The Ludi Harpastum Festival is one of the most important annual celebrations in Mondstadt, lasting for fifteen days each year.
Its scale is comparable to Liyue's Lantern Rite and Snezhnaya's Ice Hearth Festival.
It is a festival where the people of Mondstadt celebrate their freedom.
However, outsiders are also welcome to join in and enjoy the wine and food to their heart's content.
Here, you can be free and unrestrained, drinking as you please. It is the festival that best embodies the spirit of Mondstadt.
Speaking of the origins of the Ludi Harpastum Festival, it is essentially the anniversary of Mondstadt's founding.
It's somewhat like a national day.
Back then, the Anemo Archon Bartobas... ahem, Barbatos, blew away the ice and snow of old Mondstadt and threw a bird's feather into the air, which landed in what is now the center of Mondstadt City. Barbatos then guided the people of Mondstadt to build the city around it, and the Ludi Harpastum Festival was established to commemorate Barbatos' act of blowing away the snow and creating a new Mondstadt with eternal spring.
Although during the era of aristocratic rule, the Ludi Harpastum Festival lost its original meaning and became a hedonistic event for the nobility.
With the fall of the Lawrence family, the festival returned to being a celebration for the people of Mondstadt, and the city once again became the Free City of the North.
However, by this time, the Ludi Harpastum Festival no longer solely celebrated the blessings of the Anemo Archon but also symbolized the struggle for freedom.
A few days before the Ludi Harpastum Festival, Diluc Ragnvindr, the head of the Mondstadt Chamber of Commerce, owner of the largest winery in Mondstadt—Dawn Winery—who controls half of Mondstadt's wine industry, Diona's lifelong rival, wielder of Kaeya's sword, and Mondstadt's wealthiest man, would host a banquet at his winery.
This banquet not only entertains the elite of the Chamber of Commerce who contribute to the Ludi Harpastum Festival but also invites the hardworking Knights of Favonius.
On this occasion, he would bring out his finest wines to treat those who have contributed to Mondstadt, to freedom, and to the Ludi Harpastum Festival.
It is said that a single bottle of wine from this banquet could buy a house in Mondstadt.
The cost of hosting this banquet could probably buy the entire Mondstadt city district.
If anyone wanted to take some wine home, Master Diluc would generously gift it to them.
It is, without a doubt, the most coveted banquet in Mondstadt.
Even before the banquet officially began, Dawn Winery was already bustling with activity.
People, whether acquainted or not, gathered together.
Some discussed the winery's famous wines, while others praised Master Diluc's generosity.
Even a painting at the bottom of the staircase drew the attention of many, who stopped to admire and comment on it.
However, the crowd was clearly divided into two groups.
One group consisted of the elegant and refined elite of the Chamber of Commerce, whose every gesture exuded grace.
Although the aristocracy had been abolished in Mondstadt, some traditions had been preserved.
And these so-called traditions were vividly displayed in the demeanor of these Chamber of Commerce elites.
Yet, despite this, they dared not look down on the other group—the Knights of Favonius.
As the de facto rulers of Mondstadt, the Knights held absolute prestige in the city.
Fortunately, members of the Knights of Favonius underwent rigorous selection, excelling not only in strength but also in character.
Thus, the Knights of Favonius enjoyed a good reputation in Mondstadt.
Even these Chamber of Commerce elites often relied on the Knights to protect their caravans from Hilichurl attacks.
The reason for the division was, of course, that the two groups weren't particularly familiar with each other.
As time passed, there were signs that the two groups might begin to mingle.
But this possibility was quickly interrupted by the arrival of a third group.
The Fatui.
Even within Snezhnaya, a significant portion of the population disliked the Fatui.
Let alone in Mondstadt, the city that represents freedom.
So when this group entered, the volume of conversation in the hall noticeably dropped.
Especially when they saw that the leader was Klober, some Chamber of Commerce elites even subtly hid themselves within the crowd.
If there was no place to hide, they simply pulled a Knight of Favonius in front of them as a shield.
The main reason was that Klober's reputation was utterly foul.
Greedy, cunning, shameless, despicable...
Any negative descriptor applied to him without seeming out of place.
Bribery in business, while it had become an unspoken rule, was something many Chamber of Commerce members maintained with a delicate balance.
But Klober was the first and only one to break this rule.
He had no shame, openly demanding bribes in public, the kind of person who would disgust you to no end.
If anyone dared to refuse him, he would use his authority as a Fatui member to openly sabotage them.
No one wanted to deal with him.
But what these people didn't know was that Klober wasn't feeling the least bit happy right now.
He had originally wanted Bai Luo to take the lead, allowing him to quietly play the role of a follower.
It wasn't that he didn't want to steal the spotlight—it was just that with someone like Bai Luo behind him, he was afraid he might wet himself in public.
But Bai Luo had made it clear that he didn't want the attention and pushed Klober to the front.
Already in a bad mood, Klober felt even worse when he noticed people avoiding him.
If the things he had done to solicit bribes were discovered by the person behind him and reported to his master...
Ugh—he would definitely die a horrible death!
With a sinister glare, Klober memorized the faces of the Chamber of Commerce elites who were trying to avoid him.
He would make sure they paid for this later.
The arrival of the Fatui brought a noticeable change to the previously lively banquet, and the atmosphere began to grow tense.
However, no one paid much attention to Bai Luo, who stood behind Klober in his black trench coat. No matter how you looked at him, he didn't seem like a person of importance.
Only one person was an exception.
"Guests, friends, welcome to my banquet."
The sound of footsteps echoed as a red-haired young man in luxurious attire descended the wooden staircase from the second floor of the winery. His gaze lingered on Bai Luo, the unremarkable figure, for quite some time.
His outfit was quite elaborate.
It was a modified version of early Mondstadt aristocratic attire, with many unnecessary decorations removed while retaining some subtle yet luxurious design elements. It wouldn't offend the Mondstadt citizens who despised the aristocracy, yet it still showcased his noble status.
Moreover, this outfit had a beautiful name.
"Darknight Blaze."
This name was personally chosen by Master Diluc. The predominantly black outfit, accented with hints of red, indeed fit the artistic conception of the name quite well.
Though wearing this outfit in summer would probably trigger constant Vaporize reactions.
After giving a polite bow, Diluc spoke again.
"For tonight's gathering, I have specially prepared a wine my father treasured for twenty-nine years. I believe that whether you are a distinguished and elegant guest or a diligent and humble Knight of Favonius, you will all have a wonderful evening."
At this moment, even though the guests had toned down their enthusiasm due to the arrival of the Fatui, they still applauded and cheered out of respect.
A few Knights of Favonius who were familiar with Diluc even acted as cheerleaders.
"Then I declare the banquet officially open! Please enjoy this beautiful night to the fullest!"