From a short distance away, a young girl dressed in bright red slowly approached.
Paimon immediately became alert. "Who are you? What do you want? Are you trying to steal our food?"
"Ah! No, no, don't misunderstand! I'm not a bandit or a bad person."
"That's exactly what bad people would say."
"Cough, cough—I really am not a bad person! I'm Amber, an Outrider of the Knights of Favonius. May the Anemo Archon bless you, travelers." She spoke with confidence, standing tall and proud.
Paimon and Lumine exchanged glances. Knights of Favonius? Is this the same organization that Klee is a part of?
> Outrider Amber, LV19 <
"Amber!" Zephyr was stunned. No way… It's really Amber?!
He immediately got excited. "Amber! I missed you so much!"
Amber blinked in confusion. "Eh…? Have we met before?"
"Of course! You're my best girl!"
"…What? Best girl? What are you even talking about? We just met."
Paimon frowned. "Traveler, what are you doing?"
Lumine sighed. "That… That wasn't me."
Amber's head was full of question marks. Not you? Then who?
Paimon waved her hands. "Hey, Player, stop talking! Look, you're scaring Amber."
"Ahem… Sorry, I got too excited."
Amber hesitated. "Um… What exactly is going on here…?"
"Uh… Just think of it as the Traveler having a few loose screws." Paimon gave a sympathetic look and tapped her head.
"…Ohhh." Upon hearing that, Amber's expression immediately softened with pity.
"Don't worry! Mondstadt has the best doctors. Please don't give up on treatment—you will get better!"
"..."
After offering some comforting words to Zephyr, Amber's gaze unconsciously drifted toward the food, and she swallowed a little.
But she quickly shook her head, regaining her serious expression. "You guys don't seem like Mondstadt citizens. Please state your identities."
"And… what's with this little mascot?"
Lumine responded flatly, "Not a mascot. It's emergency food."
Paimon puffed up her cheeks. "That's even worse! I'd rather be called a mascot!"
Lumine chuckled. "Nice to meet you. My name is Lumine, and this is Paimon, my companion. We're travelers, passing through."
"Oh, travelers? Nice to meet you, Lumine, Paimon."
"Hello, Miss Amber."
Amber smiled. "No need to be so formal! Just call me Amber, or if you prefer, Outrider Amber works too."
Paimon grinned. "Got it, Outrider Amber! You sure take your role as a knight seriously."
Amber proudly placed her hands on her hips. "Of course! Being a Knight of Favonius is my lifelong honor. I give my all to this job with passion and dedication."
"Wow, you're so reliable and hardworking."
"Wait, why didn't you introduce me?" Zephyr pouted. "Amber, my name is Zephyr."
"Uh… N-Nice to meet you." Amber's expression was a little complicated.
"Ahem. Since you're travelers, I suggest you head to the city as soon as possible. There's been a dragon sighting near Mondstadt recently."
Dragon?!"
"So dragons really do exist in this world…"
Lumine's eyes lit up. "How far is Mondstadt from here?"
"About half a day's journey."
At that, Lumine's face brightened with excitement.
Amber looked a little puzzled. Why even ask this question? She replied, "Wait… Is this your first time in Mondstadt?"
"Yeah."
"Oh, I see! In that case, let me escort you back to Mondstadt."
"Eh? You'd do that?"
"Of course! You're first-time guests in Mondstadt—I can't let our guests get hurt here!"
Paimon beamed. "Really? Thank you so much, Amber!"
"No need to thank me."
Lumine gave a complicated look. "And you call yourself a guide?"
"Uh…"
Suddenly, as if she had just remembered something important, Lumine's expression turned urgent. "Amber, you're an Outrider—you must've met a lot of people. Have you ever seen someone who looks like me?"
"Someone who looks like you?"
"Yes, my sister. We got separated for some reason, and my journey is all about finding her."
"Oh…" Amber thought for a moment, then shook her head apologetically. "Sorry, but I don't recall seeing anyone like that. But don't worry! Once we get to Mondstadt, I can help put up missing person posters. I'm sure we'll find her soon!"
Lumine was touched. "Thank you."
"No problem—it's the least I can do."
At that moment, Zephyr spoke up. "Lumine, you don't need to worry too much. Your sister is probably with the Abyss Order right now."
What?!" Lumine's eyes widened in shock. "How do you know that?"
"I was a beta tester for Genshin Impact. That was how the story played out at the time."
"Beta tester? Story?"
Zephyr quickly explained the concept of the game, leaving Lumine and Paimon in disbelief.
"So you're saying… our world was just a game?"
"It used to be, but things have changed. Now, I believe your world is real."
"I don't care about any of that! Zephyr, are you sure my sister joined the Abyss Order? And do you know where they are?"
