"Lumine, look—over there! That's a Statue of The Seven!"
Paimon floated beside Lumine as they stood atop a small hill, looking down toward Starfell Lake below.
At the center of the lake lay a small island, and upon it stood a towering Statue of The Seven, majestic and solemn.
"Statues of The Seven are spread across the continent, symbolizing the Seven Gods who protect this world. That one's the Anemo Archon's statue—Mondstadt's!"
Paimon continued enthusiastically.
"If it's the Anemo Archon, then maybe they'll know something about your brother! Though… I'm not sure whether the gods will actually respond to you or not."
"Oh?"
Lumine gazed at the distant statue.
Even from here, she could make out the large sculpture atop it—a figure resembling a young maiden in prayer.
"Lumine! Over here, over here!"
Paimon called as they reached the shore of Starfell Lake.
As she spoke, she prepared to float ahead.
"We can just swim across!"
"Huh? The statue's in the middle of the lake. Couldn't the people of Mondstadt at least build a bridge?"
As she spoke, Lumine grabbed Paimon by her two little legs.
"Paimon, carry me across."
"I can't! I can't lift you and fly like that!"
Paimon struggled frantically.
"But you just carried me into the air earlier! Paimon—fly!"
Lumine held on tightly.
"Swimming would get my clothes wet."
"B–But just now I—!"
Paimon tried to argue, but when she saw the way Lumine looked at her—like a hunter eyeing prey—she could only flap her arms desperately, trembling as if overloaded, and force herself into the air.
About five minutes later…
"Paimon's really useful!"
Standing on the island at the center of the lake, Lumine gave a thumbs-up.
"Paimon… is done for…"
Paimon no longer even had the strength to float, collapsing weakly onto Lumine's shoulder.
Lumine slowly stepped forward and approached the Statue of The Seven.
She reached out and touched the statue representing the Anemo Archon.
In the next instant, a soft green glow bloomed from the statue.
A sphere of Anemo energy emerged and flew straight into Lumine's body, merging with her completely.
"Lumine! You resonated with the Anemo element!"
Paimon gasped for breath as she spoke.
"If we head west from here, we'll reach the City of Freedom—Mondstadt!"
"Since you were able to gain power from the statue, maybe you'll be able to find clues about the gods there!"
"Alright." Lumine nodded, preparing to set off again with Paimon.
But before that—
"Paimon, fly me back across."
"HEY!!!"
After nearly exhausting Paimon again, Lumine and Paimon continued westward toward Mondstadt.
However, once they entered a forested area, something suddenly felt… off.
"Lumine, look!"
The two hid behind a tree, peering toward a disturbance deeper in the forest.
A green-clad figure stood before an enormous dragon, reaching out toward it.
It was Venti, whom Jia Changjiang had parted ways with earlier.
"Don't be afraid…"
Venti spoke gently to the dragon, his voice soft and soothing.
"I'm back. It's alright."
His tone was as if he were comforting a frightened kitten, careful not to startle it.
A gentle wind flowed from Venti's hands, trying to ease the dragon's pain.
"That guy… is talking to a dragon?"
Paimon whispered in amazement.
"That dragon's huge… looks like it could last for several meals…"
"Hey!"
Just then, the Anemo power Lumine had just obtained suddenly reacted to something, rippling with elemental resonance.
The unexpected disturbance startled the dragon, which let out a thunderous roar at Venti.
"Who's there?!"
Seeing Dvalin react, Venti noticed Lumine's presence behind the trees.
With no other choice, he dissolved into the wind and vanished.
The Wind Dragon roared again at Lumine, violent gales sweeping outward, shaking the trees violently.
It glared at Lumine once before taking flight and disappearing into the sky—its anger unmistakable.
"Whoa! That was close! I almost got blown away!"
Paimon clung tightly to Lumine, breathing a sigh of relief.
"Good thing I grabbed your hair!"
"Paimon!" Lumine clutched her head and glared.
Paimon immediately changed the subject.
"That dragon definitely has something to do with that weird guy who was talking to it!"
"That dragon had so many wings… looked like it'd taste pretty good…"
"That's not what you should be focusing on!"
Paimon shouted—then paused, conflicted.
"…But would it actually taste good?"
As the human and the mascot pondered the flavor of dragon wings, Paimon suddenly noticed something glowing faintly red on the rock where the dragon had stood.
A crystalline tear, pulsing with an ominous crimson light.
"That looks… really bad…"
Before Paimon could finish her sentence, Lumine stepped forward, grabbed the glowing tear, and stuffed it straight into her spatial inventory.
"Hey! Traveler, what are you doing?!"
"Whatever it is, it looks valuable. We'll keep it first and figure it out later!"
Lumine spoke with absolute confidence.
She then casually snatched a butterfly fluttering nearby, tore off its wings, and tossed them into her inventory.
"Might be useful someday."
"That… actually sounds convincing…"
Paimon couldn't even argue anymore.
And so she followed Lumine onward toward Mondstadt, watching helplessly as Lumine continued picking up anything she could along the way.
Just as they exited the forest, a voice suddenly called out behind them.
"Hey! You there—stop!"
Lumine turned around to see a red figure leap down from a nearby height, rolling gracefully on the ground before coming to a stop in front of them.
It was Amber, patrolling the outskirts of Mondstadt.
"May the Anemo Archon protect you, stranger! I'm Amber, Outrider of the Knights of Favonius. You're not from around here, are you? Please state your identity."
She glanced between Lumine and Paimon.
"And you're… a traveler, and this is… a mascot?"
"I'm Lumine. She's my partner, Paimon."
Paimon puffed out her chest.
"That's right! Paimon's a partner!"
Lumine added calmly,
"And a flying tool."
"HEY!!!"
"And emergency food."
"HEY!!! That's worse than mascot!"
Paimon stomped her feet in outrage.
"So… a traveler, then?"
Amber nodded.
"There's been a dragon sighted nearby recently. In that case, as a knight, I'll escort you for now."
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