"Won't escorting us delay your out-of-city duties?"
Paimon floated behind Amber, tilting her head as she asked.
"It's fine," Amber replied cheerfully. "My assignment is just a nearby Hilichurl camp."
"Recently, a lot of Hilichurls have been gathering around Mondstadt," she continued. "As the Outrider, it's my responsibility to scout them out and clear their camps."
"Hilichurls?"
Lumine—still unfamiliar with this world—voiced her confusion.
"They're monsters that roam the wilderness," Amber explained.
She had barely finished speaking when she spotted movement ahead.
"There—found them!"
Seeing Amber draw her bow, Lumine felt a spark of interest.
"Want some help clearing them out?"
Amber hadn't expected the traveler she'd just met to be so capable. With the two of them working together, the Hilichurl camp was dealt with swiftly.
"Wow! Amber, you're so fast!"
Paimon exclaimed in amazement.
"It's nothing," Amber said modestly. "There are people in Mondstadt who clear camps even faster than me."
Then she turned to Lumine.
"Thanks for the support just now," Amber said sincerely. "With the Wind Dragon causing trouble lately, orchards and trade routes have been affected. The Knights are stretched pretty thin…"
"It's no problem," Lumine said, gripping Amber's hand. "Just a small favor."
"Still, thank you," Amber replied warmly.
"Alright—next, I'll take you into Mondstadt!"
After some time on the road, Amber finally led Lumine and Paimon to the outskirts of the city.
Suddenly, Paimon sniffed the air.
"That smells amazing!"
"…It really does."
Both Paimon and Lumine found themselves drawn toward the scent.
Lin had been happily cooking her lunch when two figures suddenly appeared beside her, startling her badly.
"Oh—it's people!" Lin sighed in relief. "I thought monsters had snuck up on me."
Then she smiled warmly. "Travelers? Want to eat something together?"
"Lin?" Amber said as she approached. "So it's you."
"Can we really eat?" Paimon's eyes lit up instantly.
But Lin frowned slightly as she looked at Lumine more closely.
"Wait… you—"
"Blonde hair, strange foreign clothes…"
"Ah! The person he was looking for—it's you, isn't it?"
"Huh?" Lumine had been staring at the pot, practically drooling. "Someone in Mondstadt is looking for me?"
Paimon froze.
"Wait—Traveler! Could she mean your brother?!"
"…Really?" Lumine blinked.
Amber, who vaguely knew Lin was acquainted with Jia Changjiang, looked surprised.
"So he has a sister too? No wonder you're strong as well!"
"Are you sure you mean my brother?" Lumine asked, puzzled.
"Well, you'll know once you meet him," Amber said.
Lumine hesitated, then nodded.
When Amber finally led Lumine into Mondstadt, she spoke with pride:
"Allow me to formally introduce it—
The City of Wind and Dandelions, the Free City under the protection of the Knights of Favonius. Welcome to Mondstadt!"
After a brief introduction, Amber added,
"Oh, right—thanks again for earlier. I have a gift for you. Later, I'll take you to the Knights' headquarters… and to meet your brother."
"What about mine? What about mine?!"
Paimon also received her gift—Honey Carrot Grilled Meat.
From a high vantage point in the city, Amber presented Lumine's reward.
"This is a Wind Glider! It's a Mondstadt specialty. With it, you can glide through the sky—super useful!"
"A flying tool, huh…"
Lumine looked at the glider… then at Paimon.
"But I already have Paimon. Can I exchange the glider for more Honey Carrot Grilled Meat?"
"Hey! Paimon is not a flying tool!"
Paimon protested furiously.
"Haha—anyway, let's do a test glide first," Amber laughed.
"Fly with me down to the lower city. Adventurers' Guild receptionist Katherine is there. We can ask her about your brother."
"Alright," Lumine agreed.
Meanwhile… Jia Changjiang.
"Salt, pepper, sugar…"
He picked up some basic seasonings for Lin, then headed toward the cathedral to turn in a commission.
Halfway there, he glanced at the sky and frowned.
The light had dimmed slightly.
"Is it going to rain?"
He didn't think much of it and entered the cathedral.
"I've brought the mint and Sweet Flowers for the commission."
After handing over the items and receiving his payment, Jia Changjiang confirmed completion in his system.
"Another skill fragment almost saved up… and I've got a few pulls stocked too. Should I wait for a ten-pull, or just roll now?"
He stood there thinking when a nun asked gently,
"Mr. Jax, is something troubling you?"
"Hm? No, just thinking about something small…"
Before he could finish, frantic shouts rang out from outside.
"Hide! Take cover! The Wind Dragon is here!!!!!"
"…What?"
While everyone rushed for safety, Jia Changjiang strode straight out of the cathedral.
In the sky, the massive azure dragon roared in fury, unleashing its power upon Mondstadt.
"Stormterror…"
Jia Changjiang stared upward—then noticed something else high in the air.
Squinting, he saw a golden-haired girl wearing a Wind Glider, caught in the violent winds.
"…Lumine?"
He froze briefly.
"She's already here? So it's the sister after all…"
Yet what truly excited him wasn't the traveler's arrival—but the dragon itself.
"Last time Stormterror attacked Mondstadt, I missed it. I'm not missing this one!"
Eyes blazing, Jia Changjiang pulled out the civilian Wind Glider he'd bought in the city, sprinted up the statue of the Anemo Archon before the cathedral—
"Let the winds carry me!!!"
With flushed excitement, he spread his glider and leapt straight into the raging storm, letting the violent winds hurl him skyward.
At the same time, a voice echoed in Lumine's ears.
"It was I who called upon the thousand-year winds to bear you, so that you would not fall… Now, imagine gathering this wind, shaping it to break through—
…Huh?! Why is he up here too?!"
Lumine stared blankly.
"???"
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