After the meal, they all headed to the Pet Tavern.
The new hires had trained yesterday and were already waiting.
Too many cats, though—still unruly, darting around the shop.
Xia Zhi and Qiqi calmed them down until the place was orderly again.
With everything set, Rosaria unlocked the doors.
The first customers inside were the Dragon King and his crew. Old friends, naturally here to show support.
Unfortunately, Venti was too afraid of cats to come.
Diona took the bar herself, mixing drinks for the Dragon King.
As he praised her, saying no bartender in Mondstadt could match her skill, Xia Zhen slipped over to talk business.
When she finished, the Dragon King frowned. "You want Inazuma's lands unified?"
Xia Zhen nodded. "Yeah. It's troublesome, but you can handle it, can't you?"
"Possible, sure. But is it necessary?"
"It is. Inazuma's problems run deep. This is the root. Fix it here, the rest will follow."
"The root? Isn't that an exaggeration? Fontaine's fragmented too."
"Fontaine has railways tying everything together. It's nothing like Inazuma."
"You've decided already?"
"Yes. If you'll help, I'll supply you rainbow wine."
"As much as I want?"
"As much as you want. Plus, my cousin's heading to Inazuma for a trip. If you're there, you can mooch meals again."
"Eh, mooching's whatever. But we're close enough—I can't turn down Mr. Xia's family."
"Good."
After leaving the tavern, the Dragon King walked on, pensive.
The two adepti, Moon Carver and Mountain Shaper, exchanged a look.
"You're going to Inazuma?" Moon Carver asked.
"Yeah. I already promised Baal I'd help with something over there."
"You'll go with Mr. Xia and her group?"
"Probably…" he said vaguely.
"Foolish!" Mountain Shaper cut in.
"Hm?" the Dragon King turned.
Moon Carver explained: "You're an outsider. Tagging along with Mr. Xia isn't appropriate."
The Dragon King paused. "…True. But going alone sounds boring. You two coming?"
"Well…"
"In Inazuma, we could mooch meals too."
"Mooching aside, if you're asking, of course we'll go."
"Good. Then we'll take a boat ourselves."
"Boats are too slow," Mountain Shaper objected.
"Then we'll have to use ley lines under the sea…" the Dragon King muttered.
Moon Carver suggested quietly, "Why not find a partner?"
"…?"
"For speed. You need wind."
At that, all three turned to Xiao.
He blinked, then shook his head. "Not going. I still have to guard Guili Plains. And across the sea, I can't carry all of you."
"Then not you… but Barbatos could. He's just too lazy. We'll need to figure something out…"
Back at the tavern, they found Venti already drinking. He raised his glass. "About time you finished!"
The Dragon King sat beside him. "Heard you pulled a stunt in the square this morning."
Venti smirked. "Word gets around, huh?"
"Everyone's talking about it."
"Eh, just stirring up momentum for the school. Gave Eula a little extra credibility too."
"You're really planning to blow a mountain into the lake?"
"Sure am."
"That's too much hassle. Let me help. I'll just raise an island in the lake—it'll look the same to mortals anyway."
"You'd really do that?"
"We're best friends, aren't we? Helping each other is what we do."
"You're right! Best friends!"
They clinked glasses.
"I'm heading to Inazuma soon," the Dragon King added. "Coming?"
"Inazuma?"
"Baal invited me. There's a big project."
"…Since when are you a contractor?"
"She promised rainbow wine. Unlimited."
"…Unlimited?" Venti's eyes widened.
"In that case, as your best friend, of course I'll go."
"Don't you have school duties?"
"That's Jean's problem. I'm just a humble music teacher. Besides, I'll call it research—learning Inazuman folk music to improve my classes. Perfectly reasonable, right?"
"Perfectly reasonable."
"I've heard their sake's something special."
"Inazuma's specialty. A must-try."
They clinked glasses again, smiling knowingly.
Some things didn't need to be said aloud.
