"That stupid Abyss Mage—everyone from the Abyss is a bad guy! I'm cursing him with circles!" After the Abyss Mage dragged Lumine away, Paimon furiously began drawing circles on the ground.
"Exactly, that Number 3 is just too much. Even if, Paimon, you can't beat a wild boar and only have about one-fifth of its strength, he still shouldn't have said it out loud! I'll scold him later!" Chen Luo crouched beside her and patted her tiny shoulder comfortingly.
"Manager, you're awful too! How could I only have one-fifth of a wild boar's strength?!" Paimon stomped her feet in outrage.
"Alright, alright, don't be mad. How about I make you a sundae bigger than you in a little while? I promise you'll be stuffed."
"Yay!" Paimon brightened instantly.
Ding! You have a new commission!
Paimon was really too easy to appease—no, her thoughts were simply too easy to read.
"Ah… what am I supposed to do about this…"
Hearing that tone, Chen Luo immediately knew more work was coming.
He looked over and saw Jean holding the Holy Lyre der Himmel, her expression deeply troubled.
Earlier, when Chen Luo realized the Holy Lyre might be damaged, he had been busy weaving the Skyweb to confront Dvalin, and hadn't handled the matter himself.
So in the end, the Holy Lyre was smashed to pieces by the current Number 3.
Chen Luo honestly hadn't expected Venti to slack off completely—he didn't even try to protect the Holy Lyre.
Now that Dvalin was freed and friendly again, Venti was as relaxed as ever, but Jean had a massive headache.
Jean knew the weight the Holy Lyre carried.
It was Mondstadt's sacred relic, revered by the Favonius Cathedral, an artifact with divine significance and priceless cultural heritage.
And now it sat in ruins—not from the battle with Stormterror, but from a single blow by an Abyss Mage.
But what troubled Jean most was her younger sister, who idolized Lord Barbatos to an extreme.
Jean knew that for the past two days, when the Holy Lyre had been stolen, Barbara had been the one tirelessly searching for it.
She had even been dubbed the "Holy Lyre Retrieval Specialist."
After Jean saw the Lyre safe and intact in Chen Luo's hands, she had secretly informed the Cathedral's representative—Barbara—that it had been recovered.
Never did she expect that barely a day later, the Holy Lyre would meet its tragic end.
Now Jean didn't know how to face her dear sister.
Jean and Barbara were sisters by blood, but as children they had gradually drifted apart after their parents divorced.
Jean followed their mother, took the path of the Knights, and eventually became Acting Grand Master.
Barbara followed their father, joined the Church, and became Mondstadt's beloved Deaconess.
Jean had always wanted to get closer to her sister, but Barbara avoided her gaze, and Jean never found the right chance to speak her heart.
Coincidentally, Barbara felt exactly the same way.
And now Jean was completely distressed about how to face Barbara—how to explain the destroyed Holy Lyre.
She knew Barbara would blame herself immediately.
Because on the very day the Fatui stormed the Cathedral and stole the Lyre, Barbara had left earlier than usual—only because she had wanted to drag Rosaria to choir practice.
If she discovered the Lyre was destroyed now, she would undoubtedly take all the blame onto herself.
"Young maiden, I sense your anguish. Do you require assistance?" Chen Luo suddenly popped up behind Jean, watching her stare at the shattered Lyre.
"Hm? Oh—Mr. Chen Luo? What is it? Did you say something?" Jean, so focused on the Lyre, hadn't heard him at all.
"Besides running a bar, I also handle commissions. When pure maidens face difficulties, and their wishes become strong enough, I naturally appear to ease their worries," Chen Luo said proudly.
"…Ah." Seeing him like this, Eula—standing nearby—could basically guess what was going on.
Even though Venti was usually the one who got fleeced the most at the bar—because he drank the most—Eula wasn't nearly as addicted to drinking. But she got along well with Venti.
Mainly because they were both from Mondstadt, and because Venti had been something of a guide for her.
Of course, Eula had no idea Venti was actually Barbatos; otherwise she wouldn't have so casually ordered Anemo Archon Wine in front of him.
Now she wasn't sure she could even look at Anemo Archon Wine properly.
Because of that, Venti often complained, giving Eula tips on how to slack off more comfortably when getting fleeced.
A pity she never had a chance to use them.
Still, Eula could more or less tell what Chen Luo was trying to do.
"Pure maiden? Does that include me?" Lisa suddenly chimed in.
She clearly still held a grudge over Chen Luo calling her "Aunt Lisa" earlier.
"Of course it includes you! Why wouldn't it? Sister Lisa is young and beautiful—of course it counts," Chen Luo said quickly, patting his chest.
"Is it only maidens?" Diluc asked with a frown, glancing at Lisa.
At her age… could she really be considered a maiden?
"Master Diluc, don't be so literal. It's artistic exaggeration. Basically, if a good person's wish becomes strong enough and they need help—if it doesn't violate my principles—I'll assist," Chen Luo waved dismissively.
"Then what are your principles?" Eula asked, clearly curious.
"My principle is that I have no principles. It depends on my mood."
"…"
"Can you really grant any wish?" Lisa asked, intrigued.
"Of course not. I only attempt the ones within my ability. And if it's something truly impossible for me, I won't respond, or I'll refuse outright. Professional integrity matters," Chen Luo said.
If he couldn't actually accomplish something, he wouldn't accept the commission.
The reason he accepted the "Resurrect Kallen" request was because he did, indeed, have a method.
The most primitive method would be tossing Otto into that world and having him wait 50,000 years.
Since Chen Luo could travel to the past, saving one person shouldn't be all that difficult.
"Then what if I wanted to save the world?" Lisa asked.
