At Anemo Archon Plaza, twenty adventurers bustled about, hauling wood and props from afar. Before the statue of Barbatos, a proper stage gradually rose into shape.
By the time Victor Wang returned the next day, a red curtain had already concealed the stage's true form, and rows of chairs were neatly arranged before it.
Passersby—some aware, others clueless—approached the stage to inspect it. A few sat casually on the chairs, waiting or playing around.
How did Albert handle everything? Did he finally discuss it with Barbara?
Victor Wang still harbored doubts about Albert, who was currently locked in the real holding cell of the Knights of Favonius, detained for three days straight.
Meanwhile, inside the Church, Barbara and the church ensemble rehearsed diligently for the upcoming performance.
At 6 p.m., Victor Wang returned to the plaza. Twenty adventurers were already on duty, maintaining order. They too seemed to have taken up commissions.
There were six hundred chairs in total. Aside from thirty reserved in the first row, the rest were open seating. Many Barbara fans eager for a good spot had already filled the front rows. Scattered people sat elsewhere, some already settling in.
Seeing the first row still unoccupied, Victor Wang pinned on the badge Albert had given him the day before—the insignia of the Barbara Fan Club's Vice President—and walked straight to the center seat.
The adventurers keeping order saw his badge and said nothing.
"Where are the other vice presidents? Don't tell me I'm the only one. How can such uncommitted stans hold the title of vice president?"
He waited until 6:30. The sunset's glow had already faded, yet the first row remained mostly empty while the rest of the plaza was nearly packed.
Then, finally, Barbara arrived.
Today, she wore a new outfit. Her hat was gone, replaced by two white-and-blue ribboned bows adorning her twin tails. A sleeveless white chiffon dress flowed down in layered ruffles, fading into a soft blue toward the hem.
On her chest was a yellow-and-white ribbon bow, modestly covering her fairly developed bust. Matching bows at her wrists added a playful charm.
Her legs were bare, save for a single blue-and-white thigh ring, and on her feet were dainty white sandals with flower decorations—clearly the same design as her swimwear.
Trailing behind her were members of the church's ensemble and five individuals of uncertain occupation. They entered the backstage area from the side of the platform.
Closer to showtime, just ten minutes before the start, Kaeya showed up. He greeted Victor Wang, then sat down to his right.
Seeing that no one challenged Kaeya for the front-row seat, Victor Wang teased, "Knights really do enjoy special privileges, huh."
"Heh." Kaeya flashed an invitation stamped with the Knights' seal, then leaned back, arms folded behind his head, legs crossed, and closed his eyes in silence.
With his arrival, a wave of invited guests began to trickle in.
"You big meanie!" Klee tugged Albedo along, and upon spotting Victor Wang, deliberately picked a seat far from him.
"?"
Albedo looked at Victor Wang with suspicion, then nodded in support. "Indeed. That outfit can't possibly belong to a decent person."
A man sat to Victor Wang's left—elegantly dressed, shoulder-length golden hair, exuding nobility with his eyes narrowed in scrutiny. "I don't believe we've met."
Victor Wang thought the same of him.
"Hello. I'm the Vice President of the Barbara Fan Club." Victor Wang made a show of adjusting the badge on his chest.
"Heh." Caesar Gunnhildr chuckled quietly, shook his head, and turned his gaze back to the stage.
Lumine and Paimon also arrived. Spotting Victor Wang, they initially wanted to sit beside him, but with Kaeya and Caesar already on either side, they settled a few seats down.
Kaeya tilted his head toward Victor Wang. "Think Jean will come?"
Jean and Barbara were sisters. But their parents divorced—Jean followed their mother, hence "Jean Gunnhildr," while Barbara followed their father, going by "Barbara Pegg."
"No clue."
Two minutes before showtime, the answer revealed itself—Lisa and Jean arrived together. There happened to be two empty seats between Lumine and Caesar, so Jean sat beside Caesar, and Lisa beside Lumine.
"You're here too," Jean greeted Caesar.
He nodded faintly without replying.
Caesar Gunnhildr—Jean's cousin. His father was Jean's mother's elder brother.
Victor Wang glanced around at the first row. Besides the familiar faces, several other Knights and church members filled the remaining seats. Looks like I'm the only Vice President here? Where's the President?
He noticed a few vacant chairs left, including the one to Kaeya's right. So, he asked, "Think Diluc will come?"
Kaeya blinked, then echoed Victor Wang's earlier tone. "No clue."
All six hundred seats were filled, except for the first row. Some brought their own stools and found spots nearby. Others simply stood. Barbara's popularity in Mondstadt was undeniable.
Victor Wang looked up toward the statue of Barbatos. A green figure sat on the Archon's palm. Sensing Victor Wang's gaze, he blinked.
He wanted to ask Venti about the map—but the concert was about to begin. After 0.01 seconds of careful deliberation, he decided to watch the performance first.
"Amber and Eula don't seem to be here."
They actually were—seated in the very back row, where no one would pay attention. The reason? Anyone in the know would understand.
The curtain of night descended. The stage curtain rose. Bright lights lit up the platform, and Barbara's white chiffon dress shimmered like a dream.
