<h4>Chapter 85: Viin Simtor, Ch 85</h4>


    Barbara, who had been eavesdropping outside the door, was so shocked that her mouth dropped open wide enough to fit an egg.


    Her sister, Jean, was only neen, and this man was supposed to be seven years younger, meaning he was twelve. And they had done something inappropriate after drinking?


    "This is uneptable!"


    With that thought, Barbara couldn''t stay calm any longer. She burst through the door, eximing in a panic, "This is a crime!"


    Of course, in her mind, it was Jean who hadmitted the crime.


    Barbara had expected to see Jean with a twelve-year-old boy, but instead, she found Jean and a strange man, each holding a book, seemingly reading from them aloud.


    Jean quickly realized what Barbara was thinking and, embarrassed, hurriedly exined, "Barbara, you''ve misunderstood! We were just having a book club!"


    "A book club? Why would a book club read such strange material?"


    Although Barbara was usually gentle and well-mannered, she had a strong protective instinct when it came to her sister. She rushed forward in just a few steps, cing herself between Jean and Lucas, staring him down and dering, "Don''t think you can fool my sister with your sweet talk—wait, your face..."


    How is this possible?


    That face... how could it look so much like the man from her dream, the one who had forced himself upon her?


    If it had been anyone else, Barbara might have doubted it, but she would never forget that face, even if it were reduced to ashes!


    "My face?" Lucas instinctively touched his cheek. "Is something wrong?"


    "N-No... nothing..." Barbara struggled to suppress her emotions, muttering, "Who... who exactly are you?"


    "He''s Lucas, sent by the Yuheng to escort the equipment," Jean quickly exined. "He really isn''t a bad person."


    Not a bad person?


    But I clearly remember the "bad" things he did to me!


    Barbara firmly believed that dreams were not mere figments of imagination but messages from Lord Barbatos to his faithful followers.


    If the Anemo Archon had shown her this man''s evil deeds in a dream, it was surely a warning to be cautious of him.


    Yes, I must protect my sister''s safety. I can''t let my guard down now.


    "I''m sorry," Barbara said, pretending to be embarrassed and bowing slightly. "It seems I misunderstood."


    "Let me introduce her properly," Jean said, feeling relieved. "This is the person I arranged to assist you—Barbara, the deaconess of the Church of Favonius."


    Although Lucas had already "met" Barbara in the simtor, he had to act as though this were their first encounter. "Nice to meet you. If it''s too much trouble, there''s no need for you to apany me."


    "No! It''s no trouble at all," Barbara shook her head immediately. "You''re an important guest of Mondstadt."


    Barbara had already made up her mind—this was her chance to reveal Lucas''s true nature!


    "In that case, I''ll ept your kind offer," Lucas nodded. "When should we set off?"


    It was already evening, and the Wine Festival was about to reach its most lively point.


    "You can leave now," Jean said before coughing lightly. "But first, Lucas, could you wait outside for a moment? I have something to discuss with Barbara."


    Lucas nodded and left the room.


    "Barbara..." Jean''s face flushed slightly. "Don''t you think Lucas is... a rather special person?"


    "You''ve already noticed?" Barbara immediately nodded. "Yes, I think so too!"


    He''s probably especially bad.


    "Since you''ve noticed, I''ll juste out and say it," Jean sighed in relief. "The reason I asked you to apany him is because I trust you to keep an eye on him."


    It was hard for Jean to openly admit her feelings for a man, but since Barbara had already picked up on it, that made things easier.


    "I''ll watch him closely," Barbara nodded.


    "If he does anything strange," Jean added, feeling a little embarrassed, "please keep me informed."


    As expected of my sister—she''s thought of everything.


    "Most importantly..." Jean bit her lip, her face turning red. "If possible, try to keep other women from getting too close to him."


    "Don''t worry," Barbara assured her. "I''ll make sure to keep a close eye on him!"


    The tragedy from the dream must nevere to pass.


    Jean, of course, had no idea what Barbara was really thinking and, feeling reassured, nodded. "With that settled, I can focus on my work."


    Barbara didn''t seem to realize that if Jean truly thought Lucas was a dangerous person, she wouldn''t have asked her little sister to take on such a risky task.