"…Sorry, no. Because you aren't truly sincere in wishing for those things. I only grant wishes that are genuinely prayed for."
In other words—no Primogems, no service.
"I see…" Aunt Lisa stood there, sinking into thought.
"Ahem. Alright, let's stop digressing." Jean lifted the broken Holy Lyre slightly. "Chen Luo, can you repair the Holy Lyre?"
Jean didn't care whether Chen Luo could save the world. What mattered now was whether he could save her—and the Lyre.
"Repairing objects isn't exactly my specialty," Chen Luo admitted, "but I can guarantee that the Lyre delivered back to the Favonius Cathedral will be a fully intact, authentic Holy Lyre."
"That's wonderful!"
Ding! You have a new commission!
[Jean's Emergency Plea]
Objective: Restore the Holy Lyre to its complete form and safely return it to its storage location in the Favonius Cathedral.
Reward: 100 Primogems
Difficulty: 2-Star
"Then please begin the repairs," Jean said, handing the Lyre toward him.
"No rush." Chen Luo stepped back, refusing to take it. "I need to borrow the abundant faith energy inside the Statue of the Seven at the Cathedral. I can't repair it here. Keep it with you for now."
"Oh… I see." Jean nodded, not fully understanding but accepting his words.
"Faith can be used for something like that?" Lisa eyed Chen Luo suspiciously.
The fundamental name for the Seven was the Seven Archons, each governing one-seventh of the mortal realm—responsibility and power that belonged to gods like Venti.
Fulfilling their divine duties allowed them to accumulate divine energy.
Lisa suspected that the "faith power" Chen Luo mentioned was simply divine power by another name. Different worlds, different terminology.
But… could Chen Luo actually use divine power too?
Lisa wasn't sure. Matters of the gods were far above what humans usually touched. Even knowing as much as she did already placed her far beyond ordinary scholars.
…
"Are you two done talking? Or should we head back first and give you time to continue chatting?"
With a new commission in hand—and in a rather good mood—Chen Luo saw that everyone else was too hesitant to approach the two in conversation, so he stepped forward himself.
Most people present were citizens of Mondstadt. Their reverence for Lord Barbatos kept them from interrupting.
The Herrscher of Sentience, however, wasn't from Mondstadt at all. She had zero awe for Barbatos—and, more importantly, she didn't know Dvalin and wasn't acquainted with him.
Thus, only Chen Luo—who neither revered Barbatos nor cared much about Stormterror—was suitable to step in.
"Hm? Oh—no need, we're done talking." Venti looked over as Chen Luo approached. "If we need to continue our discussion, we can go to Stormterror's Lair later. No need to delay everyone here."
"And! Good news!" Venti added proudly. "To thank you, Dvalin has agreed to fly us straight to Windrise. How about it? Excited? It's not every day you get to ride a dragon!"
Thank me. If it weren't for me, none of you would be getting this opportunity.
"Riding a dragon… that does sound tempting," Chen Luo rubbed his chin.
Riding on a dragon's back wasn't new—he'd just been clinging to Dvalin earlier, trimming feathers and scales.
But riding a dragon in flight? That he hadn't done yet.
"Venti, come here for a moment." Chen Luo beckoned with a crooked finger.
"What is it?" Venti blinked at him.
"Come closer. It's time to fulfill that promise you made when you lost the bet."
"…You still remember that?" Venti trudged forward with a mournful expression.
To be honest, Venti felt Chen Luo had set him up from the start. But still—no ordinary mortal could eat those chocolate bars.
And he was the one who'd insisted on trying one.
Everyone watched as Chen Luo and Venti walked off toward a distant cliff and began whispering suspiciously.
"Huh? Why do you want that?"
"I just want to touch it. Play with it a bit. I'll give it back."
"You can't just play with something like this!"
"Oh please. What are you afraid of? I'll return it. My bar is a huge operation—why would I covet something that small?"
"'Small'? But… forget it. Just don't lose it," Venti said seriously.
"Do I look like the type to lose things? I'm surprised you haven't lost it after all these years," Chen Luo shot back.
"Huh?! I may let drinking ruin my plans sometimes, but I'm not careless enough to lose this! You're slandering me! Do you still want to see it or not?"
"Alright, alright, my fault. Sorry."
…
"What were you two whispering about over there?" The Herrscher of Sentience looked at them suspiciously.
"Nothing. Absolutely nothing. Come on—dragon ride time. The great Dvalin is giving us a lift as gratitude."
That successfully derailed the Herrscher of Sentience's suspicion. She was always fascinated by strange and exciting things.
Riding a dragon was no exception.
Especially a dragon from another world.
"Hey—whatever you do, don't lose that thing! Give it back later!" Venti scurried after Chen Luo, sounding like a wronged wife. His face was a mix of grievance and stubborn hope.
"Do I seem like the type who breaks promises? Relax. I'll return it soon. What would I even want your thing for?" Chen Luo gave him a disdainful look.
"..."
The Herrscher of Sentience suddenly found herself very, very curious about what those two had discussed.
…
"Wooooo-hooo!"
But children's attention spans truly were short.
The Herrscher of Sentience now stood atop the dragon's back, completely forgetting the earlier mystery.
"A'Luo! A'Luo! Come here, hurry!" She waved at Chen Luo excitedly.
"What is it?"
"TITANIC! Titanic! Get it?" She shouted joyfully, arms spread wide as she embraced the rushing wind.
She was now standing on Dvalin's head. Dvalin complained at first, but after nearly crashing when she stepped in the wrong spot, he shut up completely.
"…You really know how to enjoy yourself." Watching her enthusiasm, Chen Luo glanced at the others, then stood up and walked forward against the wind.
In a way, a dragon riding the sky wasn't so different from a ship cutting through the waves.