In the days that followed, Liyue Harbor gradually returned to its former tranquility.
The aftermath of the terrifying storm faded, and life resumed its normal rhythm.
However, in those few days, Shao Yun hadn't seen any sign of Zhongli at Iron Tongue Tian's place, which left him slightly puzzled.
Meanwhile, the tall horse named Boadicea remained in Shao Yun's hands.
Since the Man with a Top Hat had disappeared without a trace after that night, the majestic horse was temporarily Shao Yun's.
As promised, Wangsheng Funeral Parlor held the funeral for Huachu and Jianqiu. Though Shao Yun hadn't been invited, he still attended.
He wasn't the type to make a scene at someone's memorial. Instead, he quietly observed the entire funeral ceremony.
At the funeral, Gentry De'an looked utterly haggard. His eyes were hollow and vacant, and he muttered to himself at times, insisting his daughter wasn't dead, then suddenly screaming that he had to go find her.
Shao Yun stood silently to the side, watching the once-dignified Gentry De'an reduced to this sorry state. He felt not the slightest ripple of sympathy—if anything, he was tempted to send the man off to reunite with his daughter.
But in the end, Shao Yun refrained from doing anything uncivilized.
After the funeral, Shao Yun left Wangsheng Funeral Parlor alone and made his way to the Liyue branch of the Adventurers' Guild to inquire about the matter of the clothing.
Katheryne greeted him with her usual bright smile and familiar tone.
"Welcome to the Adventurers' Guild. How may we assist you on your journey through the stars and the abyss?"
Shao Yun nodded and replied, "I'd like to check if there's any package or assignment for a certain Tacitus Kilgore?"
Katheryne smiled and nodded, quickly sifting through the parcel logs as she spoke.
"Alright, I'll take a look for you."
Before long, Katheryne found the relevant record. She looked up and said, "Yes, there is indeed a package addressed to Tacitus Kilgore."
Shao Yun leaned forward slightly and handed his adventurer's certificate over the counter.
"Then please give it to me. I'm Tacitus Kilgore."
Just as Shao Yun was eagerly awaiting his package, Katheryne's expression turned slightly awkward.
She accepted the certificate, examined it carefully for a moment, then looked back up with a hint of apology in her voice.
"I'm terribly sorry, but the package was shipped from Fontaine to Mondstadt, not to Liyue…"
Shao Yun froze, confused. "Huh? But I'm in Liyue. Why was it sent to Mondstadt?"
Katheryne looked at him, pondering the possible causes. A mistake? No—that would be unlikely. The Adventurers' Guild didn't make such amateur errors.
Which left only one possible explanation…
She asked, "May I ask, did you not process your Adventurer Transfer Procedure?"
Shao Yun frowned. This was the first time he'd heard of such a thing.
"What's that?"
Katheryne patiently explained, "For instance, when an adventurer from Mondstadt arrives in Liyue to begin exploring, they need to report to the Liyue branch of the Adventurers' Guild and complete a transfer procedure. That ensures all services—healing support, commission rewards, postal delivery, and so on—are rerouted here. It should be written on your certificate. Didn't you read it?"
Shao Yun blinked awkwardly. No wonder the package he'd been waiting for never arrived. That explained everything.
Tacitus Kilgore's records were still tied to the Mondstadt branch. And now that he thought about it… he had never once checked in with the Liyue Guild since arriving.
"…Can I fill out the transfer paperwork now and have the package forwarded to Liyue?" he asked, trying to make up for the blunder.
Katheryne looked at him, clearly troubled. In all her years of service, this was a first.
"This... I've honestly never run into this situation before, so I can't give you a definite answer just yet."
Shao Yun sighed, frustrated. "I just came back from Mondstadt a few days ago, and now I have to go all the way back… just for a package?"
Katheryne gave him a sympathetic look. "I'm truly sorry for the inconvenience. If you'd like, I can contact the Mondstadt Guild to see if they can redirect the package. But it will take some time—maybe five days before it arrives."
Shao Yun frowned even deeper, shaking his head.
"Five days? In that time, I could just ride there myself and pick it up."
Katheryne pulled out the transfer form. "In that case, let's at least process the transfer for you. We'll figure out the package issue after."
Shao Yun nodded, offering his thanks.
"Alright. Appreciate it."
He took the form, pen poised just above the page, about to sign—when a cheerful voice rang out.
Lumine and Paimon burst in, full of energy as usual.
Paimon flew up to the counter with excitement.
"Katheryne! We finished today's commission perfectly!"
Katheryne nodded with a gentle smile, glancing at Lumine and Paimon.
"Alright, let me verify your task completion and process your reward."
As Katheryne looked down to check the records, Lumine and Paimon noticed Shao Yun nearby.
Paimon floated over, blinking curiously.
"Shao Yun? What are you doing at the Guild today? I thought you'd be over at Iron Tongue Tian's place listening to stories like usual."
Shao Yun rubbed his forehead, a look of frustration appearing on his face.
There was so much he wanted to complain about—he didn't even know where to begin.
"Don't even ask…"
He explained the whole thing about not filling out the transfer form, and how the outfit he ordered for Lumine got sent to Mondstadt because of it.
Paimon's eyes went wide with sympathy.
"Yikes… yeah, that's pretty rough." She patted him on the shoulder in consolation.
Shao Yun took a deep breath and slapped his own cheeks to rally himself.
"Well, it is what it is. No use complaining. I'll just ride back to Mondstadt and pick it up. Only takes a day or two."
As he finished, Katheryne returned with Lumine's commission payout.
"Lumine, here's your reward."
She handed over a pouch of Mora, followed by a sealed envelope.
"There's also an invitation—from Mondstadt. It's addressed to Miss Lumine."
Lumine accepted the pouch and carefully stashed it away, then took the envelope with a curious frown.
"From Mondstadt?"
She opened the envelope carefully and drew out an exquisite invitation.
It looked like a work of art—gilded vines framed the edges, decorated with lifelike grapes, and it even emitted a faint scent of fruit.
Written on the card was:
"Esteemed guests Lumine, Paimon, and Shao Yun are cordially invited to the Mondstadt Wine Consortium, a gathering hosted by several major vineyards of Windrise."
Paimon leaned in close, her round eyes scanning the invitation with curiosity.
She scratched her head. "I thought it was gonna be some Windblume Festival or Featherball Tournament or something. But it's just a wine gathering? We're not sommeliers—what are we supposed to do there? And there's no sender name either. Just a stamp from the Knights of Favonius. Weird…"
Lumine looked at the card, murmuring thoughtfully, "Even without a name, it's real. We've been away from Mondstadt for a while now—our friends there must be missing us. And we've explored most of Liyue. Going back to visit isn't such a bad idea."
Shao Yun nodded in agreement.
"Yeah, and I can finally see if that outfit fits properly."
Then he turned to Katheryne and said seriously, "Miss Katheryne, I'll process the transfer once I get back from Mondstadt."
Katheryne smiled and nodded understandingly.