Dori walked into her mansion. Just like the lavish décor outside, the interior was extravagant, the sitting room practically oozing Mora.
At the table sat a refined young woman, leisurely sipping tea.
A purple Electro Vision hung from her neck like a pendant, resting gently against her chest.
"Miss Lisa."
"Boss Dori."
Lisa set down her teacup and smiled warmly at Dori as she entered.
"Long time no see."
"We just saw each other last year…"
"Well, for a woman, a year feels like a lifetime, doesn't it?"
"So, you rushed over to see me for those books?"
"Of course. You didn't forget to bring them, did you?"
"Of course not."
At that moment, the housekeeper and assistants carried the heavy crate into the sitting room, setting it down with a deep thud.
Then, very considerately, they all left.
Lisa stood, walked over to the crate, and lifted the lid.
Inside were thick stacks of books and notebooks.
She picked up one of the notebooks and flipped it open, her eyes tracing the familiar handwriting on each page.
Running her fingers over the pages, she spoke with a trace of sentimentality. "These are proof of my time at the Akademiya…"
Dori watched her. "For you, these notes are probably just souvenirs. What you really want are the latest academic texts, right?"
Lisa set the notebook down and picked up a book, smiling. "Naturally. Let's see what research direction the Akademiya is taking these days… Hm? Hive consciousness? Wow, they've veered that far? But it is pretty interesting…"
Seeing how engrossed she looked, Dori couldn't help but ask, "With a curiosity like yours, why did you leave the Akademiya in the first place? You were their once-in-two-hundred-years prodigy, weren't you?"
Lisa looked up. "You really want to know?"
Dori nodded. "I'm just curious. Someone as brilliant as you, choosing to be a librarian? For someone who craves knowledge, the Akademiya should be the perfect place. Why not consider going back?"
"Go back? It's not the same Akademiya anymore."
Lisa closed the book in her hands and gave Dori a meaningful look.
"The price of pursuing knowledge and wisdom… I can no longer afford it."
"Huh?"
"Anyway, since you brought me what I asked for, I'll give you what you wanted too."
Lisa didn't elaborate further. She stored the crate of books into her personal storage space, then took out a dozen bottles of potions in various colors and set them on the table.
"These are high-quality alchemical potions. Pleasure doing business."
Dori glanced at the potions and replied, "Pleasure doing business. Same deal next year?"
"Same as always. As long as you bring me the newest academic texts, I'll provide the finest potions."
"Deal."
"Goodbye then, Boss Dori."
"Goodbye, Miss Lisa."
With graceful steps, Lisa left the house.
Dori stood still, replaying Lisa's words in her mind, then thought of the strange intel she'd gathered over the years from other channels about the Akademiya. She muttered to herself,
"Looks like something big is brewing in the Akademiya."
—
Mondstadt had a designated area for gliding practice.
It was near the Favonius Cathedral, mainly because the terrain was higher there.
Since everyone had just gotten their Gliding Licenses that morning, they decided to go play in the afternoon.
When they arrived, they found it was basically just a tall platform you could jump off, letting the wind carry you anywhere in Mondstadt.
Xia Zhi circled the platform once and noticed that some of the bricks were old, while others looked freshly repaired—probably patched up not long ago.
Most likely, the platform had been damaged during last year's Dvalin incident when the enraged dragon attacked the city. The Knights must've repaired it afterward.
Xia Zhi touched the bricks and felt a faint ripple of Geo energy.
That made sense. The platform was so tall—it'd be a pain to haul building materials up here without a space device. Otherwise, you'd need a Geo Vision holder to help out.
Thinking for a moment, Xia Zhi channeled a trace of Geo power through his fingertips into the platform.
On the surface, nothing changed, but now it was fortified from within.
Unless it was struck by divine power of the same level, it wouldn't be damaged again.
Xia Zhi glanced at his system panel—his Luck had just ticked up a little.
Seems like the system had converted that good deed into luck points via [Auspiciousness]. Not bad.