    ---


    Although it was Lucas''s first day in Mondstadt, in many ways, no one knew the city better than he did.


    While the Wine Festival didn''t have the same renown as Windblume or Ludi Harpastum, it was still an important celebration in Mondstadt, marking the harvest of fruits and the brewing of fine wines.


    That night, every tavern in the city allowed people to drink freely, with the cost covered by Mondstadt''s wine industry—or more specifically, Dawn Winery, the leader in the business.


    Just as Jean had said, the streets were filled with young couples showing affection, some of them even kissing and embracing under the influence of alcohol.


    Mondstadt''s culture valued freedom, so such things weren''t unusual.


    Among the crowd, however, Lucas and Barbara were probably the only man and woman not paired as a couple.


    "Hey there, what a cute young man from Liyue~"


    Before Lucas could react, azy and sultry voice suddenly came from behind them, and a figure appeared in front of the two.


    It was a woman in her twenties with brown hair, dressed in a mage-like outfit that exuded an air of intelligence and maturity.


    Her face was slightly flushed, and she held a ss of red wine in her hand. It was clear she had already had a few drinks. "Care to join me for a drink, darling?"


    "L-Lisa?" Barbara gasped. "Aren''t you supposed to be on duty at the library tonight?"


    "Ah, Barbara, you''re here too?" Lisa smiled and stuck out her tongue yfully. "Don''t worry. Do you really think anyone would go to the library to borrow books on a night like this?"


    So, this woman is Lisa?


    Though she didn''t have much presence in the main storyline yet, she was one of the starting characters in the game, known for her big-sisterly charm and her role as the knowledgeable librarian.


    "In any case, you can''t just invite him for drinks," Barbara protested, as if someone were trying to feed her pet something harmful. "Lisa, you could easily find plenty of men to drink with."


    "But they''re all so boring, and their intentions are far too obvious. I don''t like that one bit," Lisa said with a mischievous smile. "So, is this your little boyfriend?"


    "N-No, he''s not!" Barbara''s face flushed. "I-I''m just apanying him on behalf of the Acting Grand Master."


    "Well, how about I take over for you?" Lisa, clearly tipsy, leaned into Lucas, casually wrapping her arm around his. She didn''t seem to mind that a certain part of her body was pressing tightly against his elbow.


    "My ce is quite spacious," Lisa said, tracing circles on Lucas''s chest with her finger. "If you''d like, I could show you some fun games we could y together."


    "I..." Lucas shook his head and said, "Thank you for your kind offer, but I''ve already agreed to let Miss Barbara apany me. I can''t just leave her here, can I?"


    Hearing this, Barbara felt unexpectedly touched.


    Did he really turn down such a beautiful woman like Lisa for her sake?


    No, no, Barbara, snap out of it! This must just be one of his tricks to win your favor.


    Did you forget how he deceived you in the dream?


    "I didn''t expect to be turned down the first time I invited a guy over," Lisa said with a hint of regret, but then quickly smiled. "No matter, here''s my address. If you change your mind, feel free to visit."


    Lisa pulled a purple card from her chest, smiled mischievously, and slipped it into Lucas''s hand before waving goodbye and walking off.


    Lucas looked down at the card. Sure enough, it had an address on it, and the card itself was finely crafted, with a faint scent lingering on it.


    "What''s the matter?" Barbara pouted. "Regretting your decision now? You still have time to change your mind."


    "I''ve already said, with Miss Barbara by my side, that''s more than enough," Lucas replied, casually slipping the card into his pocket. "So, where to next?"


    "If you want to drink, the best ce is the Angel''s Share," Barbara mused. "But it''s the most popr tavern in Mondstadt. Every Wine Festival, it''s packed to the brim. The lines are always super long."


    "Well, it''s not far from here, right? Why don''t we go check it out anyway?" Lucas suggested.


    "That''s not a bad idea," Barbara paused, then asked, a bit puzzled, "But... this is your first time in Mondstadt. How do you know the Angel''s Share is nearby?"


    "Because I have a map," Lucas replied offhandedly.


    Though the map he referred to was in his head.


    The Angel''s Share, Mondstadt''s most popr tavern, was also part of Master Diluc''s estate. If you were lucky, you might even catch Diluc himself tending bar.


