Mondstadt's lousy taverns weren't a place Keqing was expected to be, but its wine industry was too influential for her to not investigate further. The industry's taxes, from what Keqing knew, did take up a large proportion of the nation's government income.
Still, that wasn't the main reason that she was in Mondstadt city. She had better things to do. Rex Lapis's departure had left Liyue with much disturbance, with political and economic systems changing almost overnight. And when a change occurs on the inside, so must the outside be changed accordingly. Therefore, Keqing, along with the diplomats of Liyue, came to negotiate new terms with the Knights of Favonius.
Everything went smoothly before the news of increased abyss monster activities around Mondstadt was heard. Several paths, along with the ones leading to Liyue, were blocked. Looking at the sizable team (many of them with no experience in combat) she had brought along, Keqing decided to stay put and wait for the knights and adventurers to resolve the matter.
At first, she had expected them to be done within half of a day. Then, a day passed, and they still weren't finished. Another two days had passed, and Keqing found herself finishing all the work she could do, tidying loose ends of contracts. But, the knights and adventurers still weren't done with their work.
In their defense, it had been raining nonstop for the past two days.
By the fourth day, Keqing found herself with nothing more to do but wonder on the streets of the city.
It didn't take long for her to begin studying further about Mondstadt's government's system, or the nation itself. When she asked for the best place to get a feel of the nation's traditions and customs, the librarian–her name was Lisa, as Keqing remembered–suggested that she could begin by looking into the drinking culture.
Thus, the famous Yuheng sat in the corner of Angle's Share.
No one seemed to give her much attention, all busy drunken high on alcohol. Keqing even bothered to change her attire to match the environment, but it seemed that she was over apprehensive.
The knights were, by Keqing's observation, one of the most regular customers. They came in groups of threes and fours; some of them still carrying their swords and chest plates. Then, there were the adventurers in their green and white outfits; others' professions were less recognizable, yet Keqing was sure she'd seen some familiar faces of merchants in the marketplace.
'Drinking must've been a popular way for Mondstadt citizens to relax,' Keqing thought. However, she cannot help feeling skeptical about how such late-night "hobbies" would affect the overall productivity of these citizens. 'There're too many knights here. Won't it affect their patrolling duties tomorrow? A good night's sleep might've done better.'
Keqing glanced to one of the corners of the tavern. 'Even their Calvary Capitan is here, and the woman sitting beside him…is that a sister of the church?!'
She sighed, brows furrowing. 'Mondstadt's drinking culture sure is popular.' She took a sip from her cup–no, it's not alcohol–and the sweetness expanded from the tip of her tongue, creating a light sense of happiness, and her mind relaxed into the cheering tunes of joyous shouts.
If one were to listen in carefully, they'd be able to hear the delicate sound of a lyre plucking and the poems and singing of a seasoned bard.
"…when the world had yet to attain the age it does…the seven nations, youthful as the dawn of day…"
"…the god of freedom took flight, with birds–they spread their wings, with dandelions–they float with yearning of the sky…"
Keqing could then hear the words more clearly. The bard's singing had a certain wondrous feel to it; no wonder the crowd began quieting down.
"…the lord of contracts, mighty and fair, held his banquet with the finest cuisines and tea…"
She found herself listening more carefully after the mention of Rex Lapis. It was a good time to learn how other nations thought about Liyue's previous archon.
"…along with the wind brought song and dance and the finest wine; with time, took the blue sky, the sunset, and the stars that shine…"
'It's about the friendship between Barbatos and Rex Lapis,' Keqing realized.
"…drunken by the wine of wind, Morax slept–a deep slumber…"
It was kind of amusing, Rex Lapis getting drunk. The bard was sure daring, Keqing decided, to sing about a god like that.
"…and wielding the breeze like a blade, shaved away Morax's whiskers."
'Wait, what in the–'
"Whish, woosh! Away with the wind, he goes! Who would have known? The strings of the lyre of heaven, the archon of geo's part in their creation!"
