"Hi, Lumine, Paimon!"
A girl in red ran into Good Hunter.
Her brown hair bounced as she moved, and the red bunny-ear ribbon on her head fluttered in the wind.
"Amber! Long time no see."
Lumine smiled warmly.
Amber had been the first person to guide her after she arrived in Mondstadt, and Lumine had always liked her straightforward and cheerful personality.
"You're the ones who disappeared!"
Amber complained.
"You went off to train and didn't even invite me! Now not only Lumine, even Noelle and Barbara are stronger than me!"
From behind her came a teasing voice.
"That's because Noelle has always been stronger than you."
It was Kaeya.
"Kaeya!"
Amber snapped angrily.
Kaeya immediately raised both hands in surrender.
"Okay, okay, my mistake."
Breakfast Trouble
"Amber! And the Ice-Bridge Adeptus!"
Paimon flew excitedly toward them, looking at them like pieces of delicious roasted meat.
"Are you finally going to pay for the two Honey Roast dishes you owe me?"
"I haven't even eaten breakfast yet!"
Kaeya rubbed his forehead helplessly.
That ridiculous nickname again.
Still, he shrugged casually.
"Of course."
"As long as little Paimon doesn't mind the delay."
"What?!"
Paimon froze.
Today Jiang Chen planned to travel, so the restaurant wasn't open for dine-in—only takeout.
Inside the restaurant were several famous figures of Mondstadt gathered together:
Jiang Chen – owner of Good Hunter
Diluc – the uncrowned king of Mondstadt
Kaeya – Cavalry Captain of the Knights
Lumine – the new Honorary Knight
Amber – the Outrider
Jean – Acting Grand Master
And of course Venti, the bard
If the Fatui saw this gathering, they would definitely suspect something big was happening.
Fortunately—
This morning the entire Goth Grand Hotel had frozen over.
The Fatui were too busy dealing with that chaos to spy on anyone.
Paimon's Missed Opportunity
"Cooking Honey Roast takes time," Kaeya explained.
"And since everyone's here now, you'll probably leave soon."
"Ahhh!"
Paimon screamed.
She flew back toward Jiang Chen.
"Jiang Chen! Didn't you say I could eat Honey Roast when I woke up?!"
She looked completely betrayed.
"You idiot," Jiang Chen sighed.
"Why did you wait until they arrived to order?"
"You should've asked Sara to cook it when you woke up, eaten first, and then let them come pay!"
Paimon's fierce momentum instantly collapsed.
"…That actually makes sense."
Kaeya laughed.
"I'll treat you when you get back."
"Deal!"
Paimon quickly hooked pinkies with him.
Amber's Gift
Amber ran over shyly.
"Boss Jiang Chen… Acting Grand Master Jean said you prepared a surprise for me?"
"You'll definitely like it."
Jiang Chen tapped the large box placed on the nearby table.
"Go ahead—open it."
Jean blinked.
"So it was for Amber."
She had carried the box earlier and knew what was inside.
She had been wondering why Jiang Chen wanted it.
"I once promised Amber a set of Artifacts," Jiang Chen explained.
"But giving random artifacts wouldn't match properly."
"So I decided to give her a weapon instead."
Amber opened the box.
Her eyes sparkled.
"It's the Favonius Warbow!"
The silver bow gleamed like a hunting falcon ready to strike.
"You're really giving this to me?!"
"Of course."
Jiang Chen nodded.
"But… the Knights…"
Amber hesitated.
Her reputation and strength didn't quite match such a weapon yet.
Jean spoke up calmly.
"If Jiang Chen gave it to you, you can accept it."
"The Knights won't take it back."
Amber's excitement exploded.
"Thank you, Boss Jiang Chen!"
She jumped up and hugged him, her legs locking behind him as she clung around his head.
Jean instinctively reached out—
Then froze when she noticed Diluc and Kaeya staring at her.
She coughed awkwardly and withdrew her hand.
Lumine also coughed.
The sudden silence in the restaurant became a little awkward.
Amber realized what she had done and jumped down in panic.
"Boss Jiang Chen, I—"
"It's fine. I know you didn't mean anything by it."
Jiang Chen said calmly.
(Though secretly he thought: A free morning face-full of softness—today must be lucky.)
The Mission
"This time you'll travel with Diluc and Lumine," Jiang Chen said.
"Remember what I told you before—train yourself properly."
Amber's eyes burned with determination.
"I will!"
Then she suddenly realized.
"Wait… I'm going on the mission too?!"
"Yep."
"That's amazing!"
She ran over and hugged Lumine instead.
Their faces pressed together cheerfully.
"I'll supervise your archery training," Lumine said in a slightly gloomy tone.
She clearly hadn't forgotten Amber's earlier enthusiasm.
Departure
Sara knocked on the door.
"Boss, the Mondstadt Hash Browns you ordered are ready."
She placed two large bags of fried potato cakes on the table, along with five bottles of apple jam.
The aroma instantly made everyone hungry.
"Let's eat on the road," Diluc said.
Lumine grabbed one bag and three bottles of jam.
"Jiang Chen, we're heading out."
"Stay safe."
She nodded and followed Diluc.
Amber and Paimon ran after them.
"May the wind protect you."
Venti said seriously.
The Other Team
Meanwhile Jean was giving instructions to Kaeya.
