Hearing Kaeya's comment, the surrounding crowd turned their attention to Shen Qin. An older man dashed forward eagerly, pleading, "Young man, can you sell me that ticket? I'll pay 5000—no, 10,000 Mora!"
"I'll offer 20,000! Please, sell the ticket to me!" a young woman squeezed her way next to Shen Qin and shoved the Mora into his hand.
"30,000! I'll pay 30,000 Mora for your ticket! I'm begging you, let me have it!"
Shen Qin was stunned. Why were these people so desperate to pay such a hefty price for this ticket? Did it really have that much value?
"Alright, alright, everyone, calm down," Kaeya interjected, smiling as he waved the crowd away. "My friend here has already promised to give me the ticket. You should hurry and look for others willing to sell; otherwise, you'll miss your chance."
The crowd murmured in agreement, dispersing to find other lucky ticket holders.
Shen Qin frowned, his suspicion directed squarely at Kaeya. "Hey, I never said I was giving you the ticket! And why is this ticket so important to everyone?"
Kaeya explained. "The Cat's Tail Tavern and Angel's Share, Mondstadt's two major tavern giants, had been hosting an annual cocktail competition for three years now.
Each year, the competition attracted the best up-and-coming bartenders in Mondstadt. Contestants crafted drinks live, with judges selecting the most skilled bartender.
The coveted VIP seats—only fifty in total—allowed guests to sample each cocktail alongside the judges. These seats were distributed through random draws among regular patrons of the two taverns, and in the lead-up to the event, enthusiasts were willing to pay hefty sums to buy tickets from those lucky enough to win them."
"Typically, these tickets sell for around 50,000 Mora. For many, getting to taste these brand-new drinks first is worth every coin," Kaeya said with a sly grin. "Since we're such good friends, how about I offer you 60,000 Mora for your ticket? You don't even like drinking, right?"
"Ah~ so our friendship is only worth 10,000 Mora to you?" Shen Qin retorted, feigning indignation. "Raise it!"
Kaeya nearly choked on Shen Qin's response, laughing despite himself. "You're unbelievable."
"Just kidding," Shen Qin replied, patting Kaeya on the shoulder. "But this ticket was personally given to me by Diluc. If you sat in the VIP section, he'd probably kick you out before you even got comfortable."
"You're not wrong," Kaeya admitted with a shrug. "He would absolutely do that. I'll just enjoy the regular drinks like everyone else."
Before leaving, Shen Qin entrusted Sucrose and Klee to Kaeya. "Take care of them for me, will you? And for the love of Barbatos, don't let Klee drink anything alcoholic!"
Kaeya nodded, taking the two girls by the hand, while Shen Qin squeezed his way toward the VIP section. However, he abruptly stopped when he spotted a familiar figure in the crowd—a green-clad bard.
Shen Qin veered in a new direction. But just as he got close, a firm grip clamped down on his wrist. He turned, startled, to see Noelle, the diligent maid of the Knights of Favonius.
"Mr. Shen, thank goodness I found you! The cocktail competition is about to begin. Let me escort you," she said, urgency evident in her voice.
"Wait, hold on a second—" Before he could protest, Noelle was dragging him toward the center of the plaza with unrelenting strength. As he glanced back, he could've sworn the bard winked at him.
The plaza had been transformed into a massive bar. A long counter stretched across the space, equipped with shelves stacked with liquor and bartending tools. Rows of tables and fifty VIP seats faced the bar, while the crowd buzzed with excitement.
Standing at the bar, Diluc spotted Shen Qin being towed by Noelle and allowed himself a faint smile. He raised a megaphone and addressed the crowd, "Ladies and gentlemen, I hereby declare the Third Annual Mondstadt Cocktail Competition officially open!"
"Cheers! Cheers!" shouted someone who had clearly started drinking far too early, drawing a wave of laughter.
Diluc outlined the competition rules. Thirty-two bartenders would compete in elimination rounds, halving their number each round until a champion emerged in the fifth and final round. The grand prize? The title of Head Bartender at the Cat's Tail Tavern.
Among the competitors was a young girl with pink hair, cat ears, and a tail, glaring daggers at Diluc. "How dare he turn so many Mondstadters into drunkards! I'll win this competition, craft the worst-tasting drinks ever, and destroy Mondstadt's liquor industry!"
After detailing the rules, Diluc began introducing the judges. First was Margaret, the owner of the Cat's Tail Tavern.
"Hope everyone has fun tonight!" she said, earning cheers and laughter from the crowd.
"Next, we have Draff, the head hunter from Springvale."
The pink-haired bartender clenched her fists. "Hmp~ figures my dad would show up. He's even a judge! I'm making sure his drink is the absolute worst!"
The third judge was Jack, a novice adventurer who once joined Bennett's Adventure Team. Though lesser-known, his reputation for holding his liquor earned applause from the crowd.
The fourth judge was Quinn, a well-known fruit vendor with a strong presence in Mondstadt's drinking circles.
"And I'm the fifth judge," Diluc continued, "Though I don't drink, I'll evaluate based on appearance, aroma, and the bartenders' technique."
"Finally," he said, gesturing toward Shen Qin, "Let me introduce the last judge, the genius alchemist who invented the flying skateboard and bionic prosthetics—Shen Qin!"
Shen Qin froze in place. "Wait, what?"