"I can't say for certain—I can only tell you that in the beta, that's how it happened. But I have no idea if things have changed in the real world. For example, in my memory, Aether was supposed to be your brother, not your sister."
"As for where the Abyss Order is… I have no clue."
Hearing this, Lumine's expression dimmed slightly. But at the same time, there was a newfound glimmer of hope in her eyes. Even if she didn't know why her sister had joined the Abyss Order, at least she now had a lead—her sister was still alive. And that was enough.
Beside them, Amber had a strange expression on her face, as if she wanted to say something but hesitated.
"Um… About the Abyss Order—you should ask Grand Master Jean when you get to Mondstadt. She might know something."
"Really?!" Lumine was excited.
"Uh… I can't guarantee it."
"That's fine! Thank you, Amber!"
"Uh… Y-You're welcome… um…"
Paimon smirked. "Amber, Paimon know what you're thinking. Paimon told you—there's something wrong with the Traveler's head. Just think of it like he has a split personality. Oh, and by the way, Zephyr's a guy."
"You're the one with issues!" Zephyr and Lumine both shouted at the same time.
At that moment, Zephyr suddenly remembered something—his main quest. He could receive a huge reward by adding a Vision-wielding character to his party.
And right now… wasn't this the perfect chance?
"Amber! Join my team!"
"Eh?!" Amber blinked in surprise. "What do you mean?"
"But… we just met today."
"For you, maybe. But for me, you're my best girl!"
"Eh?!!"
Suddenly, Lumine pulled Amber into her arms, rubbing her cheek affectionately against hers.
"Amber, you're so cute! Please join my party!"
Amber's face instantly turned red as she quickly pushed the Traveler away. "S-Stop that!"
"We're both girls, so why are you suddenly hugging me like this?"
Exactly because we're both girls! That's why hugging like this isn't weird at all." At this moment, Zephyr shamelessly admitted to being a girl.
Lumine's eyelid twitched. "What are you even doing with my body?!"
"Relax, Lumine. What do you mean your body? I'm the player, okay?"
"..."
Paimon muttered under her breath, "The player is definitely a gentleman… Wait, don't tell me you call every girl you meet your 'best girl'?"
"Of course not! Only Amber is my best girl!"
Amber's face flushed even more. "P-Please stop saying that… You're embarrassing me."
"What's wrong with wanting to form a contract with someone I like?"
"What's wrong? Everything is wrong with that!"
"No, seriously, didn't you see the main quest?"
"What main quest? I have no idea what you're talking about."
"…Oh, right, looks like you can't see it."
Zephyr quickly explained the main quest to them. Lumine's eyes lit up. "Ohhh, so that's why! You should've just said so earlier!"
She turned to Amber. "Amber, I'm Lumine. Honestly, I think Zephyr is a pretty decent guy. Why don't you consider saying yes?"
Eh?! Just a second ago, you weren't saying that at all!"
"Ahem. That was just me acting on impulse. But after thinking it over… he's actually not too bad." Lumine practically gritted her teeth as she said this.
"…Yeah, that doesn't sound convincing at all! Besides, I'm already a member of the Knights of Favonius. There's no way I can just leave the Knights!"
"Wait, that's an option?"
"B-But… we only just met today! Joining your party out of nowhere is way too fast…"
Zephyr sighed. He knew this was all a bit sudden, but what could he do? The main quest required it. Theoretically, there was no time limit—he could always do it later.
But the sooner he got the reward, the better, right? Plus, he really did love Amber.
As he was deep in thought, his eyes landed on the weapon Amber was holding. It looked oddly familiar.
"Amber… is that a Slingshot?"
The Slingshot was a three-star weapon. Pretty decent for its rarity, but still… just a three-star weapon.
"Huh? You actually noticed? You've got sharp eyes! Yep, this is a Slingshot. I exchanged my contribution points at the Knights' headquarters to get it."
Contribution points? An exchange system? That must be a new feature.
"Why didn't you exchange for a four-star weapon? Doesn't the Knights' headquarters have them?"
"Of course, they do! But four-star weapons require a lot of contribution points. I couldn't afford one yet, so I just got the Slingshot for now." Amber clenched her fists determinedly. "My current goal is to work hard and save up enough points to exchange for the Favonius Warbow! Only elite members of the Knights can get one!"
"Favonius Warbow, huh…" Zephyr mused. He remembered its stats—it was pretty decent. Unfortunately, he hadn't pulled it in-game.
"What do you think about this bow?"
Zephyr pulled out a Sacrificial Bow, a four-star weapon on the same tier as the Favonius Warbow.
The moment Amber laid eyes on it, she was stunned. The glow of its refined craftsmanship and the powerful aura it emitted made her expression fill with awe. Even her bunny ears twitched involuntarily atop her head.
...