"Roughly around this area. We saw them brewing some kind of potion here before," Bennett said as he guided Lisa through the ruins on the premium hoverboard gifted by Shen Qin. "According to Mr. Shen, that potion was meant to corrupt the Stormterror Dragon, but I'm not sure if he was just making things up."
The Knights had found nothing unusual at other Abyss Order strongholds, except for this one brew where Shen Qin had been captured and the only place this mysterious potions were being brewed. As a result, Jean tasked Lisa with investigating further.
Lisa activated her elemental vision, her eyes glowing faintly purple, scanning the surroundings ahead.
"Hmm, there's indeed something unsettling in this direction." As the glow faded, she stretched her hands forward, using her elemental powers to move debris aside. In minutes, the passage extended another dozen meters.
At the sight of a collapsed room blocking the path, Lisa sighed. "It's moments like these that make me wish my Vision was Geo instead."
"Exactly! If only we could choose our Vision's element!" Bennett exclaimed, excited to find a kindred spirit. "I'd love to have a healing Hydro Vision like Barbara's or a versatile Anemo Vision like Captain Jean's. Then I'd never have to worry about getting hurt!"
Lisa gave him a pitying look. "Poor child."
"Ouch! That hurt!" A small stone suddenly fell from above, hitting Bennett squarely on the head.
Lisa: ...
With a resigned sigh, she looked at the pile of rubble blocking their way. Her librarian duties had spoiled her with an easygoing lifestyle, and doing manual labor now felt so taxing.
But orders were orders, and Jean's instructions had to be followed.
Lisa began using her elemental power to clear the path again, heading straight toward the source of the sickening sensation she had detected.
Suddenly, as the area opened up, a stone covered in dark stains was uncovered. Lisa's expression changed instantly, her head pounding, and her connection to her elemental powers wavered.
"Quick, grab that stone and get away from me!" she instructed.
Bennett dashed forward, grabbing the stone despite the pained look spreading across his face. "It's… fine… I can… manage…" he grunted.
Lisa, enduring her discomfort, used her elemental powers to support the unstable ruins above them. Together, they retreated to the surface, where she sealed the stone in a black containment box, instantly stopping the pain.
"This must be it," Lisa said, gasping for breath.
Bennett collapsed onto his back, his Vision glowing red as it worked to purge the contamination from his body. "If just a small dried remnant can hurt us this much, imagine how painful it must've been for the East Wind Dragon with a full potion!"
Lisa raised an eyebrow. "Why are you so sure it was meant for the dragon?"
"Mr.Shen said so," Bennett replied matter-of-factly.
"He's not exactly an expert in potions," Lisa retorted, confidence glinting in her eyes. "Leave it to me to determine what this really does!"
On the other hand, Shen Qin was facing a new challenge in his workshop.
He had paused his work on the energy shield's power source to develop a prototype for the energy converter instead. However, a fresh obstacle arose: none of the materials he knew of could withstand the intense energy output. This forced him back into the drawing board to create a new material.
Even with Sucrose offering some rare materials, none passed the testing phase. After five days of futile effort, Shen Qin declared a break, much to the delight of Klee.
They spent the day camping near Mondstadt's gates, fishing and enjoying the outdoors.
As evening approached, they packed up their belongings to head back.
Nearby, a man waved to his wife. "Honey, I'm heading out to celebrate my buddy's birthday tonight. I'll be home late!"
Around the corner, a woman crouched by her child. "Sweetie, you know what to say if your dad asks, right?"
"Yes, Mother. You were taken to a friend's house during our walk!"
"Good boy," she said, ruffling his hair. "I'll bring you a gift later!"
Elsewhere, a knight pleaded with another, "Please cover my shift tonight! You don't care about this anyway, and I've been looking forward to this for ages!"
"Fine, fine. Just stop pestering me! But you owe me dinner tomorrow!"
"Deal!"
If one paid attention, they would notice all these people heading in the same direction.
"Something feels off about Mondstadt today," Shen Qin remarked, glancing at Sucrose and Klee.
"Klee doesn't know!" Klee chirped innocently, her wide eyes blinking.
"It does feel a bit unusual…" Sucrose scanned her surroundings. "Normally, at this hour, people are rushing to either Angel's Share or Cat's Tail. But today, they're all heading toward the plaza."
"Maybe there's a performance at the plaza?" Shen Qin's eyes lit up.
"Klee wants to see it too!"
Seeing both of them brimming with excitement, Sucrose sighed. "Alright, let's check it out."
Following the crowd, they arrived at the plaza in front of the Favonius Cathedral. The square was brightly lit as if it were daytime. Suspended by two large balloons was a massive banner that read: Cat's Tail x Angel's Share Joint Event: Mondstadt's Third Annual Bartending Competition!
"Ah," Shen Qin muttered, pulling a crumpled ticket from his pocket. "So this is what Diluc meant…"
"My dear friend, were you drawn here by the irresistible allure of alcohol?"
Kaeya suddenly appeared, draping an arm over Shen Qin's shoulder. Spotting the ticket in Shen Qin's hand, he feigned dramatic surprise. "What?! You have that VIP seat ticket?!"