When Stelle returned to the gates of Mondstadt, she noticed that the weather seemed to have improved significantly today; the sky was no longer overcast.
Although she wasn't sure of the exact reason, Stelle's mood improved because of it, and with the completed mission bringing a Reward, plus the meager income from selling the dropped materials, Stelle might not have to worry about what to eat for a while.
So, with money in hand, she walked straight to the Cat's Tail Tavern.
"Diona, long time no see!" Stelle pushed the door open, this time appearing quite confident.
Having money really made a difference.
"Meow?!" Diona, who was dozing on the tavern counter, immediately sprang up.
"You, you, why are you shouting so loud, trying to scare me to death?!" Diona said indignantly, "Besides, we just saw each other yesterday, didn't we?"
"Sorry, sorry… Um, I'm here to pay you back." Stelle smiled awkwardly.
"I told you you don't have to pay me back, no, take it away!" Diona didn't appreciate it at all, huffing lightly before turning her head away.
Stelle walked to the counter and sat down. She knew Diona probably wouldn't accept it, so she didn't insist; she had other methods.
"Then, now that I have money, can I have another non-alcoholic drink?" Stelle reached out and stroked Diona's small head.
The feel was unexpectedly good, especially those little cat ears… "Purr…" Diona's eyes narrowed, and a suspicious sound came from her throat, but she quickly reacted, swatting Stelle's hand away.
"You, you… you wait." Diona's cheeks were red, and she stammered for a long time at Stelle before finally dropping that one sentence and going to mix Stelle's drink.
"Okay~" Stelle watched Diona's actions with a smile.
Although she felt her constitution was a bit dangerous, it was nice to easily gain the trust and affection of a little cat girl like this.
Perhaps she should look on the bright side; people in this world should be relatively simple-minded, like Amber, who, even when affected by her, only blushed and fainted in the end.
Rosaria, on the other hand, seemed completely unaffected.
So she didn't need to worry about being taken advantage of; as long as she didn't actively provoke anyone, there shouldn't be any problems.
Perhaps she could even use her constitution to gain some convenience… "Here, for you." Diona placed a drink on the counter and pushed it towards Stelle.
"Thank you."
This glass was quite a bit more than the last one.
"Speaking of which, there aren't many people in the tavern today." Stelle turned her head to look inside the tavern.
To say there weren't many people wasn't even accurate; there was no one at all.
"Everyone has gone home by now, but there really are very few people today." Diona nodded, a hint of worry on her face.
She wanted to destroy Mondstadt's wine industry, but at the same time, she didn't want to see the owner, Margaret's, business suffer.
It was contradictory, but the innocent Diona hadn't thought that far.
"I wonder when the Dragon Disaster will end." Diona's ears drooped, a look of dejection on her face.
It wasn't just the tavern; the Dragon Disaster had a comprehensive impact on Mondstadt, and her hometown, Springvale, was no different.
During this time, her father had been drinking more and more because of the Dragon Disaster.
"The Dragon Disaster won't last too long." Seeing Diona in a bad mood, Stelle couldn't help but reach out and stroke her little head again.
"The Knights of Favonius already have a plan, and my friend is helping too. I believe they will solve the problem very soon."
Stelle had great faith in Lumine's abilities, especially after seeing Lumine's strength when she chased away that giant dragon in the sky with just a Wind Glider.
She did want to help, but unfortunately, she currently had no means of long-range attack, and fighting in the sky wouldn't give her an advantage.
Moreover, she had to prioritize survival now. If Lumine encountered something she couldn't handle, she would go and help figure it out then.
By the way, this felt really good… ---
"The first thing she does after earning money is come to drink." Rosaria frowned; she had personally seen Stelle enter the Cat's Tail Tavern.
She had said she wanted to keep her distance, but… for some reason, on her way back to the city, Rosaria's mind was filled with Stelle's image.
She even repeatedly recalled every word Stelle had said to her, every movement, every expression while speaking.
The more she recalled, the more she wanted to see Stelle, to talk to her a few more times.
Her willpower was strong, but in the end, she still succumbed to her inner desires, deliberately hiding at the gates of Mondstadt, secretly waiting for Stelle's arrival.
Then, she saw Stelle turn in her mission, sell her spoils, and then go to the tavern.
She was slightly displeased by this; although it was the other person's freedom, that child didn't look like an adult at all.
After some hesitation, Rosaria also walked to the entrance of the Cat's Tail Tavern and pushed the door open.
As long as she didn't sit at the same table as Stelle, it should be fine.
Besides, in a place like a tavern, there were many people and prying eyes; as long as she wasn't alone with Stelle, her heart shouldn't be too stirred… "Meow?! W-welcome!" Diona, who was enjoying the petting, quickly jumped back a step, her tone of voice becoming a little off.
"A drink." Rosaria paid no attention to the startled Diona, glanced at Stelle, and found a random seat.
"Ah, yes, alright." Diona seemed very afraid of Rosaria; normally, she wouldn't have a particularly good attitude towards drinking customers, but with Rosaria, she was different.
Was it because of Rosaria's pale skin and intimidating aura?
"Hi, nice to see you again, Rosaria!" Seeing this, Stelle enthusiastically greeted Rosaria.
Rosaria didn't seem to be affected by her constitution, so she could communicate with her with ease.
"You're not old enough to drink." Rosaria glanced at Stelle, saying this while looking away again.
"I ordered a non-alcoholic drink… Besides, I don't like to drink." Stelle explained.
"Oh." Rosaria nodded, then fell silent.
Stelle tilted her head in confusion, thought for a moment, then walked over and sat down at Rosaria's table.
Rosaria's body stiffened instantly, but Stelle didn't notice.
"Let's chat. You left so quickly just now; I still had a lot to say to you."
"…"
Rosaria regretted it. She only knew that the Cat's Tail Tavern was usually busy.
But she hadn't remembered that it was during the Dragon Disaster, and it was also nearing evening, when the drunkards would go home early.
Now, in the entire tavern, besides Diona, there were only her and Stelle.
This was bad.