"Donation." The two words made the old man freeze in place, dumbfounded. He couldn't quite believe his ears. Since retiring from the military, he had been caring for children at this orphanage for years. In all these years, it was the first time he had heard the words "donation."
Su Bai shot Kaeya a look that said, "Hurry up and get the Mora out." Though Kaeya was filled with countless questions, he obediently took out a pouch of Mora and placed it in the old man's hands. Whether or not he was actually haunted by a ghost, he would have given this pouch to the old man anyway. After all, these children were all Mondstadt's future.
The old man's hands trembled as he received the money pouch from Kaeya. Even though the amount of Mora inside might not have been vast, the sentiment represented by the pouch moved the venerable old man to tears.
"Lord Barbatos... So there really are still people in this world who remember us... This old man thanks you on behalf of the children."
Overwhelmed with emotion, the old man bent at the waist, about to bow to Su Bai and Kaeya. Faced with such a respectable elder, how could Su Bai and Kaeya dare accept his bow? The two of them hastily and flusteredly helped the old man straighten up.
"Elder, you'll shorten our lifespans if you do that! If you really want to thank us, just ensure these children grow up healthy and strong."
"Don't you worry, young man. This old man will definitely follow Lord Barbatos's guidance and see to it the children grow up healthy."
Whether it was Kaeya's donation that gave the old man confidence or his faith in Barbatos was rekindled, the old man's eyes now held much more light.
"Grandpa, I think the rice is ready to eat."
A little girl swallowed and tugged at the old man's sleeve. The old man slapped his forehead. He had been so busy thanking the guests he nearly forgot about the children.
"Oh, this old head of mine! Getting old, the mind doesn't work so well. Please, guests, have a seat. I'll go serve rice for you and the children."
For the entire afternoon, Su Bai and Kaeya stayed at the orphanage, chatting with the old man and the children. The children were also very interested in Su Bai's two large, furry tails. Some of the bolder ones even reached out to touch them, though they were met with a stern glare from the old man.
Throughout this time, no matter how Su Bai and Kaeya tried to coax information from the old man, he steadfastly refused to say who exactly had taken the relief funds. Both Su Bai and Kaeya understood this was the old man's way of protecting them. Yet, even when they placed their Visions right in front of the old man, he showed no sign of relenting.
Kaeya also considered directly revealing his identity, but he suspected this matter might involve someone within the Knights of Favonius. To avoid alerting the culprit, Kaeya could only frustratingly keep the matter to himself.
Under the setting sun, Su Bai and Kaeya walked the streets with heavy hearts after saying goodbye to the children. While at the orphanage, under the pretext of hugging the children, Su Bai had checked their bone age.
He found it hard to believe that children here who were over ten years old were often shorter than ordinary eight or nine-year-olds. 'Sigh... Indeed, not every nation's leader is a Ningguang.'
"Sir Su Bai, if there's nothing else, I shall take my leave. I need to report this matter to Acting Grand Master Jean. We shall talk again when the opportunity arises."
The usual ease was gone from Kaeya's face. This incident could lead to a shift of certain powers within the Knights. He had always tried to avoid such matters before, yet now one had come knocking on his door.
After Kaeya completely disappeared around a street corner, Su Bai looked towards the shadowy area of a building behind him. A familiar presence was there.
"Sister Rosaria, you've been watching all afternoon. Still not planning to come out?"
"To think you could detect me. It seems this adeptus of yours does possess some skill."
From the shadows, Rosaria emerged at a leisurely pace, twirling a small knife in her hand. Her dead-fish eyes, worthy of a match with Diluc, stared vacantly at Su Bai.
"You asked questions all afternoon and didn't get any key information, and you made me work overtime all afternoon. Truly pathetic."
"Now, now, you can't say that. At the very least, we can almost be certain there's a parasite within the Knights."
"I knew that too. Next time you find something, tell me earlier. Standing in a tree all day is exhausting."
Rosaria grumbled. If she had known Su Bai detected her, she would have found a place to lie down. Standing in that tree all afternoon had nearly exhausted her to death.
"Are the sisters planning to intervene in this matter?"
Faced with Su Bai's idiotic question, Rosaria gave him a look with her dead-fish eyes that could only be described as a withering glare. Su Bai realized he had asked a foolish question and coughed twice in embarrassment.
"Right, well... this talisman is for you. Consider it my contribution."
"This talisman can make a person fall into an illusion, and they will answer any question you ask truthfully."
"Oh, and I'll recommend another helper. If you encounter matters the sisters cannot handle directly, you can look for a certain golden-haired girl on the various streets of Mondstadt. She will help you. You just need to pay her some Mora."
Su Bai tossed a talisman he had drawn to Rosaria. Faced with Su Bai's offering, Rosaria's heart was conflicted. Subjectively, Rosaria did not trust Su Bai. She shouldn't take this talisman. But for the sake of Mondstadt, her body acted quite honestly and caught the talisman floating in the air.
"Thank you. I'll go prepare to apprehend someone now."
"Go on, go on... Wait, sister, are you just going to arrest someone without evidence?"
"Evidence? Hah."
Rosaria pointed at the clothes she was wearing. 'Hmm, these clothes are really... generous. Ahem, this pair of... 'Slimes' is quite impressive. Since when did the sisters' outfits become so bold? In principle, shouldn't sisters' clothing cover them up tightly?'
"Gathering evidence is the way of the Knights of Favonius. We sisters don't bother with such things. As long as someone dares act against Mondstadt, we become their worst nightmare."
"And, next time you look at me with that kind of gaze, be careful I don't pluck your eyeballs out."
Rosaria twirled her knife in a flashy move as a warning to Su Bai, then, under Su Bai's awkward gaze, she directly scaled a wall and disappeared among the layers of rooftops.
"Tsk, as I recall, the Favonius Cathedral does have a Bishop, right? It seems this Bishop is about to become a figurehead soon."
The Favonius Cathedral Bishop, Seamus (from the official Genshin Impact manga, father of Jean and Barbara), didn't seem very prominent in Mondstadt. Su Bai had been in Mondstadt city for many days now and hadn't heard a single person mention this Bishop. Instead, the name Barbara was frequently brought up.
"Sir Su Bai! I've been looking for you all afternoon and finally found you!"
"Here is your compensation. Please take it."
Not long after Rosaria left, a Knight of Favonius found Su Bai. Upon seeing Su Bai, he looked like he was about to cry. Heavens above! After delivering the compensation to Su Bai's former landlord, he had practically searched all of Mondstadt city, finally finding Su Bai in this corner.
Acting Grand Master Jean had given the order that he must deliver the compensation to Su Bai today. He had originally thought that after delivering it, he could go have a drink at the tavern. Well, now the sun was almost down. He had run around all afternoon and was completely exhausted. Better just hurry home, wash up, and go to sleep.