora stood on the shore of Cider Lake, gazing distantly at Mondstadt, her thoughts unreadable.
"Hmph, come out already. What are you lurking around for?"
Rola quickly withdrew her head from behind the tree trunk and emerged awkwardly.
"Sister Rosalyne..."
This wasn't Rola's first meeting with La Signora; Rosalyne had revealed her name herself.
"Stormterror is wreaking havoc on Mondstadt. Shouldn't you, the self-proclaimed Hero Knight and aspiring member of the Knights of Favonius, be helping instead of skulking around here?" Rosalyne's voice was icy, but Rola was used to it; the woman always spoke this way.
Having been discovered, Rola strode forward boldly and approached Rosalyne.
Rosalyne's brow furrowed slightly, but she remained silent.
"I believe everyone in the Knight Order will overcome this crisis smoothly. Lord Barbatos will protect us!"
"The Anemo Archon? Hmph..."
Rosalyne's expression was full of disdain. She had wanted to say more, but suddenly stopped herself.
Last time, a mere mention of the Anemo Archon had sparked a lengthy argument with this girl, nearly pushing her to the brink of losing her composure.
With anyone else, she would have lost her temper immediately, but facing Rola, she couldn't bring herself to be harsh.
Rola resembled him so much—the same fiery passion, the same unwavering dedication to the Eternal Protection of Mondstadt, the same blind faith in that damned deity!
Putting hope in that wretched rat was worse than relying on the Fatui!
"Sister Rosalyne, what are you doing here?"
"Waiting for someone."
"Waiting for someone? Who?"
"Why should I tell you?"
"Well, alright. Actually, I'm looking for someone too."
"I didn't ask you."
"I'm looking for the Traveler and Paimon. Have you seen them?"
"No."
"If you do see them, could you tell them I'm looking for them? Tell them to meet my brother at the Angel's Share Tavern..."
"..."
"And also—"
"Shut up!"
"Oh~"
Crack, crack—
Rosalyne's interest in the scenery vanished instantly, and several lines of frustration appeared on her forehead.
Raising her voice, Rosalyne snapped, "What are you doing?!"
Rola had just taken a bite of a potato pancake and was only halfway through chewing when the sudden shout startled her. She blinked, still a bit dazed.
Crunch-crunch
Under Rosalyne's icy glare, Rola felt a twinge of guilt and hastily offered the potato pancake from the lotus leaf beside her:
"I just got this from Sara. It's still warm and crispy!"
Knowing Rosalyne's personality, Rola was certain she would refuse...
Huh? Wait, what?
Rosalyne snatched the entire portion, turned on her heel, and strode away, leaving Rola staring in stunned silence.
"My guest has arrived. Enjoy yourself."
A barely perceptible curve tugged at the corner of Rosalyne's lips as she recalled Rola's dumbfounded expression.
Rola popped the remaining half of the potato pancake into her mouth, watched Rosalyne's retreating figure, wiped her hands on her clothes, and rubbed her chubby cheeks.
Her guest has arrived?
Rola stealthily followed a few steps, and glimpsed a—an Electro Cicin Mage?!
For a rare moment, Rola's little brain finally clicked into gear, instantly connecting the scene to the Genshin Impact storyline.
Aha! If I go to the Tavern to find my big brother, I might be able to tag along with the plot again!