Chapter 164: The Chill of Frost Approaches

"Goodbye, Bard Brother! Next time, you must tell us more stories!" The children dispersed tactfully, knowing Venti had other matters to attend to.

"Haha, no problem." Venti waved his hand towards them.

"Paimon feels a bit sorry for you, selling your music like this. After all, the lyre is originally yours, yet now you have to return it to the cathedral," Paimon said, spreading her hands in mild sympathy.

"True, but I abandoned it for so many years. The people of Mondstadt took good care of it during that time. Taking it back now would be rather shameless," Venti said, scratching the back of his head with a touch of embarrassment.

"Venti, did you switch personalities or something? Since when did you think you had any shame?"

Lumine crossed her arms over her midriff, the long white sleeves of her outfit revealing glimpses of her soft, fair skin through slits at the elbows.

She looked at the young bard with disdain.

"Ah, Traveler, your words wound me deeply," Venti clutched his heart in mock sorrow, "I did help resolve the crisis in Mondstadt, you know."

Who was the one who came up with the plan to steal the Holy Harp in the first place? As a god, was such behavior appropriate? Nolan thought to himself.

Eula rested her finger on her chin, gazing at the bard with some disbelief.

Could this guy really be Lord Barbatos? Then why doesn't he look like him.

"Well, let's not waste any time. Let's return the 'holy lyre der himmel' first," Nolan reminded everyone.

Walking from the Anemo Archon statue plaza, they soon reached the open main door of Mondstadt Cathedral. Nuns were bustling in and out.

"Ah, it's the honorary knights. Are you here for the rooftop cleaning commission?" A nun approached, looking at the group with hopeful eyes.

"...Uh, no, we're not here for the commission. We're here to return the 'Holy Lyre der Himmel'," Nolan explained, shaking his head slightly.

"Oh, I see. Miss Barbara is inside. You can give it to her," the nun said, slightly disappointed. She sighed inwardly, wondering why no one had accepted the cleaning commission yet.

"Thank you," Nolan replied with a smile and nodded. The group then walked into the inside cathedral.

It wasn't difficult to spot a girl cleaning the floor ahead. She wore the priestess hat of the Church of Favonius, her light golden hair styled into wavy twin-tails. She was dressed in a black and blue-trimmed white dress, her legs covered in white silk tights, and she wore round-toed boots with large cuffs.

Humming a tune as she cleaned, she radiated a sunny disposition. Without a doubt, this was Barbara.

Nolan thought secretly.

"Hello, Barbara," Eula greeted as she walked over, her pale, shapely legs carrying her gracefully across the floor.

Eula knew Barbara, so it was fitting for her to initiate the conversation.

"Oh, it's Sister Eula! Have you returned from your mission in the wild?" Barbara's face lit up with excitement upon seeing Eula.

Eula, much like Barbara's older sister, was a respected member of the Knights of Favonius, and Barbara held her in high regard.

"Yes, I'll be heading out again in the afternoon," Eula replied, lifting her chest slightly before looking at the others behind her. "By the way, they are here to return the Holy Lyre der Himmel."

"Hi there, Miss Barbara," Paimon waved cheerfully.

"Ah, you must be the Honorary Knights! I'm Barbara, the Deaconess of the Church of Favonius," Barbara said, smiling and placing her hands over the large bow on her chest.

Paimon, Lumine, Nolan, and Venti all introduced themselves politely.

"The storm ended several days ago, but you hadn't returned the borrowed Holy Lyre der Himmel. I thought you might have forgotten, so I mentioned it to my sister," Barbara said, her white hands clasped together nervously as she rubbed them, looking slightly embarrassed.

"Oh, so it was you who told the Acting Grand Master. That's why Amber came to remind us," Paimon said, nodding in understanding. Then, her eyes widened in realization. "Wait, the Acting Grand Master is your sister?"

"Yes," Barbara responded softly.

"Alright, time to finish up the introductions. Hand over the Holy Lyre der Himmel to Barbara," Eula said, her lips curling slightly as she spoke.

"Hehe, Here it is, the Holy Lyre der Himmel," Venti said with a smile, presenting the now brilliantly shining harp to Barbara.

"Wait, it looks a bit different, doesn't it?" Barbara asked in disbelief as she took the lyre, noticing its rejuvenated appearance.

"It was restored with the Tears of the Storm Dragon," Lumine explained simply.

Thanks to their careful handling, the Holy Lyre der Himmel hadn't suffered any damage like in the game's storyline and had even been repaired.

The bright sunlight streaming through the windows fell on Barbara's legs, covered in white tights, as she exclaimed in realization, "Oh, I see. That means it can play even more healing music now. Thank you so much!"

Barbara hugged the harp and bowed slightly to express her gratitude.

[Barbara Has Good Feelings Towards You, Obtained 260 Affection Points. Current Affection Level: Lv.2 (160/200)]

"You're welcome. It's only right to take good care of borrowed items," Paimon said with a smile.

"If there's nothing else, I'll go put the Holy Lyre back in its place," Barbara said, carefully cradling the lyre as she left.

"Well, that went smoothly. Let's go," Venti said, stretching lazily. As he headed towards the exit, he glanced at Lumine. "Traveler, you probably have many questions for me. Now's a good time to ask."

The blonde girl paused for a moment before nodding gently. "Yes, do you know the god who took my brother?"

She described the appearance of the female god briefly.

"Uh...well," Venti fell silent for a while, still deep in thought as they stepped out of the cathedral. "I'm afraid I don't recognize her. You'll have to..."

Before he could finish his sentence, a wave of frost surged from the ground, quickly encasing everyone's legs in ice, except for Paimon of course.

"What?! What's happening?" Paimon shouted, looking in the direction the frost came from.

A woman in a black-and-white dress, wearing high heels, walked towards them with elegant strides, her long, snow-white legs moving gracefully.

(End of Chapter)

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