Meraki

Part 1 Chapter 3: A Holy Mission

Aether returned to the tavern shortly after closing time. Jean, the Acting Grand Master of the Knights of Favonius, had arrived a bit earlier.

"You're here." Venti noticed as Aether got closer.

"Aether?" Jean called out confused.

"Why is the Acting Grand Master here?" Aether wondered.

"Well, first of all, I contacted more than one person. Secondly, she came here as "Jean" herself, not as the Acting Grand Master. A Jean you would never see, even as an Honorary Knight." Diluc explained, standing next to the girl.

"What a surprise. I heard about the Holy Lyre, but I never suspected it was you." Jean told Aether. "So, the sound of the Holy Lyre can purify Stormterror and return it to normal... Is that true?"

"That's right! Aether and Sying are putting themselves on the front line to try and resolve this Stormterror issue." Venti explained with a proud smile. Sying gave a quick grin.

"I understand this kind of absurd explanation is hard to believe. But, we can ask the bard to play the song again to try and persuade-" Diluc began to speak.

"I believe you." Jean interjected. Diluc looked shocked while Aether, and Venti let out sighs of relief. Sying kept a straight face, observing the Acting Grand Master carefully. "I can't think of any reason for Dvalin's betrayal, given it was one of the Four Winds. However, if it was poisoned in the battle over Mondstadt all those years ago, and then corrupted by the Abyss Mage after it woke up, we can't really blame it. But as Acting Grand Master I obviously cannot make such a statement publicly. Diplomatic pressure from the Fatui makes it hard for us to seek a peaceful resolution to the Stormterror issue. People would think I've lost grip on the gravity of the situation. That's why I can only do this in private."

"Hmph. That's one of the reasons I don't like the Knights of Favonius. What surprises me is that you would believe an outlander so easily." Diluc growled.

"My cautious and meticulous superior, even you trust him. Don't you sir?" Jean questioned.

"I already told you not to call me sir... nevermind. We don't often get to work together after all." There was a long pause of silence that followed.

"I have a rough idea of where the Holy Lyre der Himmel is." Jean stated, changing the subject. "The conflict between Mondstadt and Snezhnaya stems from the conflict between the seven nations and their respective gods. The Cryo god's Fatui seem to be after the Anemo god's power." Venti and Sying groaned. The Tsaritsa had caused them tons of trouble in the past.

"So are they going to take over the defense of Mondstadt?" Aether asked.

"Right. If the Knights of Favonius publicly prevented an attempt on Dvalin's head, then... the only other way to affect the Anemo god's power is to take the Holy Lyre." She replied.

"The number of Fatui that have come to Mondstadt is far from limited. I've already managed to... coerce a few reports out of them." Diluc said.

"Diluc has determined that the Holy Lyre is not being held in the Goth Grand Hotel. I imagine they don't want to leave something stolen in a place where it could be so easily found." Jean finished. Diluc looked over at Aether.

"Outlander, ready to go?" He wondered.

"Let's go!" Aether agreed. The group left the tavern and out of Mondstadt to the Fatui hideout.

"Jean just said the Fatui are trying to take Dvalin's power for the Cryo god... I fear this might fall short of their true intentions. I think they intend to use Barbatos' connection to the wind to draw him out. Just like Lisa traced the source of the storm to the temples." Venti explained.

"The god of Anemo? He hasn't been seen for more than a thousand years. What makes you think that's their intention?" Diluc inquired.

"What Venti thinks is none of your business. He was just sharing his opinion." Sying growled, moving his tail back and forth angrily. Diluc sighed.

"Forget it. I don't like having to pry." Diluc dismissed the subject, handing something to Aether. "Aether, here. Take this."

"What is it?" He questioned.

"A disguise, to protect your identity. Put it on before you run into the Fatui. Unfortunately, they are still one of Mondstadt's allies. At least that's the facade we're maintaining. Our actions are going to get them stirred up. Better to not implicate yourself on a personal level. The bard, the adeptus, and Jean will go back to Mondstadt and wait for our return."

A few hours later, Aether and Diluc returned to the tavern. Aether had the Holy Lyre in his hands, which got the attention of both Archons.

"Welcome back!" Venti took the Lyre from the Traveler and observed it. "Ah, this is the Holy Lyre! You managed to retrieve it! The pattern of flowing wind carved on the rosewood, and the strings still feel cool to the touch too. Oh, the memories."

"What do you think, Venti? Can you summon Dvalin?" Jean asked.

"Although this lyre is the real thing, I doubt that it's going to work. As you can see, the lyre has been through a thousand years of history. Its Anemo power has run dry. In this condition, you couldn't play music fit for even Diluc's tavern with it." Venti sighed, running his hands over the instrument.

"Bards fight to get on the stage of my tavern. Don't make assumptions!" Diluc corrected the bard.

"Anyway, we won't be able to call Dvalin with it. The lyre itself is fine, but the strings..." Barbatos trailed off. He looked over at Aether. "You're up, Outlander!"

"I don't know how to fix instruments." Aether told him.

"Relax! It's not broken. It's just that the intensity of its Anemo power has greatly diminished. Aether, do you still have Dvalin's Teardrop Crystals with you?" Venti wondered.

"I do." He replied, pulling out both crystals from his pocket.

"Great! Try to use it on the Holy Lyre."

"Let me give it a try." Aether brought the crystals to the Holy Lyre, turning the instrument gold.

"It worked, as expected. Thanks to Aether having purified the crystals, the Holy Lyre won't continue to lose power. That said, its power is far from replenished. It'd be great if we could get more tears." Venti said.

"Right. How do we do that?" Aether wondered.

"I can surmise that Dvalin will already be crying, suffering alone in some deserted place." The bard sighed.

"This is not something that an Honorary Knight can accomplish alone. I will mobilize the rest of the knights to assist. When you get the Teardrop Crystal, please let Aether perform the purification process." Jean spoke.

"Leave it to me." Aether reassured the group.

"Heroes supporting each other and setting out on a journey together... How exciting!" Venti exclaimed.

"You're so weird." Sying said with a smile. Venti laughed.

"Lemme come up with a song for you." He decided.