A short while later, Rowan and Istaroth arrived at Good Hunter.
As expected, they ran into Lumine and Paimon, whom Amber had just brought over.
"Your Majesty, you're here."
Amber immediately stood up when she saw Rowan, a little nervous as she introduced him to Lumine and Paimon.
"Let me introduce you. This is our Knight King of Mondstadt—the one who developed Mondstadt into what you see today.
"And just like you, Lumine, he's also a traveler from another world!"
After greeting Rowan, Amber quickly turned back to Lumine and Paimon.
"Your Majesty, this is the traveler from afar, Lumine. She came to Mondstadt hoping to find news of her blood-related brother.
"And this is her partner, Paimon."
Rowan's smile was warm and gentle.
"Welcome to Mondstadt."
"I am the Knight King of Mondstadt. You can just call me Rowan."
"It's a pleasure to meet you both."
The moment Lumine heard that Rowan was not only the ruler of Mondstadt but also a fellow traveler, she grew tense and shot to her feet to greet him.
"Hello, Lord Knight King. I'm the traveler Lumine."
"This is my guide, Paimon. I'm very happy to be here in Mondstadt."
"This place is so beautiful and prosperous!"
Paimon politely waved her tiny hand.
"Hi there, I'm Paimon."
"I'm super happy to be visiting Mondstadt as a guest!"
"Hehehe~~"
Just like that, the four of them hit it off and sat down together for a meal.
It was Lumine and Paimon's first time tasting Mondstadt cuisine, and they were delighted—the food was amazing, and they ate with genuine joy.
Especially Paimon. The little glutton's belly was round and swollen, yet she still looked unsatisfied, clearly wanting to keep stuffing herself.
It was obvious they'd suffered quite a bit out in the wild.
Now that they finally had the chance to eat a proper meal, of course they were going to make the most of it.
"So you're saying you got separated from your brother…"
"And you want to see if there's any news about him here in Mondstadt, right?"
Over the meal, Lumine took the initiative to explain why she had come to Mondstadt.
Rowan pretended not to know anything, putting on a look of surprise.
"Yeah. We were separated by a strange god."
"When I woke up, I was lying on a beach."
"So I wanted to see if I could find any clues about him in Mondstadt."
"I don't want to trouble you too much. If you could just post some missing-person notices around Mondstadt, that would be enough."
Lumine looked at Rowan with hopeful eyes, clearly wishing he would lend her a hand.
Rowan smiled and nodded.
"I've more or less understood the situation. That's fine."
"When I get back, I'll have people handle it for you. In a bit, draw a portrait of your brother for Amber."
"I'll have copies made tomorrow and posted all over the streets and alleys of Mondstadt."
Openly "executing" Aether like this was exactly the sort of thing Rowan liked to do.
He was very curious—when that guy eventually learned that every street and alley of Mondstadt was plastered with his missing-person notices, would he cough up blood on the spot?
Aether, I'll gladly take on this sacred duty.
Abyss Order.
"Achoo!"
Having just returned to the Abyss, Aether suddenly sneezed.
Did he catch a cold?
"Your Highness, the East Wind Dragon has already been claimed by that Knight King."
"Do we still need to go to Mondstadt and corrupt him?"
An Abyss Mage floated over as it spoke.
"No need. We don't have to move against Mondstadt for the time being."
"Other than searching for the first Vision in this world, all other operations are suspended."
Aether waved his hand and gave the order.
"Yes, Your Highness!"
The Abyss Mage nodded, then turned away and left the throne hall.
Aether lifted his gaze toward the lightless depths of the Abyss above, lost in thought.
The gears of fate were already beginning to turn.
Knight King of Mondstadt… what role will you play in this strand of destiny?
I'll be watching closely.
Just don't get in my way—otherwise, don't blame me for showing no mercy.
The next day.
The streets and alleys of Mondstadt suddenly filled with missing-person notices.
Because the Knights of Favonius had personally posted them, everyone was quite curious.
However, once they saw the person depicted on the notices, they all shook their heads.
None of them had ever seen anyone like that before.
Lumine was very disappointed, but she did not give up.
If finding her brother were really that easy, that unknown god wouldn't have bothered separating them in the first place.
On Paimon's suggestion, Lumine joined the Adventurers' Guild.
She started taking on commissions around Mondstadt—while also feeding Paimon, the bottomless big eater.
Lumine had never imagined that her biggest expense so far wouldn't be lodging, but feeding Paimon.
That little glutton was a walking rice bucket. Three meals a day, and she wouldn't be satisfied unless she burned through at least a thousand mora.
Lumine truly had no idea how Paimon digested all that food after eating so much.
Was this the legendary "stomach of a god"?
No matter how much she ate, she never got fat.
Library.
With nothing particular to do, Rowan made his way there.
Lisa was still the librarian. Rowan had always hoped Lisa would change careers—after all, she was acclaimed by the Akademiya as its greatest genius in three hundred years.
To be praised like that by the Akademiya itself meant Lisa was truly exceptional, both in terms of magic and intellect.
She absolutely had the qualifications to become one of Mondstadt's high-ranking officials.
Unfortunately, because of her physical condition, she was unwilling to involve herself in Mondstadt's affairs.
Only Jean would occasionally visit her to ask for advice.
As her close friend, Lisa would then share her opinions and propose solutions.
Most of the time, though, she simply lazed around the library, reading books and enjoying afternoon tea.
"Well, if it isn't our very busy Lord Knight King."
"What brings you to my library today?"
The moment Rowan stepped inside, he heard Lisa's uniquely languid voice.
Looking up, he saw Lisa leaning lazily against the second-floor railing, chin propped on her hand, smiling down at him.
Her generous bosom rested heavily on the handrail, almost too much for it to bear.
"Can't I come to the library if I don't have business?"
"I just wanted to learn more about Mondstadt's past and look up some records. Is that not allowed?"
Rowan laughed as he walked up to the second floor, stopping in front of Lisa with an easy smile.
"Oh? And what is it you'd like to know?"
"If big sister here knows anything, I can give you a few recommendations."
"I want to know about Barbatos, the Anemo Archon."
"Does the library have any material on him?"
(End of Chapter)
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