"Something more important than a Gnosis… there must be plenty of things, right?"
Lumine replied when Furina asked her a question.
"Like what?" Furina looked at her expectantly, hoping Lumine's answer would be different from the others.
"Family, friends, that sort of thing…" Lumine's answer was almost the same as Paimon's.
"Take me, for example, if I could trade a Gnosis to get my brother back, I'd do it in a heartbeat."
"Alright, alright. I'll keep an eye out for your brother. I don't really have any impression of him, but maybe that's a good thing, at least it means he didn't cause any trouble when he was in Fontaine… if he ever traveled there, that is."
"Seriously… is there nothing non-human you people can say?" Furina muttered to herself as she turned and walked away. She planned to keep asking others.
"Hey Lumine, if I ever got captured by bad guys and they asked you to trade a Gnosis for me, would you do it?" Paimon turned and asked the Traveler.
"I guess… probably?"
"Why'd you say it like a question?!" Behind Furina came the sound of Paimon in outrage.
...
The scene shifted to Venti. Furina found him sitting on a public bench in the plaza before the Cathedral of Favonius.
At the moment, Venti was holding what looked like a priceless bottle of apple cider like a precious treasure, and beside him sat two elegant goblets.
Seeing Furina approach, Venti cheerfully greeted her: "Good morning, Lady Furina! Care for a sip of cider?"
"No thanks." Furina glanced at him, one hand gripping the bottle, the other holding two goblets, and instantly lost the urge to ask him anything about what could be more important than a Gnosis.
Unreliable. He just looked unreliable.
"Why are you drinking on a park bench?" Furina asked, unable to help herself.
"Because the Cathedral of Favonius wouldn't let me drink inside!" Venti answered like it was the most obvious thing in the world.
Thanks to Richard, Venti had gotten his hands on some very fine apple cider for once. For a change, he didn't just want to chug straight from the bottle, he wanted to enjoy it properly, even bringing along goblets for a bit of fancy ceremony, to savor the atmosphere of a high-end wine tasting in the Cathedral.
Unfortunately, the cathedral's Sisters did not share this vision and had promptly thrown him out.
Venti still remembered how the Sister scolded him: "This is the Cathedral of Lord Barbatos! Drinking here is an insult to the Anemo Archon! If you want to drink, do it in a tavern or at home!"
Venti felt deeply wronged. Wasn't this his home?
Hearing Venti's complaint, Furina was left speechless. This was the first time she'd ever seen a god thrown out of their own church by their own followers, and yet, surprisingly, she completely understood the Sister's reaction and couldn't muster any sympathy for this unreliable Archon.
"So then, Lady Furina, what did you come to ask me about?"
Venti carefully set his beloved cider aside, his face showing, for once, the gentle, dignified expression of a true god.
In that moment, when he got serious, Venti really did resemble an Archon.
"I wanted to ask… to you, is there anything more important than a Gnosis?"
Venti didn't answer. Instead, he gave her a lovestruck smile, reached for his cider again, and hugged it like it was a lover.
He didn't say a word, and yet he'd said everything.
"Alright, never mind, say no more!"
Furina cut him off, exasperated, hand to her forehead. She shouldn't have expected anything useful from him.
"Haha, well, everyone has their own thoughts about a Gnosis," Venti laughed. "Some see it as hope, others discard it like trash. It's just like the stories bards tell, some people love them, others don't care at all. What matters is what Richard thinks."
"If I knew what he thought, would I even be this stressed out?!" Furina sighed. Then she froze, staring at Venti.
"When did I ever mention Richard?"
"Did I mention Richard just now?" Venti blinked innocently at her, feigning ignorance.
Furina: ...…
"I see… anyway, thanks!" Furina forced out a polite farewell and turned to leave.
Behind her, Venti called out: "Good luck! Maybe try learning more about him through the people around him, lots of young men here in Mondstadt win girls over by doing that!"
As she walked away across the park, Furina stumbled at his shout. People turned to look at her curiously.
Furina tugged her hat lower, cheeks burning red as she fled in embarrassment.
Never, ever again was she going to ask that drunk bard for advice!
After asking around, Furina found that everyone gave her different answers, each one had their own take on what was more important than a Gnosis.
But the answer she heard most often was feelings, and what stuck with her most was Venti's suggestion, learn more about him through the people he cares about.
And in Mondstadt, the one who knew Richard best, and who he cherished the most, was probably that little Klee she'd seen at the banquet.
Hmph. Well then, coaxing kids was something she was actually good at! Back in Fontaine, she was an adored superstar loved by young and old alike!
How hard could it be to handle one mischievous elf child?
With that thought in mind, Furina headed for the Knights of Favonius headquarters.
"Lady Furina?! Welcome, is there something you need Captain Jean for? I'll inform her right away!"
The knight on duty snapped to attention and gave her a knightly salute.
"No need, I'm not here for Jean. I know you've all been busy, just tell me where I can find Spark Knight Klee, I'll find her myself," Furina said with a wave of her hand.
Besides the dragon disaster, when Signora had launched that desperate assault on Richard, Mondstadt had also been under threat from the Abyss Order.
With the hilichurls and monsters they'd stirred up, Mondstadt had taken heavy damage, and Jean was still busy putting things back together.
"Spark Knight Klee…" The guard knight's face showed an awkward expression.
"What? Is it inconvenient?" Furina frowned.
Had things gotten so bad that even a child had to work overtime?
"No, that's not it, Lady Furina. Klee… she's in confinement. For fishing with explosives again."
The knight sounded like he'd long gotten used to this.
"Fishing with explosives? This morning?" Furina asked, confused.
"No, before you arrived in Mondstadt. At the last banquet, probably because of Mr. Richard, Captain Jean let Klee out early, so now she's making up for the time she still owes in solitary," the knight explained honestly.
Jean worried that if she left Klee unsupervised while she handled city affairs, Klee would blow something up again, and with the city in chaos and possible Abyss remnants lurking about, and Richard off with Albedo in Dragonspine, Jean had decided it was safer to keep Klee confined.
"So… can I go see her?" Furina thought for a moment, then asked.
"Uh… of course. If it's your request, Lady Furina."
After all, Captain Jean had already said that if Lord Richard came to see Klee, they weren't to stop him, surely the same went for Lady Furina!