The three of them sat down at Good Hunter.
As soon as Sara brought the menu, Paimon lunged for it, rapidly pointing at the most expensive dishes.
Yi Chen smiled—then suddenly froze.
"Ah! Right!"
He slammed the table.
Lumine and Paimon jumped.
Yi Chen leaned forward, eyes shining.
"Lumine! Didn't you say you needed to find the Anemo Archon, Barbatos?"
"Anemo… Archon… Barbatos?"
Lumine repeated the name blankly.
Then she froze.
Her reason for coming to Mondstadt.
Clues about her brother.
Her purpose.
…She had forgotten. Completely.
Mining. Deliveries. Commissions. Mora.
She'd even nearly poisoned someone important!
Her shoulders slumped. Her ahoge wilted.
"…Right… I was supposed to find the Anemo Archon…"
Paimon floated over, panicking.
"R-right! Traveler! We really forgot! It's Mondstadt's fault! Too many commissions! Too much Mora!"
Yi Chen grinned proudly.
"Good thing I remembered!"
He lowered his voice.
"I asked Dvalin. Tomorrow morning, Windrise, under the big tree. He'll help contact that… lazy god."
He patted his chest confidently.
"Tomorrow we meet a god."
Hope reignited in Lumine's eyes.
"Yi Chen… thank you."
"Anytime!"
He pushed the biggest steak onto her plate.
"Eat up. Tomorrow's a big day."
The next morning, at Windrise—
They waited.
Nothing.
Paimon squinted.
"Yi Chen… are you sure Dvalin's coming?"
"…Probably?"
Then Paimon spotted someone sleeping in the grass.
"A guy! Could that be Barbatos?"
Yi Chen laughed.
"No way! That's Venti—just a wandering bard. Don't worry."
Lumine nodded.
Then—
The sky darkened.
Wind roared.
Dvalin descended.
His eyes locked onto the green bard.
Silence.
Then—
"BAR—BA—TOS—!!!"
"YOU'RE SLEEPING AGAIN!!!"
The shout shook the land.
Venti jolted awake.
"Eh? Thunder?"
Yi Chen. Lumine. Paimon.
Frozen.
Yi Chen slowly turned to the bard.
"…Huh???"