The tavern burst into laughter, loud and piercing. "Nice one!" someone boomed.
"Doth my rhyme play to thy fancy? If so, I, Venti, would like to share a cup with thou!"
The drunkards cheered some more, and mugs and bottles of wine were passed about. In the midst of that chaos, Keqing was able to take the bard, previously hidden by the crowd surrounding him, into view.
It was a boy, and he looked no more than 15 years of age. He wore a green beret and cape of matching color. The bard's cheeks flushed red, no doubt from the effects of alcohol. In his mouth, a cup was held. The boy grinned–or like how one would grin if they were holding a cup in their mouth–as it filled with wine.
Keqing felt her vision buzz, charging with elemental energy. 'Just how in the world are parents in Mondstadt raising their children?! Also, isn't there a nun here? Why are they fine with someone singing about their god like that?'
There were so many things wrong with this place.
And Yuheng felt obliged to change it.
She stood up and worked her professional smile into display.
–Starting from that Bard.
The next morning, Keqing found the bard sleeping at the foot of the Statue of Barbatos.
"Wait, hold on–you're saying that I own you 20 thousand mora? Where's your proof?" the bard smiled, somewhat childishly. "You know you can't accuse someone if you have no proof, right?"
Keqing smiled back. She was no stranger to such tricks. "Surely you remember drinking a lot more than you used to last night."
"Of course, I'd remember." The boy closed his eyes dreamily. "Haven't had such a satisfying drink in years…felt like paradise."
"You are aware that it must've been paid by someone, yes?"
"By a stranger all too generous and beautiful." The bard paced around in small circles. "But who was it again? It seems that I've totally forgotten, ehe." He stopped and gave Keqing a wink.
Keqing felt her eyebrows twitch, but she kept her smile plastered. It would be immature to get mad at someone younger than her. "That was me," she said.
"Oh, really! Thank you so much miss umm–"
"Keqing."
"Miss Keqing. May Barbatos bless–"
"Hold your blessings," Keqing interrupted. "I did not do it for free." She held out a small slip of paper and gave it to the bard.
"What's this? Hmmm–'I hereby certify that Venti the bard has sworn that he will pay back all that Keqing has spent on his behalf–Calvary Capitan of the Knights of Favonius, Kaeya Alberich'. Interesting…" Venti handed the note back. "Sadly, I do not remember making such a promise."
"There's more." Keqing flipped the paper.
"…'Also verified by Rosaria, Charles, Six-Fingered José, and Diluc Ragnvindr…PS, the bard will not have a single drop of wine if he does not pay back his debt, I mark these words true as the master of the Dawn Winery'…" Venti raised his head slowly, meeting Keqing's gaze, and grinned. "Ehe?"
Keqing crossed her arms. "Do you now understand your situation? I can also provide you with a receipt."
"So um, can we negotiate more about the 'not a single drop of wine part'? I can handle being in debt but–"
"No."
"Please?"
"No."
"Pretty please~"
Keqing rubbed her forehead. "No, it was hard for me to land that part of the negotiation with him. Plus, with the likes of a person like you, without this restriction, you'd never be able to pay me back."
"Of course I can. Let's see…if I save 1 piece of mora every week, it'd take me 20 thousand weeks–that'd be about 384 years. Not too bad, right?"
"The only thing that isn't too bad is the impressive fact that you've been able to save money for 384 years–a mortal doesn't even live that long. You're lucky that there isn't any interest." Keqing sighed. "But I'm not expecting you to save up on your own anyway. I'll be offering to assist you. With the proper means, it should only take a few days at worst."
"And then I'll be free again?"
Keqing nodded. "We can head over to the adventurer's guild first. You have a vision, so taking a few commissions shouldn't be too hard."
…
"Apples are truly the fruit of the gods, won't you say?" Venti took another apple out of the paper bag and gave it a big bite.
Keqing huffed at the sight. "You do realize that you'd have to pay me back later, right?"
"Ehe~"
'Does he even learn?'
