After traveling for some more time, the trees grew sparser, and they encountered no further signs of dragons. The three finally arrived at the edge of Whispering Woods.
"Look, Mondstadt City is right ahead!" Paimon floated up high, pointing excitedly forward.
Lumine's gaze followed suit.
A medieval-style city-state stood proudly in the center of the vast lake. This was the place where Gabriela and countless Cyber Comrades had once fought.
Inside the towering city walls, several huge windmills turned with the breeze, and the spire of a cathedral could faintly be seen.
Compared to later maps like Liyue and Sumeru, Gabriela actually preferred Mondstadt.
...Blacksmiths and good Swords, cathedrals and little priests, Knights, adventurers, and dragons—the flavor of a different world was practically overflowing the screen! Plus, there was the bonus of starter village nostalgia... "...It's so magnificent," Lumine murmured, slightly lost in thought as she gazed at the sight of Mondstadt City, an unconscious smile on her lips.
However, while some admired the scenery, she had already become a part of the scenery in others' eyes.
The young woman stood quietly by the lake, bathed entirely in the fragmented golden sunlight. Her jewel-like eyes were filled with mirth, and her long lashes cast delicate shadows on her cheeks.
The lake breeze playfully blew past, lifting her nearly transparent golden hair.
She raised a hand to gently tuck a stray strand behind her ear. With her movement, the pure white skirt swayed softly, outlining her ethereal and beautiful figure.
In that moment, the girl seemed to be the epitome of all beauty in the world.
'...Maybe this isn't so bad,' the angel thought, chuckling softly at the sight.
'What isn't so bad?'
'Nothing.'
"Let's hurry into the city! There's lots of good food in Mondstadt City!" Paimon looked ahead with sparkling eyes, seemingly unable to wait any longer.
"...Why do I feel like little Paimon is always hungry?"
"Ooh... because there really is a lot of delicious food!"
Immediately afterward, a "grumbling" sound came from the belly of the miniature loli.
Hearing this sound, Gabriela immediately burst into merciless laughter, and even Lumine turned her head away, covering her mouth.
"Stop laughing!"
"...Paimon, if you eat too much, you won't be able to fly~"
"Mmm... you," Paimon glanced at Gabriela and muttered quietly, feeling wronged, "You aren't... flying right now either..."
"Of course I can fly anytime, and... I don't need to eat."
...She had no retort. How could such a person exist in the world.
To have no interest in delicious food—what was left of her life then!?
Since she really didn't dare to confront Gabriela, Paimon pouted and flew to Lumine's side, successfully receiving a comforting head pat.
"Alright, alright, I'll treat you!" Lumine smiled gently.
"Yay!" Paimon flew up happily, even spinning a circle in the air.
However, just as the group was preparing to officially enter the city, a voice suddenly called out from the woods.
"Hey! You up ahead, wait a moment!"
They turned their heads simultaneously and saw a splash of red leaping out of the woods.
It was a young woman dressed in red, holding a bow and arrow. Her legs, encased in white thigh-high boots and red stockings, moved powerfully, bringing her before the group in just a few steps.
Lumine and Paimon stared with wide, shocked eyes, while Gabriela remained unmoved.
Her gaze was fixed intently on the two rabbit-ear-like hair ribbons on the young woman's head.
After the girl in red stabilized herself, she seemed surprised upon seeing Gabriela, but immediately performed a simple salute toward the two of them.
"May the Anemo God protect you! I am Amber, the Outrider of the Knights of Favonius!"
Amber lowered her hands, looking at the two of them with some vigilance.
Gabriela subtly took a step forward, shielding Lumine and Paimon. Although it was an inconspicuous movement, it still caused Lumine to momentarily freeze.
Facing Gabriela, who was significantly taller than her and whose appearance was "unconventional," Amber clearly lost some of her nerve.
However, she feigned composure and said, "You are not citizens of Mondstadt City, are you? Please state your origins!"
Lumine was about to formulate a response when Paimon suddenly waved her hands frantically, perhaps nervous about being mistaken for suspicious persons.
"Calm down, we're not suspicious people!"
"Suspicious people always say that. Moreover, there's also..." Amber looked at Gabriela, who was smiling silently. "This young lady looks like she has quite the background."
Gabriela immediately returned the gaze.
She wasn't deliberately trying to antagonize Amber; Gabriela had simply noticed that Amber's attitude toward her was somewhat reserved, and she had probably guessed the reason why.
"Miss Amber, my name is Lumine, and we are just Travelers who wanted to take a look around Mondstadt!" Seeing the atmosphere turn strange, Lumine quickly spoke up.
"My name is Lumine."
Amber looked at Lumine, and the vigilance in her eyes lessened slightly, but she still remained somewhat suspicious.
"Hmm... that doesn't sound like a local name."
"Miss Traveler, what about this... travel companion of yours, and... uh, this mascot?"
Lumine glanced at Paimon floating in the air. Paimon put her hands on her hips, just about to speak,
"Hmph, we are very close..."
"emergency food."
"That's completely wrong! That's even worse than a mascot!" Paimon immediately stomped her foot in protest.
Amber's mouth twitched slightly as she watched the farce unfold before her. After clearing her throat twice, she drew the attention of the two back to her.
"...Alright, and what about this young lady?"
"Her name is Gabriela. She's a friend we met on the road, and we agreed to travel together." Lumine looked at the angel's profile, meeting her gaze as she looked back.
However, this time Amber did not respond immediately, but instead stared intently at Gabriela.
Her gaze wandered over the young woman's face, sometimes moving to her wings, as if searching for something, her expression indescribably strange.