Standing center stage, Barbara saw many familiar faces: members of the church, the Knights, the Honorary Knight, even her sister. Sadly, her parents weren't present.
Jean and Barbara's mother, the Alder Knight Frederica, and father, Cardinal of Daybreak Seamus Pegg, had both joined Grand Master Varka's expedition.
A crowd packed half the plaza. It was undoubtedly Barbara's largest performance to date.
Can I really do this? she asked herself.
She scanned the audience, searching for Fan Club members. All she found was one black-robed figure in the front row, wearing a Vice President badge.
That guy from the other day? He's really… the Vice President?
Noticing Barbara's uneasy gaze, Victor Wang muttered internally, Fan Club, you're killing me here. Where are the cheers? Where's the applause?
He looked around. Silence.
Victor Wang grit his teeth, raised a fist high, and shouted, "Miss Barbara! I'm your fan!"
To his left, Caesar turned to look again. Even Kaeya—the king of public confidence—wanted to distance himself. Instantly, Victor Wang became the center of attention.
Still no response from the crowd. Victor Wang's toes curled from secondhand embarrassment.
These fans are hopeless… Riding the wave of his fleeting courage, Victor Wang shouted again, "Miss Barbara! I'm your fan!"
This time, a faint voice came from the second row. "Miss Barbara, I'm your fan…"
And like a single spark catching on springtime fluff, the cheers ignited and spread throughout the audience.
Barbara took a deep breath. Clutching the microphone, she faced the crowd—faced Victor Wang.
"Thank you!"
Then she waved to everyone cheering and said, "Thank you! Thank you all!"
The device in her hand, a gift from Alice, could amplify her voice. It was the first time she'd used it in public.
After a heartfelt opening speech, the concert officially began.
The stage lights dimmed. Then three spotlights illuminated Barbara. There was no orchestra pit—the ensemble was stationed on side platforms. As the lighting changed, the music began…
Barbara was born for the stage. Not only was she adorably pure, her voice was as sweet and soothing as her presence.
The performance lasted an hour—ten songs total, with a dance routine between songs five and six. Not a single audience member left. If anything, more kept arriving.
Afterward, with the help of the Knights and church members, Barbara escaped the crowd of fans clamoring for autographs and returned to the Cathedral.
Victor Wang didn't leave right away. He remained seated, quietly watching the crowd disperse.
"Hey, interested in joining the Knights?" Kaeya asked.
Is this because I look too relaxed? Do you want me to go back to being a corporate drone? Victor Wang hadn't expected both Lisa and Kaeya to recruit him.
"You do know my identity. Are you sure you want someone like me in the Knights?"
Kaeya shrugged. "Why not?"
"I'm destined to travel all seven nations. I can't be tied down."
"So… if there's no need to clock in, you're fine with it?"
"Who wouldn't want to use the Knights of Favonius' name?"
Lumine's rise to fame began in Mondstadt. The title of Honorary Knight and her bond with Venti paved her way.
Those who paid attention would notice: Zhongli invited Lumine to prepare the Rite of Parting not just because of Childe, but because she had ties with the Anemo Archon.
And Childe? He approached her precisely because of her reputation in Mondstadt.
Victor Wang wasn't exactly "attentive," but he'd replayed the game's storyline in his head countless times.
Out in the world, which had more weight: a foreign adventurer or a foreign Honorary Knight?
"There's an opportunity tomorrow at 10 AM If you're willing, come to the Knights of Favonius Headquarters." Leaving that behind, Kaeya rose and walked off.
When the plaza finally cleared out, Victor Wang also got up to leave—but before he could move, a group of adventurers maintaining order and preparing to dismantle the stage surrounded him.
"You're the Vice President of the Barbara Fan Club, right?"
"Yeah? What about it?"
A middle-aged adventurer chose his words carefully. "The one who posted the commission—Albert—he's been detained by the Knights. But we haven't been paid yet."
"Ah… So that's why the Fan Club folks didn't show up."
A younger adventurer added hesitantly, "Actually, the other Vice Presidents did come. I recognized them. But they didn't want to take responsibility… They all sat in the second row."
"No worries. What's the total Mora? I'll front it. I'll collect from Albert once he's out."
"Fifty flyers at 5,000 each, twenty stagehands at 8,000, twenty for security at 5,000. That's 510,000 Mora total."
Victor Wang sighed in relief. "That's manageable. Wait here—I'll head to the bank."
A few adventurers looked like they wanted to follow him, but the middle-aged one stopped them.
Victor Wang, having the means, never intended to run. He withdrew the Mora from the 24-hour bank and returned to the stage.
"Thanks so much. We really didn't want to pressure someone uninvolved, but the payout was supposed to be delayed only a day. Now it's three. And some of us really need the Mora."
"Haha, I get it. You've all worked hard."
The middle-aged adventurer counted the Mora, then turned to the others. "Everyone, we've got the full payout! I'll bring it to Katheryne. Anyone free can come with me. If you've got commissions, claim your share later."
As the last adventurers departed, the concert officially came to an end.