TN: And we're back! sorry for the week long hiatus, it was not intentional since I had to get my right leg in a cast after tripping 3 floors down a stairwell (like an idiot ://) and be unable to use my PC setup upstairs BUT I should be OK now.
Anyways, Thanks for Arcanic Madness, WeissAkumu and WolfWTF for becoming as Supporters!
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Since dusk had arrived, the plan was simple: go enjoy a good meal first, then head to the Zubayr Theater at night and let Nilou's dance heal the soul…
That was what Victor Wang thought, and what he intended to do. However, during a lull after dinner, Katheryne arrived with someone completely unexpected.
"Eula?"
"Long time no see."
Victor Wang thought carefully. "It really has been a long time. The last time we met was on Dragonspine… Dragonspine…"
Eula took a quiet breath, her chest rising slightly. A "Long time no see" should've just been "long time no see". Why bring up the location? That immediately reminded her of something she could never forget—the Snowboar King.
Let's skip the pleasantries. With a hint of irritation, she changed the subject. "I'm here on Lisa's behalf, to deliver something to you."
It was a letter. Without even opening it, Victor Wang could already guess its contents—it had to be Furina's reminder letter.
Still, he opened it. And, as expected, he was right.
Nahida's birthday—also known as the Sabzeruz Festival—was in October. Even though he'd come to Sumeru early in September to prepare, there were now only four months left until the New Year. Those four months had flown by in the blink of an eye, and the New Year was already around the corner again.
Furina wanted him to write a few more good scripts for the New Year's Eve performance at the Opera Epiclese.
The last time he'd written anything was before last year's New Year, when Furina had urged him to produce Hamlet, A Midsummer Night's Dream, and Sherlock Holmes. This entire year had passed without a single new work.
At least last year, she'd written to him twenty days in advance. Why was it so urgent this time…? There were only twelve days left until the New Year.
Seeing Victor Wang fall silent after reading the letter, Eula asked, "Lisa said this letter was probably very urgent, so she had me rush it over at full speed. I didn't come too late, did I?"
Victor Wang folded the letter away and regained his relaxed demeanor. "You were right on time. Thank you."
Pulling an all-nighter or two, he could finish one book in a day. Twelve days was still plenty. The only concern was whether Furina would have enough time to memorize the script and rehearse—but that wasn't his problem to worry about.
Judging by the address, the letter had been sent to Mondstadt. Presumably, previous letters had all reached him successfully, so Furina had once again mailed it to the Mondstadt Publishing House.
But aside from Lisa… if he hadn't met her in Sumeru, she probably wouldn't even know where he was. And Lisa had just happened to be vacationing in Sumeru recently, so the letter ended up stuck at the Mondstadt Publishing House.
So—it was Furina who'd sent it to the wrong place!
And after Lisa returned to Mondstadt, she specifically had Eula make a trip to deliver the letter?
Thinking this through, Victor Wang asked, "Don't tell me you came all this way just to deliver the letter?"
"What are you thinking? I'm here on official business," Eula replied. "Though to deliver the letter as quickly as possible, I did give up the comfort of the ferry and rush here overland at full speed. If you want to thank me, then take me to the Zubayr Theater to see that red-haired girl's dance."
"?"
"What's with that look? Lisa said you're very familiar with the Zubayr Troupe."
"And… how did Lisa describe the dance to you?"
Eula raised an eyebrow almost imperceptibly. "She said it was 'more beautiful than any dance she'd ever seen.' Kaeya praised it endlessly too, and our Honorary Knight even watched it for an entire month straight."
"Even Lumine…? Why didn't I know?"
"I meant you."
"Cough, cough…"
"For a whole month straight. Aside from the days the theater was closed for renovations, not a single day was missed." With merciless precision, Eula exposed his behavior. "I heard it was for research purposes. I understand—but that alone speaks volumes about the dance's appeal."
There was no way Eula had ever been to the Zubayr Theater. This had to be information Lisa dug up!
Victor Wang suddenly remembered Lisa saying she wanted to see the Dance of the Sabzeruz in Mondstadt, all because he'd seemed too familiar with the Zubayr Theater back then.
She'd even said she wanted to trick Eula into dancing the Sabzeruz Dance—and now Eula was really here, looking exactly like someone who'd fallen for a provocation. So, he'd basically been used as a stepping stone by Lisa?
What else could he do? With a quiet sigh, Victor Wang led Eula toward the Grand Bazaar.
Night had just fallen, and the Zubayr Troupe's performance had only just begun. There was still some time before Nilou's dance. The two sat in the audience, chatting idly.
"I mainly came to Sumeru this time to inspect the local alcohol industry," Eula said.
"If I remember correctly, Kaeya finished inspecting Sumeru's alcohol industry a few days ago and already returned to Mondstadt, didn't he?"
"That's right. Kaeya brought back the preliminary results. I'm here to recheck them. After all, this concerns a major issue for Mondstadt's alcohol trade."
"There's even a reinspection? And they assigned you to it…" Victor Wang thought for a moment. Lisa had probably pulled some strings behind the scenes to make this trip happen.
"Hey, don't underestimate a former aristocrat's knowledge," Eula said coolly. "I'm a professional when it comes to tasting alcohol. I just don't like getting drunk every day like those hopeless boozehounds."
"No, no, of course not."
Victor Wang hurriedly denied it. The memory of that sneeze during the "late-night tavern encounter" was still vivid—how could he ever think Eula couldn't drink?
But his denial came from genuine understanding, so his tone was calm and assured. To Eula, however, it sounded like he was backing down just to avoid an argument.
"Oh?" She narrowed her eyes slightly. "The more you say that, the more I want to show you my drinking etiquette and tolerance. How about we grab a few drinks later?"
Victor Wang immediately started sweating. Looking back on his past drinking experiences—blacking out and grabbing Venti's Mora to pay the bill was still… No, if it weren't for Little Wen's records, he wouldn't even remember that episode. His alcohol tolerance was truly terrible.
Was it better to force himself to drink for pride's sake and completely lose control in front of Eula—or just refuse outright?
He was just about to choose the latter—
When Eula shook her head first. "Forget it. I still have duties to attend to, and you have that urgent letter. Neither of us can afford to get drunk."
Victor Wang nodded vigorously. "Exactly. What a shame. Next time, then."
"If there's a next time… Oh, right. After I'm done with my official business, I'll be heading to Gandharva Ville to visit a child named Collei. In a letter she wrote to Amber, she mentioned meeting two Honorary Knights of the Knights of Favonius. You know her too, right?"
"Collei? Yes, I know her. Why?"
"I heard the Eleazar that's plagued her for so long has disappeared. Such a cause for celebration—but Amber can't make it. Why don't you come help celebrate instead?"
"Sure."
"And we'll have a few drinks while we're at it."
"Ah? Collei hasn't recovered for that long yet… maybe drinking isn't a good idea…"
"I meant you."
"Then… then we'll see when the time comes… I…"
"What do you mean 'we'll see'? You agreed pretty quickly just now."
Victor Wang was completely baffled. How did it feel like he had absolutely no room to refuse?
"It's settled, then."
"..."
After chatting for quite a while, Nilou finally appeared on stage.
When Eula saw her outfit clearly, her eyes widened slightly. But since she'd already come all this way, she couldn't leave empty-handed. Whether she ended up using it or not, at the very least… she'd memorize the movements first.
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