That afternoon, everyone played with their Wind Gliders on the platform until nightfall.
The most enthusiastic was Charlotte. She spent the whole time in the sky taking photos with her Kamera.
In just a few hours, she'd already snapped hundreds—if not thousands—of pictures.
Good thing Ningguang covered her expenses. Otherwise, with her salary, she'd never afford to burn through film like this.
After gliding, they went to another restaurant Xiangling had recommended for dinner.
During the meal, they overheard the next table chatting about the "Darknight Hero" again.
And this time the rumor was fresh—someone claimed to have seen the Darknight Hero just last night.
Xia Zhi's curiosity about this urban legend piqued a little.
After dinner, they strolled by Cider Lake and saw lots of people fishing along the shore.
Zhu Zi went over to ask and learned that there'd be a fishing contest in a few days as part of the Windblume Festival.
"Young lady, are you interested in fishing?"
"Yes!"
"Then you should join the Mondstadt Fishing Association."
"The Fishing Association…"
"Not only can you get the latest info on fishing spots for free, but you can also exchange your catches for all kinds of goodies! We're relaxing the membership requirements during the festival. Normally, you'd have to pass a special exam to get in."
"An exam? You need a license to fish?"
"Not exactly—it's just an internal exam we organize ourselves."
"That strict, huh?"
"Of course! Every year, we select the best member to represent Mondstadt in inter-nation fishing competitions. Winning brings world-class glory! So, what do you say? Interested?"
"Um… thanks for the invite! I'll think about it!"
Zhu Zi ran back to tell the others about the fishing contest.
Xia Zhi thought for a moment. "I could join too. Even if I can't see the bobber, I can still feel the rod twitch."
"Boss, isn't that kinda cheating?"
"How is it cheating?"
"You just have to hum a tune and the fish will jump into your lap."
"I won't sing… Last time at the seaside, a fish snapped my rod in half. This time I'll need to make a sturdier one."
"Boss, should we buy rods from Mondstadt General Goods?"
"No need—I'll just make some with alchemy."
"I want one too!"
"Sure."
"Me too…"
"Don't worry, I'll make rods for everyone. When we go to Inazuma, we can fish together at sea."
"Yay!"
After the stroll, they wandered the streets a bit more before heading back .
By now, the front doors were closed to the public.
They entered through the side entrance, where Knights of Favonius guards stood watch. They also had Black Iron Progress Bars above their heads.
It seemed the nun had already spoken to them, because no one tried to stop the group—instead, the guards greeted them politely.
Inside the cathedral, many nuns were gathered for evening prayers.
But not all of them.
In the last pew, a pale-skinned young nun sat alone, quietly smoking from a long cigarette holder.
From his God's Eye, Xia Zhi glanced at her.
Above her head floated a silver progress bar.
But everything about her—her posture, her gaze, her entire aura—was nothing like a typical nun.
As Xia Zhi walked past her, her gaze drifted lazily toward him through the rising smoke. Her eyes didn't show much interest in his charm, but rather a strange, analytical look.
And she wasn't just eyeing him—her gaze fell equally on everyone else, as if judging something.
Only after everyone had passed did she retract her gaze, taking another drag from her cigarette and seeming lost in thought.
When she finished, she put away the cigarette holder and headed toward the cathedral entrance.
At the side door, she saw Captain Kaeya chatting and joking with the guards.
She slipped past them, but Kaeya's voice rang out behind her.
"Out for another execution, Rosaria?"
She replied casually, "What of it?"
"Nothing, just saying hi."
Kaeya smiled, then added offhandedly,
"Some guests from Liyue checked into the cathedral yesterday. Their background's a bit unusual, but they mean no harm to Mondstadt. No need to pay them too much attention."
Rosaria turned her head and glanced at him.
"I got it."
"Well then, I'm off to patrol elsewhere. See you."
"See you."
As Kaeya's figure disappeared around the corner, Rosaria's eyes flickered slightly. She murmured to herself,
"Guests from Liyue, huh…"
----
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