As Rola walked down the street, she noticed that while many buildings in the city had been damaged, there were almost no injuries among the residents.
It seemed the Storm Dragon's attack had been more terrifying in spectacle than in actual harm inflicted—perhaps due to the Anemo Archon's covert protection.
Mondstadt had largely restored order, though a lingering unease remained on the faces of its residents.
Rola arrived at Angel's Share tavern, surprised to find it open and bustling with patrons as usual.
"Mr. Barton, is my brother here?" Rola called out to the waiter near the entrance.
"Ah, Miss Rola! Master Diluc just stepped out, but he said he'd be back soon. Would you like to come inside and wait?"
"No need. Just tell my brother I'll be staying at Noelle's place tonight."
Her brother had always forbidden her from entering the tavern alone, especially when he wasn't there. To avoid a lecture, Rola decided to head to her friend Noelle's.
"Of course, I'll pass the message on immediately."
"Thank you, Mr. Barton!"
"You're too kind. After all you've done for Mondstadt, this small favor is the least I can do."
After bidding farewell to Barton, Rola set off to find Noelle.
Knowing Noelle as well as she did, Rola was certain she would be busy helping reassure the residents and repair their homes.
Sure enough, in the alley behind The Cat's Tail tavern, Rola spotted Noelle carrying supplies and immediately rushed over to help.
"Noelle, I'm here!"
"Rola!"
Hearing the familiar voice, Noelle peeked out from behind the large crate she was carrying, her face breaking into a radiant smile as she greeted Rola.
"Is it heavy? Let me help you!"
"Not at all. The Cat's Tail's shelves and stairs were damaged by the hurricane, so I just happened to be passing by and offered to lend a hand."
Rola watched as Noelle effortlessly lifted the seemingly heavy crate and tried to move one of the boxes nearby herself.
Uh...
It didn't budge an inch!
Looks like manual labor isn't really my thing.
Just as they were talking, Margaret, the tavern owner, approached them.
"Rola's here too! Come in and sit down. Noelle, take a break—I just made some snacks. Let's all have some."
Tiny beads of sweat dotted Noelle's forehead. Rola gently wiped them away, her heart aching.
This girl... she never thinks enough about herself.
Rola completely forgot that she and Noelle were actually two peas in a pod. If it hadn't been for the "plot" starting and Jiang Mumu pouring more of her consciousness into this body, Rola would have been even more naive and straightforward than Noelle.
After sharing a meal at Margaret's tavern, the two friends helped tidy up the place together.
-
After resolving the affairs at the Ruins, Lumine and Paimon were awarded the title of "Honorary Knight" by the Knights of Favonius.
Paimon finally got to savor the Sticky Honey Roast she had been dreaming of.
"Wow, this is absolutely delicious!" Paimon patted her satisfied little belly, her face beaming with happiness.
Lumine also wore a contented expression. After days of roughing it in the wilderness, she was finally enjoying a warm and savory meal.
"See? Sara's cooking is top-notch in Mondstadt!"
"Hehe~ Paimon wholeheartedly agrees! This is a professional gourmet's evaluation!"
"Amber, where did Rola and Noelle go?" Lumine asked.
She hadn't seen Rola and Noelle since earlier. They were among the first friends she had made in Mondstadt, and she was eager to get to know them better.
"Rola and Noelle? They're probably helping the residents rebuild their homes. They're famous for their kindness—everyone in Mondstadt loves them!"
Hearing Rola's name, Paimon suddenly remembered the gift Rola had promised her. Rola's description had filled her with anticipation!
"By the way, Amber, when Rola introduced them earlier, she mentioned they were potential Knight Order members. Why are they only prospects when they both have Visions?"
Paimon was puzzled. She noticed that many formal knights didn't have Visions.
On this continent, the difference between possessing a Vision and lacking one was as vast as heaven and earth.
"Ah, that," Amber said, scratching her head. "Acting Grand Master Jean says they don't know how to protect themselves. They always throw themselves wholeheartedly into everything, even disregarding their own safety. She's worried someone might take advantage of them, so she hasn't approved their knight exams yet."
"Once, they recklessly risked their lives to rescue some adventurers stranded on Snow Mountain. As a result, they both suffered from high fevers for days. Master Diluc was furious and confined Rola to house arrest for half a month!"
"Eh? Master Diluc?"
Hearing the new name, Paimon eagerly asked, "Who's that?"
"Oops, sorry! I forgot you haven't met Master Diluc yet. He's the big boss of the Mondstadt Wine Industry and Rola's older brother!"
Paimon: "Big boss? He must be super rich!"
"Yup! Master Diluc is the wealthiest man in Mondstadt!"
"Wow!"
Paimon's eyes sparkled with excitement, making her even more eager for the gift Rola had promised.
Lumine pulled Paimon back down from her hovering position above the table. "No flying around the table!"
In the live stream chat:
Chen Xiyao had just advanced the story to the scene where Lumine was talking to Amber. She finally understood why the chat had been saying Rola was "super rich."
"I already loved Rola and Noelle, but after hearing Amber's description, I love them even more! What am I supposed to do?!"
"Mondstadt actually has two such adorable angels, and I encountered them right from the start? Hehehe..."
[Streamer, mind your image! You're still live streaming!]
[Hahaha, Little Guoguo? What image? It's already completely shattered!]
[Veteran fans, listen up: don't be fooled by the streamer's appearance! Deep down, she's incredibly scornful!]
[I thought Rola would be a free character too. I've been waiting so long, and I still don't know where to pull for her.]
[Rola's character model is just chef's kiss! ! !]
[Diluc is in the gacha, so there's no reason his sister shouldn't be too, right?]
[Exactly! Noelle was free, but I've searched both the standard and limited gacha pools for Rola and can't find her anywhere. We don't even know if she's a 4-star or a 5-star. You'd think the first character we meet would be easier to obtain!]
Chen Xiyao watched the chat's discussion and offered her own speculation:
"There are probably three possibilities: first, Rola is a 5-star character who will appear in a future limited gacha; second, she's a 4-star in the standard gacha who will later be featured as a support character for a limited 5-star; third, Rola won't be added to the gacha at all?"
Even she found the last possibility hard to believe—a character with such a meticulously designed model not being added to the gacha?
Does this game company even know how to make money?