    As Barbara had predicted, the tavern was already packed, and the line of patrons waiting to get in stretched as far as the eye could see—longer than even the queue for a throat swabbing.


    Choosing toe here for a drink, despite other free-flowing wine avable elsewhere, spoke volumes about the quality of this ce.


    "Just as I thought," Barbara said, her face showing a hint of disappointment. "Looks like I won''t be getting that extra-spicy lemon water today."


    What kind of strange drink is that?


    Lucas seemed to have an idea. He walked over to the entrance and asked, "Excuse me, are there no seats avable at all?"


    The doorman looked a bit impatient. "There are seats in the VIP section upstairs, but that''s not for people like you. Get in line like everyone else. Maybe you''ll get a drink before dawn."


    "The VIP section..." Lucas took out the ck card Diluc had given him. "What about with this?"


    "That''s..." The doorman''s eyes widened, and his attitude did aplete 180. He bowed deeply. "I see you''re a friend of Master Diluc. Please,e right in!"


    Lucas now had a clearer understanding of why, in the simtor, Mondstadt''smon folk resented special privileges, yet everyone seemed to love them at the same time.


    He led Barbara inside the tavern and was quickly escorted to the VIP section on the second floor.


    "I didn''t expect you to know Master Diluc personally," Barbara remarked, sounding a bit surprised. "This ck card isn''t something just anyone can get."


    "We''ve crossed paths," Lucas nodded before turning to the server. "Could I get one extra-spicy lemon water and... a Dragon''s me?"


    Dragon''s me was Lucas''s favorite cocktail from the simtor. Its deep purple and ck hues resembled the mes of the demon dragon Ursa—spicy and intense.


    Although Ursa had once nearly destroyed Mondstadt, that didn''t stop its bartenders from using her name for their drinks.


    Maybe... he had ordered it because the mischievous ck dragon girl had crossed his mind.


    But to Lucas''s surprise, the server''s expression became somewhat awkward. "I''m sorry, but we don''t serve Dragon''s me here."


    Before Lucas could say anything, a lightheartedugh came from a corner of the room. "You''ve got some guts, ordering that drink here."


    Lucas turned to see a blue-haired man with dark skin sitting casually in the corner. He continued, "Dragon Ursa was directly responsible for the death of Diluc''s father. Do you really think his tavern would serve a drink with that name?"


    Lucas''s expression turned slightly embarrassed. "My apologies. That was thoughtless of me."


    "Captain Kaeya?" Barbara finally recognized the man and asked, "Weren''t you supposed to be on patrol tonight? Why are you here drinking?"


    First Lisa, now Kaeya... they''re all cking off!


    No wonder Jean is always so busy!


    "Oh, Barbara," Kaeya smiled. "Don''t worry, even bad guys can''t resist the allure of free drinks."


    "So, you''re Captain Kaeya," Lucas said, introducing himself. "I''m Lucas. I''ve met Master Diluc once before."


    "That guy wouldn''t hand out a ck card to someone he''s only met once," Kaeya raised his ss in Lucas''s direction. "Also, I rmend trying the ''Afternoon Death.'' It won''t disappoint."


    With that, Kaeya stood up, smiling as he added, "I''d better get back to work. I won''t interrupt your date any longer."


    "I already said!" Barbara blushed. "We''re not a couple."


    "That''s too bad," Kaeya chuckled, waving as he headed downstairs. "Take a look around."


    Barbara blinked, then nced around the dimly lit VIP area. She noticed that many of the couples had begun kissing, and in some more secluded spots, there were even... less appropriate soundsing from the shadows.


    "Barbara," Lucas said, his eyes narrowing yfully, "Do you think this ce might be a bit... too intense for you?"


    In the past, Barbara might have already hidden her blushing face under the table out of sheer embarrassment.


    But after experiencing the "dream" where she became an idol and was taken advantage of, Barbara had "grown" in more ways than one without realizing it.


    At the very least, she wasn''t as na?ve as she once had been.


    ---


    Author''s Note: me WN for not uploading the scheduled Chapter, I still got inte issues.. Anyways, we getting revenge on Venti soon. ??(Maybe some ckmail material? who knows)


    And keep voting guys.. Mommy Lisa will reward you with extra chaps on weekend :D