Albedo continued his work in the lab, attempting to replicate the Gnosis. Sucrose had taken the data from the Sun's Annihilator to the Knights of Favonius for a report, and with Klee out and some rare free time on his hands, Shen Qin snuck off to Cat's Tail Tavern to enjoy one of Diona's special drinks.
"Hmph! Mr. Qin, if it weren't for the fact that you've protected Mondstadt so many times, I wouldn't be selling you alcohol at all!" Diona grumbled in disapproval. Still, her hands never stopped moving as she carefully crafted the tavern's most highly praised special cocktail just for him.
"Alright, alright—" Shen Qin replied casually, teasing the mechanical cat Yuumi that was nuzzling affectionately against him.
The little creature knew it was this young man who had created her. Gone was her usual aloof demeanor; instead, she affectionately rubbed against his palm. Despite accompanying Diona to the tavern every day, Yuumi never allowed anyone else to pet her.
"Lord Shen Qin, please don't take Diona's words to heart," Yuumi whispered. "She's actually complained to me several times, wondering why you never come to drink at Cat's Tail. She was worried her drinks weren't good enough to bring you back…"
"Yuumi!" Diona's face turned bright red. She hadn't expected her usually loyal companion to betray her like that!
Yuumi stuck out her tongue and easily dodged Diona's flustered grab.
Diona turned her back to Shen Qin, who was smiling brightly at her. "I-I just wanted your opinion on the new drink I made! Don't get the wrong idea!"
Her tail flicked back and forth—adorably.
Shen Qin was about to respond when someone suddenly sat down next to him. He felt the newcomer's gaze and turned to look, only to see it was Tartaglia!
"Yo! Long time no see. What brings you to Mondstadt this time?" Shen Qin didn't seem particularly surprised. He turned to Diona and said, "Diona, get this gentleman a drink too—on me."
"Mr. Shen, you really are Mondstadt's most brilliant alchemist. It hasn't been that long, and yet you've already created another weapon that could change the way all of Teyvat fights," Tartaglia said helplessly. "I was barely in Liyue for a few days before headquarters sent me to talk to you about a potential collaboration."
"No deal on the bolter rifles. I'm only providing those to Mondstadt and Liyue," Shen Qin refused outright.
"I figured." Tartaglia had expected that answer, but his tone grew serious. "Let's find somewhere quieter—I have something else I want to discuss with you."
"Your drinks." Diona placed both their glasses on the bar with a flat expression.
"Try the drink first," Shen Qin said, raising his glass. "This is the work of Mondstadt's best bartender. One sip, and you'll be hooked."
Tartaglia helplessly clinked glasses with him.
Though Diona kept a stern face at Shen Qin's compliment, her happily wagging tail gave away her mood.
She muttered under her breath, "Hooked? This is his first time ever drinking one of my cocktails…"
Yuumi giggled behind her paw.
Tartaglia took a very casual attitude with the drink, he just wanted to finish it quickly and move on to business. But the moment the liquid hit his tongue, the rich aroma hit him like a wave, snapping him to attention.
The fragrance swirled in his mouth along with a cooling sensation, mixed with a mysterious sweetness from some unknown ingredient. It captivated him instantly.
'Is that mist flower? No… it's Cryo energy!'
He downed the drink in one go and couldn't help but exclaim, "Refreshing!"
The tavern regulars, seeing yet another new guest fall to the charm of Diona's drinks, chuckled kindly.
Shen Qin put down his glass and sighed in satisfaction. He then smiled at Diona. "Diona, can I have another?"
"No! Too much drinking turns people into drunks! You've had your quota for the day!" Diona despised drunkards, so she had a strict rule: one drink per customer per day. If you wanted another, come back tomorrow!
"Sigh… Guess I'll have to come back another time." Shen Qin left payment for both drinks on the bar and waved Tartaglia over. "Come on, I'll take you somewhere absolutely private."
Diona stuck her tongue out at his departing back.
When Tartaglia followed Shen Qin into the cathedral basement, he was genuinely shocked.
The Fatui had long known that Mondstadt's sacred treasure the" Skyward Harp "was hidden down here. Rosalyne had even considered using it to gain power from the Anemo Archon.
He hadn't expected to be allowed in so easily.
Shen Qin led the somewhat dazed Tartaglia into the lab. Albedo glanced up at them briefly, then returned to his work as if it were totally normal for Shen Qin to bring a Fatui Harbinger here.
Tartaglia, however, stared in disbelief at the Anemo Gnosis sitting on Albedo's desk. Rosalyne's entire mission in Mondstadt was to retrieve that very item, yet here it was, sitting right in front of him without any protection.
Shen Qin smiled. "You want it? I'll give it to you."
"Huh?" Tartaglia stared blankly.
Shen Qin casually walked over, picked up the Gnosis, and tossed it to him.
Tartaglia barely managed to catch it and immediately felt a terrifying aura radiating from it. It was unmistakably real. This was the actual Gnosis, not some cheap replica.
"This is the deal I wanted to talk to you about," Shen Qin said. "I'll give you the Gnosis, and in return, you give me something I want."
Tartaglia was completely stunned. He had only come to Mondstadt hoping to talk, not even expecting to get a deal for the bolter rifles.. yet now he had the Gnosis in his hands.
"Wait, wait! Let me process this…" A deep sense of absurdity filled his heart.
As he slowly calmed down and looked at the Gnosis in his hands, the desire in his eyes burned brighter and brighter.
He wanted to take it straight back to Snezhnaya right now and offer it as a precious gift to Her Majesty the Tsaritsa.
"You've verified it's real, right? It's the genuine article," Shen Qin said, holding out his hand. "Give it back for now. I'm using it for the trade, we're not done yet. Once the deal is done, it's yours."
Tartaglia narrowed his eyes at Shen Qin, who was extending his hand so nonchalantly. For a moment, he was tempted to forget the "deal" and just take the Gnosis and leave.
After all, Shen Qin was just a normal human. He couldn't stop him.
But then Tartaglia saw the spherical machine in the corner quietly watching him… and Albedo, who hadn't lifted his head even once but whose presence loomed large.
He handed the Gnosis back to Shen Qin. "Alright. So… what's the deal?"