Ever since Su Bai had discovered the message board at The Cat's Tail, he had developed the habit of replying to messages whenever he returned from the wilds. Diona had complained about this more than once—claiming he was practically doing the owner's job for her. In the past, she could still see the boss at least once a day; now, she might not see her at all.
Today was the day Su Bai had agreed to head to Dragonspine together with Fischl. As a Liyue native who valued contracts, Su Bai broke his long-standing habit of sleeping in and arrived early at The Cat's Tail, waiting by the message board.
"Huh? Su Bai, why are you here?"
A slightly clueless voice sounded in front of him. Su Bai looked up to see Lumine staring at him curiously, while Paimon stood not far away, holding a Fisherman's Toast and working on breakfast.
"Oh? You two are up pretty early. Heading out for a commission?"
"We're going to collect Tears of Dvalin. Su Bai, do you know where to find them?"
Lumine was completely at a loss about repairing the Holy Lyre. Su Bai waved his hand, but still offered a suggestion.
"If you want Tears of Dvalin, why not go beat Dvalin up? Hit him until he cries—however many tears you want."
"Then we'd probably be the ones crying first," Paimon said flatly. "Forget it. We're not talking to you anymore, you bad guy. See you later, Su Bai!"
Paimon shot him a glare, grabbed Lumine, and dragged her away. Su Bai chuckled as he watched Lumine whip up a small Anemo vortex on the bridge. Looking at the pigeons—now reduced to piles of Fowl—he felt the urge to electro-fry pigeons growing stronger.
"White sprite, I did not expect you to desire an audience with this Prinzessin so fervently. In that case, I shall bestow upon you this chalice of refined essence."
Fischl's distinctive speech snapped Su Bai out of his thoughts.
Refined essence? What was that supposed to be?
Before he could turn around and ask, Oz had already spoken.
"Miss, you must drink the milk. The Queen of the Night specifically instructed me to make sure you finish it before heading out."
"Haha, Little Amy, you drink yours first. Once you're done, we'll set off."
Last time, things had been rushed, and Su Bai hadn't had a chance to properly observe Fischl. Looking at her now, he suddenly realized she really did dress like a princess. If she took off her eye patch, she'd look even more the part.
Fischl stared unhappily at the milk in her hand, her face scrunched up. Still, under Oz's watchful gaze, she tilted her head back and drank it—well, half of it. The other half spilled out.
"Smart move, Little Amy. That technique would be perfect for drinking contests."
"Of course! I am the Prinzessin der Verurteilung—wait, how do you know that nickname…?"
"Miss, instead of asking that, you may wish to pray that the Queen of the Night does not reprimand you when you return. I will report this truthfully. After all, you are still growing and require proper nutrition."
The smile on Fischl's face vanished instantly. Su Bai finally couldn't hold it in and laughed out loud. Fischl's face flushed red as she glared viciously at him with her uncovered eye.
"Little Amy, you really resemble the female lead from a novel I read in Inazuma. It's uncanny."
"A f-female lead???"
"So my disguise was that flawless, and yet you still uncovered it! Very well—yes! I am indeed the heroine of Flowers for Princess Fischl! Mortal retainer who seeks my blessing, offer your loyalty!"
Su Bai sized her up. Based on the novels he had read during the ten years he lived in Inazuma—from age six to sixteen—Fischl was practically a textbook tsundere chuunibyou protagonist.
"Miss, I suggest purchasing another glass of milk from Good Hunter. That would better support your nutritional needs."
"Oz, what's gotten into you? Ever since you went to the Knights of Favonius Library, you've been obsessing over my diet."
Oz said nothing. Instead, he sighed deeply while looking toward Fischl's chest.
In the future, Miss probably won't starve her child… but if the child ends up too skinny, that would be bad for their health. Truly worrying…
Fischl was left utterly confused by the sigh. Su Bai more or less understood Oz's meaning, but wisely chose not to say anything—it might be a bit too much of a blow.