"...No."
"Miss Amber." Gabriela took a few steps closer, looking down slightly at the startled Amber.
"You seem quite interested in my wings. They are very soft. Would you like to touch them?"
In just a few seconds, Gabriela had completely turned the tables.
The Outrider visibly became flustered, quickly retreating out of the shadow cast by the angel.
"No, no need... Miss, th-that," Amber was suddenly puzzled. For some reason, the young woman who called herself Lumine seemed a little disappointed.
But that expression only seemed to last for an instant... Had she seen wrong?
Lumine: I want to touch them too.
"A-anyway, you are all Travelers, right?"
"Recently, dragons have been sighted around Mondstadt, so you should enter the city as soon as possible," Amber instructed Lumine. "Since we are close to Mondstadt City, let me, Amber, Outrider of the Knights of Favonius, escort you the rest of the way."
"No need, we have..." Paimon was cut off halfway through her sentence by Gabriela covering her mouth with a wing.
"You must be out here performing some task, right? Won't this interfere with your mission?"
"Not yet, but don't worry, the mission isn't too difficult," Amber said, proudly rubbing the tip of her nose. "As an excellent Knight, this is simply my duty."
Despite her words, Amber still wanted to continue observing the group, especially Gabriela.
And Gabriela was fully aware of this.
But... let her look. Didn't the System make her this beautiful precisely so people could look?
"...Okay." Lumine seemed to have absolutely no suspicion.
"Stick close to me, everyone!"
Amber took the lead, while Lumine walked side-by-side with Gabriela, following behind her.
As the group advanced, Mondstadt City became increasingly clear.
Although most of the buildings were blocked from sight by the increasingly tall city walls, the sight was still grand and awe-inspiring.
Along the way, Amber suddenly asked Lumine, "By the way, tell me... strange yet respectable Travelers, what brings you to Mondstadt?"
Amber had already begun secretly gathering information, but... weren't her lines a little different?
"Lumine was separated from her brother during a very, very long journey."
"W-we are her travel companions, joining her to search for her brother."
"Exactly, exactly!" Gabriela agreed, giving Paimon a look of high approval.
"Oh... searching for family!"
Amber lowered her head, pondering for a moment, and her rabbit ears drooped slightly.
"Mhm... alright! Once I finish my current mission, I'll help you post some missing person notices around the city, I promise!"
"Thank you..."
"Haha, don't mention it—Shh!"
Amber suddenly stopped the group with one hand, then placed her index finger on her lips, signaling them to be quiet.
Lumine quickly pulled Gabriela down into a crouch. The young woman controlled her wings, preventing them from dragging on the ground while slightly obscuring the halo above her head.
"...It's Hilichurls!"
Amber gripped her bow tightly and cautiously poked her head out from behind the boulder they were hiding behind.
"Recently, these monsters of the wilderness have been getting closer to the city, and my mission this time..."
Taking advantage of the moment when the Hilichurls looked away, the young woman immediately drew her bowstring taut.
After a brief aim, an arrow Burning with flame shot out with a "whoosh," precisely hitting the Hilichurl between the eyebrows and bursting into a cluster of hot sparks.
Watching the monster gradually turn to dust, Amber's expression was not relaxed. "My mission this time is to clear out their camp!"
"It must be nearby. Come on, let's finish the mission quickly so we can enter the city sooner."
The three quietly climbed over the slope, and soon enough, they discovered a Hilichurl camp.
There were six Hilichurls in total: two stood on a watchtower holding crossbows, and four stood inside the fence on the ground.
"I'll take care of the two up high," Amber whispered, then skillfully climbed a tree without making a sound.
"Gabriela, let's go together..."
The angel looked at Lumine, who had already drawn her Sword, smiled, and nodded. Black energy began surging in her palm once more.
What should she make this time? A Sword, a spear, a bow and arrow, a scythe... Wait, could this thing create firearms? If she had a gun, wouldn't that just—
[Side Quest Issued: Defeat 100 Hilichurls (0/100). Must use *Manifestation Art*.]
'...'
The moment Amber drew her bow and fire sparked on the arrowhead, Lumine dashed out along with the flying arrow.
One Hilichurl on the tower was instantly killed. The others, startled by their comrade's death, quickly grabbed their weapons and charged toward the approaching Lumine.
"Ya!"
Bang—!
When the black Sword edge clashed with a wooden club, Lumine decisively knocked the opponent's weapon away.
The young woman's swordsmanship was actually quite simple, but its strength lay in its swiftness, allowing her to easily suppress the clumsy monsters.
"Traveler, behind you!" Amber's voice came with a second fiery arrow. Lumine immediately turned and blocked the sneak attack with the flat of her Sword.
Paimon, watching the fight from afar, silently sweated buckets in her heart.
"...That was close, Gabriela... Huh? Where is she??"
The angel was nowhere near her, and she couldn't be seen in the chaotic camp either.
Of course, Lumine no longer had the presence of mind to notice these things; her focus was entirely on the enemies before her.
The young woman let out a low roar from her throat, exerted force to kick the Hilichurl several meters away, and simultaneously agilely sidestepped the whistling rock projectile.
She held the Sword edge horizontally across her chest. The formerly dull gem on her chest suddenly pulsed with a faint blue-green light, starting to beat as if awakened.
"Wind Pressure...!"
In an instant, an even more violent torrent of air swept past her both front and back, and simultaneously, the Hilichurls vanished.
After three miserable screams, the entire camp fell silent.
When Lumine slowly sheathed her Sword and turned to look, there were only three massive black stakes deeply embedded in the distant rock wall.