Stanley's affair was nothing more than a brief interlude.
When Lumine returned to Angel's Share, both Venti and Lora were already completely drunk. No matter how she questioned them, the two of them only clung to each other, sobbing uncontrollably.
Between their tears, they mumbled about work being too exhausting, bosses being inhuman, overtime going unpaid—and how the job might even be life-threatening.
"Lumine… why do I feel like Lora and Venti are kind of… kind of…" Paimon stared at the pair hugging each other, foreheads knocking together as they cried. Her brow furrowed so tightly it could've crushed a mosquito, yet she still couldn't find the right word.
"Forget finding a word—just separate them first!" Lumine said, her face darkening. "Standing here crying like this isn't solving anything!"
She grabbed Lora by the arms and forcibly pulled her away from Venti.
"No! Venti—don't!" Lora's face was flushed red as she stretched out her hand, fingers splayed, desperately trying to grab Venti's.
"Lora! My soulmate! Don't split us apart!" Venti cried out just as dramatically, reaching back for her.
"By the Heavenly Principles—you're not human!" Paimon exclaimed, rushing over to restrain Venti.
"I'm honestly really curious what on earth those two were doing earlier," Paimon panted, dragging Venti along while watching Lumine carry Lora out of Angel's Share. "How did their relationship suddenly get this close?!"
Lumine sighed helplessly as she carried Lora. "I'm curious too, but now's not the time. Let's get them back to rest first. If we want answers, we'll have to wait until they sober up tomorrow."
"Mm-hmm, you're right!" Paimon nodded, continuing to drag Venti along behind her.
After finally settling the two drunkards, Lumine collapsed onto the bed in exhaustion. She let out a long sigh and rubbed her aching hands. After such a tiring day, she quickly fell asleep, with Paimon curled up beside her, snoring softly.
Lora woke early the next morning.
She didn't have a hangover headache—if anything, she could have avoided getting drunk altogether if she'd wanted to. It was just that last night, she and Venti had gotten carried away and completely forgotten about that detail.
Sitting at the edge of the bed, Lora recalled fragments of what had happened after she and Venti got drunk.
"..."
Forget it. Better not think about it.
She was genuinely worried she might lose control and silence every witness if she kept going.
After tidying herself up, Lora stepped out of her room—only to see Venti exiting the room opposite at the same time. He brightened when he spotted her and waved cheerfully.
"Yo-ho! Morning, Lora! What a coincidence—running into each other like this."
"It is a coincidence," she replied, gesturing outside. "Breakfast?"
"Sure! I haven't had breakfast yet!" Venti's eyes lit up instantly.
"…Do you mean today," Lora frowned, "or since you woke up this time?"
Venti laughed awkwardly.
That reaction told her everything. Ever since waking up, he clearly hadn't had a single proper meal—no Mora. Considering he was the type who would give away all his savings for wine, going hungry was hardly surprising.
Not that Lora was much better—her meals usually came with the instruction 'send the bill to the Knights of Favonius'.
After finishing breakfast at Good Hunter, the two casually told Sara to send the bill to the Knights, then left together.
They strolled through Mondstadt side by side.
Walking beside her, Venti asked, "So, when are you planning to look for the old man? The Rite of Descension is the fastest way to see him—though for us, finding another Archon isn't exactly difficult."
"You sound like you want me to leave as soon as possible," Lora glanced at him.
Venti waved his hand. "Not at all. It's just that the Tsaritsa has already started collecting Gnosis. After failing with me, her next target will definitely be the old man. With his strength, a direct grab is impossible—but if she forms a contract with him, you won't be able to get his Gnosis."
As the God of Contracts, Zhongli never broke an agreement—not even if Lora approached him as Egeria.
"You're right," Lora frowned. "I'm worried the Tsaritsa and Morax may have already finalized a contract. So I think I need a Plan B."
"Plan B?" Venti looked at her curiously. "What is it?"
"Steal," Lora said simply.
Venti instinctively reached out to check her forehead. "You're not running a fever, are you? Stealing from the old man? Even you can't pull that off."
Though Lora and Zhongli both ranked among the most ancient gods, in Venti's eyes, she didn't quite match him in raw combat. The old man carried the title of Martial God—ever since descending upon Teyvat, the opponents he faced had all been fearsome figures.
"Who said anything about stealing from Zhongli?" Lora scoffed. "I'm not stupid. I mean after Zhongli hands the Gnosis over to the people of Snezhnaya, I'll—well—borrow it from them."
She smiled innocently.
"…Even so," Venti sighed, "the old man treats contracts with extreme seriousness. You'd better hope the contract he makes with the Tsaritsa leaves room for you to act as the mantis stalking the cicada."
"It's no big deal," Lora said breezily. "Missing one Geo Gnosis won't change much. My plan doesn't require collecting them all anyway."
"…I just wonder," Venti said softly, looking up at the sun and shading his eyes, "whether we'll ever have a chance to gather like we did back then."
Lora followed his gaze upward.
"We will," she said.
…
The Zapolyarny Palace.
Within the grand palace built of snow-white crystal, the Cryo Archon—Tsaritsa of Snezhnaya, ruler among the Seven—sat upon her throne, gazing down at the Harbingers assembled below.
"La Signora," Rosalyne bowed deeply. "My apologies, Your Majesty. I failed to retrieve the Anemo Archon's Gnosis. An unfamiliar god interfered with my mission."
"An unfamiliar god?"
The Cryo Archon's voice was as cold as eternal ice, sending a chill through all who heard it.
"Yes." Rosalyne nodded and described Lora's appearance.
After listening, the Cryo Archon fell into thought.
"A young female deity… wielding the power of Hydro…"