Fischl adjusted her clothes and walked gracefully toward Su Bai, who was still observing the scene. Her exposed eye glowed with a deep violet light as she extended her right hand toward him.
"White-spun spirit descended upon this world, it seems the filth and corruption of mortals have not clouded your sight. This princess grants you permission to accompany me."
Su Bai froze at the golden-haired girl's words. What was this? Were young people really speaking like this these days? He understood each word individually, but together… it made no sense.
"This gentleman—Miss Fischl means she wishes to invite you to accompany her to Dragonspine to complete a commission. Might you have the time?"
Perhaps due to his natural place in the food chain, Oz always felt a subtle unease around Su Bai. He wouldn't have spoken up otherwise, not wanting to upset his mistress.
From spectator to participant in a moment, Su Bai's uncertainty showed as he pointed to himself.
"You're inviting me? Do we even know each other?"
"I am Fischl, Prinzessin der Verurteilung, sovereign of the shadowed world. Your title, White-Spun Spirit, is already known to me. My loyal servant, Oz, has witnessed all this."
After a moment's thought, Su Bai gave up trying to parse Fischl's words. Instead, he looked at Oz, her trusty translator. Oz did not disappoint, translating Fischl's intentions clearly:
"Miss Fischl says she would very much like to be friends with you. She is too shy to say it herself, so she asked me to convey her feelings."
"Oz! You didn't have to be so blunt! And why did you tell him the second part too?!"
Fischl's face turned bright red. The moment Oz spoke her unspoken thoughts, the once-chuuni princess transformed into a bashful little girl. Su Bai's curiosity about this Fischl grew immediately.
Thinking he had nothing better to do while waiting for Stormterror to return to normal—and that this free time might be useful—Su Bai gently took Fischl's hand.
"Hello, Fischl. My name is Su Bai. Nice to meet you. In five days, we'll meet here and I'll accompany you to Dragonspine."
"Don't worry, Miss Katheryne. With me around, Fischl will not face any danger."
Whether it was because Su Bai held her hand, the excitement of finally taking a commission, or both, Fischl's face flushed even deeper. Katheryne let out a resigned sigh, then handed over the Dragonspine commission for collecting Starsilver Ore to Fischl.
"Uh… White-Spun Spirit, this princess…"
"Little Amy, time to go home for dinner. If you don't eat now, the food will get cold."
"Miss, you should head home for a meal. You are still growing, and skipping meals is forbidden."
Hearing the calls and Oz's advice, Fischl's red face instantly turned pale. After leaving a promise to meet again in five days, she grabbed Oz's short legs and quickly disappeared from Su Bai's sight.
Thanks to his fox-like hearing, Su Bai could still hear Fischl scolding Oz. What a little tsundere.
"Looks like the Dragonspine trip in five days won't be boring at all. Little Amy, huh? That's a nice name."
Su Bai paid no attention to the judgmental stares of the Mondstadt citizens. He judged friends by affinity, not status. As long as they weren't truly evil, Su Bai didn't care about social rank. After all, no matter their status, none could surpass that of a Liyue adeptus like him.
"Oh, Miss Katheryne, do you have any commissions suitable for me? I'm free anyway, and while I'm here at the Adventurers' Guild, I might as well take a commission."
Katheryne's eyes lit up at the chance to assign him tasks. She quickly pulled up some monster-hunting jobs: clearing Hilichurl camps, slaying slimes near the Dawn Winery, and even an overambitious "defeat the Stormterror" commission.
Looking at the long string of zeros under the Stormterror commission, Su Bai had an idea: trick Barbatos into thinking he defeated it once Stormterror was back to normal. He could then claim he slayed the "Stormterror" and split the Mora with Barbatos. After all, the payment came from Snezhnaya—why leave money on the table?
(TL Note: No idea what a Windlfare Drake is, and can't find anything similar to what they could be requesting in Mondstadt. If I am mistaken, please tell me to change it.)
The more he considered it, the more excited, Su Bai's fox ears twitched. Katheryne, seeing him stare at the Stormterror commission, assumed he wanted to take it seriously. She was delighted—someone finishing the task might finally free her to return to Snezhnaya and serve Her Majesty.
"Phew, Miss Katheryne, none of these commissions suit me. Do you have any others?"
"Others? Su Bai, aren't these perfect for you? Are you sure you don't want them?"
Katheryne's excitement dwindled immediately, dreams of promotion extinguished. Were it not for the smile programmed into her, she might have cried right there.
"No, no, no. I don't think these commissions are quite right for me. Miss Katheryne, do you have anything that doesn't require fighting? Preferably assigned by a pretty lady, and bonus points if it includes meals."
"Su Bai, we are the Adventurers' Guild, not a maid service. If you hope to find something like that here, don't get your hopes up."
"Also, if you're willing to do collection commissions, I can pick some with decent rewards for you."
Katheryne first considered suggesting a collection commission—rarely attempted due to low rewards—but as Su Bai's requests became increasingly absurd, she grew helpless. Such a commission simply didn't exist. She couldn't help but wonder if this man was here to cause trouble.
Exhausted, Katheryne gave up on further conversation, pretending Su Bai didn't exist, and continued sorting the various commissions.