"Knock! Knock!"
In Mondstadt, at the most luxurious, brightly lit hotel—the Goth Grand Hotel, which the Fatui envoys had booked—a man dressed in a red-and-black robe and wearing a strange eyepatch-like mask, clearly not a local, gently knocked on the door of a room where candlelight still glowed.
"!!"
"Come in."
"The door's unlocked."
A woman's slightly weary voice soon came from inside.
"..."
Creak~!
After receiving permission, the man naturally reached out, pushed the door open, and quietly walked in.
"Hmm?"
"So it's you, Mikhail..."
Inside the luxurious, spacious hotel suite, a woman in a gray trench coat sat behind the desk. Her hair was light gray, and she wore a similar mask. She recognized the man at a glance and called him by name.
There was no doubt they knew each other. Judging by their attire, they both seemed to be members of the Fatui delegation sent to Mondstadt.
"What is it?"
"Has something happened?"
Seeing the man enter and close the door, she pointed to the sofa opposite her desk, signaling him to sit down, then asked in surprise.
"No."
"Lyudmila."
"I just came to brief you on a few things."
"I thought you should hear about them."
Mikhail didn't commit himself. He walked straight to the sofa and slowly sat down before speaking.
But from the deep furrow in his brow, it wasn't hard to guess that things weren't going well.
"Oh?"
"Go ahead."
"I'm all ears."
Hearing that this was an ordinary briefing, the woman nodded and set down her paper and pen. Then she clasped her hands on the desk, signaling that Mikhail could begin.
"Here's the situation."
"Yesterday, our spy sent word."
"That woman and the bard seem to be plotting something again. I hear they're planning to head to Stormterror's Lair tomorrow."