----
On the very first day the Pet Tavern opened, business was booming.
After all, this was Mondstadt—if your tavern served good drinks, you'd never run short on customers. Add to that the most popular pastime of the moment—mahjong—plus the healing charm of adorable cats and a staff of young, pretty waitresses, and there was no way the place wouldn't thrive.
Xia Zhi sat inside, watching Rosaria handle things all day.
Seeing how quickly she'd adapted to being manager, he finally felt at ease.
As for whether she'd still moonlight as an executioner after work… that was her business. Someone with her background could hardly expect to live a peaceful life anyway.
Around three-thirty in the afternoon, Mondstadt was shaken by a small earthquake. Glasses trembled on the tables, and everyone felt the vibrations. Xia Zhi immediately sensed the source came from the north—Lake Cider. Most likely, Barbatos had revealed himself again.
Sure enough, not long after, new patrons streamed into the tavern buzzing with talk about a giant island that had suddenly appeared in the middle of the lake.
Charlotte's eyes lit up instantly. A scoop like this was front-page material. She waved goodbye to the others, grabbed her Kamera, and bolted out the door.
Of course, she didn't actually need to be on-site. Her modified Kamera could capture perfect shots from afar as long as she found the right angle. But as a seasoned reporter, she preferred rushing to the scene herself for interviews.
Jean got word of the island almost immediately.
According to the plan, she had the Knights of Favonius start posting notices across the city. In simple terms, Mondstadt was getting a school.
There was a knock at the door.
Albedo walked in. "Captain Jean, you wanted to see me?"
"Mr. Albedo, have you heard about the island at Lake Cider?"
"I have."
"The Knights will be recruiting workers to begin construction there. We'll be building the school on the island. Even though it's a blessing from Lord Barbatos, to prevent accidents, we'll need a few Geo Vision holders to oversee the site and reinforce the shoreline so the land doesn't collapse…"
"So you want me to go?"
She nodded. "The Knights are too short-staffed. You're the only dependable Geo Vision holder we can spare."
"I understand."
"There's also the matter of the beginner alchemy textbooks. I plan to move the Knights' Alchemy Workshop to the island. The quiet environment will be better suited to your research."
"Alright."
Albedo closed the door and left.
Jean rubbed her temples, suddenly thinking of Noelle. She, too, was a Geo Vision holder. If she hadn't taken over as the potion shop's manager, this kind of supervision work would have been perfect for someone as meticulous as her.
--
Eula was surprised when she heard about the island.
She hadn't expected Lord Barbatos to act so quickly. Standing on the lakeshore, she gazed at the dark speck in the distance, quietly marveling at the might of a god.
But as the future vice principal, she couldn't help but frown.
Wasn't the island a little too far?
Sure, distance from the city meant a quieter study environment, but commuting by boat would be troublesome—and unsafe, especially for students going to and from school. They couldn't all be boarding full-time.
She pulled out her phone and checked the group chat. To her surprise, photos of the island were already circulating—taken by Charlotte. Judging from the angle, she must have shot them from the air.
Looking up, Eula spotted several people gliding toward the island with wind gliders. Charlotte was probably among them. Fontaine reporters sure worked fast.
She lowered her head, scrolling again. Others in the chat were already voicing the same concern she had—that the island was too far, inconvenient for students. Eula was just about to hit [+1] when the ground trembled again.
Another earthquake.
Being closer to the source this time, the tremors nearly knocked her off balance. Her Anemo Vision at her waist glowed, and the wind lifted her off the ground, letting her float safely in midair.
No ground contact, no problem.
Eula raised her eyes back to the lake. The island was still there—but now a long stretch connected it to the shore. A naturally formed stone bridge.
Only divine power could conjure such a thing in an instant.
Her expression twisted into something complicated. Wait. People had just complained about the distance in the chat, and reality immediately changed to fix it?
Was Lord Barbatos… lurking in their group chat?