At night, the two of them made it into Mondstadt City just before the city gates closed.
If they had been a little later, they would have had to spend the night outside.
"Seriously, why did the gate close so much earlier today?" Mona said, panting slightly, annoyed.
Although she could use her powers to move quickly underwater, it also meant her stamina consumption was much faster than normal running.
Stelle, on the other hand, looked perfectly fine. Not only was she faster than Mona, but her endurance was also much stronger.
"Grumble~" Just as Stelle was staring at the perspiring Mona, a suspicious sound suddenly came from her ear.
With Stelle's hearing, she could easily discern where this suspicious sound came from.
Stelle couldn't help but look up at Mona's slightly flushed cheeks.
"Mona, how about I treat you to dinner?" Stelle thought for a moment, then slowly said to Mona.
"Dinner? You, are you serious?" Mona's eyes immediately lit up, and she quickly moved closer to Stelle, saying to her.
Due to a lack of funds and the fact that her current accommodation required daily rent, she simply didn't have any extra money for food. Basically, unless she was starving, she wouldn't eat.
Now, hearing that Stelle was willing to treat her to dinner, she naturally had no reason to refuse.
"Of course, it's true. Let's go to Hunter's Deer. There shouldn't be many people at this hour," Stelle subtly stepped back. Mona's previous movement forward made her heart pound fiercely.
Having too good eyesight didn't seem to be a good thing either; she could clearly see some details on Mona's body just now…
Seriously, that outfit was still too outrageous. Stelle didn't even know how Mona could wear it out.
And it seemed that people on the street didn't have any particular opinion about Mona's outfit; very few people would even look at Mona.
What was going on? Could it be that people's aesthetics in this world were completely different from hers?
…
Arriving at Hunter's Deer, as Stelle expected, there were very few people left.
After all, dinner time was over, and most people at this hour were drinking at the tavern, not eating out.
"Can I really order anything?" Mona held the menu, looked up, and glanced at Stelle sitting opposite her, a hint of expectation in her eyes.
"Order, order everything, order whatever you want," Stelle patted her chest generously. "I'll pay for everything."
She had barely spent any money during this time. What she saved from commissions, what the Knights of Favonius rewarded, plus what she earned from selling materials—she had quite a lot of money on her.
No matter how much Mona ate, she could definitely afford it.
"Then, then I won't be polite. You're really a good person," Mona smiled happily, then her gaze quickly scanned the menu.
Unexpectedly receiving a 'good person' card, Stelle didn't dwell on it and quickly shifted her attention back to Mona.
"Mona, are you a Mondstadter? I don't think I've seen you in Mondstadt City before," Stelle asked curiously.
Of course, there were many Mondstadters she hadn't seen, but such a… uniquely dressed beautiful Damselette, the probability of her not having seen her was not very high.
After all, Mona didn't belong to the Knights of Favonius, so it was unlikely she had just returned from a mission.
"I was born in Mondstadt, but my parents later moved to Port Ormos. I traveled around studying with the old woman… that is, my master, and recently returned to Mondstadt City for some matters," Mona said after ordering, placing the menu aside, then speaking to Stelle.
"Oh~ I see," Stelle nodded knowingly.
"But I've returned, yet I haven't had time to do what the old woman asked…" Mona sighed wistfully.
Food, lodging, and travel expenses along the way were a huge problem for her. After returning to Mondstadt City, she started trying to earn money by any means.
Otherwise, she probably wouldn't have been recommended by Katheryne.
"What is it? Do you need my help?" Stelle asked subconsciously.
She was always such a warm-hearted person, especially when facing beautiful Damselettes…
"Help…" Mona looked at Stelle, pondered for a moment, then nodded.
"Indeed, it's best to find a helper for this matter, but it will have to wait until the meteorite incident is over. It's not urgent anyway; letting that old woman wait a bit longer is fine."
"Okay, just tell me if there's anything I can help with."
-------
Separating from Mona, Stelle walked all the way towards Anber's.
Stelle's mood was a bit subtle; her assets had been more than halved this evening.
Although she wasn't someone who cared much about money, seeing her wallet deflate before her eyes still hurt a little.
She never expected Mona to eat so much. She didn't even order particularly expensive dishes; the money spent was purely due to the quantity of food.
So much so that Stelle couldn't help but ask if Mona hadn't eaten in a long time.
Unexpectedly, she received an affirmative answer in the end…
"I never thought Mona, with such amazing abilities, would still be short on money," Stelle walked alone on the street, complaining somewhat speechlessly.
Currently, Mona was staying in a small hotel in Mondstadt City, which was reportedly not very good and had high daily fees.
This caused all her money to go towards rent, and she saved on food whenever possible.
She said she had already planned to move out, intending to pack her things today and start camping outdoors tomorrow, then leave after completing the task her master assigned.
Otherwise, she couldn't keep up with the daily expenses exceeding her income.
"Ugh, whatever, it's a good thing if she can eat her fill." Stelle shook her head, no longer bothering with the matter.
Today, for some reason, the streets of Mondstadt seemed much darker than usual.
The streetlights weren't broken, but the area they could illuminate was truly limited.
"That's strange, is the weather bad…?" Stelle raised his head and looked at the night sky.
Though it was pitch black, so he couldn't see anything.
For some reason, Stelle suddenly felt a creepy sensation in his heart.
Perhaps fear of the dark is an instinct for all humans.
Fortunately, there were no ghost stories in Mondstadt…
"Uwah?!"
Stelle suddenly felt a huge pulling force on his arm, as if something was dragging him.
He only managed to let out a gasp, but before he could resist, he was directly pulled by that immense force into a small alley beside him.
If an outsider had seen this scene, they might have been startled, after all, such a large living person just disappeared on the dark street.
Unfortunately, he was the only one on that road.
No one knew of his disappearance.
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