Not long after Kaeya left, Lin Yide quietly sat down at the counter, continuing to delve into the book "The Pale Princess and the Six Pygmies."
Regarding the secret hidden within the book, he had already formed an extremely bold guess in his mind.
However, this guess still required further verification and refinement.
Perhaps, upon meeting "Twilight Sword" Dainsleif, he would be able to unravel all the mysteries and obtain the complete answer.
Lin Yide was particularly focused on this novel, not only because it recorded past history, but also because it foreshadowed a very terrifying future.
Just then, a ripple appeared in space, and Columbina suddenly appeared before him.
"Yide, I... I have something I need your help with," she said somewhat timidly.
Lin Yide looked puzzled. "What do you need me to do?"
Immediately after, Columbina took out a thick stack of shopping lists from her hand and gently placed them on the counter in front of Lin Yide.
Lin Yide took the lists, glanced through them quickly, and was surprised to find that they were all shopping records from the "Furina Official Merchandise Store," listing expensive limited-edition Furina figures.
"Columbina, is it really necessary to buy so many?" Lin Yide found her behavior difficult to understand.
Although in his previous life he was also a fervent fan of Furina, apart from continuously topping up several Welkin Moons during gacha pulls and forcefully obtaining the Furina character, he had not made any further extra purchases for her.
"Of course it's necessary." Columbina nodded without hesitation. "They are all my angels. Only by bringing them home will I feel at ease."
Although Lin Yide didn't understand, he respected it.
If it weren't for "leeks" like her, the Furina Foundation would not have been able to quickly rise to become the wealthiest consortium on the continent of Teyvat within just a few years.
"What do you mean by giving me these lists now?" he asked, picking up the bills.
Columbina said with a resentful tone, "The Mora I used to buy these figures was originally the funds for the Fatui's operation this time.
I originally planned to use it sparingly, but the merchandise store launched a blind box gacha event.
My luck is terrible; I always had to pull until the very end to get those exquisite limited-edition figures.
As a result, not only did I spend all my previous savings, but even the funds for this operation are completely gone."
Lin Yide actually really wanted to tell her that it wasn't because her luck was bad, but because the mechanism was designed that way.
He thought for a moment and said, "Columbina, I remember the figures you collected are quite valuable, right?
You could actually consider selling some, wouldn't that solve the funding problem?"
Columbina rejected his suggestion without hesitation. "No way."
He said with a troubled expression, "Columbina, I'm not exactly flush with Mora myself right now, I'm afraid I can't be much help."
Columbina quickly waved her hand. "Yide, you've misunderstood. I didn't come to borrow Mora from you. I just want to ask you to help me create some bills that can be reimbursed."
Just as Lin Yide was about to agree, he suddenly had a new idea. He looked Columbina up and down and slowly said, "I can help you arrange some fake reimbursement bills, but you have to help me act out a scene."
Columbina had a bewildered look. "Act out a scene?"
Lin Yide smiled slightly, a hint of cunning flashing in his eyes. "Act out a simple but passionate action scene."
…
Under the gentle morning sun, Aether and Paimon, carrying a bit of fatigue, returned to the Deyi Coffee Shop.
"Boss Deyi, we're back." Aether carefully handed the gleaming Holy Lyre der Himmel in his hand to Lin Yide, who was waiting at the counter. "This is the Holy Lyre der Himmel."
Lin Yide took the legendary instrument, only gave it a casual glance, and gently placed it on the counter.
A gentle smile appeared on his face, and he said to Aether and Paimon, "You've really worked hard.
You two sit down for a bit, I'll go make you two cups of coffee. Regarding your sister's matter, we can talk while we drink."
Aether listened, looking gratefully at Lin Yide, and sincerely said, "Thank you, Boss Deyi."
Before long, Lin Yide came over carrying two cups of steaming hot coffee.
The coffee's aroma was rich and inviting, instantly filling the entire coffee shop, dispelling all fatigue and sorrow.
Aether picked up the coffee and took a gentle sip.
The warm liquid glided over his tongue, the mellow flavor spread through his mouth, permeating every cell of his being.
He closed his eyes, enjoying this rare moment of tranquility and comfort.
Paimon, meanwhile, couldn't wait to gulp down her coffee, a look of satisfaction on her face. She couldn't help but exclaim loudly, "Wow! This coffee is amazing!"
Afterwards, Lin Yide turned to Aether, his tone turning serious. "Aether, I did indeed have some interaction with your sister before."
Aether's eyes immediately lit up, he eagerly grasped Lin Yide's hand, his voice filled with unconcealable excitement. "Boss Deyi, where is my sister now? How is she doing?"
Lin Yide was a bit unaccustomed to having his hand grabbed like this by a man, he slightly furrowed his brow, but still patiently said, "I don't know where she is now.
She is currently carrying out a plan, and she's probably not doing well; after all, she has always been alone."
Aether's mood fluctuated like a rollercoaster; on one hand, he felt relieved to learn his sister was still alive and safe, while on the other, he felt lost due to not knowing when they could reunite.
Lin Yide continued, "However, don't worry too much. She entrusted me to tell you one sentence: 'We will eventually meet at the end of the journey'."
After Aether heard this, the waves in his heart gradually calmed. It was then he realized he had been tightly holding Lin Yide's hand; he quickly let go and said apologetically, "I'm sorry, I lost my composure just now."
Lin Yide said gently, "It's alright, just need to wash my hands a bit more."
Aether: "..."
…
After Aether and Paimon finished their coffee and rested and adjusted themselves, they walked out of the city together with Lin Yide.
In a quiet and open area outside the city, they stopped.
Lin Yide took out the Lyre, lightly plucked with his fingertips, and a melodious tune immediately flowed through the air.
As the music flowed, a mischievous whim suddenly arose in his heart.
He smiled slightly and began to hum a song he really liked from his previous life: "Fluffing cotton oh~, fluffing cotton now~, half a jin of cotton~ fluffed into eight liang and eight oh~, old cotton fluffed into new cotton oh....."
The melody of this song was simple and lively, and the lyrics were easy to understand.
Aether and Paimon were unknowingly attracted by this cheerful melody, and couldn't help but hum along with it.
Not long after, a handsome young man wearing a green cape, accompanied by the clear breeze, slowly descended.
This scene left Aether and Paimon astonished, however, immediately after, their expressions turned extremely strange.
The young man was clearly in a drunken state, occasionally letting out hiccups, and even from quite a distance, one could clearly smell the strong scent of alcohol emanating from him.
They looked at Lin Yide in confusion, wondering in their hearts: Had something gone wrong during the summoning process?
Lin Yide's expression was grim; he just wanted to properly give Venti, this drunkard, a few cups of sobering tea so he could properly sober up.
"This guy is the Anemo Archon, Barbatos!"