"Come with me now, we're heading to the higher part of the city."
Amber naturally took on the role of a guide.
"Amber, slow down! There are too many people—I'm afraid I'll lose you!"
"This? This is nothing. On a normal day, Mondstadt is way livelier than this! But because of Stormterror, there are fewer merchants and travelers these days.
Except for that tavern at the corner… Hmm, actually, their business seems to be doing even better?"
Paimon's eyes lit up.
"A tavern? I wonder if the drinks there are any good~~"
"Minors are prohibited from drinking!"
"Hmph! Paimon is already an adult!"
"Oh? Really?" Amber cleared her throat. "Ahem, allow me to continue our tour!
To our right is Mondstadt's Flower Shop. They sell beautiful flowers that can usually only be found in the wild.
The reason it's located right at the entrance of the city is so that travelers can immediately see Mondstadt's beauty upon arrival."
"And to our left, we have Mondstadt's most famous blacksmith, run by Master Wagner.
He's the best blacksmith in Mondstadt! He sells one-star and two-star weapons, and from what I've heard—if you bring him the right materials, he can even forge four-star weapons!
…Of course, that's just a rumor. I've never had such rare materials myself."
As Amber continued speaking, she suddenly realized—Lumine was silent.
She turned her head.
"Hey, Traveler! Where are you going? Follow me!"
Zephyr quickly apologized, "Sorry, sorry! Mondstadt is just so fascinating!"
He bounced over, jumping with every step.
Amber sighed helplessly. "It's fine, it's fine. A lot of people act like this when they first visit Mondstadt…
But I do have a question—can I ask?"
Lumine nodded. "Go ahead."
Amber hesitated for a moment before finally speaking. "I've been wanting to ask this since we started walking, but… I was too embarrassed to bring it up.
Why do you always walk by jumping around?"
Paimon nodded in agreement. "Yeah! Paimon has been wondering about that too!"
Lumine sighed. "I… honestly don't know how to answer that."
Zephyr shrugged. "Because it's fun! And my hands are itching to press jump!"
Amber sighed again. "Alright… but I hope you can try to hold back a little. You're drawing a lot of attention."
Paimon covered her face. "Amber's just too nice to say it directly—Traveler, stop jumping around! Everyone is staring at us. It's embarrassing!"
Zephyr smirked. "No, no, I think they're looking at you."
"Huh? Me? What's there to look at?"
"Well… have you ever seen a floating mascot before?"
"Paimon is NOT a mascot!"
"But you can fly."
"Uh…"
"Have you seen any other flying little creatures?"
"Ugh… Paimon suddenly… have no words. But Paimon is not a little creature either!"
Amber said, "Alright, alright, you can chat later. First, let me take you somewhere."
"Amber, Amber! What's that place over there?"
"Oh, that? That's the Adventurers' Guild reception area. Adventurers can take on quests there and receive rewards upon completion. And over there is the guild's receptionist, Katheryne."
"Ohhh~~"
Paimon floated over to Lumine and whispered, "Traveler, do you see that person? The one called Katheryne? She looks pretty and friendly, but… doesn't she feel kinda strange?"
The Traveler nodded. "Yeah, I feel the same way."
At that moment, a beautiful woman approached them.
"Long time no see, Amber."
"Long time no see, Miss Marjorie."
"Who is she?"
"Miss Marjorie—she's the owner of With Wind Comes Glory. You can trade Anemo Sigils with her to buy all sorts of amazing treasures."
As they walked through the city, many people greeted Amber with warm smiles, and she responded to each of them.
"Wow, Amber, it looks like everyone really likes you!"
Amber scratched her head, looking a little embarrassed. "Not really, I just help people out when I have spare time. If we're talking about someone who's truly popular, that would be Noelle from the Knights of Favonius."
"Noelle?"
Suddenly, Lumine felt a few cold stares directed at her. She turned her head—
A few figures dressed in black, wearing strange masks, were whispering while looking in her direction.
"Who are they?"
Amber frowned. "They're from the Fatui. I've heard they're not good people. Traveler, it's best if you stay away from them."
Paimon nodded seriously. "Yep, yep! Paimon's a good person, so we should stay away from bad guys!"
Lumine asked, "Amber, where are we going now?"
"It's a secret."
"Eh~~?" Paimon pouted.
They passed through Mondstadt's central plaza, where a long, spiraling staircase lay ahead.
"Alright, once we climb these stairs, we'll be there—Traveler, what are you doing?"
Lumine calmly responded, "As you can see, I'm climbing the wall."
"I mean, I can see that, but… why are you suddenly climbing a wall?"
"Don't ask me. I have no idea."
Amber stood there, completely speechless, as she watched the Traveler casually climb up the wall—jumping every now and then.
Jump. Climb. Jump. Climb.
Then, halfway up, she ran out of stamina and—"thud!"—fell straight down.
After a short pause, she started climbing again.
"..."
Paimon muttered, "Players are crazy. It's just a few steps, why can't they just walk normally…? Oh wait, I can fly. Never mind."
Amber sighed, rubbing her forehead. "Alright, let's just go up normally."
"Mm."
This time, the Traveler climbed properly, without jumping unnecessarily, managing stamina efficiently. Eventually, she made it to the top.
The Traveler stood with hands on her hips, gazing at the morning sun.
He took a photo—a moment worth remembering.
A few minutes later, Amber finally arrived at the top.
"Huh? That's strange… where's the Traveler?"
She looked around, only to see Lumine deep in conversation with a nun.
"Sister Grace, you're so cute!"
The nun's face turned completely red, and she quickly waved her hands. "P-Please don't joke like that!"
"Aren't you a devout follower of Barbatos, the Anemo Archon? Well, what a coincidence! I actually met him not too long ago. Want me to introduce you? As payment, how about we grab a meal together?"
Zephyr was fully embracing the chaotic energy of a player.
If this were real life, he would never have the guts to talk to a girl like this.
Paimon stared in shock. "Paimon never expected you to be this kind of Traveler!"
"Traveler! What do you think you're doing?!" Amber stormed over, clearly furious.
"Uh… just having a deep conversation about life and faith with Sister Grace."
"Hmph! Liar! This looks more like you're flirting with her!"
"Hey, come on, I'm a girl! How would I even flirt with another girl?"
"That's such a lame excuse!"
Amber quickly turned to Sister Grace and apologized, "I'm so sorry, Sister Grace! My friend has been bothering you."
Then, without waiting for a response, she grabbed Lumine and stormed off.
Left alone, Sister Grace murmured to herself, "That Traveler… her words were lighthearted, but… the wind tells me she wasn't lying… Could she have really met Lord Barbatos?"
//END