NOVEL NEXT Chapter 124: Mondstadt Cathedral
Lumine's white dress had a diagonal hemline that extended from front to back, revealing her snowy thighs just above her knee-high boots.
"Hehe, sorry to keep you waiting. Let's eat, let's eat!" Paimon fluttered over, eagerly anticipating the meal.
"Paimon is really impatient. We just ordered, and it'll take a while before the food arrives," Nolan chuckled.
"Ah, we meet again, young and talented adventurer," Venti said casually, taking a seat opposite them at the small round table.
"Every time I see Venti, it feels like a breath of fresh air. Could it be that this is why bards are so beloved by their audience?"
Nolan joked lightly. As the Anemo Archon, Venti naturally possessed a friendly disposition that made him hard to dislike.
"Exactly, but of course, the most important thing is my unparalleled musical talent here in Mondstadt. And our next plan is also related to that, which is to go to the Cathedral and borrow..."
"Wait!" Nolan revealed a somewhat helpless expression, "This is a restaurant. You wouldn't just blurt out your plans so loudly, would you?"
After all, it concerned Mondstadt's peace, and he remembered in the game's plot how the Traveler had almost obtained the Holy Lyre der Himmel at the Mondstadt Cathedral but was intercepted by the Fatui.
He couldn't believe it was just a coincidence. They were probably being watched.
Subsequently, there were quite a few complications in retrieving the Holy Lyre der Himmel.
Although Nolan couldn't directly state it, he remained cautious. He didn't want any mishaps in something as important as Mondstadt's safety.
It would be best if everything went smoothly.
"Haha, you're right!" Venti realized and chuckled as he adjusted his hat.
A God, having human-like traits also meant having human-like flaws, such as occasional carelessness.
To prevent her dress from affecting her comfort while sitting, Lumine pressed it against her legs' contoured lines, then sat on a wooden chair with a backrest nearby.
"Let's wait until after the meal to discuss this matter," she said, the small white flower on her head reflecting a faint glow in the midday sun.
Nolan nodded slightly, then handed Lumine a small cloth bag containing twenty Mora Notes of ten thousand each and said:
"This is all of the Mora I exchanged for after selling all of your materials to the Adventurer's Guild."
"Hm, thank you." Lumine's fair face lit up with a smile. As her friend with the highest affection aside from Paimon and Amber, she trusted Nolan very much.
"As for the inn, since I live in Val Berry Street, I'm more familiar with that side so I found a inn with good conditions and reasonable rent. It's 8,000 Mora per day, and you can move in after paying."
Nolan continued.
"8,000 Mora! Why does it still feel expensive?" Paimon exclaimed in surprise.
Before selling the drop materials from monsters, the tens of thousands of Mora they had wouldn't even be enough for a week's stay.
"After all, it's an inn. If you plan to stay for a long time, renting an house would be more cost-effective,"
Nolan explained.
"Let's forget about it," Lumine shook her head.
Mainly because rental houses generally couldn't be rented for short stays; it usually took several months or even half a year. She needed to find her brother and couldn't stay in one place for that long.
As the waitress, Sara, brought the delicious-looking food, the topic of the inn was temporarily set aside.
"Finally, after being in Mondstadt for so long, we're having a good meal. Hehe, so full!" Paimon floated in the air, rubbing her little belly, looking a bit unsteady.
"Maybe she ate too much and her body's overloaded?" Nolan chuckled inwardly.
"Oh my, Paimon, you're full, but I feel sorry for the Traveler's wallet. This meal cost twenty thousand Mora!~" Venti teased, folding his hands behind his head.
"What the hell! Did you not eat anything?" Paimon glared at him indignantly.
Ignoring the two childish figures, Lumine descended the final steps, her legs enveloped in knee-high white boots. She paused, swinging her legs slightly, looking somewhat surprised at the solemn spire building in front of her.
"The Mondstadt Cathedral truly lives up to its reputation. It's my first time here!" Nolan remarked with a hint of nostalgia.
Just now on the road, Lumine had already told him a bit about Venti's plan.
"Are you saying the Holy Lyre der Himmel, which can awaken Dvalin's true nature, is inside? As Mondstadt's treasure, the harp played by the Anemo Archon Barbatos, is it really so easy for the Church of Favonius to lend it to us?" Paimon, having heard Venti's story about the lyre before, had these two questions.
"Well, borrowing something doesn't necessarily require asking its owner's consent. As long as it's returned intact in the end, isn't that enough?" Venti smirked, uttering words that drew disdain from everyone.
As for now, the only person present who knew his true identity, Nolan felt that Venti was speaking so confidently because he was the original owner of the Holy Lyre der Himmel.
"Wow, you're just a thief, and yet you say it so grandly!" Even Paimon was shocked by Venti's words.
"Is there no other way?" The breeze swept Lumine's golden hair aside, exposing her fair earlobes to the sunlight, which refracted a dazzling ray of light.
"It depends on whether your status as Mondstadt heroes who repelled Stormterror holds any weight. If everything goes smoothly, we won't need to resort to such, uh, methods,? Venti said, recalling a saying from Liyue, but it seemed like he was insulting himself. He hesitated momentarily, wanting to change to a more euphemistic phrase.
Watching him stumble for a moment, Nolan smiled and helped him out, "Resorting to 'high-handed methods,' right?"
"Yes, that's it!" Venti said without feeling embarrassed.
Lumine and Paimon simultaneously gave him a scornful look.
"In terms of being thick-skinned, I hereby declare you the champion, surpassing even the Geo Archon's shield," Nolan thought to himself, speechless.
"Let's go. It's said to be safely kept deep inside the cathedral. Let's first test the waters," Venti said, taking the lead into the cathedral.
Nolan and the others followed, somewhat resigned. To save Dvalin, the Holy Lyre der Himmel was essential, and now they could only accompany Venti and see how it went.
Since it was just past noon, there weren't many people at the Mondstadt Cathedral. Venti approached a nun ahead and greeted her, "Hello, Sister."
The young woman in a white nun's robe turned around, somewhat surprised, and looked at them. "May the Wind God bless you, young poet, and the two heroes who repelled Stormterror. May I ask what I can do to help you?"
As one of Mondstadt's more famous poets/bard, Venti was well known to the nun, and Nolan and Lumine were even more familiar faces.
(End of Chapter)
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