(T/N: I was sick for a bit and 'dying' in my bed, but I feel better now, so I'm back now.)
Though it had experienced a few twists and turns, the banquet proceeded fairly smoothly. Razor's potato cakes received high praise from everyone. Besides the wolf-paw-shaped ones, Razor had specially made a Dodoco-shaped potato cake for Klee.
As for Lisa's Magic Meat Sauce Noodles—for some reason, while they smelled wonderful, they tasted sour and astringent, as if unripe raspberry juice had been added. Even Paimon couldn't stomach a second bite. Faced with a large basin of strange-tasting noodles that nobody wanted, it was Razor who gritted his teeth and ate them all.
During this time, Venti had also quietly slipped upstairs. While nobody was paying attention, he drank up all the fine wine Diluc had gifted to the guests. This nearly drove Eula, unaware of Venti's identity, crazy. She'd finally gotten a chance to indulge in some good wine today, and in one careless moment, it was all gone??
Seeing the bottles empty, Venti left an "Ehe" and jumped back downstairs. Furious, Eula grabbed her Sacrificial Greatsword and wanted to duel him. If Jean hadn't desperately held her back, Venti might have been chased all over Mondstadt today.
In the end, Diluc had to send up several new bottles of fine wine to calm Eula down. At the same time, he silently calculated how much Mora those bottles Venti had drunk were worth.
After some calculations, Diluc told Charles to buy some wood tomorrow and build a stage inside Angel's Share. The tavern might soon have a permanent resident bard. Thinking about it, he probably wasn't losing out.
Just as everyone was about to leave after eating and drinking well, Lisa 'sincerely' invited Yae Miko to visit her library, claiming she had a wallet that glowed in the dark to give her. Yae Miko happily accepted, curious about how Lisa might try to deal with her.
That witch Alice had managed to get her drunk back in the day only because her alcohol tolerance hadn't been developed yet. Now a mere junior wanted to trick her, Yae Miko? How naive.
(A/N: In the event, 'Teyvat Travel Guide—Inazuma Chapter' can be purchased on Ritou. Auntie Alice never disappoints—she not only got Yae Miko drunk but also got caught setting off fireworks with Yoimiya, injured one of Kujou Sara's wings with an explosion, and even secretly modified the Mikage Furnace.)
What happened next, Su Bai didn't witness personally. But according to the knights stationed outside, the library that night was filled with Electro energy so intense it passed through the insulating wooden door, electrocuting the knights standing guard outside.
Later, according to a certain one-eyed cavalry captain who wished to remain anonymous, Librarian Lisa had to support herself against the wall to get home that night, and her legs were still trembling slightly when they met the next day. But that's a story for later. Right now, Su Bai needed to figure out how to face the Fatui Harbinger before him—the one who had just slapped Barbatos—La Signora.
An old Liyue saying goes: "Arriving early is not as good as arriving at the right time." Today, with nothing better to do, Su Bai had a sudden impulse to visit the Cathedral and check on Bennett's injuries.
He had barely reached the Cathedral entrance when he witnessed La Signora striking Barbatos—even slapping him. The insult was off the charts. Su Bai was dumbfounded. 'Holy—am I seeing things? I must have drunk too much last night and not slept well.'
Su Bai rubbed his eyes. 'Huh? Signora was taking Venti's Gnosis??? Since when did Fatui Harbingers have this kind of power? Just how much was Venti holding back? And was that Paimon frozen in that block of ice beside him? That terrified expression—truly Paimon the Coward.'
"Su Bai, perfect timing! Signora took Venti's Gnosis! Stop her!"
Lumine was pinned in place by two Fatui Agents. Su Bai glanced at them, then sent wind blades formed from Anemo energy flying toward them.
The Agents, unwilling to risk their lives, released Lumine and vanished. Lumine seized the opportunity to catch her breath, picked up her dropped Dull Blade, and glared at Signora.
Signora glanced sideways at Lumine with a disdainful smile. She held Venti's Gnosis up to the sunlight, examining it closely. Her face showed slight disappointment and disgust.
"And here I thought Gnoses would be exquisitely crafted. Now it seems they can't compare to the chess pieces in my collection. How disappointing."
"Heh. That just means your taste is poor."
A trace of mockery flickered across Venti's face. His words successfully provoked Signora, who kicked him, sending him tumbling several times across the ground.
While rolling, he didn't forget to wink at Su Bai. Su Bai gave a subtle nod, indicating he understood. So Barbatos was putting on an act. He wondered what the plan was.
"Venti! You bastard—I'll fight you!"
Before Su Bai could explain, the single-minded Lumine charged forward with her Dull Blade. Venti was her friend—she had to get his Gnosis back.
Watching Lumine get knocked out by a single chop from Signora, Su Bai rubbed his forehead. Lumine really needed to change that personality, or she'd suffer for it eventually.
"Now only you remain, adeptus from Liyue. Well? Care to try seizing this Gnosis from me?"
Under her huge umbrella, Signora idly toyed with the Anemo-infused Gnosis. Ugly as it was, that didn't diminish her curiosity about it.
It was just a chess piece containing Anemo energy, after all. She couldn't understand why Her Majesty the Tsaritsa expended so much time and effort collecting these things.
The Cicin Mage holding the umbrella behind Signora wore a pained expression, silently begging Su Bai with her eyes. 'Please, mister, say something! Whether you fight her or back down, just let me rest a moment—I really can't hold this huge umbrella much longer!'
She had no idea where the usual Agent who held Signora's umbrella had gone. This enormous umbrella was too much for her slender frame to support for long.
But she dared not lower it. The last umbrella holder had accidentally tilted it, letting sunlight touch Signora. That poor soul was immediately frozen solid.
Facing the Cicin Mage's pleading eyes, Su Bai was initially confused. His mind told him he didn't know this Cicin Mage—they all dressed alike. Even if they'd crossed paths before, he wouldn't recognize her. And for some reason, he always felt these green-haired Cicin Mages bore a striking resemblance to Sucrose.