"Kaeya, Mondstadt's safety is in your hands."
"With the Fatui distracted and their defense map in our possession, there shouldn't be trouble," Kaeya assured her.
"Jean, let's go."
Jiang Chen tossed a potato cake to her.
"You want jam?"
"A little."
She spread apple jam generously on the potato cake, wrapped it up, and followed him out.
Behind them—
Venti picked up the remaining potato cakes.
He also pulled out the expensive half-bottle of wine he had secretly taken earlier.
"I'll take care of the rest."
Kaeya leaned against the doorway watching Jiang Chen and Jean leave.
His relaxed expression slowly turned worried.
"For those two… today isn't a good day to travel."
That morning he had checked the astrologer's weather forecast.
It predicted rain.
Diluc's team would remain near Springvale for a few days, searching for the hunter.
But Jiang Chen and Jean were heading toward Thousand Winds Temple.
High mountains.
Rain.
Possibly thunder.
Dangerous conditions.
"…Hopefully the prediction is wrong."
Kaeya muttered.
Inside the restaurant, Venti murmured quietly while chewing potato cakes.
"The wind… is changing."
Kaeya didn't hear him clearly.
On the Road
Jiang Chen and Jean had already left the city.
They followed the path toward Windrise.
From there they would continue toward Thousand Winds Temple.
After walking for a while—
"Jean, save your stamina," Jiang Chen reminded her.
"Otherwise we might have to rest before reaching the temple."
She slowed slightly.
"Sorry… I'm used to this pace."
Soon they walked side by side.
Then she unconsciously sped ahead again.
"…."
She stopped awkwardly.
"I'll just hold your hand."
Jiang Chen casually grabbed her hand.
Jean blushed faintly.
They were already inside a small forest.
The hidden surroundings gave her the courage not to pull away.
At that moment—
A notification appeared on Jiang Chen's system panel.
[System Notice]
New training target added: Jean
Level: Lv15
Element: Anemo
Skills:
Gale Blade Lv1
Dandelion Breeze Lv1
Jean hesitated.
"Jiang Chen… we're on a mission, not sightseeing."
"We haven't reached the temple yet, right?"
He replied seriously.
"This is just part of the journey."
"…."
She didn't argue.
After a while she gently pulled her hand away—
Then removed her gloves.
"It's a bit warm."
Moments later—
Their hands naturally found each other again.
This time without the gloves.
They could clearly feel each other's touch.
Whenever Jean unconsciously sped up, Jiang Chen pulled her back.
They walked like that for a while—
Until suddenly—
A torch-wielding hilichurl charged toward them screaming.
Jean instantly drew her sword.
"Gale Blade!"
The Anemo vortex slammed the hilichurl backward.
Jiang Chen nodded.
"Nice move. That's actually effective against torch hilichurls."
They advanced and soon discovered a hilichurl settlement below a cliff.
But strangely—
Only a few hilichurls remained.
A hydro samachurl among them.
Levels around Lv10–12.
After clearing the camp and burning it down, Jiang Chen frowned.
"There should be more."
"Maybe adventurers cleared them already?" Jean guessed.
Before Jiang Chen could reply—
He suddenly spotted something above the cliff.
Without warning he grabbed Jean's waist and pulled her into cover under a tree.
Above them—
A Cryo Abyss Mage appeared, investigating the smoke.
They stayed silent beneath the leaves.
"An Abyss Mage…"
Jean whispered.
"Maybe that's why the hilichurls were missing."
They waited until it left.
Then they searched for a path upward.
Soon they discovered something surprising—
An ancient road leading toward Thousand Winds Temple.
Following the road they reached a ruined arena.
Below them stood:
A Cryo Abyss Mage (Lv18)
Many hilichurls (Lv12–18)
A floating Eye of the Storm (Lv20)
The mage seemed to be performing a ritual.
Jean frowned.
"It's trying to control the Eye of the Storm."
Too many enemies.
Not an easy fight.
"We should return later with the Knights," Jean suggested.
"I'll try something first."
Jiang Chen drew Wolf's Gravestone.
Golden Geo energy surged.
Jean stared in shock.
"Dual elements…?! And that sword—Wolf's Gravestone?!"
"Surprised?"
"…Yes."
Jiang Chen raised the blade.
"Geo Dragon Vein!"
The ground erupted.
Stone pillars collapsed inward, burying the Abyss Mage and destroying the ruins.
Hilichurls fled in panic.
Even the Eye of the Storm retreated.
Jean glided down to inspect the rubble.
The mage was already dead.
"Let's go," Jiang Chen said.
They continued toward the mountains.
Night fell.
Clouds covered the stars.
Strong wind blew through the valley.
Finally—
They reached a massive colosseum-like ruin.
In the center floated a glowing crimson tear crystal.
"Dvalin's tear crystal!"
Jean said happily.
"We'll retrieve it, camp tonight, and return to Mondstadt tomorrow."
"Maybe not that simple," Jiang Chen muttered.
Near the crystal—
A ruin guard lay motionless.
"I'll grab it."
He dashed forward.
Just as he reached the crystal—
A cold raindrop hit his face.
Then—
A sudden downpour began.
Electricity surged from the ruin guard through the rain-soaked air.
Jiang Chen instantly jumped back.
"…Damn."
The ruin guard jerked—
Then slowly stood up.
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