Under Barbara's lead, the two other nuns joined her in performing "Song of Consecration,""Song of Prayer,""Song of Supplication," and "Hymn of Praise", classic pieces from the church choir.
At the end, Barbara added one of her own signature songs, "The Shining Melody."
The performance lasted just over forty minutes.
Partway through, when the long line waiting for Diona's custom drinks finally dissipated, Venti slipped downstairs to get his drink—only to have Charles tell Diona that he was still underage and couldn't have alcohol.
"I'm not underage! I'm old enough—I'm thousands of years old!"
"You see? That's the kind of thing only youngsters say."
Diona was angry: "Drinking is bad! Underage drinking is worse! You fooled me with your height before, but reliable adults like Dust wouldn't say something so 'Fischl-esque.'"
Victor Wang silently facepalmed.
Venti's mouth dropped in shock. He was allergic to cats, but at least he could not go to Cat's Tail... Would he never be able to have alcohol there again?
"No!!!"
Ignoring his lament, Diona made him a non-alcoholic drink.
"I've suffered a great injustice…" Venti murmured as he returned to his seat, glowering at Charles. He then glared at Victor Wang. "Promise me… your drink… might be my last one…"
Mentioning that, his hand shook as he held the glass.
Victor Wang gravely nodded. "Just wait."
He vowed to get the Anemo Archon his final drink.
"Diona, another of your custom drinks for me, please."
"Sure! Since Dawn Winery supplied the ingredients, I'll use the best mix for you. Just a moment!"
After her fluid, professional preparation, the Anemo Archon's warrior returned triumphant.
"Drink up—you poor, thirsty thing…"
Venti, like a dried-out wanderer in the desert, finally found water. He gulped it down greedily.
"Something's not right…"
"What's wrong? Is the drink poisoned?"
"This one's non-alcoholic too…"
He covered the back of his head and slumped over the table, eyes devoid of life.
Victor Wang looked down at Diona—she gave him a thumbs-up. Don't worry, I won't let you go astray!
Venti remained motionless in his defeated slump.
Tomorrow, the Teyvat Times, Adventurers' Guild, and North Wing would all report: The Anemo Archon went berserk from lack of alcohol.
"Venti, Venti."
As thoughts of past ages flashed across his eyes, Victor Wang gently tugged him back from the edge of despair.
"What is it?" Venti looked up dazedly.
"I've got a plan to ensure you can roam freely in taverns."
Venti's spirit had returned—though he might bolt again if it failed. Everything now depended on this plan.
"You go see Grand Master Jean. Get her to give you a Mondstadt ID. You don't have to write your real age—just make it over… fourteen. Better safe at sixteen or older. Then when the bartenders judge you by your face, you pull out the ID—they won't stop you."
"That… might work!"
"Jean respects and believes in you. But don't bring up alcohol. If she finds out your real intent, she might not help."
"I owe you big time!"
Venti, rejuvenated, smiled and beamed. He'd never appreciated a non-alcoholic drink so much.
The situation had flipped—non-alcoholic drinks were now sacred. Whether to drink it in the future would be his choice!
"Oh, and the Rite of Descension in Liyue is coming up soon. Are you going then?"
"Yeah."
"Hm… the Rite of Descension is a big ceremony. You could meet the Geo Archon there. Talking might be harder, but I know someone in Liyue who knows people. I'll write a letter of introduction for you."
To outsiders, the Rite of Descension was the only chance to see the Geo Archon once a year.
And to Venti, Victor Wang was that outsider. He had a good guess who that 'friend' was.
It wasn't necessary help, but if Victor truly knew little about the Geo Archon, Venti's kindness was like timely aid.
"Thank you so much! I was wondering if I should disrupt the Rite of Descension to get the Geo Archon's attention."
"That would be small potatoes."
Victor Wang pressed on: "Do you have any connections in Inazuma? I hear it's isolated, might be harder."
"Well… you'll have to figure that out yourself. I don't have friends there who can help."
"I understand... thank you anyway."
They fell silent—one sipping the custom non-alcoholic drink, the other enjoying Barbara's energetic performance.
When the song ended, Barbara lit up. She unleashed her Elemental Burst, "Shining Miracle," washing away fatigue. Even patrons not her fans applauded.
"Thank you, everyone!"
The nuns gathered their instruments. Barbara glanced upward at Victor Wang, hesitated, then climbed to the second floor and walked straight to him.
"Sorry. Your condition is rare—our doctors have never seen it before. But I've been working on a potion… I don't know if it'll help."
She pulled a protective case from her bag and took out a syringe of pale red potion.
But she paused—this felt like using him as a test subject.
Her hand offering the syringe froze. She rushed to clarify: "This potion I—"
Victor Wang stepped forward and took it. Covering his face with one hand, he drank it.
This potion—I tested it myself. Might not work… but definitely safe… Just let me explain—Why did I already drink it?
"It's slightly spicy. I'm guessing chili… but… you really cared enough to make this."
He exaggeratedly closed his eyes, stretched open his arms like he was hugging the sun. "Mm, I feel warm all over, like sunlight is shining on me... it's been so long since I felt this."
"I think my illness is cured."
Barbara laughed. "Your acting is so over the top—I didn't dare hope it actually worked."
"But it does feel so warm."
"That's just a normal reaction. Can you take off your cloak outside?"
"Uh… please stop worrying about me. Look—Albert downstairs is practically flames in his eyes now."
Barbara turned her head, seeing Albert pretending to fix his hair. Behind her back, his expression shifted to pure rage as she turned back.
"I'll do my best!" she said. She wasn't going to stop helping with the 'experiment.'
"To be honest… I'm leaving Mondstadt in two days to get help; I might not return for a long time. So really, no more trouble on your part."
"You're leaving?" Barbara rummaged and pulled out a bag of spicy dried fish. "This is my favorite food—consider it a farewell gift."
"Thank you."
Barbara didn't mention curing him again and left with the nuns.
"Don't bother—he's hopeless. You can't cure him." Rosaria whispered as they passed.
Barbara looked puzzled but still shook her head firmly.
"Silly girl."
Rosaria knew Victor Wang's secret.
She knew he was a Hilichurl from when she captured the Fatui who kidnapped him.
Kaeya and Jean knew too.
If Jean hadn't vouched for him, and Kaeya hadn't weirdly backed him, Rosaria would've taken him for questioning long ago.
To her surprise, he'd even joined the Knights of Favonius with Alice and Albedo's recommendation.
But he hadn't done anything wrong—so they lost interest.
As for his supposed allergies, that was clearly a lie. Even Barbara, gifted in medicine, couldn't cure him.
Like Amber, Noelle, the honorary Knight Lumine, and Barbara—all innocence incarnate, willing to be fooled once more.
Where there is light, there must be shadow—where no light reaches, let the shadows pave the way.
Barbara, in rare high spirits, raised a toast with Kaeya.