Thinking of Hu Tao, Su Bai found himself empathizing with Oz. He had been back in Liyue for two years now, and in all that time, Hu Tao's figure hadn't changed in the slightest. It was truly headache-inducing.
"H-Hey! What's wrong with you two? Why do you both look so troubled? What are you hiding from this Prinzessin?"
"It's nothing, nothing. Let's go, Little Amy. By the way, shouldn't you prepare some thicker clothes? Dragonspine is freezing."
Just thinking about temperatures cold enough to freeze snot into icicles, Su Bai felt it was better to remind her.
"Hmph! This Prinzessin already anticipated that. Here—this is a blazing stone bestowed upon you by me. Keep it close to your chest, and you'll stay warm on Dragonspine. It cost me quite a lot."
Su Bai took the Agnidus Agate Sliver Fischl handed him. He didn't really need it, but since it was her goodwill, he accepted it without refusal.
"Our commission is pretty simple—mine twenty pieces of Starsilver. The reward is fifty thousand Mora. We'll split it evenly. I've never taken a commission worth this much before."
On the way to Dragonspine, Fischl toned down her dramatic speech a little, making herself much easier to understand. It wasn't that she didn't want to continue—every time she spoke, Oz would translate and then lecture her afterward.
Her mood was good along the way, but unfortunately, some Hilichurls had to ruin the atmosphere. One hiding in the shadows hurled a small rock at Fischl, striking the bow on her back.
Fischl, who had been enthusiastically describing the vastness of her territory and trying to recruit Su Bai as one of her subjects, was startled by the sudden attack. Seeing the Hilichurls shouting wildly, she raised her bow and charged in.
"Mr. Su Bai, thank you for keeping Miss company. It has been a long time since I have seen her this happy."
While Fischl dealt with the Hilichurls, Oz expressed his gratitude. Su Bai waved it off casually. He didn't find Fischl's chuunibyou behavior annoying at all. He couldn't understand why the people of Mondstadt would deliberately distance themselves from her.
"Oz, do you know why Little Amy calls herself Fischl?"
This was something Su Bai had always wanted to ask, but Fischl had been talking nonstop earlier.
"The name Fischl aligns with Miss's fate. It is also the name through which she shared her life and power with me."
Su Bai did not ask further. Anyone willing to share their life and strength with another deserved respect—and so did the name Fischl.
"Fischl, do you need help? I can join in if you want."
"Remain and bear witness, Su Bai! Observe how this Prinzessin's thunderous arrows purge all sin from this world!"
Seeing the Hilichurls being beaten senseless, Su Bai and Oz chose not to interrupt. A bit of exercise was good for kids, after all.
"Oz, don't you feel that something is… off?"
"You noticed as well, Mr. Su Bai. These Hilichurls do not seem native to this area. It is more as if they were driven here."
Both Su Bai and Oz possessed divine bloodlines, granting them perception far beyond ordinary people. Su Bai sensed clear fear radiating from the Hilichurls—and not a single Mitachurl among them. That alone was highly abnormal.
"This direction leads to Dragonspine," Su Bai said. "Oz, it seems we'll need to be careful."
Deep within Dragonspine, the once-quiet mountain path suddenly became lively. Four Ruin Guards had been activated for unknown reasons and were pursuing two fleeing figures. Not far behind the Ruin Guards, a squad of Fatui followed closely.
"Razor! When I fell earlier, I really just accidentally touched that person called 'La Signora'! I swear I didn't mean it! You have to believe me!"
"Ben… Bennett. Teacher said… women there… cannot touch."
"I know! I even apologized and called her 'Auntie'! Why was she still so angry?!"
Razor was equally confused. They had already apologized to that auntie, hadn't they? But with danger close behind, he had no time to think further. By his wolf-like instincts, that woman called La Signora felt just as dangerous as his teacher, Lisa.